#variations on a theme verse

[undertheopensky]

Curious about the different studies in Red 👀

Asdfgh I was so excited by this ask that I got up and walked arouind the house without even thinking about it -

Okay so! First you need to know that the Variations on a Theme series - which the Studies in Red are a part of - features Vio being stuck in a time loop where he tries to make the chips in Four Swords Plus fall in a way where everyone lives.

In the first Study in Red, Vio dies towards the end of a loop, and Red - knowing that something had been wrong with him - wishes he could have helped, somehow. And soon finds himself waking up back in the Sanctuary again as if they'd just pulled the Four Sword, and Shadow is there, and Vio is there, and maybe maybe maybe he can fix it this time -

It was supposed to just be a tragic oneshot where Red remembered one loop and did his best to help but they failed a requirement and then Red forgot in the next one and never remembered again, but, uh. Red kind of took over as leader from Green? And kicked ass at it??? So much so that I got indecisive about where to take things because holy shit it was SO GOOD -

A snippet:

Red strikes. With the flat of his sword he swats Blue – lightly – on the ear, then swings and clips Green’s backside too. Both of them yelp and stop to stare at him. “You call yourselves heroes,” Red hisses. “You’ve come across a scene you don’t understand – a disaster, a battle, the aftermath of a raid – and there’s someone in front of you trying to tell you what happened. Trying to give you information that could be useful, or just looking for help. Instead, you’re fighting amongst yourselves about who should be the leader. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Crimson was a version where LU happens some time shortly after a winning loop. The Colours are less than pleased to be dropped into a new adventure so fast.

Vermilion was an alternate LU intro where the Chain comes across the Colours trying to sneak out of their Hyrule and offers to escort them to somewhere safe.

Scarlet is ANOTHER alternate LU intro where the winning loop happened a couple of years ago - the four have settled in as individuals, and Vio has recovered from his experiences some.

Since Scarlet is my favourite (and most developed), have another snippet:

"Don’t worry, you’re not special,” Red says casually. "Vio hasn’t spoken in years." He feels a bit guilty at the stricken looks on their faces, but not much. He’s learned to be cutting, if it means defending his brothers. “Vivi,” he adds, "I love having you hanging out, but you know you don’t have to stay down here if the customers are annoying the shit out of you, right?” Pointedly, Vio turns his eyes back to his book, and doesn’t move. “Okay. You let me know if they’re bothering you and I’ll kick them out.” Vio tucks himself more firmly into his chair. Red turns back to the men and pastes a smile on his face. "So! What are you in for today?"

[queenlua]

Bruno Latour's "Why Has Critique Run Out Of Steam?" but instead of critique he's analyzing the limits of whatever erotic AU verse is currently in vogue on AO3

[chiropteracupola]

for interested parties, Here is the song about which I was rambling in the previous post.

[pensivespacepirate]

VARIATIONS ON A THEME MENTIONED

[knight-a3]

Heavenbound AU

Hazbin Masterpost

Lilith, Mother of Demons

Notes under cut, including some Bible info!

Between dolls, snakes, apples, circuses, ducks, etc, there were just too many motifs/thematic elements to shove onto just Lucifer. So, I streamlined and distributed. Lucifer is goat themed, Lilith is snake themed. Charlie is a mix of the two. I also use this to partly to imply that "the Devil" is not solely Lucifer. But humans mistake various different demons as one character. Lucifer is just the one who gets blamed for everything. That's part of why he's a goat; he's a scapegoat.

Snakes- there is a trending theme of Lilith being associated with snakes, and sometimes being the serpent who tempts Eve. I wanted to give her snake hair, but making all of it snakes would be too many and a hassle to draw. So I went with seven to represent the 7 deadly sins. They're all named, just like how Charlie has Hugh.

Pride= Vani (vanity)

Wrath= Irene (Ire)

Gluttony= Tony (gluttony)

Greed= Ava (avarice)

Lust= Libby (libido)

Envy= Desi (desire)

Sloth= Lazlo (lazy)

Owls- lilith has sometimes been translated as owl or as night bird. In some Mesopotamian myths, lilith demons fly. Some tablets depict a lilith with talons, horns, and/or wings.

Vampires - This is a design element that I didn't realize was a historically viable association to make until after I made the design. But I figured it would be good to mention anyway. Lilith has been equated with some vampiric elements over the centuries. It comes from a thematic overlap between succubi and early depictions of vampires. So while I may not have had vampires in mind, I think some of the elements naturally bled through(no pun intended).

Dolls- I took this one from canon Lucifer and gave it to Lilith instead. I figured she was created and used like a doll, so it could fit decently enough.

Full demon form: I designed her to be similar to a lamia from Greek mythology. Lamia is the latin equivalent to lilith, and lamia happen to be associated with snakes. I didn't know that until after I designed her normal form, so it's a neat coincidence. Lamia is both a single character and a type of snake-woman creature. Waist up is woman, waist down is snake. Similar to the nagas of hindu lore. More about Lamia in a bit.

--Heavenbound Backstory--

My ideas for her backstory can be found through HERE.

--is Lilith really Biblical? Kind of, but not really--

So, fun fact. Lilith isn't really in the Bible. The word lilith is mentioned once in Isaiah 34:14 in some translations. But translation is a tricky process and subject to the interpretation of the translator. It's an inevitable issue. It's part of why there are so many different versions of the Bible.

The single mention of lilith isn't even used as a name. Lilit/lilitu/other spelling variations are a type of Mesopotamian she-demon. Basically succubi, but then the concept merged with the child-killer Lamatshu. Liliths are often associated with seduction, wet dreams, reproductive problems, and child death. Using the term lilith had a cultural context that we don't really have now. It's like how people today will blame mysterious phenomenon on aliens.

Other Bible translations will use "night creatures", "screech owls", "Lamia" or other similar phrases instead. The context of the verse can change drastically based on what phrasing is used. Most versions(including the most popular ones like the KJV) steer away from "lilith".

--The Other Woman--

Bible: The idea of a woman before Eve is based on rabbinic myths used to explain a perceived discrepancy in the biblical creation story. In one account, it sounds as if man and woman were created together. In another, it sounds as if woman was created after. These myths also accuse Eve of a lot of misconduct, so it seems like a pretty misogynistic take anyway(and I don't use that phrasing lightly). These myths didn't name the woman, as far as I'm aware.

Lilith as the first wife: The oldest known depiction of Lilith as Adam's first wife is from a medieval Jewish story, the "Alphabet of Ben Sira." The author is unknown, and it's widely considered satirical. Lilith is ultimately portrayed as the evil one.

In some depictions of her, she forces herself on Adam and has his demon children. Or she is infertile and steals and/or kills babies. Or she causes miscarriages and fertility issues.

Samael's wife: In some other depictions, she and Samael are born as one. Sometimes as a hermaphrodite, sometimes in the same manner as Adam and Eve. And yet other depictions, she is the first wife of Samael. Sometimes God castrates Samael to prevent them from having demonic children, so Lilith goes to copulate with unaware sleeping men. Other times Lilith is rendered infertile. Sometimes she's the wife of Asmodeus.

Lamia: In the Latin Vulgate, lilith is translated as lamia. There are elements of early ideas for vampirism. Then Lilith is equated with the Greek character Lamia, who also has conflicting origin stories. Lamia has a human upper half and and snake lower half. In some sources, she is a daughter of Hecate. In another, she is cursed by Hecate to have stillborn children. In another, Hera killed all of Lamia's children, and Lamia's grief turned her into a monster that would steal and devour children. In some instances she was also cursed to never close her eyes/sleep, but Zeus gifted her the ability to remove her eyes instead.

Islam: Arabic folklore depicts a character similar to Lilith. She was rejected by Adam, so she mated with Iblis(the demon king) instead. She gave birth to thousands of demons.

Feminism: Lilith, overall, was depicted as an evil character until the feminist movement in the 70s. That's when she was depicted by Judith Plaskow as a strong willed woman who refused to submit to Adam(I guess they just ignored the history of rape and child murder, great job picking an inspirational feminist icon y'all). It's this feminist interpretation that Hellaverse seems to have based Lilith off of.

I wanted to balance aspects of these while also still favoring the portrayal of Lilith as not-evil. Unless canon decides to make her evil, then I may revisit the idea.

(Feb 19, 2025- fixed typos and rephrased some lined for clarity) (Feb 20, 2025- added the names of the snakes) (Feb 27, 2025- added a full demon form design and notes about it, reworded some lines)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Acrostic

Acrostic poem - a type of poem where the first letter of each line (or each paragraph) forms a hidden message or word.

A fun way to craft an ode to your beloved or a sneaky form of dissent—public resignations by disgruntled officials are a particularly popular place to deploy one—acrostic poetry can be very simple and spare, or take a more understated form in full verse.

The word “acrostic” comes from the French acrostiche, descended from the Ancient Greek phrase meaning “highest, or topmost verse.” Acrostics (like their cousin, the acronym) can also be highly useful mnemonic devices.

How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Unlike other forms of poetry, there are no rules when it comes to rhyme or meter for acrostics, so writing one can be a relaxing kind of word puzzle. You may find that you develop a naturally consistent rhythm or line length as you make your way through.

To write your own acrostic, break apart a single word, so that the individual letters become the initial letters of their own respective lines (or, if you like, the last letters of each line).

Let the word you chose serve as the theme of the poem; get inspired by nature, like in haiku, or use the name of your best friend to extol upon their virtues.

You can also craft an acrostic by listing out the letters of the alphabet in order, a variation called an abecedarius. (An abecedarian sounds easy enough, but the real trick comes when you reach x.)

Examples of Acrostic Poems

Acrostics were incredibly popular in medieval literature, where the hidden words were tucked in as tributes to a wealthy patron or prayers to a saint. They even appeared in the original Hebrew of The Old Testament, popping up in psalms and proverbs.

Classical literary examples of acrostics include this unnamed ode to an Elizabeth from Edgar Allan Poe, written around 1829 and only discovered after his death:

Elizabeth it is in vain you say "Love not"—thou sayest it in so sweet a way: In vain those words from thee or L.E.L. Zantippe's talents had enforced so well: Ah! if that language from thy heart arise, Breath it less gently forth—and veil thine eyes. Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried To cure his love—was cured of all beside— His follie—pride—and passion—for he died.

Lewis Carroll often wrote acrostics for the neighboring Liddell girls, Lorina, Alice, and Edith, like this one from Christmas of 1861:

Little maidens, when you look On this little story-book, Reading with attentive eye Its enticing history, Never think that hours of play Are your only HOLIDAY.

And that in a HOUSE of joy Lessons serve but to annoy: If in any HOUSE you find Children of a gentle mind, Each the others pleasing ever.

Each the others vexing never- Daily work and pastime daily In their order taking gaily- Then be very sure that they Have a life of HOLIDAY.

And in his famous book, Through the Looking-Glass, Carrol’s ending chapter "A Boat, Beneath A Sunny Sky" is also an acrostic, featuring the full name of his main character’s namesake: Alice Pleasance Liddell.

A boat, beneath a sunny sky Lingering onward dreamily In an evening of July - Children three that nestle near, Eager eye and willing ear, Pleased a simple tale to hear - Long has paled that sunny sky: Echoes fade and memories die: Autumn frosts have slain July. Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies Never seen by waking eyes. Children yet, the tale to hear, Eager eye and willing ear, Lovingly shall nestle near. In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream - Lingering in the golden gleam - Life, what is it but a dream?

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[tridentkickflipper123]

Hi triad i just felt like letting you know this:

Finding you(and @/jaggybot3000) in my activity like twice shocked me becuz i love your/yalls arts so so much like youre also one of my biggest inspirations in this fandom dkdjjsjdjs. Really i love your artstyle, its so scrumptious to look at.

Im also gonna take this an opportunity to ask,,, do you have a cccc lore planned out in your head/written? Idk if this has been asked before—if it did i havent seen it... just curious, i like seeing different people's interps

hi hi!!! this honestly means so much <:} thank you!!! you're a very talented artist and you deserve to have your art seen, I'm happy to be able to share it ^_^ keep up the great work!!! (also Jaggy mention yesss. I love Jaggy's art too YAY)

also I do, in a way! I don't post about it as much since I like to express it through art instead… and I haven't been able to draw as much lately due to lack of time :'D and I also don't want people to confuse it with my personal interpretation of the album or my analyses of the album itself… I try to keep my personal 'verse' of the album (aka how I lay out the 'lore' into an actual more tangible storyline in my head) and my personal interpretation of the album (aka what I think the album is trying to say) separate… I try not to conflate the two, though my interpretation of the album does inform my verse, but not the other way around. I hope that makes sense :P

I don't have eeeverything figured out as far as events go, so I'm not going to mention every story beat, however I will mention certain stray concepts for some major events. I'll talk about it more under the cut for anyone who's curious ^_^ (WARNING: huge walls of text)

so first thing, in my personal 'verse' the story isn't a literal timeloop… (sorry timeloop fans). however it still is very much a 'cycle' of sorts. since the album's message of mental health being a cycle in itself with its ups and downs is extremely meaningful (and a core theme really) so while I don't see it a literal timeloop, I do incorporate it in a slightly different way!

one thing I'd like to explain, is that a few of the story beats / events only have happened once, rather than them being something that repeats every cycle. this is the case for my interpretation of the shot in RoE (different from the song RoE in the album… I'll explain in a minute) and Heart blinding himself. while some other story beats (pretty much the rest of cacophony) do happen every cycle, but they never happen in the exact same way. there's some variation here and there. some events happen earlier or sometime later, sometimes cacophony lasts slightly longer or slightly shorter… etc etc. also HMS generally remember the previous cycles.

so I'd like to start with the shot in RoE first. I actually think the shot happened before all the other events in the album. (this is due to the line in Mucka Blucka – 'but when he finally shot at me, lines once solid were blurred') and while I don't consider it the source of the dissonance itself (I imagine the dissonance started brewing even earlier, which slowly leads up to the shot) I do think it's the cause of the actual split / HMS seeing eachother as distinct parts rather than one single person. I don't talk about it a lot, but I do think of the shot as an actual suicide attempt rather than a literal attack. (I mean… it's very much what Mucka Blucka implies, after all) BUT, I do think that each of HMS remember the shot differently. Mind, of course, remembers it as an actual murder attempt on him, with Heart as the aggressor Heart remembers it as something done in self-defense, with Mind as the initial aggressor only Soul remembers it for what it actually was (a suicide attempt) I see it this way because I think the ensuing miscommunication would give some sense to each character being like that... they wouldn't be able to make peace with what happened until concord, where they're able to forgive eachother / themselves, only for the lingering, resentful feelings to spring up during cacophony again.

(also this should be obvious by now but of course this isn't me assuming anything about CJ's life or anything. this is me taking what's said in the album itself to form a fictionalized story in my head. I do very much hope this is straight up obvious, but I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea or anything… orz...)

and of course after the shot, the cycle of calamity/cacophony/concord that we already familiar with begins. I always think that, once they re-split at the beginning of each cycle, the ensuing cacophony starts gradually, since Never Meant to Know and Spring and a Storm feel a lot like a 'calm before the storm' kind of thing to me, while cacophony peaks at TME/TSE/The Bidding.

now, as for the aforementioned repeating events...

I really really like to think of Spring and a Storm (and subsequently, Storm and a Spring) as something that happens each cycle... I imagine during Spring and a Storm, Soul goes outside and sits on a grassy hill somewhere until it starts to rain. Soul remains there, until Mind comes looking for him to bring him back home. I always imagine it's Mind specifically due to the existence of StaaS. in my head I've played around a lot with the idea of them having a chat under the rain, until Mind finally convinces him to come back inside. (I even have an unfinished comic about it... the unfinished comics curse...) I do imagine the talks they have during it are different in each cycle, but usually they tend to be Soul trying to remain optimistic despite him knowing what's coming, and Mind not really understanding why he's optimistic, completely unable to see things the way Soul does. <- this train of thought will come back once I get to StaaS in a bit lol

as for RoE, since I imagine the shot is something that has already happened a long time ago, what I think happens in RoE (as in, the actual song) is Mind and Heart remembering said incident, and being stuck in that mindset where they feel like they're reliving it all over again. I imagine the shot would have been very traumatic for them both (and Soul too, of course), so it'd make sense to me if the memory of it comes back to haunt them every cycle whenever tension starts up again. I think of the lyrics themselves as sort of the difference of how they cope about it? with Heart excusing himself and trying to make sense of the consequences he has (or, had) to face. while Mind... well, Mind is being Mind about it. he laughs about it as if it doesn't affect him at all, yet is adamant about how Heart should be facing the consequences for what he did. still, despite the differing attitudes from them both, I do think it would affect them both negatively equally.

after that follows Apathy, which I have a very specific perspective of (I actually have so many comic ideas regarding Apathy but... I hate drawing comics... :'D)

I don't really see Apathy as a literal hole that Heart falls into (though the imagery of unknowingly digging your own grave really is so cool… sighs…). instead I really like the concept of Apathy taking place in what would be Heart's room. usually just a normal, albeit messy room; but the moment Apathy starts, it becomes this long, dark, completely pitch black tunnel with seemingly no end. I have the idea of Soul going in to look for Heart, despite knowing how easy it would be to get lost in there. a majority of the time in results in nothing really, as even when he does find him, Heart is completely unmoving and non-cooperative with him. Soul tries his best to get him out of Apathy, but Heart doesn't really care about what happens to him at that point, and completely dismisses Soul. and even if Soul tries to physically drag him out it just makes matters worse. eventually, Soul stops going in to look for him. Mind tends to have an easier time traversing through Apathy – his light clearing up the darkness around him. but of course, Heart isn't really ever happy to see him, and if he's already uncooperative with Soul then he's even worse with Mind, who's way of helping things is really just berating and verbally lashing out at him until Heart does something. (which of course, makes Heart want to cooperate with him even less.)

(also fun fact, this post is meant to imply they're both physically in Apathy, hence the pitch black background and white light around Mind's head. yayyy)

I imagine Heart starts to get out of Apathy around Storm and a Spring; its effects would still linger on him of course, but he's far more responsive than he was before. he goes outside for once, where it's raining and Mind joins him, and they have a conversation that mirrors whichever conversation Soul and Mind had earlier in the cycle. however, Mind twists Soul's overall hopeful words into another chance to berate Heart. that being said, considering Mind's breakdown at the end of StaaS, I imagine he doesn't quite 'win' at the end of their ensuing conversation. which would lead to Mind deciding to just dismiss Heart in TME.

... admittedly I haven't figured out how I'd lay out the next story beats... so that's all I can mention for now! :'D I will say I always imagine it's during TME / TSE where the conceptuals come into play, but that's not a hard rule by any means and just a concept I like to play around with sometimes, haha. I do have a bigger post planned regarding my conceptual and semi-conceptual designs that I just haven't gotten around to finishing due to lack of time :'D but they do play a pretty big role in how cacophony plays out in my verse!

also sort of a late addendum, but I really like the idea of the first cycle being vastly different from each subsequent one... (it's also the cycle where I think Heart blinds himself, the effect of it lasting each subsequent cycle). I imagine that, due to the shot having practically just happened, tensions are very high and as a result they treat eachother differently compared to later cycles, most noticeable with Heart and Mind towards Soul. buuut I may just make a different post exploring that concept because I have... a lot of thoughts regarding it... and this post is long enough as it is, haha. I'm also attached to the idea of HMS becoming closer as the cycles go on rather than growing distant. I feel at first they feel like they don't really know eachother... seeing eachother as almost like strangers stuck in their own body, and then, after so many cycles, they feel they know eachother a lot better and generally feel safer around the other, especially when closer to concord. and while it's never perfect, they can maybe manage to reach harmony and stability easier compared to earlier cycles, perhaps as a sign of healing after such a long time... yaaay <- if it wasn't obvious by now the overall message of healing in the album is super important to me. it's the reason I love concord art so much <:}

so yeah I think that's all I can mention about for now as I haven't figured out everything haha. apologies that this is super long-winded (and perhaps confusing?). a lot of this is subject to change since my interpretations are never set in stone, I prefer to let my interpretation change freely as I notice more details in the album and such and explore different possibilities on what certain things mean :} I think it's fun doing it that way!

(oh and thank you for asking! this was super fun to answer as I don't get many chances to talk about this stuff LOL)

[evilspamtonology]

DELTARUNE & UNDERTALE OST leitmotif connections

Like it says on the tin, im just trying to find some leitmotif connections that are easy to overlook/aren't as apparent. Im not at all versed in music, but id love to see someone who is do a deep dive about these

GASTER-RELATED

The following all have connections to Gaster's Theme through the use of His leitmotif. Some might be accidental, because it's a very very simple phrase:

ANOTHER HIM

Darkness Falls

April 2012 (this one really hurts my ears and i finally realized why -- it sounds like its got Meat Factory sounds in it)

Scarlet Forest

Man (not in OST. Song in the egg rooms)

Chapters 3, 4 variations of Man

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

These all seem to only play when there's danger, moreso than just Evil Flowey Theme. Seems like the shared UTDR leitmotif for "this is scary and dangerous":

The use in Undertale is well documented but add all them to this list

The Door * (partial)

Basement * (partial)

Imminent Death

Digital roots

BIT ROOTS

Mysterious Ringing

12am

Dark Place (interestingly, this song is a reprise of The Dark Truth, but incorporates the worst nightmare key notes in it)

FREEDOM Motif

Self explanatory. Every song with the motif, which surprisingly does not include anything in chapter 3, apparently?

The Circus

THE WORLD REVOLVING

Dialtone

BIG SHOT

Hammer of Justice

Air Waves (this is basically a cool remix of NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A with freedom added in. Genuinely wonder what it's doing here)

Now, Black Knife doesn't feature this motif like, at all, but interestingly it IS a reprise of The Door. The other motifs in this song are very familiar to me too but I simply can't figure them out

Other connections i found cool

Glowing Snow has the same melody as the Uwa! So [blank] songs from Undertale

NORTHERNLIGHT shares a melody with Flashback (excerpt)

BURNING EYES references Battle Against a True Hero (which also appears in Hammer of Justice)

A DARK ZONE is a very fun call back to Spooktunes and Ghost Fight :)

BIG SHOT has Dummy!!'s leitmotif in the final few phrases. Like im not crazy it Is there

All the Gerson related songs have Waterfall's leitmotif. For Undyne in undertale, it makes sense, but this being one of the few actual callbacks to undertale makes me think a bit. Gerson as a whole def deserves a big post on his own.

[unforgivable-thatswhatiam]

Somebody to love

"Crowley had lost Aziraphale, and the world was ending in a few hours. He was in Hell's bad books. Not that Hell has any other kind."

In the scene, we see Crowley making a dramatic exit, like a great tragic - queer - hero from the bookshop, magically slamming shut the doors of his sanctuary of love, a place where he would ever return, nor Aziraphale, now gone (or so he believes). He pauses for a moment, takes off his glasses — scorched by fire — and lets them fall, clarifying to himself that he’s not doing it because he’s a demon (the demons has killed is love): “I shouldn't litter, should I? I mean, I probably should litter, I'm a demon after all, but nobody's really keeping score any more.”

Now that Aziraphale is gone and the end of the world is near, nobody's really keeping score any more.

There's no point in pretending to be a “good” demon, now – he’d done that just to stay close to Aziraphale without danger.

Without him, there's no point in dreaming of escape to Alpha Centauri (A+C ❤️), even if the risk is now inevitable. There's no more reason to fight for a better life.

Without him, the very possibility of a better existence — of any life at all — is gone.

And like people who have nothing left to hope for, Crowley lets himself go, just like his glasses: he wants to lose himself, to lose consciousness, and perhaps to feel a little less of the pain of losing his angel — as he waits for the end of the world, for the Earth, and for himself.

But before we see him drown himself in entire bottles of Talisker, it's the Bentley that offers us a glimpse into Crowley’s subconscious* — even more layered than it first appears. Just like she did when Crowley believed he could save Aziraphale, she chooses a song.

* As with You’re My Best Friend, we don’t know whether it’s a Queen song Crowley likes, or if it’s only the Bentley’s choice. But she is an extension of his personality — and in the series, at least, it serves as a window into Crowley’s mind. So it seems she picks the song that best fits what’s going through the demon’s head at that moment.

The song in question is Somebody to Love. In the scene, we only hear the outro, repeating variations on the theme: (Can anybody) find me somebody to love?

We know that Crowley isn’t going out in search of someone to replace Aziraphale, though. So why this song?

It’s not the usual Queen-style classic rock, but a piece of rock gospel, inspired by Freddie Mercury’s deep admiration for Aretha Franklin. The term gospel itself refers to the word of God (see the Gospels), and the genre is rooted in Christian faith, with songs of explicitly religious inspiration. So Somebody to Love, despite the title, isn’t indeed a love song: it deals with people themes — despair, faith, the search for one's soul, and the basic human need to love and be loved. Starting to sound like someone we know?

Looking at the lyrics more closely might help us make more sense of it 😇

[Intro] Can anybody find me Somebody to love?

The intro, sung a cappella by Freddie Mercury, highlights the need to find somebody to love. The tone — both hopeful and uncertain — reveals a deep fear of failing to do so. The line is also ambivalent: it can mean too “Can someone find me somebody to love (= can someone find me worthy of being loved)? In GO this is no longer possible. Crowley had someone who loved him, who saw him as worthy of love. No one else ever will.

[Verse 1] Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little Can barely stand on my feet Take a look at yourself in the mirror and cry Take a look in the mirror and cry Lord, what you're doing to me? (Yeah, yeah) I have spent all my years in believin' you But I just can't get no relief, Lord

[Chorus] (…) [Verse 2] I work hard (He works hard) every day of my life I work 'till I ache my bones At the end (At the end of the day) I take home My hard-earned pay all on my own (Goes home, goes home on his own) I get down (Down) on my knees (Knees) and I start to pray (Praise the Lord) 'Till the tears run down from my eyes, Lord

The protagonist of the song is a grand, tragic romantic and everyday hero: he does everything he’s supposed to, even when it’s too much for him — and each day, he dies a little. He’s exhausted, wounded, depressed. Barely holding himself together. He can’t even look in the mirror without crying. He’s frustrated, because he’s always believed in God, always prayed Him — but finds no relief. What is God doing to him?

“The God who claims to love you, who demands your praise…”

It could certainly be Crowley: he was a good angel, did everything he was asked, and was cast down to Hell, into "a pool of boiling sulphur", for his associations (with other angels!), a bit of critical thinking, and asking questions.

Even then, he always did his duty, trying not to truly harm anyone (only to irritate humans). He continued to speak with God, praise Her, pray to Her, and seek comfort, but never received a response.

He’s desperate because he’s made unforgivable for something that shouldn’t even need to be forgiven. Because he couldn’t live freely the one thing that made him happy, and he couldn’t protect his love. And God, who had already taken away his innocence and happiness as an angel, took it from him again.

And he cries — hidden behind his sunglasses, so no one can see — just as he does in the car, on the way to the bar.

A note: in the Judeo-Christian faith, being good and doing everything God asks — in the Old Testament, a not necessarily good or just God — is not a guarantee of receiving favorable or even good treatment (see Job). But Freddie Mercury was Zoroastrian. The creator he believed in, Ahura Mazda, represents the good and demands goodness (good thoughts, good words, good deeds) to win the cosmic battle against evil, represented by the spirit Ahriman, with the promise of a happy life both in this world and in the afterlife.

[Chorus] (…) [Bridge] (He works hard) everyday (Everyday) I try and I try and I try But everybody wants to put me down They say I'm going crazy They say I got a lot of water in my brain I got no common sense (He's got) I got nobody left to believe No, no, no, no

The narrator feels frustration even in the environment around him: no one respects him, everyone brings him down, they think he’s crazy. And he has no one to believe in, no one to love.

Without Aziraphale, what does Crowley have left? The first verse makes me think of when Crowley was explaining his plan on the M25 to the demons at headquarters. No one in Hell has imagination, the demons don’t understand him, they think he’s “gone native" or crazy (he doesn’t have their "common sense"). The angels hate him, and they’re boring and snooty, bees. Without Aziraphale, what can he believe in? What’s left for him?

[Guitar solo] [Chorus] (Ooh, ooh, ooh, Lord)

(…) [Verse 3] Got no feel, I got no rhythm I just keep losing my beat (You just keep losing and losing) I'm okay, I'm alright (He's alright, he's alright) I ain't gonna face no defeat (Yeah, yeah) I just gotta get out of this prison cell (One day) Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord

[Outro] Find me somebody to love (...) Can anybody find me Somebody to love? (...) Find me, find me, find me, find me

After a new invocation to God, we see that the sad and depressed hero of the song feels inadequate, lacking sensitivity ("don’t you feel it?... Flashes of love") and rhythm. He keeps losing.

But this is a Queen song: there’s still hope! No matter how depressed and convinced he is of having many limitations, against all evidence, the narrator’s pessimism turns into determination. One day, he will free himself from this prison, from this unhappy life. With true love.

Even Crowley feels inadequate, as we see many times, though he pretends to have self-esteem and confidence he doesn’t really possess.

He has lost so many times to be able to be optimistic, to be aware of his own abilities: Aziraphale is the only one who has healed his wounds, who truly knows him, who believes in him and convinces him that he can do things he never thought possible. And he has lost him.

In this scene, in my opinion, the choice of the song is meant to convey Crowley’s despair and depression, whose determination lies in the fact that he will free himself from this life, which, without Aziraphale, has become a prison with no way out. And he awaits that moment with the last pleasure he has left: alcohol.

Then the outro comes, where the main vocals and the chorus seem to slowly fall asleep, exhausted from having fully opened themselves to the audience. And indeed, Crowley puts on his new "protective" sunglasses over the last "love" sung by Freddie Mercury, followed by -bodies, closing both the song and the scene.

However, the choice of this song for us, the audience, also offers another interpretation: we know that the song is optimistic, and the hero will do everything to find his "someone to love". And just a few minutes later, he will discover that it is still possible 💞

[veilody]

🧊 POPSICLE BEACH OPEN COLLAB! 🧊

I had so much joy seeing you guys participate in the last Collab that I went ahead and prepared a new one~ SUMMER THEMED!

Since I saw that last time my file was a bit big and caused troubles, I added a PSD that is downsized!

It'd be cool if your entry was also for the PTJ-verse but honestly? You can also put in your babes from any other source - like any anime, manwha, book or game. Let's just vibe~

[ OC MASTERLIST ]

Rules, Atmo Guide, Links below cut!

You may!

Use the bases I created for this collab. You can also edit the bodies as you prefer~ I made different variations but you can still add your own flair :3c

Or Make your own pose.

Make another Vin Jin (Lookism) entry, the more, the merrier~

PING ME WHEN YOU'RE DONE! PLEASE LET ME SEE YOUR PART <3

Use the Atmo guide I added (preview picture down) or make up your own vibe! :3

Change the height for the character in your part! For ref: Otsuyu is 152 cm / 4'98" ft

Sign your part! It's important!

Share the collab on other platforms! Just put in a link to me for X, FB and IG Ping me on BlueSky, Cara, DeviantArt or ToyHouse!

Please don't!

Use AI for your part. I'll block you and will have nothing nice to say about ya, if you do.

Change my part in any kind or form. Your entry may overlap with mine, that's fine. Just don't alienate my part.

Claim the entire piece as your own.

Use the free bases to make money out of it.

Don't make hate-art in any kind of way.

Atmo Guide! Use if you want <3

Download:

[poppitron360]

Hi I saw you said you’d like to infodump abt music theory and such of epic the musical? what are your thoughts on Antinous

I thought it’d be best to wait until after the Ithaca saga release to answer this and boy was I right because BOY was Hold Them Down such an interesting song musically.

Trigger warning I will be talking about that verse (the one with allusions to SA). While the music theory behind it is fascinating it deals with some dark themes and if you’re not comfortable with that then maybe skip this analysis. If you’re still interested you can read my other Epic analysises…sies though! So far I’ve done (Scylla, Charybdis, and Wouldn’t you like)

I hate Antinous as much as the next winion but “Hold them down” musically just perfectly captured the atmosphere of the topic it’s singing about. It’s just so… creepy. I talked about how much “Scylla” creeps me out as a song, but this takes it to a whole new level, and there are specific ways Jorge does this in the melody.

So I was re-listening to the song the other day and the thing that caught my ear were the melodic differences and the contrast between chorus 1+2 (“Hold us down” and “Hold him down”) and chorus 3 (“Hold her down”- that bit), and how Jorge accentuates just how horrible it is by making a few subtle changes. I’ll mostly talk about the melody here, not the instrumentation or the dynamics or anything else because otherwise there will be just too much to talk about and I don’t particularly want to listen to this song more than I have to, no matter how hard it goes.

Chorus 1

Here is the sheet music for the first chorus (It’s the same melody as the second chorus). Quick disclaimer but I transcribed this myself by ear so it might not be the most accurate idk.

A few things we can talk about here.

- “Where in the hell is our pride and our rage?1”- is sung in a conjunct melody line “spiralling” upwards (It’s the same pattern as the “here in the root of this flower” bit from “wouldn’t you like”, only reversed, going up instead of down- but I’m pretty sure this time we can chalk that up to coincidence. It’s a pretty standard melodic pattern.)

- It’s also sung in triplets, which, in terms of the motivic language in Epic, symbolise ruthlessness. Antinous is definitely being ruthless here.

- Notice how each line that Antinous sings and each “Hold us down” is slightly different each time (this is called melodic variation). This provides movement and interest in the melody.

- The first time “hold us down” sung, it goes from the D up a whole tone to the E

- The next time it’s sung, it goes from the D to the E flat. Now it’s only going up a semitone, and interestingly E flat is not part of the scale of the key we’re in (E minor). This gives an atonal, dissonant feel (something I talked a shit tonne about about in my “Wouldn’t you like” analysis), which in this case adds to the horror vibes and makes your blood run cold.

- The fact that “Them down” is originally sung on the E and then the E flat means it’s going down in pitch each time, which creates a sense of sinking, falling. The suitors are going deeper into their evil schemes.

- Then there’s quite a disjunct leap from D to the G, and then “down” is melismatically split into two (a melisma is when one syllable is played across several notes)- so the melody leaps up and then descends a semitone at a time.

Chorus 2

Now check this out:

- Every “Hold her down” is exactly the same. D on “Hold” and then going up to E on “her down”.

- All of Antinous’ solo lines are similar as well, all following that same “G-G-A-G-G♭-E” with some variation but way less than the first verse. This adds a lot to the creep factor of this scene.

- Unlike in the previous choruses, this melody is static, unmoving. It allows the listener to just sit there in the horror of the lyrics. There’s nothing distracting you from it. It’s really eerie- like a liminal space of music. The stillness almost reflects the listener standing in shock of what they’re hearing.

- I know I said I wouldn’t talk about instrumentation but notice how the backing track COMPLETELY cuts out at the start of this chorus, and then it’s just some simple chords on some strings and then a high violin playing this descending line (and strings are Penelope’s instrument 😳)- this REALLY draws your attention to the lyrics and just puts you in that still, static state.

- This is the cruelest, most vile form of the suitors. The melody is staying on the E and not moving down like it should because there’s literally nowhere more evil they can go.

- We’re also in the consonant E and not using the dissonant E flat that I mentioned earlier. We’d expect something atonal for such a blood curdling verse, and this slight subversion of expectation makes it somehow even more unsettling. It also adds to the feeling of stasis- you’re not swaying from the E minor key, this is right where the suitors are comfortably staying.

- It’s the melody from what is supposed to be only the first “hold them down”. We’ve come to expect it to go down in pitch, so it’s really jarring how it’s not doing that.

- I’ve talked a lot about melodic repetition in my “Wouldn’t you like” analysis. Because in this verse the melody repeats and hardly changes, it has a pounding, relentless feel to it. It adds to the creepiness.

It’s not stopping.

And it’s just… staying there. Held there. You feel trapped, like Penelope. The melody is almost holding you down.

And because the verses before it don’t do this, this verse stands out in particular.

Then at the end, where it’s just “hold them down, hold them down, hold them down, hold them down” in the same melody, building up to this huge climactic moment- it’s repeating over and over and over and driving itself ceaselessly into your brain.

And Aryon Alexander’s VOICE in that final moment of triumph. If you haven’t listened to his solo music stuff, you should.

I absolutely love songs that just creep you the fuck out and “Hold them down” is one of the most bone-chilling songs in Epic. It doesn’t lose its heaviness or weight even after several hundred listens, and Jay has done a fantastic job at capturing that feeling.

I didn’t have the energy to cover “Little Wolf” this time but lmk if you want to see me dive more into Antinous’ songs. If you want to know more about the music theory behind Epic, please send me an ask! I was thinking of starting some longer album reviews over on my music blog @theheartonmyt-shirt so if you have a music-related ask you can always send it through there as well. I don’t do much on there but I might put some more work into it if I ever get up off my ass and finish that album that’s been sitting in my hard drive for a year.

[cin-cant-donate-blood]

You're all using the word "leitmotif" wrong, by the way. A motif is a very short part of a song. It is not an entire song. If a whole song is associated with a character, that's a theme song.

Maybe I can explain by comparing musical compositions to books:

Most books have chapters, but only some very long books have parts. The equivalent of a part in literature is called a movement in music, and you mostly only get them in classical music. Each movement tends to be many minutes long, for instance the four movements of Beethoven's 9th are each about 15 minutes.

The much more common top-level division is the chapter, and its equivalent in music is a section. The most common types of section in pop music are the verse and chorus, but things like intro, outro, bridge and pre-chorus can also be sections. Sections tend to be at least 16 bars long (like, 20–40 seconds) but can be longer. A lot of them repeat subdivisions in a certain pattern, like AABA or AABB (the latter is sometimes analyzed as two sections, such as chorus and post-chorus).

The largest subdivision of a book chapter is a section (sometimes called a scene) which tends to be separated with a multi-line break. The equivalent in music is called a period or melody. The most common length for a period is one line, or 4 bars. If the song has lyrics, one period is usually one or two lines in the lyrics, too.

Finally, sections in books are subdivided into paragraphs, which are groupings of sentences that deal with one and the same thought. You can keep dividing, of course, into sentences, phrases, words, morphemes, and finally graphemes (individual characters) but since most songs are shorter than books we won't need those for our comparison. The equivalent of a paragraph is a motif, also called a figure. This is a short, recognizable musical idea, maybe as little as two or three notes, rarely more than seven (unless there's, like, a fast but simple pattern like an arpeggio or glissando). It is almost never more than 2 bars long (3–6 seconds), and often shorter. Keep that in mind: motifs are shorter than a single line, and there tends to be 2–6 of them per line, though the more there are the more likely it is that some are repetitions or variants. You could say motifs tend to be 2–7 notes, but sometimes they go over and you could pissibly argue that they can be just one note, too, if it is a note that is given a lot of emphasis.

To simplify a bit, a full song that is given special prominence and meaning is called a theme song. Characters in movies might have theme songs, but concepts, emotions or ideas can, too. Often theme songs have a name with "theme" in them, like the Star Wars Theme or the Super Mario Theme.

Periods or sections can also be called themes, especially in classical music. The Ode to Joy is a section from the 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony, and it is a theme (often sung as 4 periods on the form AABA, but in the original piece it's actually 6 periods on the form AABABA). What makes it a theme is that the entire 4th movement repeats it over and over, with new instrumentation and small changes in style and rhythm, something called "theme and variation". Other themes might just be a single period, like the first 4 bars of the Star Wars Theme (yeah, a theme song might contain a theme, how annoying).

The equivalent to a theme for a motif is a leitmotif, which is a more reasonable spelling of the German word leitmotiv, which is pronounced in exactly the same way, because German. It means "lead motif" and, while similar, is used in a very different and more expansive way than a theme or theme song. Theme songs are very easy to use as "canned music". The exact same song recording can be played every time a certain character shows up, or a certain mood is expected. This is very common in movie music.

Leitmotifs are far more versatile (but demand more of the composer). Leitmotifs are supposed to show up again and again in the soundtrack, in different places and with different keys and instrumentations – something that themes can do too, as previously mentioned, but leitmotifs are even more versatile. Leitmotifs can be entangled with other leitmotifs, or played in reverse, and mixed and remixed and matched and rematched in a thousand different ways. They don't really work with the "canned music" concept; there needs to be something new going on all the time.

I understand why people often say "leitmotif" when they mean theme. If you hear that a leitmotif is a "repeated musical idea" and all you've ever seen or noticed is the far more common canned music approach, then that might be what you think a leitmotif is.

I hope I've shown that it means something else, and something more specific. Keep as a rule of thumb that it's like, 2–7 notes that come together as a single, musical phrase that is shorter than a line.

[rolandrockover]

Neighbours

I remember an old interview from around 1994 in which Gene chatted a little about his songwriting for the then untitled but frequently announced new studio album Carnival of Souls (1997), describing his brutalo contribution Hate as a kind of next door neighbour tune to the then fan favorite Unholy from Revenge (1992).

I can also vividly remember how that fired my imagination at the time and certainly didn't make the wait any easier. But to stick with Hate and Unholy and their relation, I would like to explore Gene's comparison a little today.

Hate begins somewhat unusually with the chorus directly after the main riff (1), which initially drives you through the meat grinder, but doesn't have much in common with Unholy. Though once you get to the verses and look at the guitar part, you immediately know what Gene must have meant in that interview. More and less, at the same time. Literally. By which I mean that part that sounds a little like Unholy's signature main riff, but only simplified, and delivered with such an intense punch that it makes the former sound like baroque pleasing strumming, slamming into the pit of your stomach like a fist and drilling through your guts like a saw. If I may say so.

And that was only the half of it, because furthermore I hear not one but two variations of the rhythm part of Unholy's monstrous intermezzo aka the Frankenstein Walk (2), and which evoke in me lively impressions of a certain aggressive primitivism that I see in slow motion before my mind's eye in the form of an angry, chest-thumping giant gorilla, both in threatening gestures before and victorious after a physical conflict, which of course triggers a further association of heightened brutality in me. Gene's vocal outburst of rage naturally does the rest.

In general, everything comes across a lot more distorted, slower and a whole lot more primal in the Hate definition, with Unholy as the starting point should say a lot. Raw power in a simple but cohesive framework, and even if the brilliance of the latter is missing, the song is called Hate, if I'm not mistaken. And that kinda suits.

*Original theme song of the soap opera Neighbors begins to play in the background.

Side Note:

(1) This frankly busy opening and main riff that came about through the collaboration with Scott Van Zen and wasn't written before 1995, according to Van Zen. So let's indulge in its background some other time.

(2) The one which doesn't really try to hide its roots to Led Zeppelin's Misty Mountain Hop.

Feel free to click on the highlighted links… or otherwise the gorilla will come out to play:

Hate (1997)

Unholy (1) (1992)

Unholy (2) (1992)

[penitentdruid]

@ayakoito sent: 46 for the Spotify meme for Lian! (any verse)

spotify wrapped has arrived. send me a number from 1-100 for a starter based on that song, or a lyric from it, or send a 🎁 for me to shuffle.

What It Cost, Bad Omens [Lyrics]

A man Conláed once thought he knew stood over him, surrounded by strangers. This was not the human bandit gang Aedan was once a part of. It was full of elves, styled like the wild things from the native mythology of their country. They were painted with blue, draped in leaves, covered in piercings and braids.

Upon Aedan's head sat the antlers of a red stag, while the others wore variations of the theme. They whispered in a language Conláed didn't understand and watched him like he was an intruder.

'You should not have come here, Lian... Or Conláed. That is your real name, isn't it?' Aedan's unrecognisable voice was eerily followed by whispers in the wind. 'False Prince?'

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Poetry Terminology

Alliteration. Close repetition of consonant sounds, especially initial consonant sounds.

Anapest. Foot consisting of 2 unstressed syllables followed by a stress.

Assonance. Close repetition of vowel sounds.

Blank verse. Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Caesura. A deliberate rhetorical, grammatical, or rhythmic pause, break, cut, turn, division, or pivot in poetry.

Chapbook. A small book of about 24-50 pages.

Consonance. Close repetition of consonant sounds--anywhere within the words.

Couplet. Stanza of 2 lines; often, a pair of rhymed lines.

Dactyl. Foot consisting of a stress followed by 2 unstressed syllables.

Decasyllable. Line consisting of 10 syllables.

Enjambment. Continuation of sense and rhythmic movement from one line to the next; also called a "run-on" line.

Envoi. A brief ending (usually to a ballade or sestina) no more than 4 lines long; summary.

Epigraph. A short verse, note, or quotation that appears at the beginning of a poem or section; usually presents an idea or theme on which the poem elaborates, or contributes background information not reflected in the poem itself.

Foot. Unit of measure in a metrical line of poetry.

Galleys. First typeset version of a poem, magazine, and/or book/chapbook.

Hendecasyllable. Line consisting of 11 syllables.

Hexameter. Line consisting of 6 metrical feet.

Honorarium. A token payment for published work.

Iamb. Foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stress.

Line. Basic unit of a poem; measured in feet if metrical.

Meter. The rhythmic measure of a line.

Octave. Stanza of 8 lines.

Octosyllable. Line consisting of 8 syllables.

Pentameter. Line consisting of 5 metrical feet. For instance, iambic pentameter equals 10 syllables (5 unstressed, 5 stressed).

Quatrain. Stanza of 4 lines.

Quintain. Stanza of 5 lines.

Refrain. A repeated line within a poem, similar to the chorus of a song.

Rhyme. Words that sound alike, especially words that end in the same sound.

Rhythm. The beat and movement of language (rise and fall, repetition and variation, change of pitch, mix of syllables, melody of words).

Septet. Stanza of 7 lines.

Sestet. Stanza of 6 lines.

Spondee. Foot consisting of 2 stressed syllables.

Stanza. Group of lines making up a single unit; like a paragraph in prose.

Strophe. Often used to mean "stanza"; also a stanza of irregular line lengths.

Tercet. Stanza or poem of 3 lines.

Tetrameter. Line consisting of 4 metrical feet.

Trochee. Foot consisting of a stress followed by an unstressed syllable.

Source ⚜ More: Word Lists ⚜ References for Poets

[nomsfaultau]

Philicide: Variations Upon A Theme Called Misguidance

Part Three: Philza's lament/Wilbur's verse. Theme and lyrics are here.

This was a first take cause I ran outta time but we ball