#this is one of my favourite versions btw. The voice and the mannerisms are so good

[eldritchships]

Ah. So this is what cuteness aggression feels like.

Can't begin to describe the emotions this ⬆️ makes me feel but that about sums it up

[phynali]

I don't know if you're apart of the Supernatural fandom, but if you are, could you do a speech analysis for Dean Winchester? Thank you.

I am! I’ve fallen into (back) into SPN hell recently and gotten a ton of feels I did not expect, thank you very damn much. But anyway, yes I am happy to oblige. 

Dean’s voice is very distinct, but I can see why it’s hard to grapple with for many writers because very seldom does he say what he means and very often when he does it’s wrapped up in humour or pain. It’s often quippy as a means of deflecting emotion or maintaining a status quo or emotional handle over a situation. He uses commands and charm and pop culture references but he’s a very complex character so sometimes that all disappears and he’s open and vulnerable and raw, and those lines can be hard to draw.

-

Notes 

To understand Dean’s focal speech patterns, we first to recognize that we’ve known Dean for 15 years, and that people’s modes of speaking can and will change over time. We’re gonna focus on things that have stayed more or less consistent over time, and his ‘base’ speech patterns that make his dialogue him. I’ll mostly shy away from different eras but may highlight a few things, and the same goes for who he’s talking to because he’s pretty similar with his only major differences being a function of closeness. He’s not much of a conversational mimic so we don’t have to worry about that. 

We’re also gonna state the obvious and contrast the type of conversation he might be having - whether he’s tied up or in danger vs. expressing emotions vs. focused on the job. That’s probably where the meat of this is for people who are interested in these kinds of analyses anyway :)

Also - this is 4200 words so I’m sure there are typos so just acknowledging that up front.

-

Sentence Style

Let’s start with overall style.

Dean’s speech is generally straightforward (when he’s not being referential) with a low proportion of adjectives and a decent amount of degree modifiers (more on that below). He uses simple sentences with clear statements, though will add clauses to clarify, reference, or add degree fairly frequently. 

For example:

”Like you said” is acting here as a way to refer back to a previous conversation. Dean does this more when he’s stating something not about himself/his subjective experience, but stating an absolute (or at least something to be taken as absolute). 

Also something to point out about this example: like I said he uses shorter, simpler sentences. While that isn’t always true of course, it definitely it is the case that he doesn’t tend toward long, breathless sentences. Even here he could have said this in one sentence and instead split it into two concrete points. A person could transcribe it differently (”Like you said, we’re family, and we don’t leave family behind.”) but he tends to speak in this manner that implies full stops between these separate statements. 

(Later I’m gonna completely contradict myself by talking about his longer statements btw. He tends to use longer sentences in more serious conversations, and includes clauses that qualify the statement).

-

Declarative I-Statements

Dean uses a ton of declarative sentences starting with I. Like - a lot of people do. But Dean’s iconic quotes are often “I”, and a large proportion of his sentences are declarative sentences in the active voice centring around him, his opinion, or his experience of the world. From “I think he wants us to pick up where he left off - saving people, hunting things, the family business.” to “I think I’m adorable”, Dean likes to tell us what he thinks and what he is.

You can also extend this pattern to other sentences that might start with different words but carry the same thesis “Demons I get - people are crazy.” It could be reworded just as simply as “I get demons - people are crazy.” But if Sam were the one saying it? “People are crazy” seems just as likely (although I’d put my money on “what is wrong with people?” as Sam’s most likely statement if he were trying to get the same sentiment across). Sam would express it as an absolute about the world or a rhetorical question, rather than one focused around his view of the world. Which doesn’t make Sam less self-focused or idiocentric than Dean, but their speech patterns express different modes of seeing the world, and in some ways Dean’s vocal patterns do more to acknowledge that his view of the world is subjective (but also that his subjective view is all he really cares about anyway).

(see all the other gifs here. Think “I’m proud of us” and so many other lines. So many I-statements).

-

Imperative and Commands

Dean speaks in a lot of commands. Idk what else to tell you. He’s a natural leader and he takes charge of situations, so it’s just kind of a natural facet of his speech. 

He does this with humour:

And without (”He asks, you answer! Then you shut your hole” for example).

Telling people what to do isn’t always met kindly, of course:

And although not an imperative sentence, he also is comfortable using speech to demand compliance:

 -

Word Choices

One thing I like to always examine is word choice, contractions, and negation, so let’s dive in to that. 

Diction

While Dean doesn’t flower up his language much in terms of verb and noun choice, that isn’t because he has a small vocabulary. I’d wager it’s a choice to being unpretentious because of the world he lives in. He never has any issue pulling out technical or clinical language:

(Also seen here: he tends to be very pithy and flippant, especially when he’s unimpressed with someone or with a situation, or wants to express annoyance and frustration. It’s his first-stop for “I dislike this”.)

We’ve seen him use words like Achilles’ Heel and describe how he made an EMF using technical language, so there’s no hesitancy to drop these terms, but for him it’s a matter of expressing what he wants to in a manner that will be easily understood by the person with whom he’s speaking.

-

Negation

For how he uses negation - Dean doesn’t say “ain’t” and he seldom said “[x]’s not”. His typical negation is “isn’t”. 

(Not “this ain’t the Scooby Gang” and not “it’s not / we’re not the Scooby Gang”. Isn’t. And yes, the line “there ain’t no me if there ain’t no you” bugs the hell out of me for this specific reason. When else have we ever heard him say ain’t? “There is no me if there is no you” is way more in keeping with his usual negation style.)  

He also negates using the word Never. “I’ve never had anything this nice.”

Like this. And like this:

This is interesting because it fits into Dean’s pattern (discussed below) of using words (adverbs and swears alike) as ways to modify the intensity of his sentences. A lot of people use qualifiers to create this sense of degree (words like “really” and “very”). While Dean sometimes uses or combines those words with others (”really freakin’ hate this”), he does something that very few people do, which is use the qualifying word ‘never’ to express an absolute quality. Most of us can’t say we’ve never done something. We might say we “didn’t” do something, but we don’t express it as absolute as “never”. Dean does. Dean makes it clear what things simply do not get to be attributed to him or are not to be counted within his sphere of existence.

(He says it under less extreme circumstances too though...)

 -

Contractions

Dean is liberal with his use of contractions and word shortenings. I’d recommend writing his use of words like “freaking” as “freakin’” “nothin’” and so forth. Can’t, not cannot. 

Gonna, wanna. You are going to want to = You’re gonna wanna. (Also “you’re gonna have to trust me”. He tells people what they’re gonna have to do a lot).

He uses other shortenings like “y’know” and “’cause” as well, when he’s relaxed at least. Like all of us, if he’s emphasizing those words he’ll enunciate fully, so try to match the contraction use to what you want to emphasize and to the tone you want to convey.

 -

Addressing Others

I wasn’t sure what else to call these (linguists might have some idea), but I’m talking about the use of words like “man” “dude” and “y’know” (and even his “Listen Velma” above). He uses these words like we all do - to ensure the person we’re talking to is clear that we’re addressing them directly, calling them into the conversation. Dean uses ‘dude’ a frequent amount for Sam (and others) but also “Man” at times (especially when annoyed). He uses “brother” for Benny as well in S8 in the same manner. 

Conversely, “y’know” tends to come up when he’s being sly or pithy. He doesn’t really use ‘Buddy’ except for strangers (but not like Sam who essentially uses it as a threat) and I can’t recall him saying ‘pal’.

-

Positive and Negative Words

Some generic positives: awesome, super (often sarcastic)

Some recurrent negatives: ugly, bad, douch-y

“It ends bloody. It ends bad.”

 -

Expressing Emphasis

Look - Dean doesn’t use a lot of adjectives, but he does use a lot of degree modifiers/adverbs. One of those is “just”. “Just do [x].” “Just so you know.” Just.

(Even here, “I just”).

He also does a very neat thing with the word “Uh.” It’s used not to hesitate or equivocate, like most people might use it, but instead to increase attention to what he’s saying. A false-hesitancy which tends to both emphasize and diffuse what he’s saying a bit.

(It’s so neat!)

-

Swearing

There is absolutely no doubt that Dean is an avid curser. There’s an excellent 4th-wall-bending implication from 3x13 (Ghostfacers) where we see Dean (and Sam) dropping f-bombs and other swears that get bleeped out in the Ghostfacers documentary. Which allows us as the audience to realize they’re swearing all the time, but that the network doesn’t allow that kind of swearing, so we see a watered down version of their dialogue on screen. 

Dean says “freaking” a lot, and I feel like we can assume that 9 times out of 10, he’s dropping an f bomb. His favourite exclamation is “son of a bitch”, but when he’s really pissed off, we get a “motherf*cker”. Seasons 4-8 his favourite thing to call people is a douche or douchebag if he looks down on them. In general my advice to authors would be not to hesitate to have Dean swear, but make sure you’re using them right. 

While many swears are just exclamations or word replacement (”kicked my ass” instead of “kicked my butt”), a lot of the swearing that Dean does is specifically to increase emphasis to something in his speech. Adding in freaking/f*cking as an intensifier is probably its most common use for him. 

For the record, he uses “hell” in a similar fashion. What the hell, how the hell, where the hell - etc. Expressing intense emotions via swears that increase the degree/magnitude/intensity of the statement.

(Oddly enough, although Dean will insult people casually calling them douche, etc, when he’s pressed and angry and aggressive, his insults toward people don’t become vitriolic diatribes. Threats are more common, typically without an upscale in cursing, and so is being pithy to get them mad and distracted.)

-

Questions, Answers, and Emotions

Okay so one thing I have to address: I kind of setup a strawman in the opening about sentence length. Because sure, Dean uses a lot of shorter and more declarative sentences. But he’s a person, which means that the bulk of his speech is just speech. While all else being equal, he uses more shorter, i-statements, and more commanding language than others, he also has conversations. He’s got a great sense of humour and a bit of an acid tongue, even under pressure, so if you’re not writing him with some some glibness or humour (even when it comes out biting, frustrated or falls completely flat) you’re probably missing something.

And often, he expresses himself in questions. This humour and glibness can come out like:  "What are you, the Dog Whisperer now?" in a less strained situation, or it can come out to try to keep his feels under wraps while seeking insight: 

Of course it’s not all questions. Sometimes his glibness, including for his own life, comes out in the form of answers:

He’s being serious but totally glib about life and death, having accepted his fate. (Dean accepting his own mortality is kind of also a must, especially post S1 finale).

And sometimes he expresses pain and feeling as questions without any glibness at all:

So to be clear, don’t write him as only ever using short i-declarations. Pepper those in, but remember that if he’s expressing an emotion or a vulnerability (even if he’s covering it with glibness), he’ll be using this roundabout way with questions or with indirect answers that don’t directly state his feelings but still manage to convey what he’s thinking.

 -

Pleading

One more thing I want to touch on in this section: there are (probably surprising to some who aren’t looking) a lot of notes of supplication when he’s talking to others and feeling vulnerable. It’s very easy to think of Dean as someone who’ll never ask, never beg or plead. Because that’s what he wants you to think, because he’s the cool, in charge Han Solo type. 

But Dean does ask. He pleads. He pleads to God/Chuck, he pleads to his father, to Sam, to Cass. A major difference between he and Sam is actually the situations in which they’re likely to say “please”. Sam’s likely to use it as a first response (and therefore says it waaaay more) but absolutely refuse to under duress. Dean will never ever use it as a first response, but will fall back and resort to it in the end. We could unpack what that means about their psyche, but we’re here for language.

Not too surprisingly, I’m having a hard time getting the gif search to grant me specific gifs of Dean saying ‘please’, but I can recall some instances. S1 finale, when Azazel is possessing John. First he starts with quips and pissing Azazel off, and then it’s “Don’t you let him hurt me!” and then when that fails, he begs his father to help him. 

He pleads in S1 for Sam not to leave, because Sam is all he has left. He pleads with an angelic APB at the opening of S9 for an angel to save Sam. He tells Cass he needs him when Cass his pulverizing his face. “Please, he’s my brother”. Is that what he says to Lilith? Or was the ‘please’ implied there?

Here, instead of single gifs, you should get the full experience of the duress under which Dean will say please:

To God

To his dad

To his dad again

To Bobby

To Sam in an alternate timeline

And when he wants to be left alone the same thing occurs:

To his mother

To Sam

You get the idea. He doesn’t always say please. Sometimes it’s notes of supplication in his voice and sometimes it’s a somewhat desperate “c’mon man” when he doesn’t want to have to ask but he’s at the end of his rope.

(Okay final characterization note for this section - I also think Dean is probably useless against someone who looks up at him with wide sad eyes and says ‘please’ to him. I suspect part of why it’s his final defense is because he himself would be defenseless to that kind of plea from others, because he was hardwired from a young age to look after his infant little brother, and that involves a certain amount of responding to pleading and helplessness).

-

Pop Culture References

Dean uses a lot of highly referential language. He refers to bands and musicians, films, pop culture, current events and modern history, etc. Despite him not being overly tapped into social media (e.g., not knowing what myspace is in early seasons, among other things), it’s equally clear that he’s tapped into film, TV, music - any means through which he can consume content. This makes sense given how much driving time and downtime his life must have, with time in motels and between jobs to watch and rewatch the same media. Try to pepper in these sorts of references in as ways for Dean to describe what’s going on and relate new experiences to what makes sense to him.

If you’re a non-American writing him, or a very young American, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on music and media that were popular from the 80s and 90s, which will make up the core of Dean’s formative years and therefore references. There’s also evidence he knows a lot of pop culture history though so don’t hesitate to make references to films etc from any decade of the 20th century. He’s also a bit of a sci-fi nerd and we know he reads (including Vonnegut) so literary references are perfectly in order. I would shy away from references to historical fiction, Shakespeare, and instead keep it to genres we know he consumes (including cartoons!).

"You were wasted by a Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel?"

(ps - seriously just look at this post - we’ve got scooby doo and blues brothers and batman and I wasn’t even trying to find pop culture references when I gif searched).

 -

Deeper Emotional Conversations

While I mentioned above that he uses questions and answers to roundabout discuss his feelings, not all chick flick moments can be handled in that manner, and many can’t be handled with glibness at all.

For Dean, directly addressing his deeper negative emotions is difficult, and thus becomes a pained pronouncement. The nuance tends to come through in his face and nonverbal cues so focus on those, but linguistic choices are pretty important here. And this is where directly naming his emotions comes in. Unlike that question/answer section above where his thoughts and feelings are conveyed without directly naming his sentiment, sometimes he is called upon to express his feelings more specifically.

Because let’s be honest, he’s got his A Single Man Tear(TM) and he’s got deep, painful feelings, but he sucks at talking about them.

Let’s create an example that isn’t something that specifically happened in canon, but easily could. So - let’s say that Dean might need to say he’s scared of losing Sam. That would come after some pained discussion and Dean will act like he’s having his teeth pulled, but he will say it. And when he does, it’s either an angry proclamation (”you want me to say it? fine! i’m scared, sam - i’m scared as hell that one day i’ll wake up and you’ll be gone.”) or he cracks himself open completely exposed and vulnerable, and all the air rushes from the room when you see it because his eyes are shining and it’s visceral and real and been sitting right below the surface, suffocated until this moment (”i’m scared, sam,” a crack in his voice, an inhale of breath, and he looks a second from losing it. but it’s dean so he won’t, he’ll hold on by the skin of his teeth with his heart spilling out of his mouth, red with the blood of his own truths. “i’m terrified of losing you.”). 

There’s very little in between. There’s almost never any emotionally removed or more clinical discussion of his feelings like you might get with Sam. (”you want me to say i’m scared? of course i’m scared. i’m terrified, dean, but that’s not the point here. the point is -”). Because Dean struggles to accept and avow his painful internal emotional landscape, he struggles to discuss it in a way that’s removed, so it becomes very intense when he does. 

What this also means for writing emotional dialogue is that although Dean does not lack insight into his emotions, where they come from, and why he’s feeling the way he is, he’ll very seldom provide you an in depth explanation. This may make him seem less emotionally mature, but really what’s happening is a struggle to put those feelings into words. Discussion of anxiety, insecurity, and trauma are put into boxes he can more easily communicate - fear, anger, violence. Less “I overreacted because I was scared of losing you” and more “I’m fucking terrified of losing you. And yeah, it pisses me off.” Dean doesn’t tend to use explanatory statements (”because”), he tends to present emotions and even concepts outside of emotional discussions as separate statements, and it becomes your job to then connect those statements (as the one he’s talking to, and as the audience).

Like I said near the start, Dean also uses longer sentences when having serious conversations. “As long as I’m around, nothing bad’s gonna happen to you.” Note the first half of that sentence acting as a qualifier (implying something bad could happen, but not when Dean is around, creating the condition upon which the whole sentence and sentiment hangs).

- 

Less Declarative Expression

Dean expresses negative emotions like disappointment and frustration as well, but unlike his more intense/extreme negative emotions (terror, fear of abandonment, deep anger) he very seldom will declare those emotions. While he might use question and answer format, he might also control the conversation with a straightforward expression that saves him from having to say what he’s feeling while still getting it across.

For example, "Well that's great, because without your power, you're basically just a baby in a trench coat." Instead of saying he’s frustrated, he says something that gets to the point of what he’s mad about without saying he’s mad. (This is especially true when what he’s mad about is the situation. Because while these statements are about people, on the balance of things, they’re not really directed at them. Because often he’s frustrated because of something they can’t solve and he knows that). 

He’s also liable to not-declare-but-express pent up feelings he’s not ready to unpack in the same manner:

He’s obviously stressed and angry, but he doesn’t want to have to avow that anger and unpack all of where it’s coming from. It’s not the feeling of the emotion he dislikes so much as it is the examination of the underpinning reasons for it, because the dredge it up and unpack it is more painful than to let himself to continue to feel it at this low consistent level while he processes.

-

Outliers and End Notes

No post can fully capture and analyze 15 years of dialogue. There’s probably a million important elements to Dean’s speech that I missed. I think I want to emphasize a few things before we part. 

First - if you really want to write Dean, make sure you write him as charismatic. He uses humor, charm, deflection, questions, commands, and confidence all to control conversations and he does it seamlessly. Despite his rakish nature, he seldom if ever seems to offend people (unless he’s deliberately trying to piss them off) and you should take that into consideration when writing him. 

Keeping him fully in character will therefore involve a sort of fluidity about his speech, and those references. He is personable and exceptionally confident. He does not tend to hesitate or apologize (except in a flippant, superficial way, or in very strained emotional conversations and then only to those he loves deeply). His volume and tone are probably as or more important than his words, so consider when he’s saying something with a purr vs. with a snarl vs. shouting vs. having his voice crack into a whisper. He’s incredibly expressive with his face, but not overly gesticular with his hands (though he does gesture, just not in a way that stands out a great deal).

If you want or need him to give some type of confession in what you’re writing, you pretty much have two options. Either expressing his emotions in ways I’ve described here, or giving it the good ol’ S12 monologue where he bares his soul (when he’s inside Mary’s head). That should be reserved only for very extreme circumstances though - circumstances like saving his mother from brainwashing, discussing his hell trauma, or declaring that there’s nothing on heaven or earth he’d put before his little brother. Because in general long speeches aren’t his style.

And if you can, give some thought to what season you’re writing in. Is he still calling everyone and everything douch-y? Is he in the later seasons and more capable of unpacking his emotions directly? Is he in the early seasons where he’s trying to be Han Solo and too damn cool and smooth about everything, even his impending death?

At the end of the day - Dean is a wonderful, complex character and I hope this analysis helps some writers understanding his speech and character better!

[you-need-a-jello-shot]

a really really long post about Vicki’s final show (seriously its so long)

It’s like everything that I can remember from the performance - not really focused on vicki btw but she is in there a lot dw

In megasix Danielle winked at the audience and I don't think I've ever been so suddenly attracted to someone

Also Danielle!Parr walks like a fucking gazelle she puts so much grace and power into every step I am ASTOUNDED

Also if the whole cast would please stop smirking like that at the audience throughout the whole of Ex wives thatd be great cos I would like to leave the theatre with some of my being in tact

They kept giving eachother cute little eye contact and doing cute little things with Vicki (mostly Vicki + Collette)

Ngl I could not look away from Collette the whole time she plays Aragon like that one popular girl at school who knows they’re better than you and you agree - she is SUCH a queen bee. Like she doesn't smile she smirks at you. her eyebrow just flicks UP and my heart explodes

Also genuinely just seems more relaxed in that role compared to the first time I saw her

I JUST REMEMBERED THAT DURING NO WAY SHE WENT "MEOW" AT THE AUDIENCE I AM SO FUCKIN GAY idk how to explain which bit was at but basically at 1:17 in the recorded version when Renée says like "woo!" Collette does the meow instead and oof

After every song the audience literally would not stop clapping for like a solid 10-15 seconds

Courtney omfg she is so perfect as Boleyn she has this little shit grin on her face throughout like she just roasted the fuck outta you and I love it she sells it sO well

"he must have really liked my head...." aND THEN SHE DOES THE THING WITH THE MICROPHONE IT WAS SO FUNNY

Not exactly feral but has so much energy like idk how she does it in that costume with those lights on she must get so fuckin hot like I was hot and I was wearing a crop top (yes I know it's cold out but I'm hardcore so it's fine)

Also I don’t remember when it was but I think Boleyn said something sassy about getting her head chopped off again and she and vicki did a little fistbump in the back it was c u t e. I think court and vic really try to remind everyone boleyn and howard were actually cousins

Hana Seymour is Adorable

Like she just seems like a young version of Natalie's Seymour, which is appropriate cos she is one of the younger queen's . When she said "really, really old school" she dragged out the laughter after and looked so proud of herself

When giving her speech about how she had it easy, Nat!Seymour seems genuinely hurt by what the queen's say about her. Like she constantly has the pain of it on her mind. Whilst Hana!Seymour seems to just laugh a long a bit, rolling her eyes and stuff like it doesn't really affect her that much. Maybe her version is just more at peace with it.

Anyway we've decided to Stan because her heart of stone was so fuckin perfect like she kept looking like she was going to break down and start crying I genuinely thought she was going to but then she sang the next line with such ferocity and it totally went with the theme of the song

As always Haus of Holbein was chaotic as shit. At one point one of them started doing the Criss cross thing with their knees and then literally all of them started doing it it was great. also Danielle does fingerguns as she goes across the stage and then leaps like a ballet dance its fuckin great.

Cherelle was actually so frickin good as well!!! I didn't really know what to expect from her but I she actually puts so much thought into her performance. She has so many little mannerisms that are so funny

Can't think of many but she keeps going back to the same person on the right side of the stage "oh. You again."

Actually made me realise how little speaking lines Cleves has outside of her song I think

ALSO when Parr and Aragon are pretending to be dudes in a club going up to Cleves tHEY HAVE A HAND SHAKE AND COLLETTE HAD HER TONGUE IN HER CHEEK AND IM LIKE WHY AM I ATTRACTED TO THAT WTF

Vicki's Howard is was literally so perfect. I wasn't sure what to expect cos I've only ever seen her as Boleyn so I've seen her at peak chaos. But omg she literally made me forget she was Vicki she just seemed so SmOl. But she was also definitely a Brat Kat.

When Parr pushed her forward the audience cheered she was like "aw thanks" and flicked her hair over her shoulder.

I think I might even do a separate post of just her performance cos omf I have a lot to say

OKAY SO THIS WAS MY FAVOURITE BIt

Idk if it's cos Vicki had just done AYWD for the last time or cos it was so close to the end or what but idk the chaos energy just seemed to be AMPed

When they're prompting Parr to start and theyre all posed with their arms outstretched they held that for SO long and it was so awkward and hilarious omfg cos Danielle went to sing and then didn't and it was great

And then she was like "nah I'm good" and then everyone just kind of deflated and then band kinda tapered off and it was ALSO long

And then Aragon was like ".... :D" and tries to rehold the position even though no one else is and Howard comes forward and is like "n..no" and puts her arms down it was so fuckin funny

Then Anne was just like "wot"

When Vicki said "oh I'm Catherine Parr I draw lines in arbitrary places" she mimicked Danielle's voice and made it really deep and breathy LMAO

And then when they were all in the group arguing on stage about Parr not singing and Danielle's just there looking at the audience like :/ Howard just yelled "I SANG FOR 7 MINUTES"

And then Aragon turned round and was like "I'm so sorry about this" to the audience

And Danielle really made it seem like Parr was fully just going off randomly and it wasn't planned like she was thinking about what to say before she said anything like "um... Okay... Uh... Okay well - bit of context - I've actually had my fair share of marriages"

Also DANIELLE STEERS' SINGING VOICE IS THE SEXIEST THING

It's so breathy and deep and I oop

Like damn she just seems like the softest parr

Idk how to explain it but she was soft and wholesome but also had so much power like ma'am..... her parr just seems like the chillest person

Anyway they just were having so much fucking FUN by the end they were just fully going for it it was great to watch

And then Danielle gave a really great speech and called Vicki a firecracker and Collette was like "if you ever wanna see her silly little face again catch her on tour" and I :)))

And then they gave her flowers and started doing the megasix and the fucking POWER CUT OUT AND EVERYONE WAS JUST LIKE ...

And Courtney literally started pissing herself and started singing the song like a rugby lad and everyone joined in it was peak culture

Anyway yea that was that

[putschki1969]

Aki no Sakura EP ~ My Review

Today is the release day of Wakana’s very first EP 『アキノサクラ/Aki no Sakura EP』. Since I am impatient and can’t wait for my copies to arrive I purchased the mini album on iTunes.

Everyone, please be sure to support Wakana by buying this release! Physical copies of this EP are available at a very affordable price on CDJapan and Amazon Japan. Those online stores ship overseas and they accept foreign payment methods so you shouldn’t have any issues. Wakana’s music is also available digitally. If you use iTunes just like me, please don’t hesitate to purchase the digital version of 『アキノサクラ/Aki no Sakura EP』. They are literally giving it away for nothing. I paid less than €3 for the whole mini album. There is no excuse not to get it! You can also stream it on Spotify!

Now let’s get to the review〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

1. eve

Why is this so short? I am aware it is meant to be an overture but still, I want this to be 10 minutes long. Such a gorgeous orchestral composition. This sounds like it belongs in some sort of epic fantasy/fairytale movie or maybe an old-school Disney film. I am glad Wakana doesn’t have any lyrics, lyrics may have been a bit overbearing with a track like this. The way she is just blending her vocals with the melody is very lovely. It’s so magical and beautiful, I am utterly smitten. Part of me wishes that Wakana would have sung this with her more operatic voice because then this would have been the most excellent piece of music EVER. I understand of course why she sang it with her more delicate and flimsy voice, she wants it to be in tune with the rest of the EP - and it definitely is - but it’s still a bit of a shame. Anyways, a grand start for sure.

2. Aki no Sakura (アキノサクラ; Cherry Blossoms of Autumn)

After watching the PV last night and seeing Wakana’s expressions while she sings the lyrics (which I adore btw), I immediately became more attracted to the song. It took a while to appreciate the melody but I think I finally can. I am not sure whether I like the verses or the chorus more. Towards the end of the song I kinda prefer the chorus. It’s not my favourite track of the EP but I think it still has potential to grow on me. As for the PV, I simply love, love, LOVE all the scenes with Wakana strolling in the park with her gorgeous cardigan and her blinding smile. Can you remember the times when we felt utterly blessed to get a glimpse of Wakana’s smile in one of Kalafina’s PVs?? [smiles were so freaking rare in those PVs! T_T] And now her radiant smile is everywhere, we are being spoiled!! Not a huge fan of the city section of the PV, mainly because the location doesn’t look very aesthetic (I am guessing it’s meant to look kinda unpolished and real/gritty but I can’t bring myself to like it - I prefer to look at pretty things in my PVs). Plus, the heavy use of the blurry effect makes me feel a little dizzy XD Anyways, Wakana looks beautiful and that is everything that counts for me. The dress is not something I would personally wear but it just SCREAMS Wakana to me so I can’t help but like it. I am so ecstatic that Wakana can FINALLY wear the things she wants and feels most comfortable in.

3. Koi wa Itsumo (恋はいつも; Love Is Always)

I was SHOOK when I first heard this song. Instant throwback to the 80s or 90s or whenever that sort of music was rocking the charts. I can’t believe I am saying this but it might actually be my favourite track of the EP. Up-beat and funky songs like this are usually not what I am into but when you listen to “Koi wa Itsumo” you immediately succumb to its beat. It’s such a catchy tune. You cannot help but go with the flow and fall in love. It’s a feel-good song and it motivates you to start dancing. Ahhhhhh, will have this on repeat for a long time I think. In my opinion, Wakana’s light/delicate and kinda Pop-ish singing style fits this sort of song best. I imagine this must be super hard to perform live. Curious how Wakana will handle it.

4.Orange (オレンジ)

When it comes to my favourite songs of the EP, I think it’s a tie between “Orange” and “Koi wa Itsumo”. I am so sursprised that I gravitate more towards the “up-beat/mid-tempo” songs in this mini album. Typically I am always a sucker for ballads. Maybe it’s due to her changed singing style which is more suitable for songs like this that I find myself liking them a bit more. I am just so used to hearing Wakana’s tragic voice when it comes to ballads so to have her use a less rich and rather frail voice is kinda off-putting. Anyways, “Orange” is great. I have loved it from the moment I heard the short radio version and nothing has changed about my opinion. Not entirely sure I am a fan of the harmonica. I was definitely taken aback when I initially heard it in the full version. For nostalgia’s sake I am willing to embrace it though. Surprisingly this is the ONLY song where Wakana wrote the lyrics. I thought she would have provided more lyrics but alas, she didn’t. I guess they were in such a rush to release this EP before her Winter Lives that Wakana didn’t really have any time to come up with a ton of lyrics. The best option was to choose songs that already had lyrics. Anyways, I can’t wait to get a good look at these lyrics, the fact that Wakana has written them, makes them so much more special to me.

5. Yuuyake (夕焼け; Sunset)

Since I am generally not a fan of the acoustic guitar I didn’t expect to like this but I actually do. I am glad they also added some strings. The melody is lovely, it reminds me of another song I like but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s an old pop-ballad I think...Anyways, I think I will fall completely in love with this once I hear it performed live at her concert. Just like “Ato Hitotsu” this is a song that really shines in live performances where Wakana can be expressive and convey emotions.

Overall thoughts

It’s a good release for sure. Wakana can be proud. It isn’t like anything you have ever heard from her or Kalafina for that matter. You will have to go into this with an open mind, I know we all have certain ideas and expectations when it comes to Wakana but when we leave those behind it’s much easier to appreciate her new music.

There is nothing I utterly dislike about this EP  and there are three out of five tracks that I really adore. All the Wakana interviews have headlines saying that this is the REAL Wakana, this is herself shining through. I am so happy to see her being able to express herself in such a manner. Who would have known she was so much into old-school pop?? Haha XD

I am having a hard time comparing her album to this EP because they are inherently different. It feels unfair to say that one is better than the other. Her album had a lot more - what I would call - “traditional” ballads so I think I might be a little more biased to that but her EP is such a breath of fresh air, I can’t help but love it too.

I wonder if Wakana will continue using this particular delicate singing style? I like it just fine for this EP because it fits the genre of most tracks and I am glad she gets to experiment but I don’t think it would fit her other songs or any of the old Kalafina pieces. Really curious how she will sound at her Winter Lives.

[anaesthesia-why]

everyone is afraid of me now

long backstory here tho

so as the seventh class today we had English (which is NOT my native language, but I guess I can say that I’m pretty fluent?) which was after a P.E .class so I was exhausted like. a lot. and as it was THE VERY FIRST ENGLISH LESSON THIS SCHOOL YEAR we had this “how did u spend ur summer?” but it was a list of questions and we should find out who DIDN’T do smth during summer and write a “sob story” as our teacher called it. like “find someone who didn’t watch a lot of movies. why.” and so there were 20 questions, and we should go around and ask our other 14 classmates. i couldn’t move from my seat, btw. so after a while someone came by. so... like the first two or three people aren’t really important in the story. then classmate K came by. and asked “did you go to a concert this summer?” i said no. “why?” - he asked. “well because all my favourite singers live and work in Japan.” “ooh sounds like a good sob story!”- said classmate K. so he decided he’d write about me. then classmate G came to ask me questions and the homeroom teacher as well (yes we have the English teacher as the homeroom teacher), so the conversation was almost the same except for the “why” which was asked by the teacher and me having even less stamina and answering like “my favourite s.singers are fr..j. well JAPAN” and falling onto my desk a second after (no I didn’t collapse I was ashamed of the fact that I couldn’t even speak properly) to cover my face. then classmate D started asking me questions (she was sitting in the seat of classmate A at the moment, in front of me to the left(yes it’s important in the story)). after some questions (she asked the questions that I answered with yes or uninteresting questions) she was like “i don’t know who to write a story about!!” and classmate K who was standing right beside me pointed at me with a finger. then some more classmates came but it’s not important. when the teacher said to stop the interviews, classmate K turned to me and said that he’d tell my story because it’s a good one. I started writing the words "if more than just one person tells a sob story about me then there’ll be a murder” but I stopped somewhere in the middle of writing that and then... classmate G was the second person overall to tell a sad story. and he said “I’m going to tell Nastya’s story...” (and started writing the name down(Nastya is a simple version of the name Anastasia in our country)) and I KNEW CLASSMATE K WOULD TELL A STORY ABOUT ME TOO SO I HEARD A SNAP IN MY HEAD AND GOT ALL THE STAMINA LEFT AND SAID IN A LOUD VOICE “IF MORE THAN ONE PERSON TELLS A SOB STORY ABOUT ME THERE’LL BE A　ＭＵＲＤＥＲ.”

classmate A turned to me, surprised.

the funny thing is, the teacher got scared, her face changed, like she was worried and bewildered (?) and in a bit unsure manner started saying things like “oh it is just a story, maybe...” (well tbh I don’t really remember what she said because there was something that left even a bigger impression on me). classmate G got nervous and said “n-no it’s okay I can tell another story”. and classmate K didn’t tell a story about me as well. and after that it was hard for me like I was sitting and trying to hold back my laughter.

LIKE DID THEY THINK I WAS SERIOUS LIKE I WAS GONNA INJURE SOMEONE IN THE CLASS OR WHAT

anyway after that I had much more stamina and that revived my spirit

well on a sidenote during last school year (which was the first in this school for everyone in my class) I was kind of a quiet one. and yesterday when we had the opening ceremony I was saying all the things I thought of out loud (in a quiet voice, but about 5 people around me could usually hear them. one of them being the homeroom teacher, who stood by my left)

like... when the principal said smth like “I guess all of you have dreams” I said “yeah, to survive” and two people behind me and two people who stood by my right side started laughing in a quiet voice (ofc they couldn’t laugh loudly, I heard some of them wanted to tho from the manner they were laughing) (we have the worst schedule. last year it was 6 days a week BUT we had 7 and 6 classes usually, 5 classes on Saturday, even, rarely 8 on Wednesdays when we had more math, and this year we have school 5 days a week BUT it’s 8 classes twice a week and 7 classes 3 times a week)

when you started showing your true colours and people around you are surprised and sometimes scared. maybe for my mental health? more likely for themselves

[mcrmadness]

A few days ago, I started rewatching one of my childhood tv series: the 1966's Batman. This was my first touch to the whole Batman universe, I was 7 or 8 years old and saw some reruns of this show on TV during the summer holidays. And it grew into a hyperfixation and I became a fan almost instantly. My favorite game was to dress up "like" Batman and run around the house or yard as Batman, altho I don't remember what I did. I only remember my outfit which was just a black hoodie, black pants, mom's old wrapping skirt as my cape, and a black scarf I tied around my head and the knot was on my head as ears. I hated the scarf because it wasn't even close to a Batman mask, but it was still better than nothing.

I'm now on the 13th episode of the first season and apparently Batman universe is the only universe that still fills me with so much joy and warm feeling, and I just noticed that I have with this show the exact same thing I have with other media: Gotham, movies, and the Batman: Arkham video games. Every time I see a villain, I just feel like meeting an old friend. I know it sounds weird but most of the time it's because of the actor's portrayal of the character. It's just insane how well some of these actors in all of these favorite medias of mine do or have done. Like, I just recently watched the first episode with Penguin and this version is also my first memory of Penguin ever - just like with the Joker and Catwoman. The Riddler is in these a lot too, but I don't remember him from my childhood that much, bit in other medias, especially in Gotham and in the Batman: Arkham video games he's one of my absolute favourite characters!

But back to Penguin - so this '66 version of Penguin is how I remember Penguin from my childhood and just watching the actor's portrayal makes me feel like a child again, and I'm so hyped by how perfect that actor was for that role! Right now I was also so amazed by this one actor who played a Riddler goon and dressed up as Batman, and he was clearly a different guy but what was just so incredible in that was how well he was actually copying Adam West's (aka the man who played Batman in this) mannerisms so that I actually had to think hard because he acted just like Batman in this series does, but his face just did not match West's!

There's also something about the female villains and villains' female goons, I'm not sure if it's just the 60s and the way people acted back then but so far I have had some sort of aesthetic attraction towards so many of these female characters. One of the female villains voice was what I could have continued to listen to for ages!

So the feels I'm having here are like... half nostalgy, half just regular Batman fan hype, and it just makes me so happy! :D Here's also lots of new things because there are 3 seasons and I only remember some stuff from here and there because it's literally been over 20 years since I was watching this series properly the last time.

I restarted it a few years ago when it came from tv but my digibox kept programs only for 6 months max and I ran out of time and couldn't finish watching it. I am also very excited to see how different are my memories from the episodes I can remember. I also remember my cousin once telling me that she saw something happen in an episode and I never saw that one myself, I wasn't even sure if the character was real (when we were kids, my cousin had a habit to sometimes tell me stories that were not true, and claimed that they were) and I can't wait to see those episodes to see if what she told me over 20 years ago was what actually happened in the episode.

But now I'll continue watching this. They have the Mad Hatter here now and this is a character I don't remember from this series at all, but he became more familiar to me through the Arkham video games and later through Gotham. (Which, btw, I also would love to start rewatching. I love that show and the cast choices and the whole cast is just so freaking talented, and the show is SERIOUSLY underappreciated. Someone pls start watching Gotham, so I can get a fangirling buddy!)