#note the links to the song is the version I listened too while doing this

[dreamnoteprincess]

WTDW Music Video Ideas

After seeing @theitalianscribe 's about Welcome to Dreamworld animation/animatic ideas I figured I'll share my own. I'd wish to do an animatics but I have no art skills. Though I can write them as future song fics or make a playlist:

Trust in Me- An animation with Litho or Winnie convincing Sara to join them on their soul collection mission.

Rewrite the Stars- A Wiatt and Starlight/Lewis animatic. Either taking place after the ARG or before Lewis leaves with his friends to work on Dreamworld.

Feeling Good- Got two ideas for this: Let me know which one you like the best

Idea 1: Norman singing the song while having a slow dance with Sara.

Idea 2: Virus! Starlight singing and dancing with Wiatt as he tries to fix him. Basically just a musical version of Episode 5.

Confrontation- Taking place in some soul world or in the inside of Sara's mind with Sara and Litho!Sara. Note: In this song Litho!Sara would have a different design like her hair down, different colored outfit and glowing red eyes.

Snuff Out the Light- This song would switch with Litho!Sara and Litho's true form.

That's all for now! If I have more I'll probably share. In the meantime I'm gonna create a playlist!

[corroded-hellfire]

Requested - Eddie and best friend reader who also plays the guitar - Eddie Munson x Reader

So, I had a request and when I went to save it to drafts, it completely disappeared on me. Can’t find it anywhere. So, I will paraphrase the request the best I can remember: Eddie with best friend reader who also plays the guitar. She thinks her crush is unrequited (it isn’t) and Eddie catches her performing a sad song and Eddie worries what’s wrong. If this was your request, I am so sorry tumblr ate it on me.

Note: the song I used for this is Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police because the lyrics are perfect for unrequited love. But I felt the song was too fast for the vibe the reader has going at that moment. But I found a cover version that was exactly what I was imagining. Since tumblr is dumb and won’t show posts in the tags if you have a link, I’ll add the link to the song on a reblog if you want to take a listen!

Words: 2.6k

Most days Corroded Coffin rehearsals were the highlight of your day. Laughing with the guys, messing around on the guitar, or the joy of finally getting a song down just right. Being the backing guitarist was your ideal part of the band. Eddie got to be the leading man, using all his natural charm and showmanship to win over the crowd, but you still got to have sick guitar solos that got thunderous applause. But there are some days when being in the band gets to you.

The band’s repertoire is pretty big, so it gives you guys a nice mixture of original songs and covers to put together when making a set list. Many of the songs are love songs though, and sometimes your heart turns cynical and the lyrics seem to mock you. Especially hearing Eddie sing them. It seemed like a cruel trick of fate to stand beside Eddie, strumming along, while he sings about falling in love or the woman of his dreams. Usually, you’d try to slip in a real headbanger after love songs in the set list. This way you could take out any lingering negative emotions out on your guitar strings.

It’s even worse when Gareth gets his first serious girlfriend. It’s like his head is full of rainbows and sunshine, all he wants to play are love songs. Yeah, you’ve gotten to know Ash and she’s great, but playing every single song in a show for her seems a bit much. It grates especially hard on your nerves one night as Eddie sings lovesick song after lovesick song.

You’re especially quiet packing up after the show, and you’re not sure if it’s that no one seems to notice, or nobody else can get a word in because Gareth won’t shut up. Ash did look pretty tonight, but there were only so many times you could hear about it before you wanted to shove the drumsticks in your ears.

You slide your guitar case into the back of Eddie’s van, slamming the door as hard as you can afterwards just so the bang can drown out Gareth’s voice for a brief moment. Walking in between the van and Jeff’s truck, you slip into the passenger seat of the van without the boys noticing. Kicking your boots off, you tuck your legs up and rest your feet against the dashboard. You drop your head back against the seat with a sigh, waiting in the cold vehicle for Eddie to climb in. He does, after a few chilly moments. Before even putting the key in the ignition, he tugs off his vest and tosses it in your lap.

“You look cold.”

“Thanks,” you mumble and slip the vest on over your jacket.

The power comes on in the van, heat brimming to life, but the radio also starts blaring a love song, which you immediately lean forward to slam off.

Eddie raises an eyebrow at you. “You good?”

“Fine,” you say as you turn to look out the window.

Eddie shakes his head, not believing you, but doesn’t push it. He backs the van out of the parking space and pulls out onto the road. It’s silent without the radio on, but Eddie isn’t about to turn it back on with the way you took your anger out on the dial.

“Do you not like Ash?” Eddie asks.

“What?” You turn your head to look at him in confusion.

“Is that what’s up?” He glances over at you before looking back at the road. “Is she bugging you?”

“What? No.” You shake your head and look back out the window.

Eddie sighs and drums his fingers against the steering wheel. He tries not to be pushy, but he doesn’t like seeing you unhappy.

“Want to put a tape on?” he asks. “You can pick.”

“No,” you answer. “No music.”

Now Eddie knows something is up. He has no time to question you on it though as he pulls into Forest Hills. Both his and your trailers have no lights on inside as he pulls up in between them.

“Want to come over?” Eddie asks as he kills the ignition.

“Nah, I’ve got a headache. I think I’m just going to head to bed,” you say. You slip your boots back on and hop out of the car without looking at him.

He watches you for a moment before climbing out after you and pulling the back doors open. Each of you pull your guitar cases out silently. You give him a tight lipped smile as you walk past him to head to your front door. His eyes follow you the whole way, not moving before he sees the door close behind you.

Once you close the door, you lean back against it and let out a deep breath. It wasn’t Eddie’s fault that all the love songs are getting to you, so you feel a bit bad about being so cold to him. But your own self preservation was keeping him at arm’s length. You drag your guitar case through your dark home and set it down on your bed. The lamp you click on gives a halo-like glow around the small room as you unclip the latches on the case. You gently pick up your powder blue beauty by the neck and cradle it against your body. Taking a few steps backward, you let your back meet the wall and slowly slide down until you’re sitting on the floor.

Laying the guitar across your lap, you reach into your back pocket and slip out one of the spare picks you always keep there. Your baby is already tuned since you've played a show, so you immediately begin to strum at the strings without thinking about it. A familiar tune comes out and you start to softly sing along.

Though I've tried before to tell her

Of the feelings I have for her in my heart

Every time that I come near her

I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start

Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she do just turns me on

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on

The front door to your trailer sticks, but over the sound of your song, you can’t hear Eddie open it and slip inside. Even though your home is dark, Eddie’s been inside enough times to know his way around blind. He can see the dim light coming from your room and heads down the hallway.

Do I have to tell the story

Of a thousand rainy days since we first met?

It's a big enough umbrella

But it's always me that ends up getting wet

Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she do just turns me on

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on

Eddie stops a few feet in front of your door as he recognizes the song. He’s heard you sing countless times before, but never with that sad, hopeless tone in your voice. Frowning, he leans forward to try and get a glimpse of you. From your place on the floor, you can’t see Eddie in your doorway, but he can see your profile as your fingers glide over the chords.

I resolved to call her up a thousand times a day

And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way

But my silent fears have gripped me long before I reach the phone

Long before my tongue has tripped me, must I always be alone?

Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she do just turns me on

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on

Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she do just turns me on

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on

Tears start to well in your eyes despite yourself. Hands busy, you can’t wipe any away before they start to leak down your cheeks. The more you think of Eddie, the more the tears come. Your chest tightens as your heartbreak manifests into physical pain.

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

Every little thing, every little thing

Every little thing, every little thing

Every little, every little, every little

Every little thing she does

Every little thing she does

Every little thing she does

Every little thing she does

Thing she does is magic

Ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh

Ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh

Ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh

Ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh

Eddie wracks his brain, trying to figure out who could’ve caused you the pain to sing this song. Maybe he was right after all, and you didn’t like Ash because you were jealous. That didn’t make sense though, as you’ve mused aloud many times before how you would kill Gareth if the two of you were left alone for too long. Names of guys at school scroll through Eddie’s mind, seeing if any spark a memory or reason that would lead you to being so sad. And if you did have a crush on someone, why had you kept it from him?

Every little thing

Every little thing

Every little thing she do is

Magic, magic, magic

Magic, magic, magic

Hey, oh, yo, oh

Ee-oh

Do I have to tell the story

Of a thousand rainy days since we first met?

It's a big enough umbrella

But it's always me that ends up getting wet

Hand falling to your lap after the last strum, you let the pick fall to your carpet and take a deep breath. You gently set your guitar down across your knees and wipe the tears from your face.

“Hey,” Eddie says as he slips into your room.

His presence startles you, and you jump, grabbing your guitar before it can fly off your lap.

“W-What’re you doing here?” You make sure all the tears are gone before you turn your head to look at him.

“I came to get my vest,” he says. You both know full well that could’ve waited until tomorrow so he adds, “and I was worried about you.”

“I told you I’m fine,” you say.

“Clearly you’re not,” Eddie says, gesturing to your red eyes and the guitar in your lap. “Why such a sad song?”

You offer your guitar to Eddie, and when he takes it, you push yourself off the floor. He hands it back to you so you can put it back in the case.

“I just felt like playing it,” you say.

Eddie’s brow pinches together. “Right. Because you always just decide to play songs by The Police.”

You sigh as you shut and lock your guitar case. The case gets returned to its sacred spot underneath your bed before you climb on your mattress and pull your pillow into your lap.

“Just a little teenage angst, I suppose,” you tell him.

Eddie sits down across from you and reaches for your hand. You pretend you don’t see it and tuck your hands under your thighs.

“Talk to me?” Eddie asks in a soft voice.

You shake your head and it breaks his heart. He sighs and scoots closer to you.

“Sweetheart, please. Since when is there something you can’t talk to me about?”

The tears start to well up again and Eddie fights the urge to wrap you up in his arms. You sniffle and look down to your lap.

“I don’t like how we do so many love songs,” you admit shyly.

Eddie tilts your chin up with his fingers and you meet his concerned eyes. Tears start to fall down the right side of your face and he brushes them away with his thumb.

“Why’s that?” he asks.

“Too many,” you whisper.

Eddie nods and reaches out to wrap his arm around your shoulder. You rest your head against him and he presses a kiss into your hair.

“Okay,” he says. “We can tone it down.”

“Thanks.”

“Better?” he asks as he rubs his hand up and down your back. You nod and nuzzle your head into the crook of his neck.

“M’sorry,” you whisper against his throat. The sensation of your breath over his skin sends a chill down Eddie’s spine.

“For what?” he asks.

“Worrying you. I didn’t mean to.”

“S’just cause I care,” he says.

His words cause fresh tears to fall from your eyes and Eddie looks down at you in concern. You wrap your arms around his neck and your tears run down his skin, onto his shirt. His arms instantly encircle you and he pulls you against his body.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” he tries to soothe. “I’ve got you.”

Each reassurance only makes you cry harder, his kind words reminding you that his affection for you isn’t the same that you have towards him. Your heart feels like it’s bleeding down into your stomach as you clutch at him, hands desperate to touch him anywhere you could reach.

“Please don’t cry,” he whispers against your hair. “Talk to me, princess.”

You pull your head out from his neck and shake your head, face all red and puffy from the crying.

“Who do I have to beat up, hmm?” he tries to joke. Anything to calm you down and make you feel better. “Say the word and I’ll kick their ass.”

“I love you.”

The words rush out without you thinking about it. Luckily, or unluckily, Eddie understands what you say through your tears.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He puts his hand on your shoulder and you shake it off, harder than you intended to.

“No,” you say. You take a deep breath and use your sleeves to wipe all the tears from your face. “I love you. I want to stop doing so many love songs because it hurts to hear you sing them. It hurts because you’ll never sing those songs about me and I hate it.”

Realization dawns on Eddie’s face and he stares at you with wide eyes. His jaw drops and for the first time in his life, he can’t put words together to form a sentence.

“Me?” His voice comes out squeaky. He clears his throat and runs a hand over his face. “You’re telling me you’ve been sitting here crying over me?”

Still sniffling, you nod your head, unable to meet his eyes.

“Oh, sweetheart.” He lets out a small chuckle and your head snaps up to look at him. You were prepared for him not to return your feelings, but you never expected him to make fun of you or be mean about it.

“Honey, no,” he says, seeing your alarm. He picks up one of your hands in his and presses kisses to your palm. “I just can’t believe it. Princess, I love you too.”

“You what?” You’re breathless as you look at him, not believing your ears.

“I love you, too,” he says with a laugh. “I think of you every time I sing one of those love songs. It’s why I’ve suggested so many of them.”

“You love me?” you ask, still not believing it.

“With all my heart,” he assures you. He reaches out to you to pull you into his lap, and you happily oblige. You straddle his hips and wrap your arms around his neck.

“For real?”

“For real.” He chuckles and rests his forehead against yours. “So, no more sad songs, okay?”

“Okay,” you agree. “And I guess we can keep playing lots of love songs.”

“Good,” Eddie says. “Cause I’ve written about seven of them all about you.”

[mxtantrights]

famous dc!au (dick's version)

TRACK ELEVEN: UNDERSTAND

It's grueling work. The first video was easy but this director has an extravagant and almost larger than life. It's not common for you to star opposite a famous guy who now, on top of that, will play a greek god.

Dick makes it easy. He shows up on set and jokes around with you. And he always eats with you on lunch break, he tries to pay each time but you try to make it even.

Still you can't help but to feel saddened that your friendship is basically over. Along with end of your friendship and the possibility of it being more than that is less than zero. There was no way Dick would have time for you after this video is done. He's too important and busy. And too not over his ex, possibly.

You try your best to smile while on set today.

-

Dick is freaking out. Like actually nervous and almost throwing up, that type of freaking out. The song he wrote-the one about you but doesn't actually call you out by name, but are about the moments he shared with you-it comes out tonight.

He can't pull the plug on it, he hasn't tried but he knows it won't go over well. His manager talked this single up so well to the studio heads that they wanna renegotiate his contract for one more year.

He doesn't wanna creep you out. But he also can't keep going on like this. It feels like a viscous circle of torture. He's close to telling you and relieving himself of this heavy secret. But then he thinks about how you might not feel the same, and how his confession might chase you out of his life completely. He doesn't want that.

He tries his best to not fall in love with you today.

-

"Okay and that looks great guys I think we've got it for today. We'll send word if we need to do reshoots." the director says.

Someone is pulling a robe over your body. You're not really paying attention because you're watching Dick walk away from set. You had just finished the dance sequence and you were out of breath and sweating.

But all that was on your mind was Dick. It was crazy.

You can't let this go on for forever. You know that. But you honestly don't know what to do that won't hurt your feelings in the process.

With a sigh you head back to your trailer. When you get in you see a fruit basket on top of the couch. You walk over to it, there's a bright blue note sticking out the top. You take the note out.

Your fingers rip the envelope open.

'Thanks for everything. I wanted to get your opinion on this.-Dick" the note reads.

You look at the bottom of the note to see a QR code. You take your phone out from the safe in your trailer and scan it. The link takes you to a blank site with only a media player on it. The time stamp is two minutes fifty seconds.

You hit play, intrigued. When you put your volume up you can barely hear what is playing but it sounds like a song, it sounds like Dick's voice. You hit pause and look around your trailer for your headphones. You find them in your back.

Quickly you connect them to the bluetooth on your phone and hit play again. The intro plays and your brain gets this fuzzy feeling, like you've heard these sounds before. You rewind once, twice trying to understand why its so familiar.

But you decide to leave it alone as you want to hear the rest of the song. The melody plays out and honestly Dick's voice puts you in a bit of a trance. You don't really notice the words he's saying at first but when he gets to the chorus your focus is brought in.

Maybe we could try if you let me

Take you by the hand

You're the only one who understands

It hits you then. Where you heard the beginning from. It's from the first music video shoot. When you and Dick were throwing jokes at each other. It was your laugh. Dick put your laugh in a song?

You can't believe it. Well, you-not you really cannot. But why did he leave this for you to listen to if...

Was this a confession? You hit pause on the song. Then your feet are moving before you can even fully think out the repercussions of your actions. You walk right out of your trailer and onto the lot, all the way over to Dick's trailer which is on the other side.

When you get to the door that's when you feel how hard your heart is pumping. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. Maybe you had gotten ahead of yourself. Maybe it wasn't a confession but just him letting you know he's using a personal moment between the two of you in his new music.

Just as you're about to walk up the steps to knock on his door, the door opens. Out comes the stunning and beautiful Zantana. You can feel it in real time how your confidence deflates like a balloon. You try to keep your smile on though.

Her lips start moving but you can't hear her, that's when you realize you still have your headphone on. You pull them off your ears.

"Sorry. What did you just say?" you ask.

She smiles, "Oh, I just said that he's not in here. He might've slipped out a while ago."

"Oh." you say.

"I'm Zantana by the way." she says, holding out her hand.

You take it into your own and shake hands, introducing yourself to her as politely as you can. Your brain is working on overdrive. He's not here? How would she know that if she wasn't here with him?

"I can let him know that you were looking for him." she says.

You shake your head wildly, "No it was nothing. I can just text him."

"Okay. See you around maybe? Are you coming to the party?" she asks.

You feel horrible. You feel like absolute shit. Like here she is being so sweet yo you meanwhile you don't know if these two are a thing or not and you've maybe been harboring feeling for her significant other.

"Party?" you ask now.

Zantana nods, "Yeah the release party for his new single."

Your eyes widen. The song you were listening to a few seconds ago? That song? He was planning on releasing it into the world? What? Your mind is jumping through multiple hoops at the same time.

"I didn't know anything about that." you say, lying.

"Hey, I can put you down as my plus one and get you in. Don't worry about it." she offers.

"I'm just not sure if I can make it." you try to wiggle your way out of going.

"It's a really good song! I know your support would mean a lot to him." she explains.

You think to yourself, maybe she thinks the song is about her. or maybe it is about her and you've gone delusional and the laugh at the beginning isn't yours, because maybe some laughs sound the same. Maybe.

You can't decline an invitation like this. If you want to end this on a good note, if you want to end this at all you have to go.

"Okay, I'll be there." you say.

[shrinevandal]

Initial thoughts on Double and Neoplasm - Who is guilty? What's true and what's a lie?

Hello! This is a (fairly long, sorry) post analysing the MV for Double, as well as Neoplasm, and what it means for Mikoto, Orekoto, a potential 3rd alter, their relationship as a whole, and Mikoto's judgement.

Note: I am a system myself, I am usually not very open about this so please don't ask about the details. But I think it's important to state that I do struggle with a lot of the same stuff Mikoto* does, and so my perception of it comes from a level of understanding that singlets may not have.

Obviously this contains spoilers for both Double and Neoplasm, I would recommend you watch/listen to both beforehand. This is also just my initial interpretation, I have purposefully avoided any other posts about it to make my theory/interpretation as straightforward and from-the-source as possible.

Some terminology notes: I will be using John to refer to Orekoto, as Es has so thoughtfully dubbed him. Also, if I say MILGRAM in all caps I am referring to the project itself, and if I say Milgram in title case I am referring to the location/entity which Es works for. I also believe the 3koto theory, which will become relevant at various points here. Any translators or sources will be linked at the end.

Alright, let's get into it. Music video analysis:

Double - Visual Motifs

There are a lot of visual elements to Double, which I will break down into different sections.

Phone (& Tarot)

There are two major instances of Mikoto's phone being important in the song: Right at the beginning, when he's getting several texts and then an incoming call from "Chief" (almost certainly his boss), and in the middle of the song, when he gets a call from his mom. In the beginning, Mikoto* doesn't even look at the texts, and when he answers the call, he seems to barely be listening.

Translation of the texts are as follows (thank you rochisama on wordpress!):

- Regarding the first draft you submitted today, I think option B might be the best after all, so can you remake it by morning.

- Also, I forgot to mention, but you made a lot of mistakes with the one we spoke about earlier, so make sure it’s all fixed too. This one also needs to be ready by morning, so I’ll leave it to you to get everything ready.

- Oi, get back here now.

- Are you going to abandon your duties?

There are also two fun little details here with the phone: His lock screen is a picture of the Hanged Man, the same version that was on his shirt in MeMe:

Also, His battery is at 29%.

Two of prisoner nine.

Later in the song, when his mom calls him, he immediately picks up, greets her energetically despite the bags under his eyes, and informs her he's doing well and not to worry.

"Oh, hello? Mom? It’s been a while. Yeah… well, I mean, some days are hard, but… I’m doing alright, don’t worry. How’ve you been? I’ll go home next time I get some time off."

He also hangs up very quickly, as if he doesn't want to talk to her. He gives her placating words and then ends the conversation as soon as he can.

According to his S1 Interrogation questions, Mikoto's family consists of him, his mom, and his younger sister. His parents are divorced. He gets along well with both his mom and sister, but also states that he can't let his mom worry. This checks out with him hiding the truth from her, as letting her know just how badly he's doing would certainly cause concern. Keep all this in mind, it will become important later on.

Eyes

I don't have much of note to say about it right now, but eyes are a pretty heavy visual motif throughout the whole video.

One thing I will say about it, though, is the large eyes across the whole screen show up twice: Once as orange, symbolizing John, and then as a grey-blue, symbolizing Mikoto.

Colors

There are five important colors: Blue, Green, Red/Orange, and Pink.

I'm grouping red and orange because I believe they both symbolize John. Blue is obviously Mikoto.

As I've mentioned, I am a fan of the 3koto theory- The visuals in the MV for MeMe, and even the composition itself, allude to 3 different entities (Music theory nerd here, hehe - I wanna write my own take on the 3koto theory eventually and talk about the way the song itself changes, but that's for another time.) And now in Double, it seems like there is still that imagery, albeit much less strongly than before.

So green, like in MeMe, symbolizes Midori/Midokoto/whatever you wanna call him. Pink is a little bit of a weird one, so I'll get to that in the moment. Anyway, let's start with some John moments.

The red glow in the back shows that John is the one fronting in all three of these shots, with Mikoto being asleep behind him in the second one.

An example of blood splatters with an orange tint. This is part of the reason I think both orange and red symbolize Mikoto, since they're so interconnected here. Also, as mentioned in the eyes section, the eyes there are very orange whereas John is usually associated with red.

Speaking of eyes,

Huge 3koto implications in a few frames from this shot. John's body flashes green at one point, and the background and fire-halo are green when John's eyes are glowing orange. In the next image, the body's eyes are scribbled over in green. This scene in particular is very interesting to me, with both implications of Midori's existence and his connection to the eye motif. It also calls John "savior"

Here's another notable instance of 3koto near the beginning, right after John throws Mikoto's phone. Notice the color progression in the scene. Green background with blue text, down to red background and red text. John is clearly being portrayed as an outsider here, with Midori and Mikoto being a duo.

Going back to blood splatters, there are various points in the video where the "inverse" of the blood is either green or blue. This also checks out with both red and orange being John's colors; Blue is the opposite of orange, and green is the opposite of red. This also doubles (haha) as another example of John being the opposite of MikoMido

The train itself has a lot of green highlights. When John stares out the door into the other train cars, it flashes green a few times. It's not pictured here, but the door also flashes a staticky pink once, and so does Mikoto's body earlier in that same scene I showed where it's fully green.

Alright, more on pink now. I'm actually not entirely sure what it may symbolise, but my main guess is it's Mikoto's victims.

Aside from the instances mentioned above, these are the most prominent pink scenes in the video. Similar to how orange was juxtaposed against both blue and green, here it's against blue. In context, these scene also seems to me like a switch, a realization of what Mikoto has done. A brief instance where his memories coexist with him, and he's horrified at his actions.

Double - Overall Analysis

As pointed out in the colors section above, Midori seems to be very present still. He seems to be haunting the video in a way, lying just underneath the surface.

A really important aspect of DID that hasn't been directly addressed by MILGRAM is the fact that it's caused by childhood trauma, usually around the ages 9 to 10 or younger. For those who don't know, this is because young kids have not fully formed their identity and sense of self yet. Usually, kids will eventually consolidate all their various parts into one, which becomes their sense of self. But trauma literally changes how the brain works on several levels, and for some kids, that interrupts the process of those parts fusing together. (This is also why there's discourse behind the idea of an "original" personality - Which one is the "original" between a pair of identical twins, for example? One cell divided into two, so really neither of them are that first cell.)

My theory for Mikoto's childhood trauma and subsequent DID symptoms, is that Mikoto in his current form is the body's "first" alter, and that Midori was the original host. (I have several reasons for believing it's this and not the other way around, but it's not that important for this post. But do think about, "I'm already the fake one.")

We know that John specifically was created as a result of Mikoto's job stress, meaning he was obviously not around when Mikoto and Midori were kids. By the time the events of MILGRAM roll around, it seems like Midori is completely dormant, or at least very rarely fronts, as John seems to pretty clearly imply just his and Mikoto's existence in both Double and Neoplasm. But if John wasn't around when Mikoto was a kid, there has to have been at least one other alter throughout the course of Mikoto's life. You don't just suddenly develop DID at age 23 without having had it since you were traumatized (Unless the MILGRAM team is just clueless about DID, which is possible too but imo they've done a pretty decent job so far so I would rather believe in 3koto. I have faith in them, maybe that'll bite me in the ass eventually, who knows).

Mikoto's childhood trauma is not very clear, but I think it can be one of two main things, and they are likely connected: Either something to do with his parents' divorce, or the reason he is so against worrying his mom.

Mikoto clearly loves his mother a lot, but it seems like doesn't trust her on some level. He doesn't want her to worry, which is an understandable emotion, especially if she puts a lot of pressure on him to perform well, which I have a feeling is the case. (Full disclosure, I could be projecting my own experiences here, because I have had these same struggles with my own mom pressuring me to do well in school and such. But I think it's worth mentioning)

Mikoto clearly hates his job, but he doesn't get a new one. Referencing the Interrogation again, while he seems to enjoy the career path he's on (ie graphic design), the job he currently has is purely to make money, and not for his enjoyment. He also mentions in the Interrogation that he hopes someday he can start his own indie company. In the real world, it's actually very common for graphic designers to start with jobs in advertising, because it makes a lot of money. Then once they have enough to support themselves, they go on to projects they're more passionate about. So Mikoto's reasons for sticking with his advertising job could be either to make money or to satisfy his mom, or both. Again, I could very much be projecting here.

Now onto his dad and the divorce. I won't lie, I am not at all an expert in Japanese law, but I'm fairly familiar with US law because my mom is a lawyer here. So how it usually how it works in the US is that parents divide custody by either working out a schedule or by simply choosing which kid goes with which parent, unless one parent is abusive, in which case all kids go to the non-abusive parent. In Japan, however, apparently the mom is the default parent that kids go to, regardless of other situations, except in some extreme cases probably. Again, not an expert, but it seems that even if Mikoto's mom was abusive in some way, the court system would still give Mikoto and his sister over to her, especially if her form of abuse is purely psychological with no physical evidence. So this is one possibility, but even if both parents were good people and separated on friendly terms, divorce can be traumatizing for kids. It's unclear at what age Mikoto's parents divorced, but it seems to have been long enough ago that he doesn't even consider his dad part of his family. Meaning it's very possibly the main source of trauma that cause Mikoto's DID.

Neoplasm

Alright, finally it's time for the audio drama! This is a much shorter section, but there's a LOT here and I'm really excited about this one actually, because it seems like a step in the right direction for Mikoto and accepting John. He doesn't know it's DID, nor does Es try to tell him, but he acknowledges it as "sleepwalking", which is still super huge. If Kotoko and Es ever choose to inform him, it seems like they have a much better chance at getting across to him now than when MILGRAM started.

John being much more present and coherent is also big news, as he has a full on conversation with Es, and even receives a name from them. Although he expresses concern about this and "wishes he had stayed a monster", I honestly think this is amazing for both him and Mikoto. Along with the sleepwalking analogy, it's progress on their ability to accept themselves and each other.

John also sheds some light on his and/or Mikoto's murder, claiming that there were several indiscriminate victims, and that his memories are also fuzzy, citing that it's likely because he had only recently been born. To me, the most interesting part of this is the fact that John's memories are not intact. While he seems to think it's just due to not really being used to being alive, I think there's another explanation for it. Fuzzy memories are a very common symptom of DID, and most notably happens when one alter tries to access another alter's memories, often because they're being blocked. Maybe in a similar way to how Mikoto doesn't remember anything? 🤔

Another important thing here is that John claims that he is the one who killed people. But the most pressing question is, is he telling the truth?

We know that Milgram's criteria for what counts as murder and who counts as the perpetrator is very loose; For example, Yuno's abortions are enough to qualify her, and Fuuta doxxing Killcheroy is enough to qualify him. So it's not a stretch to think that maybe John really is the killer, and that Milgram just picked Mikoto as the person to be judged since he's the "main" alter. But this honestly doesn't sit right with me.

If there's one thing we know for certain about John and his dynamic with Mikoto, it's that he would do anything to ensure Mikoto's safety. Notice how he was incredibly nonchalant about the murder until Es pointed out that even with psychological evaluation taken into account, the death penalty is still very likely for Mikoto. As soon as they allude to Mikoto being in danger, John's attitude immediately switches, claiming over and over, very relentlessly, that he was the sole killer, and that Mikoto is innocent. His frantic behaviour is a very clear sign that this is survival mode; why would he tell Es the truth if it could put Mikoto in danger?

All of this really goes back to the major differences between them; Mikoto is honest and uses humor to cope, John avoids being open and lashes out at people. Mikoto straight up blocks all the bad memories, John is aware of them but has a hazy recollection of events.

So while it's a possibility that Mikoto is innocent and that John is the killer, I find it much, much more likely that Mikoto did it and then blocked his own memories, and that John is lying about the situation to protect Mikoto. It's what he's always done, after all.

Final thoughts - Forgiven vs Unforgiven

This may be an unpopular take, but I think as of right now, my first instinct is to vote Mikoto as Unforgiven. I'd like to point out that there's a difference between Innocent vs Guilty, which is how the terms are officially translated, but in Mikoto and John's case I think they are interconnected. There are cases in Milgram where I think they're completely separate ideas and cases where I think the difference is moot, and MikoJohn definitely fall into the latter one.

I also am very conflicted on the concept of Metavoting; for example, Amane being voted Unforgiven was an incredibly stupid decision on the majority's part and I'm not afraid to state that. (Tbf Her mental state is delicate enough that forgiving her would also not end well, but lesser of two evils imo. But all that's for another time.) However, with MikoJohn, again, it actually aligns very well with my actual judgement. John very clearly states that it's his belief that forgiving Mikoto will reduce Mikoto's stress, and allow John to fade away. Whether this is a good or bad thing, or neutral even, is pretty complex honestly, but I think for me personally, I would view it as a bad thing.

Again, I am not very open about my system-isms, but I relate a lot to Mikoto in his current state of being unable to accept John's existence. I was in that exact same position once, and for me, accepting the existence of my alters was very beneficial to all three of us, and we are much closer now and less stressed overall. If John continues to exist, that means Mikoto will have a chance to figure things out and accept John's existence. But if John fades, he may be still caught in that perpetual state of half-existence, with Mikoto being unable to accept him.

So with all these things together; the fact that Mikoto is the one we are judging and I am pretty sure he is the killer, the fact that John may fade if Mikoto is forgiven, and how that isn't a good thing in Mikoto's case, and the fact that - I am pretty damn sure I want to vote Mikoto as Unforgiven. This isn't the be-all, end-all, of course. We don't know if John's prediction is correct about disappearing, we don't know if voting Mikoto Unforgiven will actually have the opposite effect that I hope for and drive him to his breaking point, hell we still don't know who did it. My opinion may change because again, this is just my initial thoughts. I'd love to interact with other systems about this and see their thoughts and opinions. Thank you for reading if you made it this far!!!

Translations, Resources, Etc

Chief's texts, translated by rochisama on wordpress

Interrogation questions, referenced from the MILGRAM Wikia. I'm unsure of the translator, sorry.

A/V of Neoplasm, edited by ac on youtube, featuring translation by onigiriico

kayanomikotoba's Triokoto theory (fun fact, this post is one of the main reasons I got into MILGRAM!)

A quick overview on Japanese divorce law, specifically by the US foreign embassy but it's good enough for my purposes

[sommerflue-22]

Little Things They Do... (Pt. 2)

Little things they do to show you they love you

Read the other parts: Part 1 // Part 3

Featuring: Hange Zoe, Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman, Onyankopon, Yelena, Nicolo

Warning: Modern setting, gn!Hange

Word Count: 650

Author Note

Hi, this is another version of "Little Things They Do"! I've linked the first part above for you to read. Here is the song I listened to while writing this. These actions can be perceived platonically or romantically, whatever suits you. Let me know if you want me to write for other characters as well!

Hange

Not everyone can appreciate Hange the way they are, so enthusiastic in certain subjects to the point where they can explain stuff that can't be found in Wikipedia. Having you around them, someone who appreciates them and supports them in whatever they do, is something that Hange never takes for granted. Whenever you both are having a conversation, Hange likes to drop a few 'fun facts' or trivial knowledges they've attained in their free time. They make it sound amusing as well, like that one line from a Philomena Cunk episode "The Egyptians believed that the most important thing you could do in your life was die."

Erwin

Erwin most likely pays close attention to small details such as how your necktie is crooked, or a tiny splatter of ketchup in your cheek after you ate your food. He will fix it for you every time. Expect him to stop you from rushing somewhere when you're already late, just for him to fix your hair a little bit. Also the constant reminder for you to tie your shoes because somehow they're always undone. He's just afraid that you'll trip over your own feet. It's not like you're that clumsy and untidy, he just cares about you a lot.

Levi

Levi is the cleanest and tidiest person you've ever met in your entire life, but he just lets you do things that usually irks him out. Whenever you come over to his place, he'll let you leave your dirty plate or cup in the sink. He'll wash it for you. He let you touch his TV remote even though your fingers are greasy from your snack. He'll wipe it later. He let you work/do your assignments in his living room, your papers and miscellaneous stuff scattered around the place. He'll help you pick them up later. It's his way to repay your kindness because amongst his closest circle, you deal with his sad and gloomy side the most.

Onyankopon

Onyankopon will happily help you take aesthetic pictures for your social media, anytime, anywhere, even if it's really crowded. He'll go crouching down, tilting his body, all out to get the best pictures. He knows how to change the setting, the ISO and all, of both digital cameras and smartphones. He will tell you where to stand and which way to face, working with the light to complement your figure. He takes it seriously. It's rare to find someone who is willing to take pictures for you, let alone one who is really good at it.

Yelena

Most of the time Yelena is calm and composed, which is why she kind of insisted in speaking on your behalf. No matter if you both are in a restaurant, in a bar, or at the dentist, she will speak for you. She just noticed a long time ago how you often have a hard time explaining things, something that is really easy for her to do. At first she said it's because you take too long when ordering food, or your voice was shaking as you talk to strangers it bothers her. However, as the time goes by, you realize it's her way to take care of you. You don't have to worry when you're out with Yelena, she will handle everything.

Nicolo

You and Nicolo eat together, like, almost in every chance you both get. Be it a fancy dinner, or snacking together while watching a movie at home, you both love to share your food. For some reason, whenever you have to open a packaging, Nicolo will grab it and open it for you. Once he teared the packaging open, he'll give it back to you. Nicolo is also a big "do you wanna try my food" guy. He will cut half of his steak and move it to your plate. He will break a KitKat in two and share a half of it with you.

I've never written anything about Onyankopon, Yelena, and Nicolo but apparently it was fun. I think I have a crush on Yelena now idk. I hope you like it as well! Lemme know what you think :3

[yandere-sins]

Heyo! Can you please answer Q6, Q4, Q2, & Q16. Also have a peaceful and lovely day/night<3

[Writer asks here]

Thanks so much for asking ♥ I am surprised so many of you were curious!!

»»———————— ♡ ————————««   

#2 Do you listen to music when you write? What does your current writing playlist look like?

I actually do! And very specific ones, I have a few selected youtube videos which are either lo-fi hip hop or writing/studying music and just run on repeat. I'll link some of my favorites to give you an idea!

1 | 2 | 3

Most important is no lyric (especially not if I can understand it, but I usually also don't like the songs that are have people humming or singing to the songs and will skip these), upbeat but I keep the volume low so it really is just a background music (but that means like classical music doesn't really hit the itch), and preferable with ambiance sounds like rain or waves or so.

Sometimes music can be almost too much, so I use mynoise.net for either the Irish Waves or the white noise, depending on what suits me that day. It's my personal recommendation for anyone wanting background noises.

Lastly, yes, I am very jealous of artists who can do their art while watching movies or the like. But I can't even have someone talk to me while I write so that is just the biggest no-go lol

#6 When (and not if) you ultimately finish your WIP and publish, do you picture yourself giving readings and signings and interviews, or would you prefer to stay out of the public eye? 

Hm, complicated. I am not a super private person and I love talking with people (I am an introvert but my family and my job raised my tolerance lol) so I'd probably do well if I wanted to do events. But, if I ever get to finish my book, I'd go for self-publishing so the chances that I'd ever have a signing or reading is just super low because pulling it off on my own just seems... harder. Not impossible but harder. I don't think the genres I want to go into could be picked up by traditional publishing, so it would be a lot of work, and I don't know if I have enough dedication to see it through. Passion, yes, time and resources, no.

However, I think if I did have a book, I might start tableing at my conventions! I see a lot of authors there and that might lean towards my target audience more!

I think I'd still like to sign books though, maybe have a special sale and then sign them and send them to people or something. That would be cool. It was nice to write a special note to everyone who got my Yantober book, so I know I'd really like to do that!

#16 CHALLENGE: Tell us about your current project in three sentences or less. 

Oooh, hmmmm, let's see. It's something all of you guys chose in a poll a while ago, so how do I tease it without revealing too much hmmmm...

It's an isekai story and inspired by an existing manga (manhwa?). The concept is similar but I haven't read the original, I am just turning the core idea around and making it properly yandere (although the idea has been done in different versions a lot). The main character/reader misjudges the effects it'll have to just level up one certain stat and it comes back to bite them in the form of a typical noble getting overly obsessed.

Hope that keeps everyone guessing lol! :D

[theraggedygirl11]

Kad nemam tebe sa mnom su moji demoni

Part 1

SUMMARY: Kris is a succubus, but he hates what he is and what he's forced to do for his demon sire. Then he meets a photographer, Damon, and something special blooms between them.

PAIRING: Kris Guštin/Damon Baker

WARNINGS: (kinda implied) drug and alcohol abuse, implied non-con (not between Kris/Damon), sex (not too explicit), hurt/comfort, angst/fluff, swearing

WORDS COUNT: 2.434

LINK: AO3

NOTES: Before diving into the first chapter of this short fic, I'd like to thank @anxious-witch for beta-reading it and giving me really good advice while I was writing it and @lahobbitdiazeroth for fangirling with me, even if she's not in the fandom (kinda).

This is my first ever work I publish in English. I got inspired by Hazbin Hotel and Damon's photoshoot with our guys, and I had to write something.

I'm sorry for the angst you'll find in it, but you know who to blame.

If you want to listen to the song that inspired me, here's a link. There's also an English version (and maybe one in your own language, this series got translated into many languages). Keep in mind that it mentions toxic relationships, abuse and trauma.

È un inferno tutto mio (This hell is all mine)  

Me lo sono scelto io (And I chose all of this)  

Tu sei il mio veleno (You are my poison)  

Dammi il tuo veleno (Give me your poison) 

Non possono farne a meno (I can’t help it)  

Mi scivola in gola e va giù (It slithers into my throat and goes down)  

Veleno, ne sono pieno (Poison, I’m full of it)  

Anche questa notte per me forse è l’ultima (This night could be my last one too)  

Dimmi che ti piace, baby (Tell me you like it, baby)  

Sono tuo, fa ciò che più ti va (I’m yours, do whatever you want)  

Un giorno tu mi ucciderai (One day you’ll kill me)  

Col tuo veleno (With your poison)  

“I took enough pictures.” Said the photographer after a couple of hours, smiling at his model.  

Kris looked at the guy in front of him, hair almost as black as coal and deep dark brown eyes, then stood up from the ground. He was used to being alone with other men, but the more he was with this human, the more he felt a weird feeling growing inside of him. He didn’t know how to name this sensation.  

“May I go, then?” Kris asked.  

“Yeah, sure. I’ll call you when the pictures are ready.” The photographer nodded. “If you need to recompose yourself, you can stay here, I’ll give you some privacy.”  

“No, don’t worry. It’s ok.”  

Kris glanced at the human, then went to the wardrobe area to change his clothes. He felt his eyes on his body. Why was he feeling so uncomfortable? God damn, he was a fucking succubus, he shouldn’t feel like this when a human was staring at him! Because that photographer was enchanted by his beauty, right? He should be.  

But Kris  perceived this specific human in a completely different way because he was looking at him differently, like he wanted to analyse him. Look right into his soul. If only he still had one.  

* * *

Another night, another lover, another soul to bring closer to damnation. It didn’t matter if it was a male or a female human being. He still enjoyed the physical proximity, the skin-on-skin contact, the moans. He was still a demon that fed on pleasure and sexual intercourses.   

But that night his mind flew to another place, even if the man above and inside him was extremely gorgeous and he liked how he moved and his attention on him. For a moment he saw that photographer instead of this random human. He didn’t even remember his name. But, just for a second, he imagined he was there, with him, loving him.  

He closed his eyes and let an intense moan out. No, he needed to focus on this other man, on his soul, his job was to corrupt it. Thus, he closed the image of the photographer in a small and secluded corner of his mind and gave all his attention to this stranger.  

At the same moment, not so far from where Kris was, that same photographer, whose name was Damon, was checking the photos he took of that beautiful and young man. His mind went back to a couple of days before when he had met him in a cafe in the centre of Ljubljana. He was alone at a table, his glance was wandering around observing the people in that place. Damon had noticed a trace of sombreness in his bright blue-greenish eyes.  

He decided to approach him, talk to him, be friendly to him before asking him to take some pictures. The guy seemed kind, but there was a trace of sadness even in his voice. And he could see it even more in his photos. Kris, that was his name, was trying to be seductive, but that gloom was still perceivable behind his piercing look.  

Damon stopped his scrolling on a photo where Kris was standing against a wall, head slightly tilted on a side, hair covering one of his eyes, an arm raised and bent behind his head. He was wearing a simple white shirt with long sleeves. His golden necklace with a purple heart was visible around his neck. The heart was hidden by the shirt, but he knew it was there because he had seen it.  

Maybe he could contact him and try to talk to him to see if he could help him in some way. He seemed like he needed to talk to someone.  

The next morning he tried to call him. Someone else answered the phone, he didn’t recognize the voice.  

“Hello?”  

“Hello. Is... is this Kris Guštin?” Damon asked.  

“This is his phone, yes, but I’m a police officer.”  

“A police officer? What happened?” He pressed, apprehension in his voice.  

“The guy was arrested yesterday evening. He started a fight in a pub. He was completely wasted, high and drunk.”  

Damon’s eyes opened widely. His face paled. “Is he still at the police station?”  

“Yes. Are you a friend of his?”  

“Kind of, yes.”  

“You can come and take him away, if you want. He won’t be charged, he’s an habitue here.”  

“I-I’m coming.” He quickly replied, then ended the call. An habitue? Drugs and alcohol? Was he so that deeply stuck in his bad situation?  

He immediately went to the police station, without thinking twice about it. Kris was locked in a cell, alone and with handcuffs on his wrists. He looked like a model even in that moment, back laid against the wall, vacant eyes staring in front of him like he was lost in his own world. And that usual gloom in them.  

“Your friend here came for you, Guštin.” Said the police officer.  

The demon turned to look at him and was surprised to see the photographer. He stood up and got closer to the entrance of the cell. The police officer freed him from the handcuffs, then gave him his phone back and let him go with Damon.  

“Thank you.” Whispered Kris once they got out of the police station. He let his phone slip inside one pocket in his trousers, then put his hands in his jacket pockets.  

“I know you don’t know me, but what happened? Is... is everything ok?” Damon was more than worried, Kris could hear the concern in his words.  

“Yes.” he replied. “Everything’s ok.”  

“You used drugs. You drank, a lot. That’s not ok.”  

“I’m fine.” He almost snarled at him, turning his head towards the photographer. “Why did you come, anyway?”  

“I wanted to talk to you.” Damon explained. “You seemed lonely and sad. I was worried.”  

Kris blinked and winced a bit. He was truly worried? His senses weren’t wrong, then.  

“I’m... fine, I told you.”  

“I know you don’t know me.” He repeated then continued. “But I’m here, if you want to talk to me.” The human smiled shyly, yet he could see friendliness in his eyes. He didn’t perceive any lust coming from him.  

“Thanks.” He murmured.  

* * *

In the next weeks Kris kept doing his job as succubus. Almost every day he had at least one new lover, male or female it didn’t matter. His sire chose each new prey for him and he couldn’t refuse.  

But he also started going out with the photographer. He learned his name, Damon. He was a lovely person. He didn’t talk much, however he compensated for it with his presence. His closeness was uncomfortable at the beginning, but after a few times the demon started appreciating it.  

The moments spent with Damon quickly became the most awaited ones for the succubus. He started laughing at his jokes, he talked more, he even shared some bits of his life, obviously he kept them pretty vague. He couldn’t tell him he was a demon. He needed this friendship. He missed being human, having friends to hang out with.  

Kris loved when Damon talked about his job. He could almost physically touch the passion he radiated when explaining his art and his vision.  

“And you saw all of this in me?”  

“Yes. And even more.” Damon nodded, then looked at him. “There’s a whole world behind those sad eyes and I wanted to eternalize them.”  

“A world behind them?”  

“Yes. I see that you are happier since we started hanging out, but there’s always a shadow in them, sometimes it’s nearer, sometimes it’s in the back, but it’s always present, lurking around. There’s something in your life that makes you feel sad, that maybe you’d like to change but for some reason you can’t.” He gently touched one of Kris’s hands.   

The demon was petrified. How...? He read right through him like an open book. Was it because he was an artist? Did artists like him have a different way of seeing life and people?  

“I want you to know that I’m still here for you, if you want to talk about whatever is making you feel this lost.” Damon looked right into his eyes. Kris felt his heart falter.  

He wanted to scream, to say out loud that he didn’t want to be a succubus anymore, that he was tired of being a slave and following every order his sire gave him, that he just wanted to become a human again, go back and not say “yes” to that contract. His mouth opened to speak, but no sounds left it.  

Damon was human. He wouldn’t understand. He would probably think that he was crazy, that drugs and alcohol destroyed his mind and his ability to think with clarity. He was his little happy bubble in between a huge red and black world overruled by pain, suffering and damnation.  

“It’s... complicated, Damon. Too complicated.” He whispered in the end, closing his eyes. A tear ran down his face, but never reached his chin because a gentle touch caught it.  

“When you are ready, Kris.” Damon murmured with a tender voice. “Only when you are ready. I’ll wait, even years, if it’s necessary for you to be comfortable enough to speak about it.”  

Kris startled and sobbed. His heart was hit by an invisible dagger. How could a human soul be so kind? How could two creatures so different like them meet? Damon behaved like a blessed soul from heaven with him, a damned soul transformed into a being of corruption.  

Damon took Kris into his arms and gently stroked his hair. The succubus grabbed his shirt, he was his safety net and he didn’t want to let him go.  

But he had to. His sire called him that evening and he punished him for behaving like a pathetic child with that human. This time he had three lovers, three muscular men. He felt stronger, the energy radiating from them was so delicious and so invigorating that he had to close his eyes because his head was spinning, but they were rough and violent with him. And so went on for seven days.  

Damon saw Kris again a week after their last afternoon together. He appeared in front of his door during a night storm, completely wet and with a tired, distant look in his eyes.  

“Kris, what happened?” He immediately asked.  

“Can-can I come in?” Kris replied, his voice was trembling and his entire figure was shaking. He wrapped his own arms around his body.  

Damon let him in, closing the door behind him, then rushed to get a big towel from the bathroom. He put it around Kris while guiding him to the couch. He sat down next to him.  

“Dear, what happened?” He asked again.  

Kris slowly showed his trembling arm, the interior part of his forearm was filled with small red holes, clearly signs of syringe pricks. His hand was twitching. Damon turned white.   

“Who did this to you?” He pressed, extremely concerned. “You need to go to a hospital, right now, you could have an overd-”  

“I’m fine.” Kris managed to say. “I-I will be. Few hours.”  

Kris moved his arm nearer to his body, but Damon grabbed his wrist with care. “You could die.”  

He shook his head vehemently. “I won’t die. I can’t die. Not like this.”  

“Kris, you are a human being, drugs can kill y-”  

“Stop worrying about me!” he shouted. “I will be fine.” He repeated it like a mantra. If he kept saying these words, they would become true eventually, wouldn’t they?  

He closed his eyes. “P-please, I just need a safe place to stay. You... you are the only person I know here.”   

Damon let him take a shower, a long and hot one. He also lent him some dry clothes and prepared some food for him. Kris ate without saying a word while keeping his eyes low. His hands suffered less spams, the drugs’ effects were dissolving pretty quickly.   

Damon continued observing Kris. The summer storm outside didn’t give any sign of wanting to calm down, in that moment there was a bright lightning and a loud thunder. The thunderbolt lighted up the whole room and Damon noticed a weird shadow around Kris, like he had some sort of wings closed behind his back. He shook his head, he must have been tired to see things that didn’t exist.  

An hour later Kris was sleeping in Damon’s bed, his face was more relaxed. Damon was totally awake on the other side of the bed. He was observing the younger man. He didn’t see anything else weird on him, but he remembered he noticed some weird shadows in some of the pictures he took months ago.   

Damon grabbed his laptop, opened it and searched for those photos. He observed them attentively and he saw something indeed. In some of them the “wings” were barely visible, but they were there. In other pictures he saw weird horns rise from his forehead. In some others there was some sort of tail around Kris.  

They were just shadows or reflections, but those elements were there. Was this possible? Or was it a weird coincidence? Kris didn’t have wings or a tail, or even horns! He turned to look at him while he was sleeping. Should he ask Kris what was that?  

Damon put away his laptop and laid down, turned towards Kris. In the dim light of the room he examined him: he seemed relaxed and peaceful while he was resting, he couldn’t see anything weird on him. Could he really be some supernatural creature? While he kept thinking about this possibility, he slowly drifted off, the tiredness winning on his restless whirl of thoughts. 

[hotwaterandmilk]

So I watched the first episode of the Paripi Koumei/Ya Boy Kongming! drama and it was quite lushly put together and nice, imho. I'm still not that healthy so I've just put together my rando thoughts while watching below.

The obnoxious Joker dancing on the stairs was a nice touch for the post-Halloween party scene.

The show is visually well-composed, a lot of effort has been put into the composition of scenes, the lighting and the cinematography. While I'd say the manga has decent but not spectacular visuals, the drama is well-crafted as an immersive visual and auditory experience.

The scenes set in the past feel heavily influenced by historical dramas and the visuals differ from the present scenes nicely. The heightened sense of reality works well in these moments as they are Kongming's memories/dreams/etc. rather than the present reality.

Mukai Osamu as Kongming sells the entire show. He plays the dramatic scenes with heart but doesn't hesitate to throw all his effort into the humour as well. I don't think you could get much better live action casting for a role as quirky as this series' version of Kongming.

Kobayashi having the full setup of Three Kingdoms miniatures in his desk was honestly a genius touch. It really helped them transition nicely during the culmination of Kongming's strategy at the end of the episode (something I had been unsure they could pull off convincingly in live action).

I'd say the weakest link link the show thus far is EIKO herself. In this version of the story she lacks a lot of the energy the character has in previous incarnations. I'm also not sure if the additional moment before meeting Kobayashi (which shows her suicide attempt happened after someone busted her guitar) brought anything to her character either.

I'm also not a massive fan of her songs in this first episode? They also lack energy imho. I just kind of sat there thinking "Yeah I'd go listen to someone else too" when she was performing during the episode's climax. Which is a shame, I love EIKO in the manga and anime so I really hope they lift her up a bit more in the drama in subsequent episodes.

I get what they were going for having her be a bit "flat" given how she feels her career has stalled before her encounter with Kongming, but I found her keeping that low energy while performing an odd choice idk.

Watching "I'm Still Alive Today" being performed here you're like yeah, I get why EIKO is entranced by Maria (Avu-chan kills this scene). I didn't feel the same way when Kongming was entranced by EIKO during the Halloween performance though.

I wasn't sure about how much they changed up Kobayashi's appearance to scream yakuza in the drama, but then they showed his stupid hair from behind. Immediately sold, no notes. Kobayashi here seems more intimidating in his new leopard-print attire, as if he'd genuinely kick your ass for EIKO. That then heightens the humour when he brings out his miniatures and is shown to be a total otaku. Good stuff.

Mia's performance and overall vibe was pretty much perfect for who she is when we first meet her in the story. I like how the drama really does replicate these types of performances well with the lighting and the backup dancers, they do feel like real performances.

Speaking of performances. Shoutout to the fact that the episode ended with this bit. Sekiguchi Mandy has incredible thighs. I find it interesting that they're introducing Maezono Keiji in the first episode (given he's from the Summer Sonia arc).

Overall I think there's definitely enough here that's different to warrant a watch if you're a fan of either the manga or anime. From small things like EIKO just bringing Kongming to the back of the B.B. Lounge rather than her apartment, through to significant changes like Keiji being in it from the get-go. I'm keen to see how they pull it all off in 10 episodes.

[quitealotofsodapop]

In the Wukongverse what is Wukong's and Macaque's singing voice like?

Oh I do Love me some singing hcs. Took me a while cus I bad at actually remembering singers. I'm just trying to add as many song links as possible.

LMK: These two's english VAs (Sean Schemmel & Alejandro Saab) have sung before, and I will repeat my thoughts. Whilst Macaque is the more "stage friendly" of the two and can interact with an audience and put on a show, Wukong is stupidly good at singing. Like, LMK!Mac is dumbfounded how good his Wukong is. Wukong's stage fright gets to him tho, so his voice cracks the second he detects anyone listening to him - only Mac, the kids, and baby monkeys know his true voice. He destroys everyone at drunk karaoke tho.

HeroIsBack: SWK's singing voice is initally very harsh (not use much in 500 years) but grows softer/more confident as he sings. I can almost hear it as being like the song in the film itself "The Feeling of Flying", just full of joy. Also dubbing bonus; Jackie Chan singing the Cantonese version of "I'll Make A Man Out of You" from Mulan (1998). HeroIsBack!LEM's voice is similarly underused but a hidden gem. Mostly reserved for lulling infant monkeys to sleep. A tenor like Thomas Sanders. Gets embarassed quickly because his singing voice "doesn't match his face" (Dasheng disagrees).

Reborn: You could say his warped view of his own demonic identiy hasn't exactly left Reborn!SWK a positive idea of his singing ability. His actual singing voice is surprisingly deep with a lot of octave range; example Jonathan Young. 100% would jam with anime opening songs. Secretly gets really excited when he duets. Reborn!LEM is much less confident in their performing ability than the other LEMs, his voice is much softer, quieter, and soprano-pitch. Ethereal almost; like Ben Whishaw in The Tempest. And this LEM might just sing "Ariel's Song/Full Fathom Five" too - since his six ears often "hear "pick up" songs of the future. May use his voice to guide the lost souls he chariots.

Netflix: This SWK do be singing, and he penned his own theme song! Hidden talent at composing? I hc that he's singing voice is the metal version of his theme as done by Voodoo Kung Fu & Ian Honeyman. Probably scares the other monkeys (sans Reborn!SWK who starts rocking) the first time they let him take the mic and he goes full heavy metal on them. Has a hidden softer tune only his pilgrims + LEM know about. Netflix!LEM would say that they'd rather eat glass than sing in public, but like their main inspo (Aubrey Plaza - "Get Happy") they are ridiculously good at swing/jazz style music where the singer interacts with/insults their audience. A good example of them singing (whether for a con/trick) would be Amber Gray in Hadestown.

NewGods: This SWK sounds like a smooth cruise /lounge singer. This man can bust out a Sinatra that'll make the room shake. He however can get really emotionally into the music and end up crying at the oddest songs. Good reference would be Richard Cheese. NewGods!LEM gots broadway vocals like Josh Groban, and will completely shred you with his Phantom of the Opera performance. Unless he decides to use his voice for mischief and starts singing filthy blues songs with his SWK.

2000sCartoon: I bet these two dont really flex their singing muscles much so they dont sound "good", but SWK loves him some travelling songs and shanties, and his LEM provides good backing. SWK has a crackly, higher pitched singing voice like George Salazar (Be More Chill + Percy Jackson Musical). 2000sCartoon!LEM's voice I can see being smoother like Ashe (of "to ashes" on youtube), and once he becomes more confident in himself; its one of the first clear distinctions the two monkeys can make between one another.

Meihouwang: I could see Shihou & Mihou having "younger-sounding" singing voices similar to Zach Callison (of Steven Universe fame), and Jeremy Jordan (Tangled Series + Death Note Musical) respectively. Absurdly good for monkeys with no formal musical training.

Smash Legends: This Wukong has a pretty good singing voice but he uses it for goofy "meme" songs (ex Loney Island) since he's actually a little mic shy. Has potiential for greatness. "Serious" singing voice is similar to Sam Tsui. Smash!LEM aka SixEars is a legit indie music star along the lines of a "faceless" nearly-online-exclusive artist - best comparasion I can give for his "typical" vocal ranges (remember perfect mimicry/pitch) is between Aly & AJ to Taron Egerton. Will leave the other monkeys in the dust in a competition.

No matter who's the "better" singer of all of them one thing is for certain; you turn on that karaoke machine around the SWKs and LEMs, and there's about to be a whole lot of monkey business.

[intriq]

✧ little moon

photo above

Content warnings: blood, death, mentions of firearms [guns], angst, fatherly!Alfred, bigbrother!bruce, genderneutral reader, no mentions of y/n [i try to avoid doing this in my fics from now on], possibly my shitty attempt at poetry, little bit of time jumps

.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙　✩　̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .

PLEASE note i literally know NOTHING abt the DC universe and got insanely tempted to write this because of Rosa's [fairybaby on c.ai] discord, bc vampire au bots were being discussed and then it divulged to me talking about father figure alfred teaching the user stuff and then to vamp hunter alfred getting rid of newly turned user, which lead to me writing this.

.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙　✩　̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .

TLDR: non canon compliant VAMPIRES AU DC Universe Angst Fic about VampireHunter!Alfred getting rid of NewlyTurnedVamp!Reader [genderneutral friendly]

.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙　✩　̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .

time it took to write: around 5 hours [started at 6:59 pm Central time, finished at 11:09 pm Central time]

.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙　✩　̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .

link to the song i wrote this to [i recommend listening to it while you read!]

☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ

The moon cannot stay in the night sky for forever, despite it’s gentle splendor.

You’d always been close to the quite famous vampire-hunting Wayne family, including Alfred, a closely trusted family ally who also just-so happened to be the butler of the family. To you, Alfred was like your father. Someone you looked up to.

And to him, you were like his child. One that he could never have in life.

The entire reason the Wayne family had become significant vampire hunters was due to the head of the family, Bruce Wayne.

It was a well-known tale of tragedy, known for every citizen of Gotham. For every civilian, every vampire, every vampire hunter.

because no matter how beautiful it may be,

Bruce, at the young age of just twelve [12] years of age, had been on an outing with his parents. They’d been walking amongst the street of rapidly darkening Gotham, streetlights flickering into life as the sun just barely peeked its gentle yellow-orange golden rays over the horizon of the city.

While there were different versions of the tale past this point, of how Bruce and his parents had even stumbled past a particularly vampire-infested portion of the city, it all leads to the same fate.

The fate of Bruce having to watch his parents be torn apart before his very eyes, helpless. Unable to do anything.

And to Bruce, fate was cruel enough to leave him alive. Just him. Forced him to sit there as his parents slowly turned cold as the blood drained from their bodies when the vampire that had attacked them scampered off when some random vampire hunter had shown up.

It all ends the same with Bruce having to literally feel the bodies of his parents grow cold in his grasp, as his hands hold theirs. Sitting with them as he cried.

But his tears, no matter how warm, could not bring warmth back to the cooled bodies of his mother and father.

That was the very tale that sparked Bruce to become a vampire hunter. All to make sure no other child would need to suffer such a cruel and cold fate.

The fate of watching their parents die before their very eyes.

Alfred had taken you in, too. For that very reason.

You’d only been the young age of six when one of Alfred’s vampire hunter buddies had come upon your family. Bodies already cooled, drained of blood that coated every inch of your home. But yet, somehow, you were safe.

You were “lucky” as some might say.

But no child is lucky in such a fate. There is no “luck” when it comes to being the only survivor of your families brutal massacre, leaving you with nightmares. Nightmares that would cause such a young child to wake up screaming and crying in the middle of the night.

With nowhere left to bring such a young child [this young child being you in particular], Alfred’s friend comes knocking upon the Wayne manor.

no matter how gentle she may seem,

It’d only been a week or two since the loss of Bruce’s parents, and when Alfred had opened the doors to find you cradled in his friends arms, sleeping with eyes shut and red, puffy from crying due to the nightmare that had woken his friend.

It’d been nearly midnight, too.

“Whose this?” Alfred had asked, reaching forward in just about an instant to take you from his friends arms. You don’t even stir from your slumber when Alfred takes you, cradling you in his arms. Your head rests on his shoulder as he holds you, and you even let out the smallest, softest little sigh.

As if you found Alfred’s comforting hold on you better than his friends.

Alfred’s friend gives off your name, and it makes Alfred’s brows furrow in recognition. He’d known your father. They’d served in the British military together, after all.

This was how Alfred came to know that one of his friends had died that same very night, and learned that his friend had even had a child.

You.

“I can’t look after a six-year-old with what I do, Alfred. You think you could..?” His friend’s voice trails off, and the question is clear. Alfred only slowly nods, giving him quick thanks before returning inside Wayne manor just as his friend turns to depart.

Bruce was still awake, too. He’d sat at the top of the stairs, just watching the brief encounter. And in that same night, Alfred introduces Bruce to you. Tells Bruce about your father, just in a few brief words.

Brief words that Bruce knew held a lot more weight behind them than Alfred could put on.

And from that night onward, Alfred raised you and Bruce.

Over the next couple of weeks after your arrival, Alfred would often be awoken in the night by your crying. Or your screaming, whichever one broke through your nightly terrors first. It would wake Bruce, too.

Bruce would always just stare up at the ceiling on these nights. Listening as he heard Alfred’s frantic, muffled footsteps come tumbling down the hall. Listening as Alfred opened the door to the bedroom you stayed in. [which was right next to Bruce’s, by the way]

Bruce could hear, from behind the wall his bed was against, as Alfred comforted you. As Alfred assured you that you were alright. Listening as your sobs and frantic gasps of air turned to sniffles after a long while, and then eventually quieted, with Alfred leaving exactly ten minutes after.

He’d even recognized the nickname Alfred had for you. “Little moon,” he’d always call you. Bruce wasn’t sure why, Alfred never explained.

One night, you’d awoken from a nightmare. But Alfred had been out on some personal business that day, and hadn’t quite yet returned. Bruce only awoke when he’d heard you open the door to his bedroom, your blanket hugged tightly under one of your little arms whilst you held some sort of stuffed animal that had been brought from your old home.

Even in the dark, Bruce knew you were crying. He could recognize those little sniffles, seeing as they kept him awake whenever you woke him by your screams of terror from your horrifying dreams due to your memories.

You’d asked him if you “could please sleep in his bed since Alfy wasn’t home yet”. And for some reason, despite how he’d ignored you at first, he couldn’t say no.

So you’d crawled into bed next to him, your little body huddled close to his. And Bruce hugged you, for some reason. Some sort of instinct, some sort of gut feeling.

It was like a natural reaction for Bruce, because he didn’t even process a thought before he’d done it.

And the moment he did so, your sniffles quieted faster, your tears stalling quicker than most other nights. And before he knew it, you were asleep again. And for once, you didn’t have a nightmare.

And from then on, Bruce saw you as a little sibling. And because of the loss of his parents not long before, he grew protective of you. Stepped into the role of your big brother without even a second thought.

After all, you’d both lost your family due to the same reason. The same way.

the sky does not have the room to hold the moon for forever, in all her silver glory

However, Alfred and Bruce did everything to keep you away from vampire hunting. And I mean everything.

Not once did they speak a word of it to you. Not once did they ever let you even notice how their presence left the Wayne manor at night to clear out the infested streets of Gotham.

So with that, you grew up mostly normal.

Sure, you got picked on and teased for how small you were in school. Sure, you’d come home battered and bruised from being shoved around a little too harshly by those kids who just easily towered over you.

You’d blame it on being clumsy. It was believable to Alfred. After all, you’d taken many tumbles in the years leading up to when the bullying started.

But Bruce never believed an ounce of it.

Sure, he’d try and ask you what really happened. But all you’d do is blink up at him, give him a forced smile, one that didn’t reach your eyes in the same bubbly and warm way it did usually. You’d always hoped he didn’t notice how forced it was.

But he always did. He just pretended not to notice it.

And when one day, Bruce happened to see the bullying firsthand. Seen it right before his eyes.

And that same day, after you’d disappeared from sight, Bruce got into his first fight. He’d come home just as beat up as you, maybe a little more-so, but he was victorious.

“You’re gonna get in trouble with Alfy if you get into fights, Bruce.” You’d whined, placing a cute little flower patterned band-aid on Bruce’s split knuckles. It wouldn’t do anything to help, but the thought certainly mattered.

And Bruce would only gently smile at you. That had been the first time, too. First time he’d ever smiled at you. He only ruffles your hair⎯ much to your disapproval and dismay⎯ and tell you that it was alright, that he didn’t mind if he got in trouble.

Because he truly didn’t. Not when it meant you got to live a more peaceful and normal life.

You were nine years old then, making Bruce fifteen.

He didn’t care if he got quizzical looks the next day for the fact he had those childish flower patterned band-aids on his split and bruised knuckles, or on any part of him that was bruised and battered. Bruce just didn’t care.

It made you feel helpful. So why would he stop you?

because the sun is a jealous twin, jealous of it’s sisters beauty, of her fragile elegance, and it yearns for that same beauty

So, yes. You were quite close with the Wayne family. You were practically an unofficial member of it.

In fact, you were close enough with them that all of Bruce’s children [adopted or biological] knew you quite well. All of them had a different nickname for you, one that they called you by. To them, you were just as much of a parental figure as Bruce was.

Maybe even more-so, since you’d take any opportunity to get them something. Even if it was a small little trinket.

But to them? That trinket was everything. It was worth more than any fine jewelry or expensive painting. To them, it was utterly priceless.

But hiding vampire hunting from you couldn’t last for forever, and you’d discovered it just after Jason’s disappearance. Why?

Because you’d gone looking for him.

Gone looking for him, and had accidentally caught Bruce in the middle of taking out a vampire. Which, unfortunately, caused you to relapse into memories of that night when you were six-years-old, due to how brutal killing vampires is.

You’d had another bout of nonstop nightmares for almost three months after that before they calmed, and Bruce had been there for each one, since you still lived in the Wayne estate.

Bruce never quite stopped feeling guilty after that, too.

and while the sun always feels sorry for it’s envy, the moon understands.

And now it was years later. Years later, and it was just a few days after you did something stupid. You’d slipped up, accidentally coming home much too late.

You were always quite bad at navigating Gotham, especially at night. So you’d wound up lost, in one of the worst parts of the city. One of the more vampire infested areas.

And you’d been bitten, and turned. You’d become one of them.

You didn’t mean to, you honestly didn’t. You tried to hide the signs from Alfred and Bruce. From Alfred, you hid it quite well. He just figured you weren’t feeling well, having a migraine.

But Bruce knew better.

He always could tell when you were lying.

So when Bruce had the confirmation that you were a vampire when you’d almost attacked him just the night before. He’d come home a little more beat up and hurt than usual, but nothing serious. To him, at least.

But to you, a newly turned vampire, resisting the urge to not attack when you hadn’t fed once just yet was impossible.

And that’s how Bruce found out. But he didn’t have the heart to kill you. No, he didn’t. He couldn’t kill the one person who he’d seen as a younger sibling for so many years. He couldn’t kill the person he’d tried so, so hard to protect from the infestation of Gotham.

So Bruce told Alfred, right after you’d fled Wayne manor.

And that’s what lead up to now.

she always gives the spotlight to the sun whenever it asks, as gentle or harsh or beautiful as it may

So here Alfred was, gun in hand. Stood before you.

Your gums burned and ached so badly due to how long you’d been going hungry. But you manage to hold yourself in, just simply standing there. Looking at Alfred, as you both stand in that trash filled alley, walls covered in graffiti.

“How long?” Alfred asks, finally breaking the silence that had been held for the pasty thirty minutes of you two staring at one another.

It’s hard for Alfred to hide the way his voice quivers. The way his hands tremble, nearly dropping the gun that was aimed right at you.

Your quiet for a moment, swallowing the forming lump in your throat. You can feel tears stinging your eyes, just like they did when you’d gotten the nightmares. You draw in a quivering breath, hands clenching painfully, nails forming crescent moons into your palms.

“Almost a week.”

Alfred is quiet. You can hear the way his heartbeat picks up, the way his breathing faltered for just a moment, as if he struggled to take in any air.

Alfred takes a moment to steel himself. To steady his emotions.

You and Alfred both have this thick weight in your chests. In your entire bodies. It’s like static, and it brings with it a bitter acidic taste to the mouth, makes the tongue go numb and heavy like metal.

Everything’s quiet, as Alfred steadies his aim again. He cocks the gun, too. But he closes his eyes when he does that, only opening them again after the click resounds.

“I’m sorry, Alfy. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” You begin, eyes glistening with tears. And before you know it, they are falling.

The same tears that Alfred could remember wiping off your face when you were six-years-old. The same tears that would cause him to nearly trip and fall on his own feet when he’d heard you crying due to those night terrors when you’d first come to stay with him and Bruce.

The same tears that he’d spend almost an hour every night coaxing to a halt. Sometimes even telling you stories about your father. The stupid things they’d do together, the stupid things Alfred did when he was a teenager.

And he’d smile when those tears stopped, halted by your little giggles that made relief flood his chest, warming it.

And before Alfred knows it, he’s stepped toward you. Gun still ready to fire, of course, but he uses his free arm to bring you close. And he hugs you.

Alfred hugs you in the same way he did when you were little, gently patting your back as his cheek rests on the top of your head, his gaze watching as the sun rises in the distance. And you cry.

You sob into him, hugging him back. Hugging him back so, so tightly. All you can get out between your hiccupping, broken sobs is just the words “I’m sorry, Alfy, I’m sorry” over and over. And Alfred simply continues to console you, replying with a very quiet, broken words of his own.

“I know, little moon. I know.”

Bang.

You fall limp in his arms. And Alfred weeps, cradling your bloody body in arms. For the first time in a long, long time, he cries.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, my little moon.”

because the sun always rises, for the moon cannot lead with it’s gentleness for forever, for the world is not as gentle and forgiving. there will always be the light on the morning horizon, drawing your attention away, as the moon dips away from the sky.

[curio-queries]

FRI(END)S : THE SONG

This post is part of a series of my thoughts on this release. It's time to finally get these out of drafts and posted before Hobi's release. Here are links to the other posts:

QUICKCOMBO: Continuation

QUICKCOMBO: Termination

The Song (this post)

The Music Video

The Promo

First, if you haven't heard the song yet, please give it a listen and make your own impressions.

Initial Thoughts

The night this was released, I was having some sudden internet issues and was slightly panicking about being able to work the next day so I was admittedly a little stressed by the time I got to listen even though I stayed up specifically for it.

Usually I would listen to it first on Spotify before watching the music video but I was able to get the mv to load first for some reason. My first impression on the song itself was actually a little bit of confusion as to how long the track actually would be given all the 'non-song' space in the mv.

When I did finally get Spotify to work, I definitely thought it was too short but I was so excited that I was vibing with it as much as I did. V's solo work is very hit or miss for me, with most of LayoVer being a miss. I don't think the album was bad, I just had a hard time with it since none of the tracks really appeal to me. But Fri(end)s? I liked on the first few listens. Which is kinda funny because I was actually wondering pretty early on if Fri(end)s would work as part of LayoVer...more on that later in this post.

I still think the song is too short. I realize that's the trend these days as it's more of a marketing tactic but that doesn't mean I have to like the trend. Especially with the extremely clear folding of the song into two parts, it's pretty obvious to even some casual listeners that there's something missing. Not enough to make it a bad song but it just feels slightly unfinished.

Performance

If you haven't already watched the Live Film, I highly recommend it.

I know it's kinda a flex in music communities to value live versions over studio releases but I rarely fall into that camp. (I honestly think it has something to do with a sensory issue I have and extra noise that is often present in such recordings...anyway back to V). This performance is so great! It perfectly embodies both Tae's personality and the energy needed for a song like this. I honestly just felt so good listening to him sing this because he did it in the exact same way I do when I sing along to music; adding extra little rifs and bits just for the fun of it and avoiding the typical notes that all of the members leave out of most performances.

I'm not qualified to comment on the musical technique needed for this song but there are definitely some fun challenges that make for a satisfying singalong once you've nailed them!

LayoVer

If you haven't listened to the complete album in a while, here's a link. Always a good idea to give an album a complete top-to-bottom listen every once in a while, especially this one with how Tae agonized over track sequence of his solo work as mentioned during Festa 2022.

So, if you just list the key words of the lyrical themes and musical elements of both Fri(end)s and LayoVer, you'd think they'd be an easy match but the more I investigated, the less I think so.

First, I'm not really a music researcher when it comes to credits or following specific contributors but from what I can tell, there weren't any of the same individuals listed between the two projects except Tae himself. Which honestly surprised me.

Just going off of memory, I thought it'd fit in smoothly either before or after Slow Dancing but after trying it out, it just doesn't land for me. It absolutely deserves to be its own single and I'd initially wondered if it had been ripped out of the album as the track to tide us over during this chunk of ms but I really don't feel that way at all.

It honestly reminds me a little of how JK released 3D as a separate track. That song (as much as I don't love it) does stand on its own without the support of an album. Maybe Fri(end)s was one of the other songs Tae found during his search for LayoVer but that team didn't have enough material for a cohesive album? He didn't want to lose it so kept it as a single to release later.

I want you all to know that I wrote the above before seeing this video...thanks for proving me right V!! 😆

More thoughts on some of the meaning(s) of the song in my mv post!

(Sidenote, if you haven't seen the full set of the gif at the top of this post, I highly recommend checking it out. It's gorgeous! Absolutely astonishing work @kimtaegis 😍)

[theonceandfuturequeenoftarts]

🌵🍬!

Thank you for the ask! <3

🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love

I don't have any playlists to link, mostly because I get obsessed with a song and slap it on repeat until it vibrates through me. So, instead, here's a bunch of songs I listen to while writing (check if you're on wifi!):

Save It for Later (Pete Townshend's cover) Cocoon (Milky Chance) Blame Brett (The Beaches) [I will never shut up about this song] Tonight, Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins) Youngblood (5SOS) Heart's a Mess (Gotye) [this remix too] Styx Helix (Myth & Roid) Naive Melody (Talking Heads) Angel of 8th Ave (Gang of Youths) When Am I Gonna Lose You (Local Natives) Tooku Made (Do As Infinity) Number City (Coheed and Cambria) Sonnet (The Verve) There Is a Light that Never Goes Out (The Smiths) Cube (Gackt) Destruction (Joywave) King (The Romanovs) Atlantic Drift (Admo) Tear (AVTechNO) Palmistry (Stars) I Wanna Be Your Man (Yukon Blondes) Hallucinogenics (Matt Maeson) The Ocean (Tegan and Sara) Waltz of the Flowers (Tchaikovsky, music box version)

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Uhhh... I feel like this opinion is very middle-of-the-road, but I'm sure it'll irritate some people.

I don't get the push to turn Tom Riddle/Voldemort into some whiny babygirl, poor little meow meow stereotype. I also don't think he came out the womb a Machiavellian monster, nor do I think he's infallible -- he's just a dude. An incredibly clever, ambitious, terrifyingly competent dude who had no responsible adult to look up to or provide any sort of positive guidance and who lived in fear of dying despite his staggering power. But a dude nonetheless.

Note: I'm not saying people can't write, draw, or headcanon him as any of those things. Do what makes you happy! They just aren't my cup of tea.

[seb-owns-these-tatas]

7th Dimension | Gojo Satoru Multi-fic (Chapter 8.1)

7TH DIMENSION MASTERLIST

PREVIOUSLY ON CHAPTER 8

7TH DIMENSION WATTPAD VERSION/LINK (I am entirely ahead on this site now. 7th Dimension on Wattpad has now accumulated more than 10-13 chapters even before I published this one today. There are minimal scenes back in the previous chapters which has been altered there, so sorry about to those who only read my updates through Tumblr because there might be some differences in Satoru’s characteristics which has been changed on Wattpad already, yet y'all are bound to read the altercations in further chapters. Heehee.)

。。+゜゜。。+゜゜。。+゜゜。。+゜゜。。+゜゜。。+゜゜。。

Characters: Gojo Satoru x Small!Naive!Fem!Foreign!Reader | THIS IS A MULTI-CHAPTER FIC. THIS IS AN X READER FANFIC WHO HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE DIMENSION OF JUJUTSU KAISEN | (Trust me, you'll live. I hope?)

Summary: This first morning spent with Satoru's students were filled with Fushiguro Megumi's curiosities and a jolting likelihood of breaking this disparate ice knocked together by Kugisaki Nobara as she ended the tension with a question that has placed you in a tight spot for this precipitated concern, leaving you all at sea with her inquiry.

Warnings: None. Aside from the trio's bonehead moments. I mean, Yuji and Nobara's. HAHAHA. Megumi's stressed out for them both. Satoru's still not on this chapter aside from a thoughtful flashback. Heehee. Y'all better miss him, he says. The trio's visuals. With one gif of Satoru. Heehee. <3

A/N: FINALLY GOT TO UPDATE, 7TH DIMENSION HERE ON TUMBLR! <3 ENJOY! COMMENTS ARE SO MUCH APPRECIATED! Even small stickers or emojis! <3

If y'all have any suggestions for songs that are fit for 7th Dimension, please don't hesitate to comment, message or tell me! I'm open for any songs to listen to whenever I'm writing! <3 Thank you so much! Also wanna include a playlist chapter for this fanfic book we have. <3

FEEDBACKS HELP A LOT FOR A WRITER. REBLOGS AND COMMENTS MAKE MY HEART TINGLE AND SQUEAL, ISTG. 💙 I DO APPRECIATE THEM ALL. <3 Your feedbacks and kind words makes me forget the fatigue that I'm in!

SORRY IF THERE ARE LOTS OF TYPOS AND GRAMMAR ERRORS WITH EVERY CHAPTER I WRITE. I ain't a professional writer! I'm just a potato-hoe! LMAO.

Words: 5.3k+

Disclaimer: PNG's or pictures used in edits, also those posted are not mine especially the GIF's. (I dunno how to make GIF's 😭) (Other Megumi Fushiguro GIFs are from ydotome on Tumblr! <3 RubyDragon16 for some of Itadori Yuji gifs posted on Tumblr too. Nobara Gifs and pic are also taken from Tumblr as well! Credits to the users!) I only own the plot of 7th Dimension. But, not Jujutsu Kaisen's storyline and the characters themselves. OG characters are created by me and will be stated during my brief author's notes. I apologize for the typos or grammatical errors by the way! English isn't my first language so I'm so sorry in advance! Character development and personalities are based from my understanding and how I want them to be for the sake of the story. 

Ten minute easy vegetable ramen noodles that were rustled up in customized preparation made by yours truly. You knew it was of mediocre because of the limited ingredients that were available and seen through lashings of sections made to be cooked for sweetmeats. 

Howbeit, your ventures upon attempting to make the most of your first---or to be specific---your second impression for Satoru's students to sway them over upon concerns that you wanted answers for. The vegetable meatballs are the best of the bunch. It packed up with the spicy miso broth as much as your palates could distinguish thereof. Soft cooked eggs and with a practical time of ten minutes for these Jujutsu Sorcerer students to patiently wait for. 

"I'm already full." Nobara Kugisaki nasally murmured under her breath, critically assessing the piping hot bowled food that has been served in front of her and offering the meal with a subtle, lenient push by you, a cordial smile on your face while doing so. Your smile have been downright encouraging for her to take a bite of it despite of her hardwearing reluctance, "---You can give it to Gojo-Sensei if he wants. I doubt that pesky adult wouldn't act like a big-baby once he realizes we didn't save him a meal made by you," she continued to reject your offers, utmost blatant and mundane as she sounded so since the moment she had taken a seat next to Fushiguro. The furrow between her brows expressing how thoroughly disinterested she was of the whole abrupt gathering planned. 

"---Maki-san and the others needed to go elsewhere. I'm just here because I have nothing else to do. Don't even bother to think of anything else."

You've given her a look, blinking back at her with that guileless glint filling that haze within your eyes. A faint shake of your head being given to the first year, pretty, ginger-haired student, "Who says we're saving some for him? This is for you guys. His students that I currently know of. We'll be saving some for Yuji. You guys give this to him if he's out somewhere before---"

About to jump down on the bar stool you were seating on, planning to pack the meal reserved for the teenaged Jujutsu Sorcerer, your sentence has been cut short when Itadori Yuji sprightly arrived like a lightning bolt, giving you a fright and eliciting a reaction of jumping on your own seat when he basically threw himself into the threshold of the kitchen that they have recently been aware of. 

The adorable, juvenile was too enthusiastic, excited and eager to claim his seat before you, invading this instantaneous get-together with his outgoing and energetic character, unceremonious for the spotlight to land on him once he did. His speed questionable for you to stare back at the student once he was associated upon his seat within just a matter of seconds as he shifted around, "I heard my name!" he'd brightly exclaimed, his giggle leaving his mouth in between his abnormally fast running, "---Hello, Eigo-San!" he'd acknowledged with the use of the basics of the English language, accompanied by the brightest beam he could give, his broad hand raised that has surely brightened your day after all of Gojo's pranks that you have received since the moment you've woken up.

"Hi, Yuji!" The youngster's aura was just entirely different. It was the kind where one could adapt to or gradually take to heart. The kind where you, yourself---those negativity or pessimistic side of you ought to be amended just by Itadori's presence alone. 

Sukuna's Vessel emitted a gurgle of excitement through his mouth, humming in pleasure to gorge upon the special noodles you've made for Gojo's special students, knowing full well that you've poured your heart out in this one, leaving the irritation felt from Gojo's stunts brushed to the sides, "That meal looks delicious! Is this for me?" you've given him a nod of discernment, nodding another as if to invite the juvenile to cram down what was being served hot.

"Yep! Hurry before it gets cold!"

Nobara continued to have her elbow rested upon the tables, a glower permanent on her face. Fushiguro was staring straight ahead. He was gazing as if he was in deep thought. Analyzing or assessing queries not ought to be told, suppressing himself from uttering them out loud.

Hence, his pink haired companion named Yuji began to grab onto his own cutleries, those metal chopsticks that were situated properly around the side. The juvenile's chimes of excitement leaving his mouth again for the second time when he had concentrated upon the food that was being served, this sound of appreciation similar to how his sensei reacts whenever there was scrumptious, nummy food that they find appetizing and delectable.

Satoru. The man who basically popped in and out of your room in the middle of the night to inform you about a promise that he demanded and forged. This current morning being spent was supposed to be breakfast with the man himself.

Thus far, he was nowhere to be found.

Though, it wasn't like you weren't seeing this as a gainful opportunity to spend time upon having breakfast with his students who also knew him much. Creating rapport with the youngsters despite of the undeniable language barrier felt fun and comforting especially when you could see the efforts they're squeezing in just to get to understand you and also for a fact that it wasn't just Satoru Gojo you were getting to know as well.

"Eigo-San," Megumi was monotoned as he acknowledged your presence with an apathetic expression on his face, the foggy steams coming from the ramen noodle overcasting his face, getting a better angle on appreciating this young student's aesthetics. Regardless of how you were poking fun over his sable, spiky hair and addressing him to be classified as a Sea-Urchin, Megumi Fushiguro was definitely a pretty boy just as to how Itadori Yuji could be perceived by the great discernments of your own, silent perusals.

They had their differences, though. Winsome dissimilarities that were ought to be determined between them. Both are pretty. Yuji was of the average height, shorter than his friend. His large, light brown eyes and slightly, sawtooth pink hair giving him this charming, sweet aura that you were ascertain of.

Fushiguro went on with his query, speaking through his phone using their own native language to word it out better. He was two-fisted for a question that troubles his own curiosities upon why your presence has been sudden; upon why your existence just happened within a blink of an eye in the midst of an occurrence that happened last Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill event.

"May I ask why you're stuck here in this...world we're in?"

Your ears sprung upon that question, hearing it as an echo of your consciousness. The speakers of his phone translating Megumi's vernacular as you were distracted on grabbing onto your own bowl of noodles, gently pulling the dinnerware towards you. The distinct clattering of your own utensils sonorously fading in the background. This unembellished question carried through by one of Satoru's beloved students taking you as a prisoner to your own's inattentiveness. Actions were halted---ceased once the question has been frankly said when Megumi begun to ask.

"Keep this as a secret between us, will ya'?"

Gojo's silvery tone echoed inside that hollow chasm in your brain, filling your memories. He was frolicsome as he insisted, although it held austere demands that laced through his words. The mandate that he has given made it seem like he would want the issue be kept stringently between you both. You've remembered the words; Satoru's exact utterance that repeated inside your mind. 

You knew damn well it was a consequential issue that you profoundly held when his demeanor changed. Bearing of a sensei who cared and was thoughtful as was deemed to be perceived from your perspective, a first time sight upon seeing this white-haired Jujutsu Sorcerer as one who had all the prospect of someone who truly nurtures and encourages these youngsters who he supports. 

"---not even to my students, Ijichi, other people or anyone whom you're bound to see or meet within the territory of Tokyo Jujutsu High. Don't disclose anything to them, not even a single detail. Especially those ripped maquettes you have." Gojo kept you under his studious gaze, keeping a tight, hell-bent observation for you while you were busily wolfing down your own plate. Through the midst of his instruction, you were brought to a halt in the middle of chewing down your own meat when you've instantly apprehended the slightest change of behavior from him---all of a sudden, this guy in front of you was actually capable of finally taking the shoes of an adult. 

"You can only speak of these issues to me and no one other than me. The sketch matters, these anamnesis or augury you have for the Jujutsu Society that we both know about are exclusively to be discussed between the strongest, spectacular Gojo Satoru and the hardheaded, weeny, Tiny-Chan, Got that?"

You've given Satoru a blink of your wide, ingenuous eyes. Abruptly being lost from his prompt advices. His thoughts were vacant, absorbed to be like he was also in the middle of dwelling over things, past experiences you technically have no idea on as Gojo was never one to blow the gaff of such things especially towards a non-sorcerer who was currently having the maelstrom of broken memories he was confident of you to know without the need for further forewarn.

"Because these students of mine---" Satoru started to divulge over this profound thoughts that were ought to be silenced to only himself, but were vocalized through his own defenses down, "---I wouldn't want them stressing out about the future during their youth," he brought his own chopsticks to his mouth, filling his chops with his own noodles and murmured his next sentences through the food he chewed, sounding incomprehensible at first but gradually understanding everything when you've scrutinized further, much to his trial of making it sound discreet for you to hear.

"They should have at least, the fun they deserve during this time around. I'm leaving this to us---the adults."

Us. Satoru meant to the both of you. Only. More or less the same upon identifying yourselves like how parents would harbor the detrimental probabilities of what fate had for your children. His students that he keeps his eyes on. 

You had no idea why the sentences he had been using---the specific use of the word 'us' made your heart feel warm and tingly on the spur of the moment when it shouldn't have been at all. 

You've given him a subtle glimpse of your eyes, watchful over how he was now absorbed on his own food and busily pigging out. A teasing jest leaving your mouth from noticing the sudden shift of the atmosphere and trying to let it pass through as if it didn't even happen at all, the rapid alters that you've shortly associated to be of a person's extensive ruminations and  deep thoughts that you've guessed he never reflects upon towards other people, as much as you could comprehend his complex, psychological behavior, "The adults, huh? You mean, me then. Obviously, I'm all by myself on this one." you deadpanned, leaving the idea alone and short while repressing the smile from forming to the fullest; short enough for Gojo to snap his gaze towards you like he had taken serious offense to that. 

"Oi, oi! It's either you take that back or I'm taking those bags of shopping galore situated beside you----back to those stores we've visited!" 

Fushiguro noticed the slight pause of your fingers and gestures. The student instantly knew that you were reevaluating the entire question again as if you were keeping surreptitious concerns that leaves them out of the page, "Do you mean what's my entire purpose or why am I sticking around you guys, Megumi?"

The latter gave a subtle nod as he sieved through your gesticulations, "Gojo-Sensei..." he trailed off, looking away for a second, losing concentration over what he was trying to mean as he thought of a reason to support this undying curiosities he had. Those reckons falling upon the figure of his friend who was thoroughly distracted by the amount of savory victual that was served right in front of the pink-haired first year student, "---hardly tells us anything about you. Yuji has been really curious."

Itadori had his mouth wide open, opt to feed himself with the ramen using his own chopsticks.  The proximity of the noodles already nearing his mouth when he had to pause for Fushiguro's  mention of his name that was not bargained for. 

"I was? huh? when was I?" he skeptically asked his friend, looking back at Megumi with a dubious glint of his eyes without stopping his mouth for Fushiguro's sudden fit ups. 

Megumi was quick to grumble a hum. His disappointment and scowl seen through it all especially when he had to purposely give Yuji a nudge under the table with his knee, signaling to just agree to what he says.

"Ah. Hai! Hai!" Itadori quickly supported his friend's statements with another query that seemed to be out of context, one that has been different to the first one which spouted a glare from Fushiguro upon being seated on his side,"I...." his brain forged a spare, dense inquiry. Thoroughly distracted by the meal that was cut-off for his friend's barefaced lie to have him involved in this nosiness he had with you,"---have been...really curious about your relationship with Gojo-Sensei. Is it bound to develop romantically, Eigo-San? Ehe!" Yuji quipped a faint tee-hee on the end of his sentence, briskly adding his next wisecracks without a pause.

"---By his age and how he lives a solitary life, Sensei really needs a someone who could take care of himby now and I vote for Eigo-San and her nice, amiable behavior which Sensei will approve of---also because you're the only one whom Fushiguro have stated that has kept him distracted enough! Do I need to repeat myself for this to appear more genuine? Again, I vote for Eigo-Santo keep Gojo-Sensei grounded when we all know that's never guaranteed to happen because of how everyone would pay to disagree---aside from me, of course---"

"Itadori!" Fushiguro tried to control the thunderstruck expression that wanted to resurface from his listless guise, "---Shut up, you idiot! That was far beyond the route of my question!" Megumi managed to declare a firm scold of his own whispers, his teeth gritted upon the necessity to kick his friend from beneath the table. 

"Eh?! What? Weren't you also curious as to why Sensei sounded like he was too chummy with Eigo-San through the phone-call you had with him yesterday, Fushiguro?" 

The translator seemed to have its error. Jumping from one thought to the other from their rapid statements which has not been interpreted, the robotic medium stammering against the speakers of Megumi's phone in which he had to refresh with brisk taps of his fingers over his phone's screen. You surprisingly never caught onto their stealthy, weird behaviors. Lost in your own dwelling for what was needed to be said as Satoru had thought of this scene ahead of time when he was bound to eventually be elsewhere. Much to your unsuspecting notions for him, the blindfolded cyclops had been one step ahead in cases like this.

In which kept you under thorough spotlight and anxiety because of this abrupt need to lie in front of his students.

Your brows were raised, currently beating behind the bush and sticking onto Gojo's behests for what amount of information did he want for his students to know from your catch-22 situation, "If Satoru hardly tells anything about me to you guys then it simply means that your Sensei doesn't want you to get involve with my...peculiar mess," you've trailed off casually, catching onto Gojo's minimal unpretentious, habitual chatters by now. Obvious that you were trying to avoid and disclose anything unplumbed, "---I'm just here to provide what he needs from me in exchange of him, learning how to bring me back to my rightful dimension. That's it. Then, off I probably go."

It was probably a secret then. Megumi was consumed over his own inaudible ponders, clearing his throat from Itadori's witless queries prior to the answer he received from you. Sea-Urchin highly perceived that you were swerving upon a bumpy road and avoiding to get caught from the holes he was trying to bequeath---which has been technically the point at issue for the time being. 

"He probably knows already." Megumi stated, point blank and as a matter of fact, giving his entire credence to their teacher's insane, compelling abilities provided for the world that they live in. His curiosities were cut-dead from your cop-outs. The unspoken secret writ large upon your amorphous answer. Those fingers of his reached for his side of the plate, grabbing onto his own chopsticks and never wanting to push this insistence through for today. 

Perhaps, some other time. 

"---You just need to give Gojo-Sensei what he wants and desires from you. Unless, he's being all full of red-herrings."

Kugisaki Nobara was giving you both a look of dissatisfaction and peculiarity. The atmosphere she was catching on definitely tells that she was in a state of a general air of malaise, as if this whole conversation had taken a toll towards her genteel path of thinking caps for the female juvenile, terribly going off the course from the ambiguous phrases. Her next suppositions never expecting that it would come from the young lass at all considering how bawdy it sounded; how slightly near the knuckle it was. 

Or she just probably understood it differently. That, or she wasn't just fully committed over listening throughout the entire discussion that Nobara had just caught on to the second half of the discourse. 

"You know," she started, stifling the need to laugh under her breath and wanting to continue her arrogant, thoughtless demeanor between you both, trying to keep it the way it is. This sentence she'd muttered was meant for the black haired sorcerer, yet toned down to you as well. But, mostly it was for Megumi.

"---By being dissembling, it sounds entirely salubrious, coming from you, Fushiguro!"

Megumi gave her a tight grimace, his eyes thoroughly squinted into slits as his ears instantly went heated at that. Tinting into pinkish, pale-red hues from the sudden shift. The inheritor of the Shikigami never expecting that his friend would abruptly intervene in between the conversation.

"Kugisaki, what are you even---"

Nobara instantly cut him off and was as barefaced as she ever been, "What? I'm just being frank here. It's not like you both are also thinking differently." she continued with an apathetic shrug to her shoulders, unapologetic as she reasoned out. The noodles still left untouched before her upon her convictions pertaining to both young men who were situated within the kitchen's territory. This one student whom was now wrapped upon taking a slush and whirr on his bowl of morning meal as if he wasn't delivering dopey amount of inquiries earlier on whilst the other was keeping his embarrassment and discomposure to a minimal and covert level.

"---But, whatever floats your boats. We're not one to get our butts in whatever is happening to his life anyway,"

Sea-Urchin went on upon glaring towards Nobara who kept shrugging herself, the slightest pout of pride kicking her in a boost. There was this awkward silence for everyone. Mostly surrounding the three of you except for Itadori Yuji who arbitrarily have been preoccupied by this offbeat, hushed spirit that the young male seemed to be arrested in between his eating. An unusual behavior that Yuji wouldn't be settling himself for everyone if it would make them worry for his state. You've seen him take a pause, staring at the bowl with an expression that you couldn't decipher.

He seemed to stop from chewing upon his second bite. Hence, this unadorned gestures he was bluntly indicating escalated a lot of questions inside your head.

Was it delicious? Or gut-churning enough for it to be thrown in the trash bin?

"So, how is it, Yuji?" The question felt like you were walking on thin ice. This has been the initial time that you have fed Satoru's students from the moment you've arrived in their dimension, as much as you knew. Though, you were heedless that they have already tasted pieces of your homemade sweetmeats that were forged for Satoru. Those Ice Cream Mochis that he had been grumbling about throughout the car ride back when you were both inside Ijichi's car from the shopping spree day he overindulged you in. 

You felt your agitation growing into an overwhelming sensation of profound concern when you've seen Itadori who went on upon keeping a straight face. This teenager was notable for being carefree, possessing such slaphappy courage whenever he was in and out of Jujutsu battles as much as his friends knew him for. The kid was always bright, welcoming and never stoic, wordless nor quiet at all.

What did you do wrong then? Had you prepared them a meal that was concocted out of the ire you've felt for Satoru's pranks?

"It's..." Itadori started to vent, expressing his silence out and finding the right words that he couldn't seem to say.

Nobara took all the heed to that, detecting that it wasn't only Itadori who was definitely acting strange but also the latter student who sat beside her, "Itadori," she frankly called out to the pink-haired student, looking at him like he had grown three heads. Her intonation all the same with Megumi, "Fushiguro," the ginger-haired Jujutsu sorcerer brushed a strand of her hair that draped along her pleasing face. She'd avoid your gaze, still thoroughly defiant over wanting to be in a conversation with you.

"Why are you both weirdly hushed? Though, Fushiguro's stoic as he still is. This woman's asking a question. I'm not answering her."

Itadori's unrecognizable facial expression finally changed into something more amiable, mellow and warm. This felt like the types of beam where one indulges in reminiscence. The kind whenever Satoru gets to eat his sweets, one that stimulates his brain, calming it down. With relevance to other people, this split second was worth to be seen and grasped as to how a person was alleviated through appeasing over their own stressful thoughts and devouring over a marked dish that casts one's mind back to.

"Ah, It's just like Grandpa's." Itadori stated out of the blue, wandering through his memories. His gaze forlorn and constantly concentrating on his food at hand. He'd avoided everyone's question, appearing to be like he hadn't heard anything at all and took a big bite out of his chopsticks before he has heard your audible confusion.

"Huh?" your expressions were iffy from the translation sent. Eyebrows squeezed tight. Grandpa? The uncertainty filling up the air as you've found his answer to be entirely peculiar over why he'd assumed and declared his opinions over a quick, randomized cooking prepared. 

"Eigo-San, thank you---so much. This is...best-o!" he'd let out his emotions without even the need to use his own intrinsic language, pouring more effort to keep the conversation going with a normal pace rather than waiting for such a lagging interpreter. Itadori's words stammering in the midst of it all as if he was greatly hanging on a thread. He caught you off guard because he sounded like he was choking on his own sentimentalities after that.

Nobara had her brows in a tight furrow, turning her gaze towards the black-haired sorcerer who seemed to also be in his usual silence and unforthcoming frame of mind. "Fushiguro?"

It seemed to be a different case when you and Nobara had seen the tiniest bit of smile lift his mouth. A surprising occurrence coming from the Shikigami user, never opt to know what he was thinking because he never tells anything nor did he bother aside from declaring his staunch gratitude for this unforeseen meal that he had been wary beforehand.

"Thank you, Eigo-San."

You were giving the vibes; that sheltered quality and comfort that people receive from a family.

Fushiguro's words crawled through the bottom of your heart, feeling this palpable sense of commiseration harrowing within that depth of vast field that your heart could provide for. They were utmost genuine. Their simon-pure gratefulness coming from both students that it made Nobara curious, wanting to go out of the way for her reticence. 

She was definitely lured as to why they were acting entirely different all of a sudden, out of their customary character to be precise.

You've given Megumi and Yuji a wide-ranging beam, relieved that they've savored the dish a lot than ever even to the point of lifting their spirits once they start their mornings upon taking assignments or trainings that were back-breaking at the end of the day. Probably, this was also what Satoru wanted them to feel if he was around. However, everyone might state otherwise because of how pestiferous he also gets. 

"You're welcome! You guys can talk to me now via such a slow Google Translator or whatever interpreter you have." you've lowly giggled to yourself, mirthful that the translator was helping a lot to be less awkward between everyone in the room, also for a fact that you've get to talk to others as well and not just the annoying blindfolded idiot.

"---I'm happy that I don't get to talk to Satoru all the damn time, you guys just know how he is."

Surprising to say the least, Fushiguro still had his mouth lifted in a small scale as he reached out for his phone that rested in the middle of all. He'd casually scrolled with his other hand,  searching for something through the gadget he held. Ought to plan upon buying something which wouldn't have probably cost a lot if he would consider all the cash he saved through his life and Gojo whom had been one of his financer as well.

"There's actually a gadget to keep you from being bothered over this whole translation issue. I think it transcribes words quicker. It can be entirely useful especially when Gojo-Sensei isn't around. I can search it up for you,"

Unbeknownst to everyone, Nobara had been secretive upon grabbing her own chopsticks and giving the meal a bite. Consumed by the intrigue that kept her in a fretful manner, sagacious to have made her act upon her impulses. Much to each heedless distractions, you haven't noticed she ingurgitated a continuous amount of noodles that went straight past her mouth while you were busy talking nineteen to the dozen with Megumi who still had this faint smile upon his face that happens once in a blue moon, your boisterous guffaws reverberating through the roof as Yuji was messily pigging down the noodles like a famished child.

In just one bite, Nobara seemed to button her lip. Her mouth in a tight thin line and hair weighed down for nobody else to see. The mystified shadows in an awning, capped for shade of any  emotions to be seen or assessed from her. The three of you had become aware to her sudden change of behavior when you've heard her quietly mumble down a name that was beyond your ken.

"S-Saori-Chan."

What came with the mention of that name thereafter was a silent sob that heightened everyone's attention.

"Nobara?" you sincerely panicked, nimble fingers reaching to scratch along your nape and not knowing what to do from her sudden mewl. You've jumped down along your bar stool, traipsing to pad over beside her. At a stroke, taking the bowl away from the female Jujutsu Sorcerer. You'd probably had a mistake over the ingredients or she had some sort of allergy as your mind raced to read between the lines from her abrupt change of spirit. "I'm sorry---was your bowl of noodles not good? Maybe it's because it took long to be eaten? I can cook it again or make another. You should've just told me if you had allergies for a certain ingredient or what---"

Upon getting to a tizz, your panic-stricken self were interrupted when Kugisaki had whisked the bowl away from your reach, not wanting for you to take them away from her. Thus, her next words; the epithet that left her lips; a specialized epithet made for you by Yuji that has just been used for the first time in forever from the grade-three Jujutsu Sorcerer, her ceaseless desire to provide the antipathy she has given you; the impression that she held repellence over your guts or presence surprised everyone in the kitchen.

"Eigo-San." Nobara settled to use, uttering the sobriquet firmly. She looked vacantly into the bowl she touched and partake of, an affable beam now drawn upon her lips as her tears were quick to be cleared off as if there hasn't been a trace at all. 

Her next query---or rather it sounded like an objection over hunches that Megumi had initially persisted to question you in. The first inquiry held a tinge of dispute worth to be argued for. Nobara shifting upon being an advocate for you which left everyone aghast. This moment definitely being an eye-opener. 

Kugisaki's blunt inquiries that nobody needed but deeply knew that it was what their subconsciousness wanted to ask especially after tasting the first dish they have crammed down from you.

"Would you be leaving once Gojo-sensei's done with you?" pause. "---can you not leave our world after giving what he needs?"

Without knowing Fushiguro's primitive thoughts a while ago, those noodles he'd eaten have been a reminder of his step-sister named Tsumiki Fushiguro who has been cursed and fell into a coma. Your special ten minute worth of ramen noodles for Satoru's students seeming to be aides-memoiresof someone who had been dear to them, individuals that they have cherished for years end which kindles their motivation to strive harder through the difficulties that the Jujutsu Society have been throwing upon their feet, gradually preparing them for a rough destiny that they might not be entirely prepared for.

Satoru will be back for the next chapter! 

SEND AN ASK?

[aoxizu]

so on xhs a lot of people have been complaining about the star rail live concert, and out of curiosity for how bad it is really, i went to watch it myself

and i don't know what these people were on about the concert is great

so here's my thoughts on it

as i do not happen to live in shanghai and am in fact 15 hours away from it, i watched the stream playback on youtube. youtube's awful compression and my lack of strong wifi signal aside, the concert overall was good and though i haven't watched the penacony part yet, what i have watched was geeat

starting off with herta's space station we have kafka's canon, which weirdly fits penacony with the clock theme, and interstellar journey was very energetic too

i am not a violinist and did not look too hard at kafka's violin playing but it felt a little off, though the overall movements seemed to be about right

apart from kafka, there was relatively little virtual character models showing up and pretending to do the concert themselves, which i expected as i was used to vsinger/chinese vocaloid concerts in which the fictional characters generally pretend to be singing, or dancing while the music plays

as an example here's ordinary disco performed live with an arrangement that includes all 6 vsingers

the graphics chosen for space walk were also nteresting, like i don't get it but i think it's very cool nonetheless, and i did like how it set the scene as a very dreamy vibe to then get interrupted by the antimatter legion i mean battle themes.

overall i think the best parts of the hss section were interstellar journey and silver wolf's theme for me personally, and i did also like the rest of it

for some reason topaz's theme is in here instead of with the rest of belobog

but anyway, moving on now to jarilo vi

wildfire still has the same kick to it as when i first fought cocolia, and i am going to take the chance here to plug one of my favorite analysis videos for star rail i have seen so far: how embers became a wildfire

and the jarilo vi section is also home to one song that is absolutely worth the whole 2 hours of concert, if you don't want to watch the whole thing at least watch serval's song, detonation arrives at dawn, timestamp 40:00 on the youtube video

it is not just a cover of the version used in her trailer, it includes a rap from eunice/88 degrees bedrock, which can be found in the game by talking to eunice in the robot settlement

and it is so cool. it's amazing.

and then we move on to the xianzhou luofu

so far you've been thinking this is a normal concert, with people coming up on stage to sing, dance, or perhaps dance while singing. the luofu throws that out of the water, literally, with the water jets that obscure the stage and then Part as samudrartha kicks in

which speaking of link to a cover of samudrartha by zhao yang, screwllum's chinese va, who was salty that he wasn't able to get tickets to the concert and decided to sing it himself

the suona goes insane during blade's theme, and even though it doesn't last very long, it carries enough energy to make up for it

and the chinese acrobatics section in the middle of the luofu part is pretty fun as well

and i think watching the concert and being able to listen to so many different songs in short succession seems to help with recognizing similar themes or motifs through different songs, such as in samudrartha there is a section of descending notes that parallels the descending bell sequence in the exalting sanctum theme, and which is present in a lot of places on the luofu actually, which leads me to think that it could represent the luofu as a primary motif

the phantylia second phase chant is very menacing also, and the introduction is cool for obvious reasons (jing yuan)

for those who have remained blissfully unaware, i like jing yuan, and i have 102 days worth of posts on this tumblr account chronicling my journey to save for him. clearly i may be slightly biased.

but you should trust me when i say that jing yuan being at the end of the entire luofu section is absolutely amazing and live audience videos capture it particularly well, as the youtube stream doesn't quite do justice to the energy and volume of the audience

jing yuan deserves the finale spot. he's incredible

i wish i could have been there just for the drums, but i will settle with being able to watch it from a different continent at all

as for the rest of the concert, ie the penacony part, i haven't gotten to watch that yet, but i was able to watch funny bone and sam's theme, and funny bone is convincing me to watch the entire hoyofair (star rail section), because i can't believe i missed it it's so good

i think, overall, why people didn't like the concert is because it was not as 2d-heavy as they expected. i think people expected more of a miku or vocaloid style concert, with more interactions between the characters and the audience than this concert had

the star rail live concert seems to lean slightly more in the direction of the chinese new year spring festival night show that happens yearly, which may not be a style that everyone enjoys, but that's ok

personally i thought it was great, and was a more pure music experience typical of a more traditional concert, with cool visuals thrown in alongside

[numetaljackdog]

what i'm listening to november 2023. the agony

spot. link//yt link

song notes under cut

Laura Les - Haunted: haunted. by laura les.

Garbage - Queer: stand up for the fag anthem. but also let's be real one of the main draws here is the music video where shirley manson pushes the pov character down to the ground and forcibly shaves your head while singing "i know what's good for you." i'm a lesbian

Chris Fleming - W.U.G.: i've met a couple wugs in my time but more than anything i'm just on my chris fleming shit recently. this one has been stucks in my head sooo bad and bsaically anytime i see the word "guy" it comes back with a vengeance

Limp Bizkit & Method Man - N 2 Gether Now: random lb songs will really just crop up in my rotation for seemingly no reason but really this one has so many good lines and the addition of method man brings it up by so much. it's comical on some level bc it's like why is he here, he's like. a real rapper. and fred sounds so out of his depth next to him. but at the same time they both do actually really pretty good. pull the plug and then jet. MIC CHECK.

Sloppy Jane - Bark Like a God: recommended by a friend. need to listen to the full album but this goes insane goes crazy i mean those damn vocals and the THEMES ugh i mean what else do you need in this world. don't even really know what to call this band but it good and i need more

Almeda Riddle - My Little Rooster: Gummo is a 1997 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine, starring Jacob Reynolds, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, and Chloë Sevigny. The film is set (but was not filmed) in Xenia, Ohio, a Midwestern American town that had been previously struck by a devastating tornado. The loose narrative follows several main characters who find odd and destructive ways to pass time, interrupted by vignettes depicting other inhabitants of the town.

Destroy Boys - Fences: mostly just real catchy. many such cases. but there is a certain doggish quality to it as well

Enon - Natural Disasters: hi violer :3 ooh ahh the song so catchy the riff so tastey and shiney

Limp Bizkit - The Truth: i watched the band's short film of the same name recently and was pretty underwhelmed. but it did make me wanna go back and listen to the ep! it's been said to death but it's easily some of lb's best work, and not just because it's the serious one or whatever

Repo! The Genetic Opera - Night Surgeon: tbh there should be more repo on here but there's only so much space and this is undoubtedly my favorite track from the soundtrack (although "at the opera tonight" comes pretty damn close!!) i could listen to anthony head go "i remember" like that allllll day. i have been having some serious repo fixation recently i won't lie. give it a watch it's a normal movie

Foo Fighters - Everlong (Acoustic Version): okay look you guys know at this point how i get about everlong. so when i was watching hit film little nicky starring adam sandman and a rather beautiful sequence took place accompanied by a sparse acoustic version still laden in the characteristic warmth of the original song, of course i was hooked. and that's a nu metal-ass movie, too, but this was the pick i ended up making. that's special

Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston: WOOOOO BOSTON!!!!!!!! GO BRUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET ME A CUP O DUNKS!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! YANKEES SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <is not from boston but rather a different place entirely

Fefe Dobson - Unforgiven: why did nobody tell me about this fuckin nu metal x y2k pop fusion. this is like rina sawayama stfu but all the way back in 200-goddamn-3. fefe you were before your time

MGMT - Little Dark Age: i don't know mgmt that well but i heard a little bit of this song in a youtube video long ago and really liked it and could never find it and then i happened to encounter it again and was like oh hello my old acquaintance shall we get to know each other better

Billy Joel - All For Leyna: beginning to realize that billy is good actually. every little part of this song is crunchy and sweet and delicious for me. and god i sure am doing it all for leyna aren't i......

Tom Cardy & Brian David Gilbert - Beautiful Mind: tbh this was far from my favorite effort from either of these guys...... didn't really think it was all that funny. had a very lol random sort of appeal that just didn't hit me right. however it does sound amazing, really clean, and they both have nice voices. plus you know i love them harmonies

Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz: they play this a lot at a cafe i go to sometimes. i used to not like this song but it's really grown on me. it's one of those absolutely one-of-a-kind songs that could have only been a hit at the exact time and place that it was. and i like stuff like that! you might even say i think it's super duper :)

Violent Femmes - Breakin' Up: this song is dumb as balls. and it sounds way better in my head than it does to actually listen to it. but! the video is really cool, with that simple but effective camera trick. i enjoy that

Bowling For Soup - Girl All the Bad Guys Want: if the previous song was dumb as balls, this song is dumb as. like. the epididymis. or like a single sperm cell. i don;t know man it's a dumb fucking song. but it's about a cool rap rocker girl :3 and that's meeeeee probably. when i listen to it i like to rate each lyric on how true it is. watching wrestling? maybe now and then. creaming over tough guys? hmmm no i would simply not do this. but listening to rap metal? turntables in her eyes?? now we're fuckin talkin!!!!!!!!!!

[welcometomyfloor]

So, I Watched the Slime Tutorial...

and i have some notes:

I LOVE THEM ALL

Ocean the THE FUCK IS WRONG BABES???

Like, she was like this before she found out she was in a competition for her mortality, wasn't she?

She reminds me of Courtney Total Drama (apologies, I am multiple flavors of trash).

GINGER ACE-LESBIAN FUCK (/affectionate)

I LOVE the the wlw / mlm distain between her and Noel.

Noel is literally the caricature version of a guy I went to highschool with.

That being said I love him and his need to be that. fucked. up. girl.

Definitely into the idea that he has a crush on Mischa, but I don't believe the whole "catfish Noel" theory.

Mischa, sweetie, why are you grabbing your crotch this much?

HE'S MY FAVORITE (mainly because he reminds me of the coworker I'm crushing on but that's neither here or there)

He's bi, sorry folks, I don't make the rules.

I hate to say it but... I don't care if Talia is real or not. The idea of her made Mischa happy and helped him cope with his shitty life, that's all that matters.

I also just love that our king is canonically NOT homophobic.

The Drag Race line wasn't in the version I watched but I know it exists and do love the idea that Mischa watched it because Noel came out to him and he just googled "gay stuff" (for research purposes) and it came up as a result.

"Space Age Bachelor Man" is my favorite song, no I will not be taking criticism at this time.

I love how Ricky is still a sweetheart despite having just sang a song that included him having an intergalactic catgirl harem. I just feel like media too often makes sexual characters into one-note horny bastards and I'm SO happy that they didn't do that to Ricky. He's still a sweet young man because REALLY WANTING SEX DOES NOT MAKE YOU INHERENTLY SHALLOW OR BAD. (Sorry to rant but I am just really fucking sick of that stereotype / trope.)

Listening to the soundtrack I was like "why is everyone obsessed with Jane Doe" but having now watched it, I get it. Her mannerisms are great and I love her.

"Ballad of Jane Doe" is soo cool visually and I just love Jane's design in general.

CONSTANCE, MY SWEET BABY, THAT CARNY SHIT WASN'T OKAY! WHY HAVE I SEEN NO-ONE TALK ABOUT HOW SHE WAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF??? LIKE THEIR IS NO WAY HE DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS A MINOR, SHE WAS IN HER FUCKING SCHOOL UNIFORM! WHY IS NO-ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS???

The fucking recorder solo

I didn't cry but I did well-up at "It's Not a Game".

While we're in that vein, I gotta say I do love "It's Just a Ride". Mainly because I have the general philosophy that life has no inherent meaning and that there is no criteria you should have to fill for your life to be "worth it". Because, life isn't a game, it is just a ride. And, as sad as it makes me to think of 5 kids being snuffed out before they get to do all things they wanted to do with there life, I understand that missing those milestones doesn't make them any less human.

I have a million and one things I wanna do before I die, but my worth would not be stripped if I died today. Because, in all reality, you can't count on the future to come to you. You just have to keep going as far as you can and try your best to not look back.

Okay, that's all I have to say for now and I have to leave for work soon. Don't be surprised if my blog is cluttered with Ride the Cyclone reblogs for the next little while.

~Nessa Rose

Link to the Slime Tutorial.