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maniacwatchestheworld · 1 year

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Some Brief Propaganda

Fellow Tumblrites and Bat-enthusiasts. I come to you today asking for you to find it on your heart to vote for Gilda Dent in this latest Batman Sexywoman tournament held by @batman-heritageposts. If you stood with team Two-Face during the Batman Sexyman poll, I would hope that you can understand why I feel compelled to campaign for Gilda as well. I love her and she's absolutely radiant. If you voted for Two-Face before, I would hope that you can find it in your heart to vote for Two-Face's beautiful wife who can and will murder you as well. u.u

But to sweeten the deal a little, I have written something for all of you eager voters today. A little fanfic about Gilda and Renee. If you vote for Gilda, I will consider writing more of it. So without further ado, here it is.

(Sorry if I botched Renee's writing a little. I'm more familiar with Gilda and her various incarnations than Renee, and I haven't gotten around to consuming any media of Renee as the Question yet, but I tried my best!)

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It was a series of murders. In Gotham City, that’s what always seems to start it...

They were just like before. A killing. Once a month. Every time, a holiday. A calling card relating to that holiday left behind at every crime scene along with the weapon- a gun with a baby bottle nipple used as an improvised silencer. With his more flashy antics in more recent years, many people had forgotten. But those of us on the force when it all started didn’t. There were two primary suspects. Calendar Man or…

But Julian Day was safely locked away in Arkham Asylum, ranting and raving, angry over how he was being copied. Again. Just like the first time. Which just left Holiday.

He had broken out again. He seemed to be a master at that. Some were certain that he only ever went to Arkham Asylum because he wanted to be there. Everyone knew that he had connections on the inside. And he had resources on the out. People weren’t even surprised when Harvey Dent broke out of Arkham Asylum these days. The killer had to be him. He was Holiday after all.

After everything he put me through, everyone recommended that I stay away from the case. I convinced everyone that I had. But it was a lie. I had to get involved. I would bring him in, and no one would have to know that it was me. But then something unexpected happened.

Everything went according to plan. I knew who he would kill next. I made contact. We would set a trap together. Make it easy for him. Just as he would go in for the kill, I would stop him. Trap him.

I had expected him. Harvey Dent. Two-Face had to be the killer. But what I didn’t expect was her…

She managed to get away. No one else realized... But I know what I saw. This Holiday wasn’t Harvey Dent. It wasn’t Two-Face. Holiday was a woman. And I recognized her.

Her name was Gilda. Gilda Gold. I had met her a handful of times before, but always in passing, and never for long. She used to be his wife. Back before he was Two-Face. Back when he was still Gotham City’s District Attorney. Reports said that she had moved away from Gotham. Apparently she was back. But why? And what was she doing? Had he put her up to this? It didn’t sound like him. He had spoken about her before. Not very much, but it was clear to me that even after all of these years, he still loved her and thought the world of her. Albeit in his own way. But what would I know? I don’t think I’ll ever understand his particular brand of crazy. But if he hadn’t put her up to it, that left a much more disturbing question. Was she a copycat killer? Or even more disturbing... It was a question that I intended to answer one way or another.

I found where she was living. Some cheap apartment in the Narrows. If I had to guess, she had moved in a hurry. Just as well. This was a neighborhood where people didn’t tend to ask questions if they knew what was good for them. Give the neighbors enough incentive, and they would turn a blind eye to just about anything.

It did occur to me just how ironic it was. Me stalking his ex-wife after what he- It didn’t feel good sneaking into her apartment.

It was supposed to be a quick in and out. Find the evidence. See if he had gotten in contact with her. Get out.

This first room that I had snuck into seemed to be a workshop of some kind. Tools, vices, odd objects here and there. A detail about the crime scenes came to mind- the guns left behind at the crime scene had serial numbers that had been manually filed off of them. Could this be where the guns came from- where their numbers had been filed off? But as my eyes adjusted, even stranger shapes began to take form… Faces in the darkness.

Wood, stone, clay… The materials were different, but the faces… These busts… She recognized them… Here among the tools and odd, half formed shapes was a collection of statues of him.

How old were these statues anyway? Where did she get them? Some of them were disfigured, made horrific just like the man they were modeled on, yes, but others… They looked just like he did before…

“Some of my best work. They're a little old now, but I still think that I did a really good job of capturing him. What do you think?”

The voice startled me as a light was flicked on. She wasn’t supposed to be here. How did she manage to sneak in so quietly? This was a mistake. I’d been caught. I should leave before she has the chance to-

“I thought that you might track me down. It’s alright, I’m going to do anything to you. If anything, I would like for you to be my guest. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you took a seat.”

I could only watch as she moved towards a stool that stood near the center of the room upon which a slab of wood rested. The upper half of the block had a shape carved into it that resembled a human head. She took a chisel in hand before skillfully carving the shape into a more refined form.

“The Question, right?”

I had to shake myself from a trance. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her biceps. She was wearing short sleeves and coveralls, and her arms were just as sculpted as the statues around us.

“W-what?”

“That’s what they call you, right? The Question? I try to keep up with the kinds of people that Harvey associates himself with these days- you can never know when one of them might try to use me to get at him after all- but I have a harder time keeping up with the heroes. But I think I’ve heard of you before. And you’re The Question, right?”

“Y-yes. Let me-” I let out a deep breath. “You seem to have quite the obsession with your ex-husband.” I motioned towards the statues I had been examining before.

That seemed to make her pause. “Maybe you could say that…”

“If you aren’t then what’s with all of the busts of him over there?”

“Work.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m a sculptor. And Harvey... He used to be my muse. He was my favorite muse. That’s why I wanted to marry him.” She leaned back with a smile of fond memories on her lips. “He was always so beautiful. My Apollo. But then everything with the gangs happened and… Well… You know.”

“But you keep sculpting him?”

“Well… He’s still my Harvey. He’s still my perfect muse. People may not think so anymore- he might not think that he’s beautiful anymore… But he is. He’s never given me the chance to tell him… Always rejects the idea outright when I’ve tried. He thinks that he’s hideous. But a few scars like that was never enough to scare me away.”

“Didn’t you divorce him?”

“... Yes. But it was only at his insistence. He’s afraid of hurting me. He’s certain that as long as I stayed in his life, that I was in danger. Always just one bad coin flip away from killing me… He begged me. I couldn’t say no to the way he looked at me… So I accepted. I filed the divorce papers like he asked. But that doesn’t change anything. If he needs space to recover, that’s fine with me. But I still love him. I don’t think that I will ever stop loving him… Even if he…” She drifted off, but it wasn’t hard to catch her meaning.

“... He’s not worth it.” I couldn’t keep the tone of bitterness out of my voice.

“Perhaps not. But I’m willing to wait.”

“And what if after all this waiting, he doesn’t love you anymore?”

“That’s alright. He may have been my favorite muse, but he isn’t my only one. I may not want to move on, but if he’s gone on without me, I can go on without him.”

What a perfect little wife. Loyal to her man until the end. At least until he wanted to do away with her. But that just left the question… But before I could ask it, she said something that I wasn’t expecting.

“You’re beautiful.”

Obviously that had taken me by surprise. “W-what…?”

She turned the block of wood she was sculpting to me. The resemblance to my face was uncanny.

“How did you…!?” I put a hand to my face to make sure that the mask was still there. The smile she gave me made my heart skip a beat.

“When I saw you the other day… I thought that you must be beautiful. I had to sculpt you. So what do you think? Is it close? I can’t make out the specifics, obviously, but with the way that the fabric pulls over your face… I can make out the shape of it all. The cut of your chin, the curve of your cheekbones, the angle of your brows, your nose… Your lips… I wanted to see it for myself… But I can only guess what your eyes look like… I would simply love it if you let me see your face…”

I paused.

Was I actually considering…? No. I came here with a purpose. I had questions and I needed answers. What was I doing letting myself get distracted like this? I had a job to do! Even if she was pretty, and her eyes…

“When was the last time Two-Face got in contact with you?” I asked.

Turning the block of wood back to her, she seemed to consider it for a long moment. “I believe that would be the last time I visited him at Arkham Asylum. He’s lousy at keeping in touch with me these days. Too busy with his criminal enterprises and whatnot. It’s up to me to try and contact him. But that’s difficult when he isn’t at Arkham Asylum. But I do try to visit when I can.”

She still loves him… And she still visits him at Arkham Asylum. The thought of it made my stomach churn. I had visited him at Arkham once. It wasn’t because I wanted to see him or keep him company or anything like that. I was on a case and had questions that needed answering. I was certain that he could answer them. That was all.

He had once told me that he loves me. The feelings were never mutual. He said that he wanted to be with me and did what he could to try and prove his ‘love’ to me. His fucked up version of it at least. And all along he had this woman waiting for him? Still loving him after the kind of monster that he became? It made me feel sick.

“So you’re saying that he didn’t put you up to killing Thorne last Tuesday?”

“What would make you think that?”

“Well, he’s Holiday. Why else would you want to try to kill a well-known gangster like that?”

“That is the question, isn’t it?”

“Are you going to answer it?”

“Am I obligated to? I’m not under oath right now, and even if I was, I have the right to not incriminate myself. And while I don’t intend on pressing charges, you did still break into my home. Are you wanting a confession out of me? Why? So that you can try me? Given your method of receiving any such evidence or confession, it would hardly be admissible in court. Unless you want to claim that you’re an officer of the law, in which case, I’d like to see a warrant.”

That brought a smile to my face. “Leave it up to the ex-wife of a lawyer to make this difficult.”

“Oh, that’s not Harvey’s advice speaking here. But I can get another lawyer on the line if you’re wanting to make this difficult. They always told us that a lawyer that defends themself in court has a fool for a client, and I know plenty who will defend me in my place.”

“Us?”

“Would you believe that I graduated from Oxford?”

“With an art degree?”

“And a law degree.”

“And you chose to be a sculptor.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I was good at it- practicing law that is. But I was never quite as driven in the same way that Harvey was… He needed to practice law- to prosecute and punish criminals just as much as he needed to breathe. And if we wanted to start a family, at least one of us had to stop and make time for it. I had my sculpting, and I could still do that at home, but Harvey… Well… I don’t think that he could have stopped himself even if he tried.”

“Must have been difficult…”

“For others, maybe. But I didn’t mind per se. I knew the man I married. He was doing what he had to. And he was doing good.”

“Until the day he took it too far.”

Gilda let out a laugh. “You mean the Holiday killings?”

I was taken aback. “You disagree?”

“Now that’s a question, isn’t it? Harvey was always held back by the law… We had talked about it, you know. He said that if the Maronis and the Falcones just up and died, it would make his job so much easier. There would be so much less crime in Gotham. Maybe for once he would have some free time and then… Well… Maybe we could finally have that family he had always wanted… But then again, maybe that was never my story to tell.”

“Not your story to tell?”

Gilda seemed to be thinking in the silence. “Do you want to know the true story of the Holiday killings?”

“... Yes…”

“Why?”

“... Maybe it’s more to satisfy my own curiosity than anything else... And I want to know how you’re involved.” It was an ugly bit of honesty.

“... I could tell you everything. Things that the police got wrong. Things that Batman doesn’t even know. The truth that only Harvey and I know…”

“Batman…? He’s wrong about-?” I don’t think that I had ever heard Batman being wrong about anything like this before.

“I don’t think it’s his fault, mind you… Harvey spun a convincing story that everyone wanted to believe… And so they did... I think that it’s just easier for Batman to accept that only Harvey could- ... Maybe he just didn’t want to get his heart broken twice… Or maybe too much damage had already been dealt, and he’s willing to let Harvey carry all of the pain and guilt on his own since he decided to take responsibility for it regardless… He always was a good friend…”

“A friend…?”

“Maybe more. Harvey was certainly interested. Maybe I was too.” That raised another question, but before I could ask it, she spoke up, breaking the forming thought. “How about this. You can have my confession. I’ll satisfy your curiosity. But in exchange you satisfy one of my curiosities.”

“And what would that be?”

“You let me see your face.”

I hesitated. This would be stupid to agree to. I couldn’t just compromise my identity like that. What she was asking was too much. “... Okay…” But I still agreed to it. I think it was her eyes that made me want to agree. Very pretty… So innocent, almost doe-like. And yet still intelligent and containing some sort of depth that I couldn't quite make full sense of. That and all the questions that I knew would go unanswered if I just let this go.

The way that she smiled at me made my heart beat just a little faster. Some part of me thought that it was worth it just to see that smile.

“Harvey was never the Holiday killer. I was Holiday.”

“How…!? Why?”

“It’s been so long… The how is fuzzy even for me. But as for why… Maybe it was because I loved him… Maybe if the biggest perpetrators of crime in Gotham City were dead, then my Harvey could have some free time and we could start a family… Or maybe it was revenge for what those families had done to me, and I just wanted to see the darkness inside of Harvey finally come to light, not caring if he got hurt in the process. Or maybe it was to pursue the kind of justice that Harvey was never able to accomplish for himself, always being restricted by the confines of the law… They deserved to die for the crimes they had committed. All of them. Regardless, it’s not really my story, is it? And if it’s not my story… Why do my reasons matter…?”

There it was again. Her saying that this wasn’t her story. “Why do you say that?”

“That this isn’t my story?”

I nodded.

“That’s simple. When people talk about the Holiday killings, that Long Halloween, what do they say about it? That it was what finally made my Harvey snap and become Two-Face. That it was his origin story. Or maybe it’s the story of how Batman lost one of his few first allies and closet friends… And he doesn’t have many of those, does he? I may have been the killer, but if the story is about how Two-Face came to power or how Batman lost a friend, then is it really my story? Or am I just a bit player in it? What do my reasons matter if the story is not and has never been mine? In the end, people always fall back to their image of me and don’t think that my story is worth telling… A worried, crying housewife that’s waiting for my love to come back to me… A victim of my husband’s insanity and crimes… And now what will you see me as? Just a killer? Does anything else about me matter if I’m just another killer in this city? Maybe that’s all I can ever be. Two-Face’s killer wife… Nothing more…”

“... Do you really believe that?”

“What else is there to believe…?”

The look of resignation and despair on her face made my heart sink in my chest. I thought that she had to be wrong… Surely… Surely there was more to her than just being a killer… Surely her story mattered to someone out there in some significant manner.

I glanced to the statues that surrounded us. She was an accomplished sculptor. She was a lawyer… She still loved that monster of a man even after all this time and all the crimes he did… I remembered the way that he used to talk about her… Even now he still thought about her sometimes… And maybe she was one of the few things that could save him...

A thought occurred to me. Maybe what I was seeing in her were the same things that drew Two-Face to her... Or maybe they were the same things that drew him to me. The idea of it made me feel ill. But another part of me thought that he was stupid for letting a woman like this go and slip through his fingers when she still clearly loved him. A lucky man. But too stupid to see what he had.

But even if I expressed these thoughts out loud, I didn’t think that any of them would offer her much consolation… But maybe I could do something that would make up for it… Maybe there was at least one thing I could do to bring a smile back to her face.

I approached, getting closer to her until she was in my arms. It was my turn to keep up my end of the bargain. “Would you like to do the honors?” I asked, and her face seemed to light up. This was a stupid move for certain, but seeing her face light up from resigned despair like that… It made me feel simply wonderful. Maybe that’s what she was good at- her secret superpower. Making otherwise intelligent people be stupid for her and somehow still making it feel rewarding…

“Can I really?” she asked as if she hadn't expected that I would actually let her see my face, and I chuckled.

“Of course. You gave me your confession, Holiday. Now it’s time for me to keep up my end of the bargain.”

She brought a hand to my mask and touched it, feeling the fabric. Taking her hand, I guided her fingers to the edges of the mask where she could peel the fabric away from my face.

I could feel her breath escape her once the cloth was removed and my face was revealed to the light.

“I was right. You are beautiful.”

After a compliment like that, of course I had to let out a chuckle. “I’m not the only one…”

She started blushing. “I feel like I’ve seen you before somewhere… Maybe in my dreams?”

Now she wasn’t the only one blushing as I began to laugh outright. “I thought that you were loyal to Two-Face.”

“He isn’t my only muse.” She pretended to put on an indignant expression, but there was a playfulness to her movements. “Has anyone told you that you would make for a gorgeous Lady Justice?”

“I can’t say that anyone has.”

“Speaking of… I think that I recognize you now… You’re that police officer, aren’t you? Officer Montoya, right?”

“Police commissioner these days, actually.”

“Oh! Well congratulations on the promotion, then! Very naughty of you to be going out on the town dressed like this then.”

“Caught me dead to rights.”

But the air of laughter was stifled by tension upon what she said next. “... You’re the one he fell in love with, aren’t you…? You’re Renee...”

I had to look away from her. Even if I didn’t say anything, it seemed that she understood.

“I… I see… I’m so sorry… You didn’t deserve to be… I’m sorry. I assume that’s why you decided to take on the costume to investigate these killings?”

I nodded.

“... I wish that I could make it up to you…”

“It’s not your fault.”

“That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to make it better if I can.”

“Is that what makes you still love him after all this time…?”

“Maybe… Maybe I can’t help it. I mean, he can hardly help it either… Maybe I’ve always been a fixer… Maybe I just can’t give up on someone even when they’re beyond hope… Maybe that makes me stupid…”

“Or maybe it makes you a hero the likes of which Batman and I could never hope to be… Maybe it makes you courageous and faithful.”

That smile was back, even if it was faint now. “Harvey told me about you, you know. He said that you were kind to him… And for someone like him, that means a lot.”

“Well, he completely misunderstood it.”

“I know… Maybe a part of him knew… But then decided to ignore it… It doesn’t make it right. I don’t know if anything ever could… But I’m glad that you still showed him kindness in a world that can have so little of it.”

Her smile was captivating and if I had something to say, it was soon lost in her eyes. They were eyes that shone with clear intelligence and were bright, reminding me of the sky on a clear day.

“Or maybe… Maybe I can make it up to you…” I only barely heard her mutter the words before she pressed a finger to my lips and I fell completely helpless to her charms.

I could see her leaning in closer to me and I couldn’t stop myself...

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Remember to vote for Gilda in the Batman sexywoman tournament held by @batman-heritageposts, and maybe I'll write more!

#batman #gilda dent #renee montoya #the question #the holiday killer #holiday killer #gilda gold #gilda gold x renee montoya #batman sexywoman tournament #holiday #batman-heritageposts

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sniper-childe · 2 years

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I LIVE!

i was so ready to leave genshin behind (bc you know i am a self-respecting brown asian person) but a friend insisted that i play through the archon quest bc they have thoughts and stuff to say and they needed someone to discuss them with.

surprisingly, i liked Act 2. and i liked Nahida. and some characters, i guess, but i was really scared for Nahida's characterization and the writer of Act 2 exceeded my expectations (granted, my expectations were in hell).

UNTIL ACT 3 OF COURSE SHAT ALL OVER THE BUILD-UP AND CHARACTERIZATION DONE IN ACT 2! OF FUCKING COURSE!

i, too, have so many thoughts and stuff to say and I'll probably post them here. so watch out for that. i'd probably start posting (yeah it will be a series of posts bc goddamn) this weekend.

if you have been following me for a while now, i did a kinda sorta beta-read of the Inazuma Act 3 last year. and i thought why not do that again for the Sumeru Arc too? so don't worry! the posts won't be about how white Sumeru is. a lot of people have already talked about that. i will be talking about the arc as a writer and editor.

also, i loved the Golden Slumber World Quest, man. I loved it. except for this one instance wc i will also talk about sometime.

in contrast, i hated the Aranyaka World Quest :D i'm still thinking about if i wanna be executed for hating on it. but man was that world quest so poorly paced. both in gameplay and story. also, it is useless in my eyes. the bit about the Abyss twin should have been an intermission chapter for the main storyline instead.

what should have been the main world quest for forest Sumeru, you ask? it should have focused more on the Akademiya. they should have humanized the scholars instead of making them cartoonishly evil (ANOTHER ONE? I KNOW!) bc listen man. smear campaigns and censorship are real things that real people do.

tbh this^ is my fave part about the Golden Slumber. Tirzad was a good way to see the product of the Akademiya's propaganda. BUT MAN WAS HE SO UNLIKEABLE.

imagine if we had that but instead we have someone who is likable and relatable? it will show the audience that sometimes, even though people are likable, they still can also be misguided.

ANYWAYS!

in another news:

i have updated the role-reversal zhongchi au! go check that out LOL imma do a different promo post for that but yeah

yeah that's about it. see you next time :D

#genshin impact #genshin world quests #genshin archon quests #genshin quests #genshin analysis #sumeru #genshin sumeru #sumeru archon quest #sumeru arc

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writingmochi · 1 year

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an honest review of the world ep.2: outlaw purely from musical observation (not proofread)

opening remarks: as i'm preparing to plan terra incognita; a cyberpunk au that will include each member from the groups i write for (txt, enhypen, and ateez) later in the year and an aspiring cyberpunk: red ttrpg game master that is planning a campaign to play during the break, i've been exposed to many cyberpunk-esque songs such as synthwave, breakcore, and hyperpop to be added into playlists for them. ateez's last entry to the world series was one of them

concept-wise, i don't have many complaints because they are consistent and on the line with their growth. from the pirates, to zero aka prequel series to the pirates, to now where they are revolutionaries trying to voice out their movement with their music, the genres of music they took also follow with the growth. ateez now takes a whole new spin on a cyberpunk and futuristic kpop concept with a bit of western in outlaw. i expect songs like propaganda, sector 1, cyberpunk, and guerrilla with this release. a bit in-your-face sounded but smart techniques with harmony and percussion

let's start!

1.this world: a nice intro with the bass synth and getting up the high before it slows down to san's soft voice in verse 1, playing with the perception of rhythm and it is very cyberpunk. the chorus is a blaring of four chords while they chant then the post-chorus is an almost instrumental break with a drum machine. did i hear a harmonic minor(?) chord in the bridge? with it, love the new haunting color in the song. outro follows the intro, making it come back full circle. i almost couldn't recognize yunho's and seonghwa's voices here but i could hear how wooyoung has so many lines, good for him! jongho is killing the high notes in this song (i could also hear san belting a few layers behind?)

2.dune: i especially gasp when i saw the song title in the tracklist, especially with the association with dune the book series. so i expected a phryigian-sounding song akin to the deserts of arrakis, alas i get what i wanted.

the plucking strings layers make it bouncy (gonna probably be the whole theme of the ep) especially with the phryigian melody running in the voice sample. the low voices attack in the chorus giving a surprising and unexpected twist to the song before being replied to with jongho's booming high-tone belt. gosh the verses' instrumental is dirty af, i love it! san's chest voice to head voice falsetto in the pre-chorus is freaking great. the chorus does sound haunting in a way, kinda reminds me of the sandworms lurking under the sand lmao. the harmony comes in the bridge before mingi's voice crawls up and leads it and gave the torch to hongjoong. jongho singing along with the low voices in the chorus. okay... this song is great. nomads in cyberpunk will probably like this song.

3.bouncy (k-hot chilli peppers): the autotune fest of the album, for stylistic use ofc. but i just don't really like autotune in a song, especially in seonghwa's rap, but i'm gonna allow them to cause they use autotune like an instrument too. the anti-drop in the chorus before each layer of the instruments comes back before it fully comeback with high note autotune felt like the song is expanding. most of the guys sing in their lower tones is also great. also, YEOSANG BRIDGE LET'S GO! this song is joong's yeosang's and mingi's song! but for the performance, this song is definitely yunho's. i like the emptiness before verse 2 where mingi spits fire. jongho is used here as almost like a cosmetic to fill up the vibe, which is great cause it helps highlights the other members too (+ we know his vocals is crazy). ateez has literally mastered the dance break/party last chorus ever since pirate king, it might even be better than the one yg ent does for their artists.

4.django: tropical synth? hell no as seonghwa and yeosang come in blaring. the bouncy feeling came back with the synth around the lower part of the eq including with the bass. wooyoung's voice in the pre-chorus sounds so light that it gave a some sort of "hope" before being juxtaposed with yeosang's lower tone. what is that random yo in the middle of joong's rap? i giggled. what is that last chorus yunho?!?!??! the end of it emphasizes on the running bouncing bass synth that sounded kinda 2000's rnb, especially with the singing melody (kinda mary. j. blige family affair sounded)

5.wake up: the vocal fry technique between yunho and seonghwa before being attacked by a punchy synth as we stay with one synth line following through the verse before we meet the pre-chorus. the choice to use the rhythmic singing in the chorus and the flowing note that is lower in volume is giving creepy vibes; wooyoung leads it so well. and the harmony behind them increases before jongho comes it. hongjoong's rap is so fast it might rival eminem. and san's voice in verse 2? *chef's kiss*. jongho's "wake up" falsetto with the beating bass underneath it is enthralling in the best way and he gets higher in the last chorus wtf?!??!? imo, another stand out in the ep!

6.outlaw: gritty bass to start before mingi and joong rap duet. yunho in pre-chorus sounded so nice and jongho's entrance with the belt like a screaming angel as yeosang sings wtf?? that silence as we enter the chorus... how can they make anti-drop such a bop D: san's voice here is wtf so nice. his voice is sexy af, it's very lustful especially when he guides the chorus. the last chorus with seonghwa wtf?! did we just change the key? omg we did!!!!! and the choir underneath the main voice makes me bop so hard

closing remarks: it definitely expands their own concept of cyberpunk-esque songs while being different from ep 1: movement. this definitely has the more western concept included and the reason why it's not as full of synth and in-your-face as the previous the world album. a bit calmer as ateez and atiny have settled down in the world, and the music also follows along. i think there are more standout songs music-wise other than bouncy but for the title track position, bouncy definitely has it with django being followed as a follow-up track (just like sacrifice's role is to bite me or devil by the window is for sugar rush ride)

the techniques they use here are great for vocal layers. vocal fry, chest to head, falsetto, and the fact that each of them has a timbre that is so recognizable it helps. but what they use stylistically is also their downfall. their usage of autotune kinda makes it hard to recognize who is singing but it is to be expected with a cyberpunk concept. i think autotune is also one of the highlights for bouncy but sometimes it kinda turns me off and is a bit excessive to put it in the verses with yunho and san. some of the songs have the layers so muddled that i couldn't hear what they are pronouncing (prominently with bouncy) other than that, i like it but it still doesn't compete with treasure ep 3 for my fav eps of theirs.

final ranking:

6.bouncy (k-hot chilli peppers) [what does it mean if the title track is ranked the lowest? it means that this album is good]

5.django

4.this world

3.outlaw

2.dune

1.wake up

small conclusion: hybe!!! this is what you'll get for having songs with bridges and consistent concepts. a good album! + the ateez production team might be on par with onf's monotree producers in creating cyberpunk-esque kpop songs!

#ignore the ramble #seriously ignore it if u can’t take people’s opinion and criticism

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c-is-for-circinate · 3 years

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CR 3.03 post-ep

Ok, last post aside, a proper post-ep!

First: we don't know that Bertrand is going to die here and now, although it does seem pretty likely. I'm sad about this! He was great in this episode, and there was a lot of potential for developing that in interesting ways. Still, having known full well that he was probably temporary, I'm less sad about his loss than about the effect this will likely have on the other characters, because god I have been enjoying how incredibly healthy all their interactions have seemed.

Some thoughts, more specifically:

--All else aside, let me say right up front that I already love these disaster chucklefucks from the bottom of my heart. Half the danger of level 3 has nothing at all to do with the low HP and minimal spell slots, it's about the fact that none of the party know how to work together yet, or even what their own spells can do. I can't wait for level 6-7, when they all start really coming together in terms of who does what and how they fit. (Level 15-16, when they're world-class terrors, is also going to be pretty cool -- but right now I'm looking towards level 7, and I can't wait.)

--I'm so fascinated by Lord E, and I don't trust him at all, but in a way I'm finding really compelling so far. The thing is that he's so nice, sometimes. He's so reasonable. He seems so good. He made them CAKE.

And he talks about wanting to protect people, and requiring that those he employs are more than simple greedy sell-swords out for cash. He talks about his own past as a sell-sword, and the path that helped him learn about morals and ethics and empathy. He says, "I want to take care of the good people of this city in the face of those who unfairly hurt them," and it sounds so good. Especially after the vicious, vocal oppression of campaign 2. He seems, to all appearances, to be an authority figure our party can trust. (Which is bizarre and untrustworthy all on its own, but also so nice.)

Except. Except.

The good people of this city. Ambiguous and repeated and vague. And who are we saving them from, the dregs, the selfish, the scum. Vague and threatening, and one hundred percent in line with any classic good-vs-evil trope from any classic high fantasy series ever made, and yet -- delivered just a little too straight. Just a little too on the nose. Just a little too classic and righteous and propaganda, like Matt already knows what that means.

I absolutely believe that Lord E thinks he's doing the right thing, whatever that is. He was so happy to feed them cake. He really meant it, when he approved of their regret over Danis's death. And yet: he sent a group of armed unknowns to investigate minor theft from one of his subsidiary companies, and offered them a major financial bonus for making it go away completely. And yet.

Anyway: once again, I'm calling this the class warfare campaign until proven otherwise. Lord E doesn't need to be trying to be anything but good to be a whole mess of abusive privilege. Can't wait to see what happens next.

--Keep thinking about how healthy the group dynamics have felt so far, in comparison to VM or the M9 (and please god do not take this as a slight, I loved VM and the M9 with my whole heart, in part very much because of the occasionally fraught and questionably healthy group dynamics). I think it comes down to a question of codependency.

By the time we met Vox Machina, they were already living in each other's pockets for years. They owned a keep together. Vex kept everybody's money, Vax had no sense of personal space, Grog and Scanlan shared brothel visits, and nobody knew the first thing about living without the rest of the group to support them. Five days after the Mighty Nein met they were already on the road together, the last of their lives outside their group still smoldering in ruins on the ground, just instantly all living out of one cart and one cluster of neighboring bedrolls, and a month after that they were dying for each other and scarred about it for the rest of their lives.

This new group, by comparison, just feels so normal. The pre-existing relationships aren't just supportive, they're comfortable. Imogene and Laudna are comfortable together. Ashton and FCG are friendly and like each other very much and are not in any way inseparably entwined on pain of death. The EXU crew know each other pretty well by now, and decided to keep hanging out because they like what they know, not because they need it.

They ALL HAVE SEPARATE LIVING SPACES. One of the things I was so excited about, before the end of the episode, was the prospect of house hunting for the EXU crew -- and just for them, because half the group already has their living situations sorted out! And those living situations don't currently appear to be immediately threatened! They were going to be coworkers, damnit, and yes I have absolutely taken my coworkers' advice on what neighborhood to move to because they liked theirs so much, but I also didn't move in with them a week after starting my new job, and it feels so much (felt so much, before the end of the episode) like this campaign is here for that.

Every person in this group, except for Bertrand Bell, has at least one pre-existing friend within it who they already know how to work comfortably with. Every person in this group, except for Bertrand, already has and has kept friends/acquaintances/relationships outside the group. They have networks. They have people.

They have lives, to whatever small extent, that aren't 100% tied up in exactly how their job may go. And that's really new for CR, and I have been liking it so much.

--And, right, that brings us to this next point, which is that avoiding codependency doesn't actually seem to be interfering at all with this new team discovering that they like each other so much. They're getting to know each other as new coworkers, and they keep being delighted by what they discover. That whole final bar scene was so much fun! Think about everybody meeting Pate de Rolo (Imogene's affectionate, long-suffering little "she does this all the time," which is the biggest #married MOOD, and Laura 'my husband won't stop teasing me about my dice addiction but I get him back by talking about ghosts' Bailey damn well knows it.) Think about Ferne being just so playful with everyone, agreeing that she'd heal Ashton if he were dying. And, yes, Bertrand, because Imogene wouldn't let him chase a lead alone and Dorian tried to lead him towards bed and they were ready to be friends with him too.

I really hope we don't lose that fresh new delight in getting to know each other, now. It's been so hopeful and cheerful and joyful. I want more.

#cr spoilers #episode 3.03

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serialreblogger · 4 years

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You want to talk more about the bigotry in Harry Potter? Go ahead! I've actually heard stuff like that before, but have yet to do much research on it personally and it's been a while since I read it, so I'm interested.

WELL

Before we begin I should start with a disclaimer: this analysis will be dedicated to examining as many bigoted aspects of Harry Potter’s writing as I can think of, so--while I personally am more or less comfortable balancing critical evaluation with enjoyment of a piece, and strongly advocate developing your own abilities to do the same--I know not everyone is comfortable reading/enjoying a story once they realize its flaws, and again, while I think it’s very important to acknowledge the flaws in culturally impactful stories like Harry Potter, I also know for some people the series is really really important for personal reasons and whatnot.

So! If you’re one of those people, and you have trouble balancing critical engagement with enjoyment, please feel free to skip this analysis (at least for the time being). Self-care is important, and it’s okay to find your own balance between educating yourself and protecting yourself.

On another note, this is gonna be limited strictly to morally squicky things to do with Rowling’s writing and the narrative itself. Bad stuff characters do won’t be talked about unless it’s affirmed by the narrative (held up as morally justified), and plot holes, unrealistic social structures, etc. will not be addressed (it is, after all, a kid’s series, especially in the first few books. Quidditch doesn’t have to make sense). This is strictly about how Rowling’s personal biases and bigotry impacted the story and writing of Harry Potter.

Sketch Thing #1: Quirrell! I don’t see a lot of people talking about Quirrell and racism, but I feel like it’s a definite thing? Quirinus Quirrell is a white man who wears a turban, gifted to him by an “African prince” (what country? where? I couldn’t find a plausible specific when I was researching it for a fic. If there’s a country which has current/recent royalty that might benevolently interact with someone, and also a current/recent culture where turbans of the appropriate style are common, I couldn’t find it). Of course, it wasn’t actually given to him by an African prince in canon, but it’s still an unfortunate explanation.

More importantly, ALL the latent Islamophobia/xenophobia in the significance of the turban. Like, look at it.

“Man wears turban, smells like weird spices, turns out to be concealing an evil second face under the turban” really sounds like something A Bit Not Good, you know? If you wanted to stoke the flames of fear about foreignness, it would be hard to do it better than to tell children about a strange man who’s hiding something horrible underneath a turban.

Also, Quirrell’s stutter being faked to make you think he was trustworthy is a very ableist trope, and an unfortunately common one. “Disability isn’t actually real, just a trick to make you accommodate and trust them” is not a great message, and it’s delivered way too often by mass media. (Check out season 1 of the Flash for another popular example.)

Sketch Thing #2: The goblins. Much more commonly talked about, in my experience, which is good! The more awareness we have about the messages we’re getting from our popular media, the better, in my view.

For those who haven’t encountered this bit of analysis before: the goblins in Harry Potter reek of antisemitic stereotypes. Large ears, small eyes, crooked noses, green/gray skin, lust for money, control of the banks, and a resentful desire to overthrow the Good British Government? Very reminiscent of wwii propaganda posters, and in general the hateful rhetoric directed towards Jewish people by other European groups from time immemorial.

I’m also extremely uncomfortable with how goblin culture is handled by Rowling in general. Like, the goblins were a people that were capable of using magic, but prohibited by the British government from owning wands. That was never addressed. They also had a different culture around ownership, which is why Griphook claimed that the sword of Gryffindor belonged rightfully to the goblins--a gift isn’t passed down to descendants upon death, but instead reverts to the maker. This cultural miscommunication is glossed over, despite the fact that it sounds like Griphook’s voicing a very real, legitimate grievance.

To be honest, apart from the antisemitism, the way Goblin culture is treated by the narrative in Harry Potter is very uncomfortably reminiscent to me of how First Nations were treated by English settlers in North America, before the genocide really got started. The Goblins even have a history of “rebellions,” which both raises the question of why another species is ruling them to begin with, and more significantly, is eerily reminiscent of the Red River Rebellion in Canada (which, for the record, wasn’t actually a rebellion--it was Metis people fighting against the Canadian government when it tried to claim the land that legally, rightfully belonged to the Metis. But that’s another story)

In sum: I Don’t Like the implications of how Rowling treats the goblins.

Sketch Thing #3: Muggles. Ok because we’re all “muggles” (presumably) and because I’m white, talking about this might rapidly degenerate into thinly-veiled “reverse racism” discourse, so please y’all correct me if I stray into that kind of colossal stupidity. However, I am not comfortable with the way non-magical humans are treated by Rowling’s narrative.

The whole premise of Harry Potter is that Evil Wizards Want To Hurt The Muggles, right? Except that it’s not. Voldemort’s goal is to subjugate the inferior humans, rule over non-magical people as the rightful overlords, but that’s hardly mentioned by the narrative. Instead, it focuses on the (also egregious and uncomfortably metaphorical) “blood purism” of wizarding culture, and how wizards would be persecuted for their heritage.

But muggles, actual muggles, are arguably the ones who stand to lose the most to Voldemort, and they’re never notified of their danger. We, the muggles reading it, don’t even really register that we’re the collateral damage in this narrative. Because throughout the series, muggles are set up as laughingstocks. Even the kindest, most muggle-friendly wizards are more obsessed with non-magical people as a curiosity than actually able to relate to them as people.

I dunno, friends, I’m just uncomfortable with the level of dehumanization that’s assigned to non-magical humans. (Like, there’s not even a non-offensive term for them in canon. There’s “muggle,” which is humorously indulgent at best and actively insulting at worst, and there’s “squib,” which is literally the word for a firework that fails to spark.) It’s not like “muggles” are actually a real people group that can be oppressed, and like I said this kind of analysis sounds a bit like the whining of “reverse racism” advocates where the powerful majority complains about being insulted, but... it kind of also reeks of ableism. People that are not able to do a certain cool, useful thing (use magic) are inherently inferior, funny at best and disposable at worst. They suffer and die every day from things that can easily be cured with magic, but magic-users don’t bother to help them, and even when they’re actively attacked the tragedy of hundreds dying is barely mourned by the narrative.

It gives me bad vibes. I don’t Love It. It sounds uncomfortably like Rowling’s saying “people that are unable to access this common skill are inherently inferior,” and that really does sound like ableism to me.

Either way, there’s something icky about consigning an entire group of people to the role of “funny clumsy stupid,” regardless of any real-world connections there may or may not be to that people group. Don’t teach children that a single genetic characteristic can impact someone’s personhood, or make them inherently less worthy of being taken seriously. Just, like... don’t do that.

Sketch Thing #4: The house elves. Everyone knows about the house elves, I think. The implications of “they’re slaves but they like it” and the only person who sees it as an issue having her campaign turned into a joke by the narrative (“S.P.E.W.”? Really? It might as well stand for “Stupidly Pleading for Expendable Workers”) are pretty clear.

Sketch Thing #5: Azkaban. Are we gonna talk about how wizarding prison involves literal psychological torture, to the point where prisoners (who are at least sometimes there wrongly, hence the plot of book 3) almost universally go “insane”? This is sort of touched on by the narrative--“dementors are bad and we shouldn’t be using them” was a strongly delivered message, but it was less “because torturing people, even bad people, is not a great policy” and more “because dementors are by their natures monstrous and impossible to fully control.”

“This humanoid species is monstrous and impossible to control” is, once again, a very concerning message to deliver, and it doesn’t actually address the real issue of “prison torture is bad, actually.” Please, let’s not normalize the idea that prison is inherently horrific. Of course, prison as it exists in North America and Britain is, indeed, inherently horrific and often involves torture (solitary confinement, anyone?), but like--that’s a bad thing, y’all, it’s deeply dysfunctional and fundamentally unjust. Don’t normalize it.

Sketch Thing #6: Werewolves. Because Rowling explicitly stated that lycanthropy in her series is a metaphor for “blood-borne diseases like HIV/AIDS”. The linked article says it better than I could:

Rowling lumps HIV and AIDS in with other blood-borne illnesses, which ignores their uniquely devastating history. And Lupin’s story is by no stretch a thorough or helpful examination of the illness. Nor is its translation as an allegory easily understood, beyond the serious stigma that Rowling mentioned.

That Lupin is a danger to others could not more clearly support an attitude of justifiable fear toward him, one that is an abject disservice to those actually struggling with a disease that does not make them feral with rage.

This definitely ties into homophobia, given how deeply the queer community has been affected by HIV/AIDS. Saying a character with a condition that makes him an active threat to those around him is “a metaphor for AIDS” is deeply, deeply distressing, both for its implications about queer people and their safety for the general population, and for the way it specifically perpetuates the false belief that having HIV/AIDS makes a person dangerous.

Sketch Thing #7: Blood Ties. This isn’t, like, inherently sketch, but (especially for those of us with complicated relationships to our birth families) it can rub a lot of people the wrong way. Rowling talks a big talk about the folly of “blood purism,” but she also upholds the idea that blood and blood relations are magically significant.

Personally, I’m very uncomfortable with the fact that Harry was left with an abusive family for his entire childhood, and it was justified because they were his “blood relatives.” I’ve had this argument with ultra-conservative family friends who genuinely believe it’s a parent’s right to abuse their child, and while I don’t think that’s what Rowling is saying, I do feel uncomfortable with the degree of importance she places on blood family. I’m uncomfortable with the narrative’s confirmation that it is acceptable (even necessary) to compromise on boundaries and allow the continuation of abuse because “it’s better for a child to be raised by their Real Family” than it is to risk them to the care of an unrelated parent.

Genetic relations aren’t half as important as Rowling tells us. For people with a bad birth family, this can be a damaging message to internalize, so I’ll reiterate: it’s a pretty thought, the love in blood, but it’s ultimately false. The family you build is more real, more powerful and more valid than any family you were assigned to by an accident of genes.

I can think of one or two more things, but they’re all a lot more debatable than what I have here--as it is, you might not agree with everything I’ve said. That’s cool! I’m certainly not trying to start a fight. We all have the right to read and interpret things for ourselves, and to disagree with each other. And again, I’m not trying to ruin Harry Potter. It’s honestly, as a series, not worse in terms of latent bigotry than most other books of its time, and better than many. It’s just more popular, with a much bigger impact and many more people analyzing it. I do think it’s important to critically evaluate the media that shapes one’s culture, and to acknowledge its shortcomings (and the ways it can be genuinely harmful to people, especially when it’s as culturally powerful as Harry Potter). But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy it for what it was meant to be: a fun, creative, engaging story, with amazing characters, complex plots, heroism and inspiration for more than one generation of people.

Enjoy Harry Potter. It is, in my opinion, a good series, worth reading and re-reading for enjoyment, even for nourishment. It’s also flawed. These things can both be true.

#harry potter #linden writes an essay #long post #THANK YOU for the ask lunar i am SO HAPPY to write all this #i do hope i didn't offend anyone though #please let me know if i've been unintentionally racist y'all i'm white as rice and very willing to learn and grow #also i think it's possible i missed mentioning something glaring because like. harry potter is good but jk rowling is... not #but i think i got most of my thoughts down #harry potter meta #racism #homophobia #bigotry #ask linden #jk rowling

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