#it’s like that thing where characters sometimes have musical motifs

[caughtthedarkness93]

Not to do more Furiosaposting (and SPOILERS AHEAD), but a couple more things I noticed on a second viewing:

• I think Dementus is being honest about how he lost his family when Furiosa confronts him about it, and that's a big point the film is making. Furiosa isn't like Dementus when she finally chases him down. But she recognizes that she could become like him - a vile, cruel warlord who uses his own pain as an excuse to run roughshod all over the wasteland, smashing everything in her path, using her pain as an excuse to take from others. By that point, she's already a part of Immortan Joe's war machine. She is already complicit. And he does say to her that killing him won't give her what she wants. She resists the idea, but ultimately, it sure seems like she realizes he's right. And ultimately, that leads to her big choice - make a positive change rather than simply trying to hurt the people who hurt you. Granted, she still does do plenty of hurting the people who hurt her (Nice face you got there, Joe, be a shame if something happened to it). But the big, real legacy she builds is taking the Citadel in the name of a greater cause than fueling Immortan's cult of cruelty.

• Praetorian Jack is also complicit, honestly. And it's something he seems to recognize. He outright says that he's looking for a righteous cause. There's a lot we don't know about this man. He tells us very little of his history, nor do we know why he chooses to ride for Immortan Joe. But we do know that after meeting Furiosa, he wants to do everything in his power to help her. She becomes his righteous cause. So the whole film, Furiosa is kind of pulled between those two directions - Dementus, and Jack. Do you defeat the pain you carry by throwing it back to the people who gave it to you? Or do you seek a righteous cause to build it into something positive?

• Perhaps one of my biggest takeaways is related to Jack's death. It's not until Dementus kills Jack that Furiosa gets really set on revenge. Like she clearly loathes Dementus before that. Her first time meeting him as an adult, she goes straight for her gun. The camera highlights their relationship a lot, and I'm pretty sure her vengeful drive towards him has its own musical motif - listen for that driving, distorted noise that you hear sometimes. But revenge doesn't become her biggest driver until after Jack dies. Even as she feels clear hate and rage towards this man, she's still set on getting home all that time. But when Jack dies, she goes out of her way to try to kill him. And, relatedly, when Jack dies, she loses the arm that has her star map tattoo on it. So to put it another way, when she chooses to commit to vengeance, she loses her way.

• We need to consider perspective and narrator here, as this isn't like Fury Road where it's from the point of view of Max, who was directly there. Because this film's opening shot isn't of Furiosa. It's of another character - it's of the History Man. The first line belongs to him - "As the world falls around us. How must we brave it's cruelties?" The closing narration is his as well. Something that sticks in my head more and more is Dementus' ultimate fate. What gets me about it is that it feels implausible. Not only for Furiosa as a character, but for the way the series usually handles injuries. So George Miller was a paramedic before he was a filmmaker. In fact, his work as a paramedic is what partly inspired the first Mad Max film and what funded it. And in these films, Miller has put his medical knowledge to use. The characters' injuries are usually handled in a realistic way, with a few flights of fancy for people to make it through frankly absurd car wrecks. You see this especially in Fury Road, which takes the time to establish that Max is a universal donor twice so it makes sense to have him give a blood transfusion to Furiosa at the end. It talks about the ultimate effects of her collapsed lung and how to treat it. The injuries in these films feel realistic in a way movie wounds often don't. Dementus' final fate does feel a little complicatedly cruel for someone as pragmatic as Furiosa, but what really gets me is how medically implausible it is. We're supposed to believe that Dementus has been stuck in the citadel with a peach tree growing out of him for five years without dying? I...kinda don't. Why does this matter? I think it signals that aspects of the story fall to unreliable narration. These films are campfire stories from a world that fell and rose again. Always have been. But this one has a more direct narrator. The History Man is telling this story. It is filtered through his perspective.

• And that adds another layer to things, considering Furiosa and the History Man's backgrounds. We see the History Man, we see a guy who is clearly horrified by Dementus' actions. When Furiosa's mom is getting executed, he cries. He tells Furiosa that she needs to make herself indispensable - likely because he feels that it's the best way to protect her. But he still does Dementus' bidding, often without question or argument. In a word, the thing that ultimately separates the History Man from Furiosa is that where he was complicit until the very end, Furiosa chose to rebel.

• And I guess if I had to boil it all down, I think there's a great big takeaway from this film. Don't seek hope. Become hope.

Man, I love this movie.

[s1i9d]

I’m going to compile a quick list of things that I know from Archives in totality. Wanna make it clear what I do and don’t know so it could be interesting for perspective reads. [Spoilers up to Magnus Protocol E20]

Disclaimer: Aside from anything in this list, I do not know anything about Archives. I am listening to Protocol specifically devoid of Archives spoilers. So please no Archives spoilers. Also if I am wrong about something here, please do not correct me. I think it’ll be more fun that way if I’m not spoiled on these assumptions.

Celia is a character from Archives, and she’s aware of the Magnus Institute in her supposedly alternate timeline is definitely why she’s more genre savvy here. As for what the Magnus Institute did in Archives, or what role Celia had in Archives, I have no idea.

This one is more of a theory. I initially thought Celia was some kind of werewolf or creature transformation thing that was locked in the basement and that’s why she appeared on the side of the road in E11. I thought this because E10 ends with the thing in the Institute basement unlocking itself and freeing itself, and immediately at the start of E11, Celia wakes up so I thought there was a tie between them. [It’s still unclear if that’s what’s happening, but more likely it’s random teleportation.] I know the shapeshifter thing has a maybe(?) presidency of some kind in Archives. To what extent, to what’s happening, to what specifically, I have no clue.

I know Jon and Martin are the supposed main characters of Archives, and they’re in FR3-D1 as Chester and Norris respectively. They are gay for each other and Jon is ace(?) which I appreciate as a gay ace agender person.

Jon is also the person who sent Sam that email Sam showed Colin who freaked out back in E7. I suspect he/Martin are also the one who sent the email to Sam about the Protocol and Magnus Institute in E20. They seem to also be the ones in Fr3-D1 that are trying to get Sam to keep researching the institute every time he says he’s going to stop.

There’s a third character in FR3-D1 who voices Augustus named “Jonah”. I don’t know who the fuck he is, but my theory is that he is an evil villain of some kind who Jon and Martin are actively fighting against in the computer, since Alice mentioned Augustus is the rarest voice of the three, which I think is Jon and Martin trying to suppress Jonah by making out sloppy style with each other. I know that the three of them together form the .jmj error that Alice keeps getting.

Tea is some kind of metaphor in Archives, and the fact that Celia has tea consistently instead of coffee like the rest of our crew makes it clear that she’s from Archives.

Certain words are weird. I know they’re key words but I have no idea what they mean: Hunt, Compel, Avatar, The Eye. They’re just gibberish but they sound important. I do know Hunt refers to the statement about Lady Mowbray in E15, but I think there’s more context that was in Archives that isn’t in Protocol.

Georgie is voiced by the Magnus creator’s wife and is maybe in Archives? Unclear about that.

The alchemy stuff in E19 is NOT from Archives. That’s new stuff and plays an exclusive role in Protocol.

Worms?

The fire (at least in E7) can be interpreted as a ritual. Given that The Protocol™️ is anti-supernatural driven arson, I think there’s a chance it was not a ritual. But my friends reaction to E7 was that it was a ritual, so there’s a chance it could be.

Live music is apparently a big no no in the Magnus multiverse?

Influencer speak is not a thing in Archives?[I absolutely loved it, no lie. I satirically speak like an influencer sometimes but I died laughing first time I heard E15]

Protocol is far more digital, having use the audience listen through devices like phones, CCTV or computers via FR3-D1. The only exception is E10 and E15, where fucking tape recorders show up. Tape recorders are a main motif in Archives, and it’s very odd it’s here as an analog device compared to the digital listening devices.

Yeah, that’s all I got. I feel like I’ve scraped my brain clean of any details. If there’s more I’ll probably reblog this with more info. If anyone’s curious, feel free to send an ask and I’ll probably get to it. (No Archive spoilers in the asks obv.)

Kthxbyeeeeeeeee

[eeveearoace-creative]

a speech about goncharov i made for my public speaking class!

note: this is not exactly what will be spoken for my class, as i am not reading my speech word-for-word. however, this is an outline of the speech i will be presenting, and i thought y'all might be interested in seeing it.

Introduction:

The purpose of my speech is to inform my audience of the fake movie “Goncharov” and how it has impacted me. My goal is to inform my audience of how the fake movie “Goncharov” came to be and of the value it has. 

By a quick show of hands, how many of you have seen or heard of Goncharov before? [Quick pause as I wait for no hands – or almost no hands – to go up.] Alright. So, Goncharov was a 1973 mafia movie supported by Martin Scorsese, and has been widely regarded as the greatest mafia movie of all time. It’s about the Russian mafia in Naples, Italy, and follows a variety of characters such as Goncharov himself, Katya, who is Goncharov’s wife, Audrei “The Banker” Daddano, and my personal favorite, Joseph “Ice Pick Joe” Morelli, with actors such as Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, and Lynda Carter. So, why have you never heard of this movie before? Well, everything I just told you? It’s all a lie. It’s all made up. Goncharov? Yeah. It never actually existed. 

I remember being part of the Goncharov fandom as it first blew up on Tumblr in late 2022. It was a great source of joy for me and made a significant impact on Tumblr’s culture. I am going to show my audience how Goncharov came to be, the creativity is spawned, and briefly reflect on how the website it originated on was vital for its growth. 

So, what is Goncharov, and what is going on here?

Origins:

Goncharov was a fake movie created by Tumblr in late 2022. 

Sometime prior to August 22nd, 2020, Tumblr user ZootyCoon posted a photograph of knockoff boots they had bought that advertised a non-existent movie, Goncharov, on them, claiming that Goncharov was “the greatest mafia movie of all time.” In response, on August 22nd, 2020, another Tumblr user, AbandonedAmbition, commented “This idiot hasn’t seen Goncharov”, which was then added to the post itself by Tumblr user LoserMo. 

While ZootyCoon’s original post did receive some attention, it wasn’t until November 18th, 2022 that Goncharov truly hit it off as a cultural phenomenon, thanks to Tumblr user Beelzeebub, who posted a fan-made poster for Goncharov, receiving almost 20,000 likes and over 15,000 reblogs in three days. 

Fandom:

As it turns out, you don't actually need a piece of media to be real in order for a fandom to form around it.

Countless fanworks were created for Goncharov, including fanart, fanfiction, music, scene analysis and analysis of motifs, gif sets, memes, and so much more. As mentioned in a YouTube video by YouTuber ColeyDoesThings, there was even a time where Goncharov had more fanfiction on a popular fanfiction website than James Cameran’s Avatar, the highest grossing movie of all time. 

So much lore was being created for Goncharov in such a short amount of time that efforts had to be made to record it all. Multiple individuals attempted to create a “master copy” of Goncharov’s lore, including what is now a 48-page Google doc that includes a plot summary, brief descriptions of various scenes, and links and sources to various contributors. 

But Goncharov could not be contained just to Tumblr. Various media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes, and The Washington Post all posted articles about Goncharov, an internet phenomenon. 

Tumblr:

But, why? Why this fake movie, and why on Tumblr of all places? 

As a social media site, Tumblr has an incredibly weird culture. There are no public follower counts, no verification for users, and a whole array of weird social rules. But one thing that really makes Tumblr special is the interaction between large and small blogs alike. Because anyone can and is encouraged to create their own content and add to others’ content, something like Goncharov could very quickly become a “yes, and” game among Tumblr’s users. 

Tumblr is also very much a “fandom” site. Fanart, fanfiction, and other fanworks dominate the website, and Goncharov in its heyday was no exception. Interactions between fans and fan creators is what really causes fandoms to grow and survive, so it makes sense that Goncharov thrived the way it did considering how easy it was to find fellow fans. With no pressure to reveal your “true” self, there’s a lot less pressure when you share what you’ve created. 

Conclusion:

So, what can we learn here?

The fake movie “Goncharov” was unintentionally created by a tag on a pair of off-brand boots but didn’t truly become popular until Beelzebub’s poster. Fandom quickly grew around it, creating countless fanworks, but Tumblr’s unique culture as a social media site is what truly allowed it to thrive. 

There is joy and creativity in unusual places. Whether or not you believe Goncharov to be a waste of time, the popularity of a fake movie says something about the human fascination with stories. Thank you. 

[kuerie]

rocky and his water motif

ive seen a few people analyze rocky and his symbolism with water, and i thought id jump on the train and contribute what ive found. i looked through every piece of art in the gallery and messed around with the dead drop to find everything here! with that being said…

obvious spoiler warnings! and warning for a lot of speculation and over analyzing! a lot of things i mention are really big stretches but i added them anyways incase anyone else wants to look into it more

starting where the pilot starts and near the start of the comic (the page “lackadaisy dithyramb”), right off the bat we have an entire poem from rocky dedicated to the mississippi river. this iconic poem is literally just about the river, and he recites it in both scenes from on the bridge over the river.

note that in both cases there is also a crescent moon featuring in the background

more poetry! this one is from the comic on the page “lackadaisy doggerel”. this is actually one of my favourite pages in the comic, its very cool! we have this poem that, again, is entirely about water. it talks about water in a metaphorical way, comparing it to memory and the passage of time. maybe ill try to analyze this poem sometime but idk im not very good at that stuff. seems to talk about rockys past but im not sure

i didnt want to just put this entire page here but i will note that the page has a raging storm, an ocean, a water mill, another storm cloud and a waterfall all picured above rocky, who, in this case is ahem under water, in a way.

last bit of poetry im talking about is probably the most relevant. rockys feauture in the “lacrimosa” poem/halloween artwork shows him seemingly drowning outside a window.

the significance of it being outside a window is somewhat unclear to me, as every other character appears in something reminiscent of a picture frame. my only idea is that its meant to show him outside of what could be a home, in reference to him getting the “unceremonious boot”. the text emphasizes this idea, saying hes away from home

this next one is more obscure and much more of a stretch! after digging around in sketchbook pages, i found this tiny little sketch on a page simply labeled “lackadaisy preview 0018”. the sketch page features sketches that were used for the page “lackadaisy palaver” in the comic, and a few bonus doodles. this was one of the bonus doodles, and i cant seem to find a comic pannel that matches it anywhere.

this sketch could be a lot of things, its a bit hard to tell. most likely, its an unsused pannel of rocky that was going to be used on the comic page. maybe him on whe windshield, or something like that. that being said, the first thing i thought of was the lacrimosa art. its a stretch but i thought id add it, just in case! who knows really

next up is rockys character artwork, which features him standing on a barrel floating in a river.

be careful rocky, you might fall! one little detail about this art that i like is that hes quite literally hiding his sadness behind his back. and again, the crescent moon motif features in the background. the cattails in this image also remind me of this scene in the pilot

…but i mean cattails do grow near water so i dont think that means anything

speaking of the pilot, this scene has rocky accidentally blowing up a water tower and flooding the area, and getting a whole bunch of water dumped on him

be careful rocky, you might get hurt! ...i dont think he cares

one last note from the pilot (for now) is a line from mitzi after rocky comes back with alcohol for them. it could mean nothing, could be foreshadowing, who knows

note in the second image: “rest” as in the rest of the alcohol they were meant to bring back

the music video for liquid gold ends with rocky dropping a bottle and the golden liquid flooding the room

i wasnt even looking for water symbolism when i found this, i was just rewatching the music video for fun! i just about had a heart attack when it ended like that D: rocky please dont drown

back to the comics! sorry this is a bit all over the place. forgive me for just uploading an entire comic page, but the page “lackadaisy thunderhead” features rocky standing over a river. at the bottom of the pannel on the right there are daisys, a symbol that features in a lot of rockys artwork and is generally associated with the lackadaisy speakeasy. the daisys could just be for aesthetics or to frame the pannel better, but its also notable that they appear where the water is.

the name “thunderhead” is interesting given some other pannels

not sure what it means though

the very first scene in the comic aside from the introduction shows rocky at the river.

in the page “lackadaisy trouble boys” from the early concept art mitzi makes a comment about rockys aim, and makes an… interesting metaphor

side note: im gonna cry is that actually how rocky gets the little hole in his ear lmao

the mini comic “wilderness” has rocky climbing out of a small muddy pool of water claiming “the waters great”, despite looking absolutely horrible. isnt shown here, but he says he cant feel his legs and calls for freckle to come back.

knock knock! its time for the playing cards! rockys card depicts him as the 8 of spades, although hes also been shown as the ace of clubs multiple times.

first up, 8 of spades! i really like this art but i have a lot of questions. for one, why is rocky holding a shovel and whats with the lantern? theres nothing wrong with it, just caught my attention since i think freckle is drawn with shovels a lot more than rocky (might be wrong on that though) second, this is the only picture i can find where you can CLEARLY see rockys head injury healed. cool! third, the outfit hes wearing is… atypical for rocky, you could say. for obvious reasons. he always wears blue, why suddenly the change to black? and obviously, the choice of making him the 8 of spades. some quick google searches and this is what i found: from various websites (the first things that popped on on google), apparently spades symbolizes the winter season and the water element. it seems to represent old age, change, wisdom and acceptance. the number 8 supposedly represents victory, prosperity and overcoming. i was going to put images, but i could only have 30 and i ran out of space lmao im so sorry this is SO LONG djfjsjnrfj

make of it what you will. as for the ace of clubs:

my google searches were much less interesting so ill just put my own thoughts. the clubs is likely just for the association with the lackadaisy speakeasy, as in both of these cases he is shown alongside other characters from the lackadaisy and everyone has clubs. as for him being the ace, the main notable thing about the ace is that its generally the highest card.

the main idea i personally took from these cards is the idea rocky will possibly not be a part of the lackadaisy in the furure. we see him in his classic outfit, no head injury as the ace of clubs, with clubs being associated with the lackadaisy. but we also see him with a healed head injury (so clearly in the future) with a new outfit and no more clubs suit.

not sure if this is even notable but this entire (very iconic) scene in the comic takes place in the rain

be careful rocky, you might get shot!

and now, even more crescent moon motifs

so why have i been pointing this out? well its undeniable that rocky also has motif with this crescent moon. i have no idea what it means but heres my very quick five minute thoughts on it: one: the moon controls the tide. obviously a river doesnt really have a tide, but still! theres some association with water there, so its notablea. two: this might be a stretch but in the pilot theres this very memorable frame where it shows the reflection of the moon (which initially looks like a cat) ahem in the water. obviously water reflects stuff so its not abnormal for the moon to reflect in the water but i just thought it was cool!

aaaand last but not least

this analysis was brought to you while listening to hatsune miku, i probably made a lot of typos so yell at me and ill fix them but not my grammar its terrible and im not fixing that, lmk your thought and if i missed anything, thank you for reading have a nice day sorry it was so long <3

[definatelymrhyde]

I guess I’ll send in my ask now 🤣

Since I already seen a post on Edward’s design choices, I’m curious what was the inspiration for Jekyll’s design? Like do you based him on a musical cast actor? Or your personal preference? Things like that.

HI HELLO IVE BEEN WAITING TO TALK SBOUT THIS AND JUST HAVNT YET AJDHSJSH

Jekylls design is based mainly off of personal preference and how I imagined him in my head when I first read the original novella!! I also gave him long hair because one; I love that design idea for Jekyll and think it’s super neat! I took inspo from the musical in that effect. And two; It made a great subject for any transformation scene. Because Hyde’s hair is shorter. How would Jekylls hair get shorter? Yeah. Im not gonna say it outright though because the implication is terrifying both to ME and to Jekyll. Because he was still very much so conscious during any transformation. He could see hear and feel what was happening. I also really REALLY love the red/green motif in TGS, so I snatched that too! Jekylls eyes also have opposite light/dark halves to Edward’s which was so I could have a little nod at the ‘opposite halves’ bit. I also think it’s funny he looks more like TGS Hyde than TGS Jekyll. Jekylls Eyes are a huuuge part of his design too!! As I mentioned before him and Edward have got an opposite eye thing going on, not just colour wise either. Jekylls eyes are darker on the bottom and lighter on the top while Edward’s are lighter on the bottom and darker on the top. I kinda think this gives Jekyll a neat little effect where he looks MUCH more worn out and tired than Edward does!! I also really liked the idea of Jekyll having little circle Victorian Glasses, but never actually decided wether or not I wanted him to HAVE said glasses. Hence we get that sometimes he wears glasses and sometimes he just doesn’t. I think it’s because he’s stubborn and refuses to wear his damned glasses for anything that doesn’t require fine detail vision like reading, writing or alchemy/doctor stuff. The glasses don’t really have arms on them though when I draw them so it’s beyond me how they stay on his face. For the rest of Jekylls clothes I went with the THS red/brown/warm colours theme. Originally it was meant to be just a TGS au but then @fanartsandstuff (sorry for the ping!!) drew an amazing photo of wtiht Jekyll with a darker vest and I fell in love with that idea!! So credits to them for that part of the design!! I also loooooovvveee gradients on my designs so of course he gets a little gradient on his pants and when I’m in shading occasionally the rest of his clothes too lmao.

Anyways I apologize for how long that was, I just think a lot about my character designs and how I execute them woshishahs

[venjamyra]

Lyrics – Same Shade as Concrete by Circle Takes the Square

WOLFWOOD WEDNESDAY (～￣▽￣)～

feels a little funny to be making fanart of a manga that started before I was born with music that came out when i wasn’t even one year old yet…

lineart and various inane ramblings (manga spoilers ahead) about this comic that haunts my mind below the cut (its a lot…)

Okay, here’s the line art for anyone who wanted to see it without spoiler talk:

wow, so cool. Sometimes I like the lineart better in some ways and the colored version in other, different ways… I wonder how to find a good middle ground…… such are the mysteries of life

Onto the brain rot!!!

Okay, so this whole piece is kind of showing Wolfwood’s journey toward ‘accepting’ that he is an assassin. He has killed people. And his belief that he is irredeemable, this is just who he is now, stained with blood.

I’m gonna talk about panels 1,2,3, and 4. Those are just in order from top to bottom, so panel 1 is him firing the gun, and panel 4 is him in the river of blood.

So panel 1 is establishing that this is teenage Wolfwood, and he’s killing someone. YES I used that one painting as a reference (The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel). I don’t know anything about it, but it looks cool and I like the idea of an apparently evil character crying dramatically. Throw a gun in the mix and you have me curled up in a ball crying about Wolfwood. Wolfwood isn’t crying here, but I hope the reference shows the implication that he’s crying internally.

Panel 2 is directly contrasting with panel 4 with the volume of blood. I chose the blood to just barely cover his hands on purpose, NOT just so that I didn’t have to draw more hands lmao. Lots of blood on his hands symbolism throughout, because he has his whole thing about it. Anyway, this is like, the specific amount of blood where Wolfwood finally feels too far gone. It’s reached his hands, he can’t come back from this.

shout out to the people who helped me find this panel earlier 😅 @markcampbells @grymmdark

The crosses are there to establish his being surrounded by the Eye of Michael, trapped into this pool of blood. I know with the three crosses there’s some heavy crucifixion symbolism going on. It was honestly unintentional, but if I had to come up with something for it, I’d say in Wolfwood’s mind in this moment, he is the one crucifying people (Jesus, whomever). Again with that ‘too far gone’ stuff. He ‘knows’ who he is now, and it is not a savior. I’m not Christian as an adult and the only thing I did in Sunday school was question the adults or quietly judge them for their logical fallacies so idk if this makes sense in Bible-lore 😭 lol sorry.

Panel 3 hits home on the bloody hands thing, big motif. And then the gun pokes through the panel to give us this connection to the final panel, where we see a second drop of blood, coming from Wolfwood’s own hand, presumably filling the river he’s in. So the entire river is made specifically of blood from his hands, not just blood he spilled.

Panel 4. The big one. Okay, I heard that willow trees represent peace. I don’t know if this is bullshit, but I guess they can mean whatever I want ✨. Wolfwood is not fighting the flood here, just floating along, basically. He’s not relaxed, he hates this. But he’s come to some kind of acceptance. He feels (false) peace that this is just who he is. If he doesn’t get to control who he is or what he does, at least he knows that. This is not the time or place that I’d like to talk about themes of control and bodily autonomy in Trigun--we’d be here forever lol--but its totally that stuff. The willow trees contrast with the crosses here. It is no longer the Eye of Michael holding him in, trapping him in this pool of blood. Now, the willow trees (peace, acceptance) that are grown from his own mind/coping methods are what keep him trapped. I like to imagine the crosses are still beyond the trees, causing the trees to serve as both a wall keeping Wolfwood in and a wall keeping the antagonism of the Eye of Michael out. This is also visual because willow trees look much nicer than mysterious creepy crosses.

The comic basically ends where Wolfwood begins in Trigun. Yeah, he’s got his silly moments, but on a deeper, less superficial (sub-superficial…ficial…?) level, he really believes himself to be stuck in life, unable to change. In the last panel, he’s naked because he’s vulnerable; this isn’t the suit and a charming smile, this is him as he sees himself.

This idea of Wolfwood feeling acceptance with his shitty life drives me insane. In volume 8, after he kinda does his normal assassin work again, he is so fucking sad and angry. I think he tries to tap back into that idea of acceptance, but he can’t. He’s been through so much and seen so much with Vash that he just can’t accept it anymore. Like with the song lyrics as they’re used in this comic, is someone (Eye of Michael, Chapel) goading him into standing in this pool of blood and staying there even as it rises. And then here, he gets a little taste of freedom and just fucking pulls himself out!!! If I feel inspired I could make a part 2 one day where he’s pulling himself out of the blood river or something idk.

All manga panels are courtesy of Trigun Manga Overhaul!

Oh and some fun drawing things before I go. Important disclaimer: I do not claim to know what I’m doing.

The first pic has the guidelines I used to create shape and draw attention. I saw someone say that using simple shapes helps with composition so I’ve been trying that? It seems cool, I like it. And the second one has my lines to remember where my light source is. I kind of shade based on vibes, which I want to work on, but for now is fine. But the idea is that even though each of these panels has days/weeks to years between them, they all have one light source that extends across the comic. It comes across as a ‘lower’ source relative to Wolfwood in the first panel, which feels dramatic. By the time we get to the last panel, it comes across as the sun, high in the sky. I did this because it felt cool.

okay love and peace and go listen to the emo music my older brother showed me yippee!!!

[ohgaylor]

IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING (AN ANALYSIS)

Hi. Taylor’s the problem. And she knows it. (affectionate)

All right friends. It’s time to dive into an analysis again. I’ve been reflecting on a lot of Midnights and Taylor’s ever-present self-deprecation this era and in my regular fashion, I had to make an extremely long-winded analysis post about a certain motif of hers that I’ve noticed has only grown more apparent this time around. and essentially that is her self-awareness toward her ever-ambiguous signaling in regard to her identity, and where she is positioned in the complicated and delicate journey of coming out, as well as the plethora of emotions that surround that for both herself and her fans and those of us who pick up on the queer coded subtext of her music and art.

to kick off this analysis, may I remind you of this beauty of a quote from Taylor’s 2018 reputation tour pride speech that prefaced Delicate?

I want to send my love and respect to everybody who in their journey and in their life hasn't yet felt comfortable enough to come out ... and may you do that on your own time and may we end up with a world where everyone can live and love equally and no one has to be afraid to say how they feel. When it comes to feelings and when it comes to love and searching for someone to spend your whole life with, it’s all just really really delicate.

That is quite possibly my favorite thing she’s ever said. and what inspired this tag.

Now I need to clarify up front — I am never insinuating a need or even desire for Taylor to come out. Because that’s not our place to say. If you’ve been around my blog long enough, I would hope that nuance would be apparent. I simply point out regular motifs and patterns within her art and how it correlates with queer-coded themes of closets, of almost coming out, of outright queer coding, of rainbows, of keeping a love secret and safe, and on and on and on. The signs are there if you know what to look for (re: “I gave so many signs”) and that’s what I explore on my blog. The point is, I will never demand she come out. But I will stand with her in this complex journey she appears to be on. It’s entirely her journey and however she wishes to navigate that is hers to decide.

but that doesn’t detract from the reality that for those of us who see this beautiful queer subtext of her art and music and visuals and work and self, the ambiguity and constant back-and-forth when it comes to her identity (and the idea of coming out) can in fact be a lot to try and process and understand and ultimately to reconcile as we root for her. Trying to understand where she stands is much like chasing a moving target. (not that she owes any explanation to us, because again, she doesn’t.) her art and creativity are her place of expression and catharsis. however, watching her navigate these complexities and trying to root for her in this sometimes messy space is also, dare I say, exhausting.

hence, the title and general theme of this analysis.

so let’s begin.

First, we have this verse in Anti-Hero which is the perfect setup to illustrate this specific motif,

I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices I end up in crises Tale as old as time

This is essentially the thesis of Taylor’s message, the feeling that her own judgement and actions might be the very cause for certain crises she finds herself in, however enticing those vices and choices may be. In choosing to straddle a glass-closeted lifestyle as an artist at her status and level of fame, all the while heavily queer-coding to her (receptive) audiences, only to be seen by most others as the hallmark of straight women as per her highly publicized bearding, juggling this all can be overwhelming. But it’s also a space that she has essentially curated and perpetuated herself.

An anti-hero is a central character in a narrative who conspicuously lacks heroic, moral qualities:

Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions that are morally correct, it is not always for the right reasons, often acting primarily out of self-interest or in ways that defy conventional ethical codes.

Identifying herself as the anti-hero in this sense comes as a candid confession, as though she is admitting that maybe she is driven by self-interest. (which again, she is entitled to as we all are in our own lives.) (re: the jokes weren’t funny, I took the money, my friends at home don’t know what to say) Alternatively, and perhaps additionally, acting out of self-interest in this context may mean concealment of parts of her identity for the sake of self-preservation. The nuances behind why she hasn’t chosen to come out are at play here and I doubt any of us can fully comprehend what that is exactly.

I never had the courage of my convictions, as long as danger is near

Pouring out my heart to a stranger but I didn’t pour the whiskey

Combat, I'm ready for combat. I say I don't want that, but what if I do? 'Cause cruelty wins in the movies. I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you … Dark side, I search for your dark side. But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?

You can easily grasp the intense oscillation as she goes back and forth between these decisions while juggling a myriad of reasons and factors, all of which are incredibly weighted. She knows it’s exhausting for us because it’s that much more exhausting for herself.

So, she elects to pursue a route all too familiar to closeted individuals in the public eye, one of bearding and concealing their identity.

I had some tricks up my sleeve … Perched in the dark, telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear, like it could be love, I could be the way forward, only if they pay for it … the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up

I took the money. My friends from home don't know what to say.

The cost at which this lifestyle comes is worthy of an analysis all on its own. But Taylor seems to be indicating that she has found safety and security in her self-made cages and closets of sorts.

I prefer hiding in plain sight

‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay

If the shoe fits, walk in it 'til your high heels break

My town was a wasteland, full of cages, full of fences*, pageant queens and big pretenders. But for some, it was paradise.

In the darkest little paradise

(also, note the *fences. I’ll come back to that later.)

She brings focus to the fact that her town was full of cages and fences, which initially may carry a negative connotation. But here’s where she turns it around and says that for some, it was place of paradise, that the self-made cages brought security and freedom. That the idea of “forever” is in fact the sweetest con. That the good life she was hustling for through the tricks she had up her sleeve is within grasp. That this could be the way forward. Tell me that doesn’t scream a queer-coded experience?

But knowing Taylor and the complicated nature of this deeply personal topic, there is also a level of remorse regarding the said-cages and choices that had put her in crisis.

I cut off my nose just to spite my face, then hate my reflection for years and years

I’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches I almost said to you

I’d pay if you’d just know me

Now, despite the way she has managed to remain glass-closeted, a large subset of her fans and the general public completely miss what she is signaling in regard to her queerness. (re: “I gave so many signs / you didn’t even see the signs”) but it appears she is feeling some remorse for the devices she’s used and the way she’s navigated things because she knows that she’ll be the one paying for it.

So again, Taylor fully acknowledges she’s the problem. She endlessly dances around the topic, sometimes to an extreme (re: “bent the truth too far tonight,” Bettygate and specifying a male perspective despite widespread interpretation of the alternative; similar thing with Lavendergate, etc etc) She writes from “male perspectives” so as to have a way to write female pronouns. She uses pseudonyms for similar motives. She equates herself with gay pride and places herself adjacent to the community repeatedly, and dances in Gaylor Park and rainbow kaleidoscopes. She dresses in rainbow attire and gives speeches emphasizing the delicacy of coming out and on and on, all while also remaining straight-passing. It’s complicated and messy and indeed exhausting.

sending signals to be double-crossed

I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror. It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

no doubt these devices and choices have come at a cost. first, the personal cost of remaining closeted (or in the very least, glass closeted) by her own making. The nature by which she has driven her career, of “taking the money” and pursuing a career (and by extension, following heteronormative cultural standards of remaining closeted), all point to the self-made cages she twists in.

recall the Delicate pride speech…

I want to send my love and respect to everybody who in their journey and in their life hasn't yet felt comfortable enough to come out ... and may you do that on your own time

That is a major theme for her. The idea that through a closeted state, certain freedoms can coexist.

We know Taylor has made a point to emphasize the comfort she has found in keeping elements of her life to herself post her apocalyptic summer. And the way she has largely receded her personal life from the public eye is telling. In an effort to protect the “real stuff”, she is withholding from others and has found safety in that.

Privacy sign on the door and on my page and on the whole world, romance is not dead if you keep it just yours.

She knows it’s not always a world that some would choose to be a part of. She describes it as a wasteland, likely desolate, harkening back to cowboy like me. A place where hustling for the good life, perching in the dark as con artists (or pageant queens and big pretenders) and telling all the rich folks anything they want to hear like “it could be love” is all too familiar.

It’s a painful dichotomy she fully explores in The Archer, recognizing that maybe it’s her lot in life to straddle these lines of staying where she is, perched in the dark, while wanting to step into the daylight and let it go.

and that’s where the second cost comes in — in how those of us who see her for what she is signaling herself to be, are ultimately left to ourselves to make sense of it.

It’s the same kind of essence of this fantastic analysis regarding coney island and her apology of not making us certain subsets of her fans and communities her centerfold.

Being left to her own devices, she has ultimately crafted a duplicitous persona, of which she has spoken about specifically when discussing mirrorball…

Everybody else feels like they have to be on for certain people. You have to be different versions of yourself for different people. Different versions at work, different versions around friends, different versions of yourself around different friends. Different version of yourself around family. Everybody has to be duplicitous, or feels that they have to in some ways, be duplicitous. And that’s part of the human experience, but it’s also exhausting. You kind of learn that every one of us has the ability to become a shape-shifter. But what does that do to us?

Is it self-preservation? Or self-made self-destruction? (re: “they told me all of my cages were mental” “what a shame she’s fucked in the head” “lost in the labyrinth of my mind”)

Among the various anxieties that plague her in regard to this subject, Taylor makes one fear very clear. And that is for some inevitable day where we will leave her after we’ve had enough of “her scheming”.

'Cause they see right through me, they see right through me, they see right through. Can you see right through me?

I wake up screaming from dreaming One day I'll watch as you're leaving 'Cause you got tired of my scheming For the last time

These desperate prayers of a cursed man spilling out to you for free, but darling, darling, please, you wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talking if you knew where I was walking

Will you forgive my soul when you're too wise to trust me and too old to care?

She will get as close as she can to the topic, (“Gay pride… everything that makes me me!” to name just one) only to pull back or leave it ambiguous and devoid of clarity…

I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror

And I cut off my nose just to spite my face Then I hate my reflection for years and years

…only to feel guilt for skirting around the topic…

You said I was freeloading … I bent the truth too far tonight, I was dancing around, dancing around it … Your picket fence is sharp as knives, I was dancing around, dancing around it

This to me is the a significant price that comes from her being left to her own devices. Yes, there is freedom that comes from closeting/bearding. But glass closeting brings a more painful mess of emotions for both the closet-er and those seeing it for what it is. This is what she addresses in Anti-Hero with painful clarity.

And sometimes this can come at a painful cost. Take YNTCD for example. In this video, she positions herself within the queer community, dancing in Gaylor Park, and boldly declares herself an advocate for LGBTQIA rights.

But as we know, the video was met by many as out-of-touch (re: “freeloading”), performative and whatever else critics were spewing.

motion capture put me in a bad light. I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone, trying to find the one where I went wrong. writing letters addressed to the fire

Now for a detour.

I want to talk about the purple / blue / lavender glitter for a minute. Here, in the Directors on Directors interview, Taylor describes the glitter as being a metaphor for herself...

It’s supposed to be a metaphor for like, I bleed glitter, I’m not normal, there’s something wrong with me, I’m not a person, I don’t belong, I don’t fit in anywhere.

Recall how I said chasing a moving target?

Let’s talk about the significance of this scene and a handful of others in terms of the lavender glitter.

[For some queer context regarding glitter]

I’d first like to point out Hayley Kiyoko’s purple glitter jacket above, from the YNTCD video. This is Hayley Kiyoko we’re talking about. The proclaimed Lesbian Jesus. And in this moment, while she is wearing the purple glitter jacket, she is aiming an arrow at a target, signifying The Archer. This moment is key.

And then you have the Miss Americana documentary, wherein Taylor explicitly equates herself with gay pride, while talking about the Me! music video.

It’s a line of dialogue that screams at me with such intensity. Irrefutable. As a film editor, I know that every line in a film is deliberately placed and thought out and meticulously addressed. And therefore we can trust that Taylor intended for this line to make it into the film. I can tell that surrounding dialogue is seemingly trimmed and crafted in a delicate way. And part of that is the very direct statement that “Gay pride…everything that makes me, me!”

And it’s within this music video that we again witness a massive “ME!” literally jumping out at us on screen, in none other than purple glitter.

A handful of others could sense that the conclusion of Miss Americana felt as thought it was headed in a different direction than the one it ultimately took. And that for whatever reason, Taylor’s political advocacy took center stage while a deeper analysis regarding her LGBTQIA advocacy did not.

Cut back to the Anti-Hero music video where we get The Archer aiming right for Taylor, and striking her, causing her to bleed, yet again, purple glitter.

Pierced through the heart but never killed… did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism, like some kind of congressman

My covert (secret) narcissism (ME!) I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman (the political turn and advocacy present in Miss Americana)

In other words, covering up who she is (“gay pride… everything that makes me me!”) under the guise of a film almost exclusively focused on her journey of discovering her political (“Vote for me for everything” pin) activist voice. And what scene depicts this with near precision???

this one.

motion capture put me in a bad light. I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone, trying to find the one where I went wrong. writing letters addressed to the fire

'cause cruelty wins in the movies, I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you

The subsequent look on her face of absentminded agony says it all. She knows the confusion that comes from rooting for her as (especially if she is seen as an ally who maybe crosses one too many lines if presumably as straight.)

The inner-turmoil on display for us in The Archer has transformed into a tone all too exhausted in its own right within Anti-Hero. She knows we’re tired. She’s tired too. In a self-deprecating jab, she admits that she is the problem and she knows that everybody ultimately agrees with her on this. Shielded within a pop anthem, her vulnerability is on display. And so, in Dear Reader, with equal parts desperation as well as wit, she concludes…

You should find another guiding light, guiding light. But I shine so bright.

And so it is ultimately within this utterly messy, exhausting, complicated, ever-changing and nuanced journey that Taylor reaches out to those of us who do in fact see through her and who ultimately simply see her, that she asks us in all sincerity…

Who could stay? Who could stay? Who could stay? You could stay.

And I, for one, will stay.

[enjoy my other analyses here]

[striderthefrog]

Scratch McGee and repressed trauma.

First off I’d like to preface this by saying I am not an expert on mental health this is an attempted analysis of a cartoon character through the lense of mental health for the purpose of entertainment.

TW: Discussion of mental health/ptsd

Scratch has been one of the most complex characters in tgamm. He starts off as a grumpy hermit, but as the series progresses we begin to see that he has a softer side. However he is trying to escape a traumatic past and is scared of forming attachments.

In scaring is caring it is revealed that Scratches worst fear is losing Molly. Although they’ve only known each other for a few months these two have become the closest of friends and we see that Scratch is deeply afraid of losing her even though he shouldn’t have to be worried about that.

Then we get to season two, this is when we really start to see where the possible trauma originated. In A soda to remember we see Scratch and Molly try to get a soda he had as a kid to help him remember his past. This could be seen as a trigger for his trauma, something related to it that starts to bring up those feelings/memories.

Scratch confesses to Molly that he is scared of his past, he doesn’t know if he wants to remember, part of him wants to forget it for good. He ends up deciding that not knowing is the worse end so he takes a sip and we get a peak into his childhood.

Here we see that Scratch had a friend that moved away. We hear a sad version of the friendship motif which has been used with Molly and Scratch’s bonding moments. Scratch looks up from the soda directly at the screen showing the most raw emotion we have seen of him yet. He does not tell Molly about this for a while.

Finally we get to All in the mind, an entire episode delving into Scratches past memories and trauma. The form of these memories coming back takes the form of bubbles fizzing up. A fitting way to show that he can’t hide from his trauma forever. Now Scratch seems to be depicted with some form of ptsd/cptsd albeit a more simplified cartoon version. These can be triggered by very small things sometimes seemingly unrelated however the brain usually has come to associate some things with the traumatic memories causing it to trigger.

It seems possible due to the correlation with Adia that being around Molly is causing Scratch to remember things and face his repressed trauma. The better he gets to know her the more he feels a connection similar to his one with Adia.

Once we dive into Scratches mind we see many things such as childish cardboard ship in a bottle of the same soda. And we also see many food related things. Including a taco “of his past.” In his mind we see a brief scene where Scratch is in a chair across from a monkey very clearly like he would a therapist. Scratch clearly has something mentally going on.

Later in the episode Scratch is finally able to stop running for a bit, he talks through it with Molly and although still scared he’s going to try and confront his past. We get an even deeper look into his mind and see him and Adia discussing their plans to travel the world, while in a cardboard boat.

We get another look at the scene of Adia moving away but this time we see scratch look down at his hands where the soda is.

Scratch has begun to dig up his past trauma although it seems we have yet to see the source. At the end of the episode we see a massive bubble come up with Adias face in it distorting the end music and the logo.

Scratch still has his biggest traumatic memories to deal with.

It’s been confirmed that Scratch would have been about 9-10 in the flashback scene we got. When someone goes through trauma they often will act in a way reminiscent of the earliest time they had before said trauma. We consistently see Scratch acting like a child, throwing fits, and talking about things like a 9-10 year old would.

All this seems to point to Scratch having un processed trauma and memories. The show seems to be leading towards the final straw being something happening to Molly as Scratches biggest fear is losing her, like he seems to have lost Adia.

On that note I’d just like to add that trauma takes many forms, and many different things can lead to childhood trauma. One persons will not be like someone else’s necessarily and traumatic experiences happen much easier when one is a child as the brain is still forming. Please feel free to critique anything I’ve said. Hope this has been interesting.

[courtneysartblog]

The Music of Good Omens

Let me take you on the little musical rabbit hole I went on yesterday. (And be mindful this is coming from a listener of music, not a professional aka I never took a class in this and haven't read sheet music in over ten years).

So when I first started listening to the Good Omens 2 soundtrack (done by the amazing David Arnold) I found it really intriguing that neither Crowley or Aziraphale had tracks really named for them. And that got me thinking, they don't really have motifs either. At least they didn't have motifs that are uniquely dedicated to themselves as characters separate from each other. Looking through the season 2 soundtrack that also seems to be the case. While there are a couple songs named for characters, often times paired together, (Maggie and Nina, Crowley and Muriel, Gabriel and Beelzebub) these tracks aren't really repeated throughout the show (from what I remember), so they aren't these defining songs that make you stick the tune to the character and/or some emotion they are feeling. So basically there are songs named for characters because the scenes are these character moments, but the songs are not used as repeating motifs. For example He's Smoking and Crowley Goes Large, feel like moments that could have the motif (because of character and tone) but don't really. Even characters that have a lot of songs named for them, don't have a through-line. For instance Beelzebub in Hell and Beelzebub Isn't Happy don't have any shared motifs. The soundtrack rather has great moments to bring the tone and setting and feel into the story. But, at least from my hearing, there aren't a lot of strong motifs repeating for these characters, to say, show when a character is triumphing or about to do something important/thematic.

So then I went back to the original soundtrack, where there are a lot more character specific tracks, and where there are are also a lot more motifs used. The most recognizable to me being Anathema and Adam and the Dog as both have a very folky, almost hobbit kind of sound. They sound very different from the rest of the soundtrack and seem to connote the perfect world of Tadfield. And you will hear the motifs throughout the show at appropriate moments.

Again these motifs aren't super present and not every character has one, so I'm guessing it's either David Arnolds style to not be ham-fisted with themes or else was not his vision for Good Omens. But they aren't absent either, just more subtle than say a major blockbuster score, which a lot of times are trying to make you feel a certain way with a lot of big emotions in a short amount of time. The world of Good Omens is fantastical and quirky, and it feels like the music works to express this. The soundscape seems focused on tone and setting more so than say characters. Which isn't a bad thing because the motifs that do show up feel very natural to the emotions of the scene. But it also means that motifs overlap different characters sometimes.

But let's get back to Aziraphale and Crowley, who as I said, don't have any character motifs of their own. But they do have one together! There are two major motifs for them. One is the main theme (0.17 secs), which is that recognizable staccato section you would start singing if asked you to sing the theme. It's not always exclusive to them, but more often than not if they are getting into shenanigans you will hear the theme crop up into the score. And how amazing is that! They share a motif. It's wholly them, and it's the theme for the entire show! For me the theme captures the quirk of the show, the idea of the ineffable.

The second motif also comes from the main theme. I'm guessing that this is the bridge of the song, but don't quote me on it as, again I do not have enough musical knowledge. But it's the softer section of the title theme(0.51 secs) that sometimes has a twinkly sound, sometimes has a more sweeping feel. And I think for a lot of us it's most memorable as the song Crowley sings to Warlock as a nanny, and then the 1941 blitz scene (6.23) where Crowley saves the books and Aziraphale realizes he's in love. If you want to give it a listen Lullaby is the track you will want to pop on. I absolutely love this theme for them because it's so romantic, so soft, and in the original theme it sounds like two people dancing together. The entire opening theme is a Walts in 3/4 time, so really the whole song is a dance, but this part especially sounds like two characters going back and forth with each other. I watched this interview of David Arnold talking about the music and learned that this song was actually the first track written for Good Omens. How crazy is that! And from there or lullaby melody was incorporated with the rest of the theme. Along with that, Arnold has commented that this opening theme is a dance between these two characters. This is their theme and it was created to reflect the dynamic between the two. Because the show is about an angel and a demon, heaven and hell, Arnold paired moments of levity with darker moments to show the duality between the two. The entire score is literally Crowley and Aziraphale. Wow.

But as for this main lullaby melody, this is what I think of as the Nightingale in song form. The musical motif that shows everything is alright.

So that had me re-listening to the original soundtrack to pick up on where the lullaby motif plays. We of course hear it in the 1941 scene, which is not on the soundtrack at all. (This has me thinking that there could be other tracks are not in the soundtrack, and maybe I do need to rewatch everything to see if the motif is snuck in other places but for this post I'll go off of what we have). We also hear it in the track Lullaby, Adam(0.41), and Adam Sleeping, which are all moments when either Crowley is singing a child to sleep or Adam is sleeping. I think the motif is less paired to Adam as a character and more as a counterpoint to Warlock being sung the same theme.

We then we hear it again Witch, during Agnus Nutter’s burning at the stake, which is kind of an odd one that I could connect to her prophetic nature to shape things towards the ineffable, but I think that would be a stretch. The next section we hear it is the 1941 moment, and it doesn't crop up again until the end of the show in End of the Story, Shadwell and Tracy, All Change. And I think this motif is most notable here at the end of the story, in moments where characters are coming together, where things are right with the world again, aka Nightingales. It's used in a lot of moments with a lot of different characters but again, it's a song at least I connect a lot with that 1941 moment and then the section with Crowley and Aziraphale right before they go to the Ritz and the final scene of the show.

So then that had me going back to the Season 2 soundtrack to find our motif there. The opening theme is riffed on a lot in the soundtrack, perfectly fitting Crowley and Aziraphale getting into trouble, but our romantic motif doesn't crop up a lot, at least on the soundtrack, again the entire show would need a rewatch to pick out if it's slipped in anywhere. There's a new more distorted appearance of the song at the beginning of the 1941 Blitz scene (also not on the track), but from the soundtrack this motif only really appears in flashbacks. Most notably It's What God Wants, and His New Children from the Job mini-sode and then Not Kind from the Grave Robbing mini-sode. And it's very much used in these moments of Crowley doing something for Aziraphale, when they are on the same page with each other, being tender, in these small moments similar to season one and the 1941 Blitz.

But you know where the theme doesn't appear? During that kiss. Instead of our motif we get this angelic vocal moments slipping down into a deeper sound. It's sinks where as the lullaby motif floats. And this is why I think we will see the lullaby motif in season three especially in a kiss scene...

Okay I won't start another essay, but yes. I think or lullaby romantic theme is important, and we see it so little in season two because all is not okay. There are no nightingales. Even if so many moments are romantic, these characters are not quite dancing with each other anymore.

But you know what new motif we see a lot of. Yep it's that really depressing, heart-wrenching one. Fallen Angel, which of course plays during the Job mini-sode when Aziraphale thinks he has done wrong by lying and thwarting the will of God, and now believes he's destined to fall to hell. It's also him realizing he is now separate from heaven, just like Crowley is from hell, on their own side. But it's lonely there.

I love the Fallen Angel track, and we get to hear it's melody a fair amount, starting in We're Going to Hell and then a little in Need to Cut and most notably in I'm Going to Save Her, (the moment where Aziraphale is ready to do something entirely against the rules for humanity). It's so thematic why Fallen Angel reprises in the Edinburgh mini-sode. This song is a code for Aziraphale's journey as he struggles with his idea of goodness and where heaven fits and doesn't fit this. This motif depicts the heartbreaking conflict Aziraphale is going through so well. He's lonely separated from Heaven. He struggling with what he thinks is the right thing, and he's still holding on tight to his ideas of heaven. But it's not just Aziraphale's moment. Crowley is there too, also being reflected by this song. He understands the truth of Heaven. But he's lonely from his own fall, and lonely from not fitting in amongst the demons of hell. This is a lot of what season two is about, these two characters struggling with their relationship with Heaven and Hell and with each other, and it's reflected through this motif.

But it's not limited to the flashbacks.

Let's put a pin in this and just talk about the musical roller coaster that is the final four songs of the GOS2 soundtrack, going from I Forgive You into Don't Bother, The Biggest Decision and then The End? Because oh my god. I Forgive You is the kiss scene, and the score here is crazy. It's starts with this angelic choral bit that we've heard throughout the soundtrack and then we hear a bell toll. Which for me was just such a symbolic sound. The tolling bells go off throughout the soundtrack, especially as a way to transition from softer, choral bits into the darker more intense sounds. And here, as the kiss goes from airy, the bell tolling lets us know, this isn't going to end well. And then the song sinks. The next three tracks are crazy to me, because as you watch the show, there is no hope, it's just a consistent downward spiral of heartbreak. But the soundtrack keeps oscillating from soft and angelic, into dark and depressing. Back and forth until we finally settle into The End?

Don't Bother and The End? are especially interesting to me, as it feels like these two songs are a part of a whole, to the point that it's almost jarring that The Biggest Decision , which uses the main theme, is between them. Oh my god the connotation of giving us the main theme sans the romantic lullaby melody and then just taking it away? Snatching any kind of comfort or hope from that ending by not ending with the theme? Their song? Damn.

But going back to Don't Bother and The End?, you know what these two songs, especially Don't Bother, sound like? They sound like Fallen Angel.

From what I can hear, it is not the same melody used. But they do go together. Fallen Angel and Don't Bother are part of the same song or if not, they are at least companions. I don't think it's just they have the same artist or that they are a part of the same score. To me they sound like they are a part of a whole.

And why does the song denoting loneliness and self conflict come up during Aziraphale and Crowley's divorce?

Of course this sound would be brought back. It's a motif of conflict of loneliness and that's what the last moments of GOS2 is.

But it's not like the Fallen Angel motif pops up anywhere in season one. It's a season two original to perfectly connote Aziraphale's struggle with right and wrong. Sure there are songs like Holy Water, and Crucified and We're Not Killing Anybody, that are in the same ballpark as Fallen Angel, but its not like the motif crops up in the first season at all...

We're Not Killing Anybody has the Fallen Angel motif in it. You know, We're Not Killing Anybody. The scene where... What scene was that? Oh yeah, Crowley and Aziraphale talking at the bandstand.

THE BANDSTAND BREAK UP SCENE IN S1E3 HAS THE FALLEN ANGEL MOTIF IN IT. THE SCENE WHERE THESE TWO CHARACTERS CAN'T FIND THEIR WAY TOGETHER AND WHERE AZIRAPHALE STRUGGLES WITH RIGHT AND WRONG AND HEAVEN AND--

So yeah. It comes full circle. The Band Stand Breakup is Fallen Angel, is our Divorce motif. Fallen Angel has always been them. It's always been the song in absence of nightingales. It's always been the song where they walk away from each other. God Damn.

The Fallen Angel motif has, at least for season 2, replaced our beloved romantic motif. That's why the lullaby is absent this season. No nightingales.

Doesn't that hurt just so good? Really the music is so subtle but so so smart.

[yallemagne]

Stray Gods is activating the autism like hardcore style rn. I don't know if it is indeed a hyperfixation (I don't really wanna write anything and I'm not certain I'd actually want to try drawing the characters in my style), but it is a fixation, and it makes me want to bust out a spreadsheet.

So like, for my followers who might not know, Stray Gods is a roleplaying musical game and the conceit of it is that generally, you have three dialogue options to choose from that fall under three distinct traits: Charming, Kickass, and Clever. And the musical aspect comes in because the player character, Grace, is a Muse, and she resolves conflict through song. And depending on which trait you go with, it affects the songs, it changes the themes.

But GET THIS, what I didn't realize at first but is fuckin' sick as hell is that your first choice in a song affects the results you get with the others. You can start charming and then choose later to be kickass, and the song sticks with the charming motif but with kickass lyrics (a choice likely made so that the songs don't sound all over the place). That's sick as hell, that means there are SO many unique options in this damn game, so many different variations, and you know what that means for my brain?? I wanna catch them all.

Unfortunate truth: I cannot purchase this game or the DLC, I just can't, I cannot, I don't have money, oh well. All I can do is search up different "all versions" videos and compare and contrast (because no one's perfect, sometimes you're gonna miss some things with such a big game with so many options). I wanna map all this out and record where all the different leitmotifs recur, I wanna get my hands into it and break it down into all its individual parts.

I am SO normal about this game you have no clue.

[ibrithir-was-here]

Phantom of the Opera Remake Dream

So I have no idea why I dreamed this. I haven't listened to Phantom lately at all, but-- last night, I dreamed that there had been a remake of the Phantom of the Opera musical as a big screen film attempt again.

In the dream reality this had come out a few years back and had done well overall, though there were controversies.

It was incredibly visually beautiful film. I remember feeling like it felt like a Guillermo del Toro fantasy sort of thing with a touch of Tarsem Sighn, really honing in on POTO as a modern-day fairytale horror movie and more focused on making an immersive dream like world than really being accurate periodwise.

The costumes were beautiful, especially in the Masquerade scene, where Christine and Raoul were actually wearing masks too for once. Think Labyrinth meets Eiko Ishioka. And there was a whole motif of White,Red, and Black going on through the three main characters where it symbolized how innocent or corrupt they were becoming as the horror of the Phantom's haunting went on. Christine starts out pure white for example and gradually gains other colors and the Phantom's only white was his mask, which was a literal false face.

The controveries had come in that several of seemingly set points of the musical had been reworked. From least to most controversial:

Christine in the movie was now book accurate blonde (I remember thinking she looked a little like Florence Pugh but not exactly).

Several scenes were added in to give Christine and Raoul more instances to bond and really create a deeper relationship, and Raoul was a much more active character now, he and Christine acting more as a team eventually

The Phantom's ghostly/otherworldiness was kept ambiguous much longer, so much so that the audience starts to wonder if maybe he really is some sort of vengeful spirit, not an angel but something unhuman, possibly even demonic. We know we should know he's just a man doing conjuring tricks but we're suddenly unsure.

Also his mask was now a full mask instead of a half one, sometimes even covering his mouth entirely, such as in the Masquerade scene were he's all in red except for a full black skull mask.

Also his face is never actually fully shown. We see people react to it, and glimpse warped reflections of it in water and cracked mirrors but never see the full thing (how they would have pulled off the final confrontation scene I have no idea)

And finally, most controversial amoung dream film critics though I'm sure it woupd have done numbers on Tumblr xD ---they made it a proper Love Triangle where the Phantom despite his jealousy and hatred of Raoul starts to be charmed by his devotion and innocence and Raoul despite his desire to protect Christine from this admittedly dangerous presence finds himself being drawn in just as she was.

The entire Past the Point of No Return song was reworked/restaged so now Raoul at one point sneaks on stage to aid Christine and he and the Phantom end up dueling and singing parts together, sometimes so close they're literally cheek to cheek.

I woke up at 5 to that image and frantically wrote it all down and made a pinterest mood board 😅 So definitely expect some art for this!

[mumms-the-word]

Hello friend! I am wondering if you have any book recommendations where the main character speaks in a similar style to Gale? <3 I find myself struggling with writing his dialogues and would love to read some references. 🙃 No pressure and thank you in advance! <333

Oh man I might be the worst person to ask because everything I’ve read is either for academic reasons or probably doesn’t fit Gale’s vibe (and I also read it aeons ago)

Let me think…honestly when I write Gale I sort of mimic my own academic speech patterns 😅 so I’m trying to think where I might have picked those up outside of English literature articles

Gale, to me, speaks in a kind of formal/elegant English. His sentences are fluid and he chooses his words carefully. Sometimes he speaks poetically (that part I struggle to write) and sometimes he speaks academically (a breeze for me). So with that in mind…

Dracula by Bram Stoker - first of all its a classic and it’s my favorite Victorian novel. But even though it was published in the 1890s, I find the writing pretty accessible. There are multiple narrators writing different accounts of the events, so there are multiple “voices” you can read. Personally I think Gale speaks closest to how the characters Dr. Seward and Mina Harker write. Plus it’s free online if all you want to do is scan passages rather than read the whole thing. There are also MANY audiobooks if hearing as you read it is easier for you.

Ursula K Le Guin - I’ve only read A Wizard of Earthsea and scraps of her other writing but her writing is just beautiful. Sparrowhawk/Ged (same character) doesn’t exactly speak like Gale but just reading any of Le Guin’s works will get you a step closer to writing elegance the way Gale speaks it. You can find free passages of her books, speeches, and essays online, and she often read her own work out loud so you can find YouTube videos if you want to hear some of her work.

I’m horrible and I don’t have any contemporary fiction ideas. When I tell you my “to be read” pile it’s mountainous…oof.

@elspethdekarios might also have thoughts! *waves in English major*

I’d also attempt some poetry reading. I know @sorceresssundries likely has thoughts on this but to me the poetic stuff Gale says or recites is often a little Shakespearean at times (“Doth thy mirror crack?”) but is more often just full of imagery (his favorite motifs to use are universes, a thousand, stars, multitudes, magic, music, divinity, eternity, etc)

Oh god do I have to do a literary analysis deep dive into Gale’s speech patterns and preferred metaphors now

BOOK TUMBLR! Come to my aid! What other books would you recommend to my friend? Bonus points if these books have audiobook options or are more easily accessible!

[the-moth-from-elsewhere]

The Amazing OC Unoriginal Soundtrack.

You’re welcome, autumn.

Okay so I like to associate songs with scenes and characters, but sometimes I take it a step further and make what is essentially a soundtrack for a world comprised of random songs. Like a full OST but made of songs that are completely unrelated, or even songs I have straight up made up in my head. I’ve done this a bit with TAOCC specifically, especially because I like to think about scenes as if they were in a video game (or even a book!), often in the style of a visual novel or something. So….here goes I guess??? This is going to be completely off the wall and entirely for my own personal gratification so GET READY.

By the way! I’ll be linking most songs due to Tumblr’s audio file restrictions! My apologies for that.

———

Freaking Table of Contents:

“Mix and “Mada Dame Yo””

“Music Boxes.”

“Yume and music boxes”

“I guess I should talk about Yelena, huh?”

“Some stuff with Ace Attorney”

“Antiquity for the Funnies”

“Planetquest my Beloved”

“Dusk and some One Shot Shenanigans”

“Kingdom…y….stuff…YEAH! Can you tell i’m running out of titles?”

“I am losing it, there’s so many songs, let’s do the rest of GTA while I still have my sanity”

“The railroads and other Fei stuff. Awww yeah.”

“Some autumnal ost”

“Other/miscellaneous”

Goodness help me.

Mix and “Mada Dame Yo”

Alright, so there’s this specific leitmotif in Madoka Magica: Rebellion that’s typically associated with Homura, and comes from the song “Mada Dame Yo”. It’s all over the ost, and ever since I started listening to it, I’ve imagined this as Mix’s motif instead.

This song first plays when Dusk visits the bar for the first time and Mix is properly introduced. He starts speaking when the accordion begins. At about 1:05, we get a view of the back room, specifically of a bloodied sink, and the first hints of something being wrong or concerning about him.

Later, during the scenes with Mix when he’s stressed or arguing with people, specifically during breakups, we get “Raise the Curtain”, where the accordion becomes tense, and instead of kind of swinging back and forth like it does in the song, I imagine when mix snaps, the accordion player messes up playing a very shrill note, before going back to playing the motif over and over and over again.

Most hopeful scenes with him have “Not Yet (Epilogue)”, especially the scene where he finally accepts himself. Fight scenes use “Retribution”, because Xeya said that was his fight theme and now I can’t unsee it. But, of course, for his final Witch breakdown and kind of murder of Simon and Yelena, I just had to do “I was Waiting for this Moment”, just to complete the madoka rebellion thing.

This song also plays when we see a full flashback of the car crash. It’s sampled when Isaac becomes a magical girl, and when he first confronts mirror Elida.

Speaking of Elida, a lot of these songs have a music box in the background. Isaac’s theme instrument is the accordion (the accordion later becomes the “regret” instrument), not the music box.

Which brings us to our next segment:

Music Boxes.

Music boxes are used to denote children or child-like characters/moments, as well as generally being a good way to keep track of a character’s innocence. If the music box in their theme is upbeat and pleasant to listen to, the character is probably innocent or naive. If the notes are strained or distorted, there’s a severe problem or their innocence has just been shattered. A music box cover of a character’s main theme will play whenever they talk about their childhood or a flashback plays.

The music box-esque thing in the background of most of issac’s themes is supposed to reference Elida and how, despite her death, she haunts him at all times, burning her presence into even his theme music.

Yume and Music Boxes

Yume’s theme and leitmotif is “Hitonboro Envy”, almost always instrumental. The normal version plays in scenes with her, although it’s usually very quiet and uses quiet acoustic guitar. Her song is usually sampled in the background instead of being the only motif used, but during scenes where she’s being a kid/childish, the music box version plays instead, and does actually take center stage. When she’s feeling conflicted or having a crisis, both versions will audibly fight to take control, the guitar and music box trying to choke each other out as she switches between mentalities. Conversational themes with her or times when she’s working on art/not in conflict will often use the “Mochi’s Manor Night” theme instead, with bits of Hitonboro envy dipping in at times when she hints at her internal struggles/suffering. Mochi’s Manor is most often used in conversation with Odette, Achilles, or Slynn, while Ramona gets Hitonboro Envy’s guitar because she tends to bring out that side of Yume.

I guess I should talk about Yelena, huh?

This is where things go ABSOLUTELY OFF THE RAILS.

Yelena has so many songs I associate with her, it’s kind of insane.

Her songs are generally separated into two categories: the cutesy upbeat ones, and the horrors.

Her main leitmotif is “Snowfall” by Øneheart, which plays whenever she’s calm and okay and not dying of the horrors. She doesn’t really have a leitmotif as much as she has a certain “vibe” to her music.

“Wake Up” plays during her introduction sequence with Simon. “Wistful” plays when she’s in more calm, relaxed scenes.

And now for her non-calm/fight themes, which take a HARD turn into cutesy upbeatness.

More upbeat/casual interactions use “Ka’mani’s Hair Salon”. Celebration/festival scenes with Yelena use “Crawdance”, while most fight scenes (specifically when she feels like she’s going to win) use “Rabbit Hole” (INSTRUMENTAL, OBVIOUSLY). Witch fights, specifically the scene with Simon and the fight with the Air Control Witch use “Flirt Flirt Oh it Hurts”. The sudden tonal shift in the middle is when the Witch starts fighting back.

When fighting her Doppel/witch, a slowed down/distorted version of “Snowfall” plays.

Some stuff with Ace Attorney

This is Clown’s theme and you can’t tell me otherwise. The sudden orchestral segment happens when a character really gets an idea of his power level.

Gumshoe’s theme from the anime is Zachariah’s theme and leitmotif. It’s reused as zombie’s theme, but zombie’s version sometimes has some instruments missing or replaced with other instruments. The beat that starts about 0:36 appears in most scenes that he’s in, in the background, or starts playing when he’s involved with the events onscreen.

“First Tournabout” and “Novice Attorney! Phoenix!” are often filler cheery themes for when the characters are having a nice time.

“Pursuit ~ Cornered” is so iconic of a song that it’s only usually used in joke arguing segments. It was used in the scene where everyone got mad at Kumo for putting Ketchup on spaghetti, or when Nova gets caught pranking someone.

Antiquity for the funnies

Let’s start with antiquity itself. It’s leitmotif is this instrumental version of “September”

Although, you might get the more upbeat and intense part of the original instrumental with all the drums and stuff if your character is in danger. Antiquity’s theme instrument is bells, and it’s implied that the bell sounds in the music is actually Lemonade’s bell tower.

speaking of lemonade, his theme and motif is Viva la Vida. This instrumental version is the base from which his themes take bits and pieces, although when you’re getting the grand tour of antiquity or he’s at the tower, the base song’s instrumental plays. The bells from this song are omnipresent in almost anything involving lemonade or the seasons as a whole, while the slow ending accordion plays during times when he’s regretful or guilty or lonely. The baseline takes center stage when he’s excited, and the beat gets really loud in combat. A music box version plays when he flashbacks.

Calla’s motif is the “Starlight Strand” theme from Slime Rancher 2. It shifts from version to version depending on the mood of the scene, but it always plays in her house.

It shifts to the “Night” version when she’s excited or happy, the “Dreaming” version when you’re upstairs or in the guest room, and the “Late Night” version when you find the graveyard. Her fight theme is “Creeping Rainbows”, which is sampled whenever someone starts figuring out that something is wrong with her.

Charles is in a similar situation to Calla, with this motif being “Indigo Quarry”. It plays the “Late night” version as a base, with various other versions used to denote tone. As he heals from his wounds, both physical and emotional, his theme shifts to being the “Day”/“base” version of the song.

Planetquest my beloved

Uhhh…I don’t actually have much to say here, heh! Most lighthearted scenes use the lighthearted songs from the Sailor Moon ost. The overall motif of Planetquest is “Route Venus”, and it gets a music box version during flashbacks! Also this is the theme for when The Bad things Happen, which plays when Elysia collapses onstage and when Marcus is shot.

Dusk and some One Shot Shenanigans

Dusk’s instruments are flow-y classical violins and pianos and soft synths, betraying her nature as an AI. She usually reprises/covers other characters themes instead of showing her own, but her theme is “Spatial Lullaby.”

Most early scenes with her use “My Burden is Light”, as well as her first appearance. When she snaps or abstracts or has crises, “Simple Secrets” plays, specifically in Chase’s death scene and the scene where she had her first drink.

“On Little Cat Feet” is the theme for getting lost in her domain. Sometimes “Our Heritage” or “Abyss” plays during her scenes.

Her normal fight theme is “Quiero Salvarte!” Or “Credens Justiniam”, but it can sometimes be “Madness Plan” when she’s about to snap. “Madness Plan” is Dawn’s fight theme.

Kingdom…y….stuff…YEAH! Can you tell i’m running out of titles?

Icia’s motif is literally just the Shiva motif from FFVI and I’m not sorry. This is her fight theme, the motif is the vocalist. Rip anyone who has no idea what’s going on.

This is the kingdom’s overall fight theme.

“White ball” (the instrumental version) serves as the “excited” kingdom theme, often when Cool Shenanigans TM are occurring.

“Giselle Act 2 Hilarion Appears” is the “Ramona punches some people (see: Slyn)” theme.

“Giselle Act 2 Giselle and the prince” is the conspiracy shenanigans are happening theme, usually used when Slynn and Hexe are talking. More specifically the beginning part, but something about imagining the later, more upbeat bits as very tense background music instead made me keep this here.

“Swan Lake Act 1 Op. 20 No. 2” is the “THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING” theme. See: Yume gives Hexe a piece of her MIND.

Aoki’s theme and motif is “Decretum”, obviously all of his songs use violins.

Dunite’s music has tons of music boxes and are very cutesy. She gets a violin in her main theme later on.

Switchboard’s theme is freaking “Kom Susser Tod” and “Outlands part II” for when she’s doing technical stuff or building a plane. The theme for when she crashes her plane is “Fall”. “Space song” for when the gal is floating in space.

I am losing it, there’s so many songs, let’s do the rest of GTA while I still have my sanity

Simon’s songs are almost always classical and calm, with piano taking most of the melody. The instrumental version of “Mind Electric” is often used, but his base theme is probably the instrumental version of “Dream Sweet in Sea Major”. He just has the vibes, idk, it feels just silly enough for him. His fight theme is the instrumental version of “Murders”. The tense piano riff that plays through the middle of the song happens when he’s stressed. “Murders” is played during the scene where he’s pushed off a cliff, and is introduced to us as the theme during the “Silhouette torments sun” scene, and is played during the “killing Zach” scene/flashback/whatever. A random theme he occasionally uses during chill/lighthearted scenes is “Library Stroll”.

Bro is the entire Hawaii part II part II album

Anyways! Carbine! Carbine gets electric guitar as a theme instrument because come on I have to. He also gets really heavy base lines and TONS of chiptune. His fight theme is “Starship Showdown”.

When Sami is mentioned, Music box gets added to his theme. No, I don’t have a base theme for him...maybe this?

Caleb’s theme is “Please Help UK”. He has tons of chiptune and synth and overall is very “video game”-y.

Felicia’s music all sounds like chill elevator music. It’s supposed to show the dullness around her and how lifeless she feels, yet the world goes on despite the things she’s seen. She’s at work, and her background music reflects that. The instruments warp into something much more dramatic when she gets serious about something.

Edward…no clue, man. Camel by Camel?? All of his music sounds like a desert level from Mario or smth.

The Railroads and other Fei stuff. Awww yeah.

The railroads’ background music is freaking…like…”music to have a bar fight to” or smth.

Jessy’s theme is an instrumental of “Sweet Tooth”. I don’t make the rules. I guess his fight theme could be “Time Machine” (instrumentalllll obviously- must I even say this by now?!). Flashbacks with Amanda play “Plushie Melody”, which ends up as her motif later on.

“Museo Della Memoria” plays during Raina’s more creepy or off-putting scenes, including during the explanation of what happened to her.

Some autumnal ost

Neb’s theme is “Six Forty Seven”. Like…all of their songs sound like they’re from a liminal space video. The songs get very off-putting and slowed and distorted when the entity arrives. The liminal spaces have very chill themes.

Radio’s theme is “Ludicrous speed” for obvious freaking reasons. It will start playing very quietly when he gets excited and almost explodes like a freaking meme sound.

Nonspecific/miscellaneous themes

“Icosa” is used for silly shenanigans and other such things.

“cats!” plays sometimes when there are…uhh…CATS. Especially Fred.

“It could happen to you” is the “we vibin and having a nice wholesome montage” theme lol.

idk where I wanna put “distance of feelings” but it sure is here

This for when characters go insane.

and of course

“Your new home” plays whenever we have some kind of major existential madness.

Tags because I want people to see this madness that fell apart into nonsense

@star-on-a-beach @feiar @sh4tt3rg1rl @silhouette-anon @shot-of-hopes-and-dreams

@mod-autumn <- THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT

[nicomrade]

so i reread the scott pilgrim comics this week for the first time since 2019? lots of stuff happened in my life in-between + i learned to actually like, pay attention when reading so this specific reread felt really important to me- the issue of reading it in french for the first time aside. heres some misc thoughts i had while reading! some of this stuff is drawing from conversations about the comics ive had with people over the years, i dont mean to break any new ground here, and i dont have a specific lense to look at the comics through so its not structured like analysis either. full thoughts under the cut! i hope you all like going on this little trip with me ^-^

so first of, the X motif! this i KNOW i saw someone else talk about. it comes up first on scott's jacket with the X-men patch (and it comes up again in that context- "then wolverine is crucified on a big X") and also on knives' scott-shrine, her dad slashes an X over scott's picture. these are the two biggest exemples but there really are Xs constantly in the imagerie of the comics, which is great and i love. the comic is about fighting ramona's exs, and this is foreshadowing that scott himself will be one, but its also generally about the baggage that comes with existing. at its core its really comics about dealing with whats over, so we get into scotts relationships w envy & kim & knives (& ramona), but we also get into his relationship with lisa (what couldve been) we also see him move flats (the end of an era!), in volume 1 scott tells knives about the house he grew up in that now belongs to another family, scott breaking his bass & no longer being in a band, etc. theres sooooo many flashback sequences in these comics and references to the past… its all about the X.!

loosely related in the foreshadowing department there are genuinely so many background details of stories about people who dont matter to the comics that foreshadow later developments. the details of why Crash & the Boys changed drummers is straight up the dynamics of Clash at Demonhead, theres the Lucas Lee movie on the BG thats visually identical to scotts memory of when he got with kim- and the reveal that the lady in that movie wasnt dead is arguably foreshadowing for scott reviving in volume 6? if you know whats happening in the story, rereading the volumes really is so rewarding. it also helps on a first read cause unconsciously its not the first time you're hearing about these ideas so theyre easier to digest & accept. this is also what the character explicitely referencing what will happen later is for- "i wonder how the Boys & Crash can do music without instruments- maybe it will be relevant later in the evening" "i'd need a deus ex machina to beat todd", these help you accept when these things do seemingly "come out of nowhere" later in the scene (and poke cheerful fun at it lol these are fun comics)

a personal fave of mine is the phrase "read the comic sometime" thats repeated in the early volumes at characters who werent there for something. its 4th-wall breaking, its fun, it nicely tells lost readers where to head to without re-dumping exposition, AND it helps keep track of who was where for what scenes … stuff like "when did stacey & ramona become friends??" or "i cant believe this is stacey & neils first meeting!" or "wallace was already introduced to ramona earlier" … its all fun and helps you stay on the ride. i think this is why i would read the comics back to back to back to back and retained very little. its easy to passively read these comics and its not a bad thing! though it is better to actively read them, and take these notes as fun jokes & reminders, and not life boats.

the 4th wall breaks are also great for the side characters having their own lives in the background. there are a lot more time indications in scott pilgrim than i remembered, if youre paying attention i think its really really easy to have a nice timeline in your head. but when stuff is broken to scott its not "i started dating mobile during X month" or "i came out X months ago" its "i started dating mobile during volume 3" and "i came out during volume 5" that way the reader can more easily relate it to the story that was happening at the time- and to keep in mind during a volume reread. its not a writing technique for EVERY comic, but its something that scott pilgrim gets to have BECAUSE its a comic- and unapologetically so! this is not a work that wants to be more novel than graphic to be taken seriously. its a comic, and its silly, and its also a work of art, and you have to respect it on its own terms.

theres also, uhm, ill be quick on this point cause its kind of weird how lesbians/sapphics are handled in the comics. its not BAD but theres clearly a bias towards male homosexuality being fleshed out and lesbianism not so much. but so the start of volume 4 is when kim & knives make out and it really starts this obsession in scott about this thing he cannot tell anyone about but is still thinking about, that prepares for roxies introduction- ramonas ex girlfriend. that i believe is also when wallace first asks if scotts broken out the "L-word" yet and it gives more context to scott assuming its lesbians? and him then going all "why does everyone keep asking me about lesbians!" but it is also kind of weird re: lesbian fetishism (which IS pointed out with scotts weird poster that no one likes but thats it). and all that with ZERO canon lesbians! roxie is pretty bi-coded i would say with her insistance on being "HALF-ninja", but ramona is described as an american ninja in the early volumes so its kind of loose. idk its weird and i like to think julie came out as a lesbian cause stephen & her being a comphet4comphet couple is really good to me

a thing id never noticed before is that julie was suspecting stephen of having views on knives during volume 4? and its why she was so shitty to knives for a while there, and then its "worked out" at the end of the volume. this feeds into the constant fear of cheating during the story, theres of course todd & scott who do cheat, but also more grey areas of relationships. im thinking of ramonas anxieties around lisa, and when scott finds out roxie stayed over at ramona's. about stephen too, his response to julie apologizing for being jealous of knives is very… uncomfortable

"i have nothing to fear!" "right yeah..." surely because hes starting to realize hes gay, and possibly because he's already vaguely started seeing joseph. we dont get more details on his relationships i am not going to accuse him of cheating LOL. i truly dont care. but its an anxiety that comes up again and again whenever relationships are starting to turn sour- "are they cheating?" and having been in my 20s for a little bit yeah i get it. scott not telling ramona about his job- not telling her much of ANYTHING during vol 4- and ramona not sharing much either are also part of this. theres a reason all of this happens in volume 4, and next volume ramona finds out scott cheated on knives with her. loss of intimacy and the breakdown of dialogue is all part of cheating anxieties, whether there is actual cheating or not. "what do i not know? what else are they keeping from me? they dont talk to me but they talk to them? are they cheating on me?"

theres a really neat thing the comics do to show the breakdown of scott and ramona's relationship in volume 5 and its the scene where ramona goes shopping and scott tags along. she spends it not saying anything (until she tells scott she doesnt even like his band) and scott obsessively talking about his comics (X-men!) while she doesnt look particularly interested.

this is the scene where scott breaks up with knives again!!! the roles are reversed, scott is now the one talking about whatever while his girlfriend's unresponsive, and obviously ramona doesn't break up with him here and there, and they dont kiss in a goodwill, but the ressemblance is there. and like with the knives breakup scene, we have a good date variant of this! its their very first date from the first volume where scott does mostly talk about himself but ramona is having fun joking with him. here we are shown their relationship slowly crumbling and it lays the ground for ramona leaving at the end of the volume.

similarly to how scott battles all of ramonas evil exs (himself included), ramona does face all of scott's own exs. its not as spectacular but we see her fight knives in volume 2, then she fights envy in volume 3. we also have her comment on kim that she does like her (same with lisa, who is not strictly an ex but emotionally is treated as such. especially with how scott sleeping over at lisa's is paralleled with roxie sleeping over at ramona's) these are not comments she makes about stephen or julie, for exemple, its specifically women who had a close relationship with him. and uhm ramona also comments on liking wallace who- again- is not STRICLY an ex, but hes also part of that volume 4 cheating anxieties conversation, wallaces incessant flirting, mobile himself jokes (?) about finding wallace in the arms of another man, etc. but most convincingly to ME because we are talking about EXs here is the flashback of wallace inviting himself at scotts house being identical to lisas scene of inviting herself at scotts, scott saying the story of how he ended up living with wallace is "somewhat gay", and the general college flashbacks.

i think this points to scott & wallace having briefly dated in the past, or (because hes paralleled with lisa) having a "what couldve been" relationship where they didnt make anything of it and now the time window's passed and emotionally? kind of feels like an ex. and if anything they ARE ex-roommates lol. this is not a scollace truthing thing, im a firm mobillace guy ok -_- im just saying its there. back to the point of ramona facing scott's exs as well, YES i am including herself in it. her going to the wilderness during vol6 parallels scott going to the countryside, the very place he faces negascott properly. and the way ramona talks when she comes back its easy to see that she did face herself on that trip. & the figurines agree with me that the idea of a negaramona does exist :)

thats more or less all i had in mind, i also feel like i was finally able to properly enjoy the themes of the comics of facing your own shittiness and doing better, of the harms of being stuck in your own head, of never ending up like gideon (who is so attached to his exs that he literally cryogenizes them!) the warning of rewriting your own memories (or at least biased recollections of it) uhm how breakups suck! and how cheating is not always black & white but also fucking sucks !! being out of school (wanting to go back to school?) and looking for jobs- and yes if scotts life had a face i would punch it too its literally unfair how easily everything goes for him on that front, even freeloading with wallace (<- jealous). envys obsession with a guy who is so obviously shitty but who shes been best friends with since they were 11 is also kind of… ooh i get it now…. its yeah. i think they really are comics for being in your 20s, a lot about dating? but its so generally about human relationships and dealing with your baggage, i think it is still relatable without the specific romantic relationship experience.? i love these comics. everyone read scott pilgrim if you havent in a while (or ever!!!!) and try to think a little about it as you read it really is so worthwhile. and if anything theyre insanely funny, and wallace is there!

[barrenclan]

for your next music recs post i got a few:

1. “rabbit heart (raise it up)” by florence + the machine is a good one for rainhaze imo. it might work a little better if he was a girl just bc the singer refers to herself as such in the song but other than that it’s a pretty good fit

for the next two, i remember someone tried to recommend an ethel cain song for corm that ended up not being a good fit, BUT i feel like her music in general does match up with the vibes so here’s a couple songs off that same album (preacher’s daughter, def give it a listen if you get the chance) that i feel would fit:

2. “thoroughfare” would be a good one for hush puppy, wild rose, or even slugpelt depending on the context you take it in; lyrically it’s about a girl who falls in love with a smooth-talking guy and they plan to go on the run together. however, if you take it in the greater context of the album (bc it’s a concept album), the guy later turns out to be a serial killer/cult leader sooo you can imagine how that turns out

3. “ptolemaea,” which is a couple songs after the previous one, and sort of serves as the climax of the album; while i’m not sure if there’s a specific character it fits, it ABSOLUTELY fits the overall mood/themes of the story. i wish there was more i could say about it, but this is one of those songs where it’s best if you go in blind. trust me

Eh, I never care too much about the gender of lyrics unless it's actually relevant to the character's meaning. I like it with Redpelt, too, though! Since Rainhaze and Redpelt did have a relationship to each other, maybe they can both be singing the song.

"Here I am, a rabbit hearted girl Frozen in the headlights It seems I've made the final sacrifice" (Redpelt)

"This is a gift, it comes with a price Who is the lamb and who is the knife? Midas is king and he holds me so tight And turns me to gold in the sunlight" (Rainhaze)

2. I did listen to a bit of the Ethel Cain album, though it's not really my taste.

The specific song sounds really great to work with Wild Rose, in the context of the rest of the album. I have described her as a character with wanderlust before, so I imagine she'd want to leave Defiance with Deepdark.

"I met you there in Texas, somewhere on the thoroughfare On the side of the road in some torn up clothes with a pistol in my pocket I didn't trust no one but you said, "Baby, don't run, I'll take you anywhere"

"And then you turned to me and stared into me deep And said, "Well, maybe not, 'cause look at what I've got You might not be my love, but baby, I doubt it"

3. Oh, what an intersting song this is. If I had to assign a character to it I'd say Deepdark, with certain other lyrics in the song as victims of his throughout the years. Specifically the phrasing of "I am the white light" and "[the] wolf, crawling to thee" are very relevant to some imagery surrounding him.

Good old The Moss! I like this song.

"Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe Or the girl that sang by day and by night she ate tear soup Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers' droop"

"Come listen, all ye fair maids, to how the moral goes Nobody knew and nobody knows"

If that song's not on Rainhaze Hell, it prolly should be. He's got a couple of NIN there already I believe. Any angry, edgy, upset song is very Rainhaze. I like the motif of the days feeling like a constant endless drag in this one.

"I think I used to have a purpose Then again, that might have been a dream"

"I can feel their eyes are watching In case I lose myself again Sometimes, I think I'm happy here Sometimes, yet I still pretend"

Never Love an Anchor is actually Slugpelt's theme song, which you can find on the official PATFW playlist! It fits her terribly well.

I could see I Bet on Losing Dogs as a representation of her and Cashew's relationship, where she's continually convincing herself that he'll stay despite knowing in her heart he won't.

"Will you let me, baby, lose On losing dogs I know they're losing and I'll pay for my place"

"My baby, my baby You're my baby, say it to me Baby, my baby Tell your baby that I'm your baby"

Aw, yeah, good call.

"If the rashes sprang to life, would you just let me down? Would you leave those kids again and kick 'em outta town? I guess we'll never know, I'll just be here wondering What made you choose to go? The day you went down to Mexico"

"Now there's time to mend, every broken heart that you left In your gust of wind, no more little ghost I keep around"

[sanhatipal]

~~ Shards of Eden ~~

This is my little cove, and where I post art and dump other things occasionally. Come inside,have a look~

I haven't lasted 2 weeks on any other site since the fall of g+, except maybe twitter but that also drove me nuts and I always took long hiatuses, but have been here constantly since 2018. Which...says quite a bit. I'm a doctor by profession,but here on Tumblr for fandom (pretty obviously) and art

My fandoms:

Pandora Hearts

The case study of Vanitas

Fate series (mainly Fate/Stay Night)

The House in Fata Morgana

Shadows House

Rozen Maiden

Tegami Bachi / Letter Bee

Witch Hat Atelier

xxxholic

Witch's Heart/Majo no Shinzou

07 ghost

D gray man

Some others I'm into but not that crazy about: Touhou, Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu, Tsubasa Reservoir chronicle, Totsokuni no Shoujo (and more but my head is empty). I like seinen, josei and a very specific brand of shonen: aka things enough to mess up my brain. I don't enjoy romance, sexual things(says the Fate fan..HAH. but seriously,I don't.), or mecha unfortunately

I tend to draw Pandora Hearts, VnC and Fate fanart most

I collect figures,so you'll see them here,but since ,as you can see,most of my faves are a bit on the below the radar side,there hardly are any figures... you'll see custom figures here,and orginal character figures because I like those too.

I like a lot of things,but mostly whimsical, folksy aesthetics,forests and plants, and glowy flowers and things like wisp motifs (there's no limit actually).My favourite colours are,as you might have guessed, the multitude of shades of red, deep maroons and browns. I love fantasy,and folk tales and Celtic things in general have been my passion for a long,long time ,though I also love things inspired by Alice in Wonderland .

As far as music goes...I sang soprano at a choir for a larger part of my teenage,and choral music is very close to my heart. My favourite genres of music are Celtic, especially Irish traditional, new age, classical/neo classical, sea shanties,and whatever Yuki Kajiura and Mili have going on.

Now...art! When not doing fanart,I like drawing fantasy illustrations, and one day I'd like to illustrate books but that's a pipe dream. I'm self taught,and use mostly watercolour and ink. I also love sculpting. It started with trying to sculpt figures and while that's still what I do most,I sculpt other things too,and in general it has to be the favourite of my scores of hobbies . I also do bookbinding...and music box strips ...and doll customs...yeah there's no rhyme or reason to what I do and don't actually.

Sometimes I post photos of plants,I like taking photos and smelling wet mud

If you want to hop into my DMs to talk about fandoms or fanart,feel free! I would be very happy! Also I really love getting tagged and asked ,but often don't get around to responding because I'm a mess of procrastination...if that happens please don't mind, I really really appreciate it and it certainly made me happy,and I'll get to it as soon as I can.

If you've made it this far,thank you. It's been quite a long post,and thank you for reading,I appreciate it. Here are my other blogs:

@sanhatis-abyss absolute reblog hell,if you're looking for something I reblogged 2 days ago my condolences,you probably won't find it unless you scroll for hours. Sometimes I shitpost there , sometimes I scream about the latest thing that consumed me, that is ,if I don't accidentally do it here. Truly,an abyss.

@amaryllis-arachne my doll blog. I realise not everyone likes dolls,or photos of disembered plastic body parts,so I don't reblog those onto the abyss blog. Sometimes I put pictures of my own dolls there,and sometimes er...yes parts.

If you want my other links, they're all in the blog description. Except my Anilist, but it's really not worth anything,since I don't review or rate or anything,just use it to keep track. I do roughly-monthly uploads on YouTube of craft tutorials and drawings,but there's not much rhyme or reason to that either... anyways,hope you have a great day,and hope you find anything you like in this mess of a red coloured pit.