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ca-suffit · 2 months

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I hate having to say this because I know the importance of what you and everyone else is doing here but sometimes I wonder if always talking about races and defending Louis/Jacob on this aspects isn't doing him a disservice?

Let me explain,sometimes myself included when I find a group of fans so annoying that I end up hating their favs and I know that they find us annoying because we bring what they are refusing to see.

For example yesterday an artist has draw louis 4-5 tones much darker than his real complexion (mind you they had Armand complexion lighter than he is ,so they can do it) rightly a group of fans came upon him demanding accountability, everyone quoting etc...

Then I read another ''artist'' say,that's why she never does fan arts with Louis and I'm wondering how many think that way and that's probably why he is the lead with the least fan arts (non ship fan arts)

*English is not my native language*

hi and thank u for asking this! if u need clarification on anything I answer here bcuz of a language barrier just lmk in my inbox again, it's no problem.

also let me say first that anyone can give feedback on this. I'm not any authority on anything and I'm an anon account. I talk about topics objectively. It's always helpful to have insight from others who feel comfortable sharing more identifying racial info on themselves and giving opinions on this stuff.

ok so to the actual question

"Then I read another ''artist'' say,that's why she never does fan arts with Louis and I'm wondering how many think that way and that's probably why he is the lead with the least fan arts (non ship fan arts)"

the short answer to all of this is that....it's all an excuse.

how many artists of color draw white ppl every day and yet we never hear about a "struggle" from that side? there is one just the same but if ppl were louder about it, nobody would take it seriously. whiteness is "the norm." ppl would laugh anyone out of the room asking how it could be "hard" to depict a white person??

well. it's literally the same for anyone else. there is no excuse to be unable to do something like this. if an artist is unfamiliar with something then they practice to get better at it. I've known plenty of white artists who can draw ppl across racial identities and don't get feedback like this bcuz they work on improving and *listen* when these conversations come up with other artists. saying u can't draw a black man bcuz the "woke mob" might come for u is doubling down on being racist. not only are u saying it's not worth even *trying* to do the art, ur also saying all criticism makes u the victim and that's the most important part of all. "these conversations don't matter bcuz they make me feel bad and that's wrong :(" that's a typical white response to literally *anything* regarding race. that's a lot of why we're still here talking about this in every space. it's not only specific to white ppl either but usually that's the largest group saying stuff like this. white ppl don't have to think about race, so these convos easily get killed in even the most progressive spaces. a lot of times it makes white ppl feel racist to notice race at all and there's usually gonna be some person of color around to back up that "logic" and say it's "right." that's all it takes to shut it all down. that's a lot of what this fandom keeps doing too.

the only way to make progress is to normalize things more. ppl don't know how to draw different facial features, hair textures, skin tones? start practicing. look at art from black artists who draw black ppl and study how that looks. examine ur own antiblackness. learn about colorism. study the racist history of depicting black ppl in art so u don't accidentally recreate that unconsciously. know what the antiblack stereotypes are. the show literally gave us both in 2x7, ppl can even just go study *that.* a lot of ppl don't even know that is there, as blatant as it is.

this is why I said thank u for asking this bcuz it's an important thing to talk about. white fandom (a mindset, not a skin color) will use stuff like this to perpetuate the idea that talking about race *does* cause harm. it doesn't. it never will. it's the only way to make any progress. centering the feelings of an artist who doesn't want to bother drawing louis bcuz drawing black ppl is too hard / anxiety inducing is just straight up racism. idk specifically who this artist is or anything but this is stuff u see and then u stop supporting that artist. u don't coddle them about this either. it's a stupid, harmful thing to say. find artists who don't make those excuses and who can handle having these conversations, support them instead.

ppl should also always be looking for black artists in this fandom to support in the first place. none of the popular artists here are black and that's done intentionally by the fandom. everyone should feel bad about that tbh.

#asks #interview with the vampire #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #amc iwtv #iwtv 2022 #fandom racism #antiblackness #fan art #louis de pointe du lac #jacob anderson

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shadowxamyweek · 3 months

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Hey I know you don’t like the Archie sonic that much, and that is understandable, but I would implore you to at least read Sonic universe 59-62. It is fucking awesome, and you don’t have to read the rest of Archie to understand what is going on. It made me bow to the king.

Hey @sharkrad08222222! I didn't forget this ask, I just needed a day off to sit down and read XD

Honstly, I'm glad you sent this in. You're right- I'm not the biggest fan of Archie, but I've got to give credit where credit is due- Shadow Fall is a lot of fun. If anyone else would like to read it, you should check out this Applebees gift card. ( @biolizardboils I'm never gonna get over that joke XD)

So anyway, here's Shadow Fall

As an aside, I'm really glad that many of the original Archie Sonic crew were able to move over to jobs at IDW and stay on Sonic. I cannot imagine the horror of watching that whole... everything... happen. As someone who has been in a similar (abet still different) position within my own field, it's a genuine nightmare. Furthermore, the fact that many who made that move from Archie to IDW are still there, and that we haven't heard any ill-will from those who have since left/retired- maybe it's the optimist in me, but I want to believe that everyone's doing okay at IDW, and that's good.

Anyway, you didn't ask, but I decided to kinda make this *a thing.* So many people, myself included, sometimes squint at Archie/IDW and go eeeeeeeeh a lot. That does the entire story a disservice though. There's so much fun in these comics. Better yet, you can feel when the comic team is having fun, too. There's moments where the dialog or the art is just immaculate and you can tell that people were really excited about these parts. It's a joy to see.

So, I'm gonna talk about some of the joys I saw in this, or things I just really liked and kinda would like to see again.

1- Shadow and Team Dark's relation to G.U.N.

I like this. I like this a lot. I like Shadow not being afraid to be a snarky bitch, I like the fact that Shadow doesn't really enjoy working with G.U.N, I like the fact that G.U.N doesn't trust Shadow let alone the rest of Team Dark really. It's an alliance by necessity. Each member of Team Dark stays together because they WANT to stay together, but they only stay with G.U.N because, for one reason or another, they have deemed that their best possible option for now. There's a palpable tension that has a lot of history and can still be used in really fun ways like this. I deeply enjoy it.

Speaking of Team Dark-!

2- We Love a Bunch of Freaks

You're honor, that's a family. I love the dynamics. I love the trust and camaraderie and banter. I love the way they rely on one another and make sure to be there for one another. They took what is visible in the games and cranked it up to a 12, but it feels natural, especially when you take into consideration just how LONG these comics had gone on for. I talk about the history between Team Dark and G.U.N, but there is a history between Shadow, Rouge, and Omega as individual people too, let alone being a team under the thumb of a military force.

This is love right here, and I love it.

3- I Missed the Critter Smiling

Shadow smiles... so much in Archie. I love it. And for those of you who are confused and might think this is out of character, I point again to SA2. He smiles rather frequently in that game, even if it's a smile that says 'oh I'm going to enjoy beating your ass.' He also smiles a bit in Heros, Battle, Rivals, and SHtH05, though not as much.

4- The Art, Story, and OCs are Fun

The art is FUN! That first set of panels in particular- I love that. What a clever way to set that up! That's what I mean by you can feel that people were enjoying themselves working on this! Plus, this comic doesn't shy away from horror. I know we got that (beautifully done I might ad) in the Zombot arc, Scrapnik Island spinoff, and Dr. Starline with Surge and Kit. Like, whoever liked horror and had the inspiration for this stuff at Archie either made the transfer to IDW or heavily influenced some of the people on that team, because it's the same vibe. It's a classic, timeless sort of horror that I enjoy most, and it's very palpable here.

As an aside, they did a REALLY good job of making you like these new characters off the drop. I'm not saying I don't like the OCs of IDW (although I don't like Lanolin and, frankly, I don't think I'm SUPPOSE to like Lanolin. She's that perfect example of wanting more to be right than she does to help and I LOVE THAT because you get those people even in the best of causes but anyway). Eclipse though? As soon as that freak showed up on page and I read what he was saying, I loved the little gremlin. You feel for him, and for the Black Arms, which is excellent. They are still CLEARLY the bad guys- they don't HAVE to eat people, they CHOOSE to- but like... damn- you wish there was a way to make things right, and when you watch it all fall apart, you grieve a little. I'm sure if I read more of Archie I'd find more OC's I was meh about but it's just something I was thinking about as I kept going back and looking at Eclipse's body language and facial expressions. Like- look at this bugger-

He lobbied on Shadow's behalf for Black Death to NOT kill him because he so desperately wanted a 'big brother' who could join his 'family' and meet all the new babies and everything. He wanted so badly for Shadow to like him and like being with the Black Arms and make a new life and lkajsdfl;jasd augh....

5- Shadow feels like Shadow

Oh fuck yes.

Mind you, there are other times in Archie where the characters DON'T feel like a natural progression of their game counterparts. I've seen and read moments where Archie Shadow feels very... wrong... but in this? You're 100% right. They are VERY themself in this and it's a treat, a little hard candy for the soul to suck on. I am delighted.

6- It's The Little Things

Maybe it's just because I get the volumes and not the individual comics, but I don't see the fanart submissions or the Q&As. You use to find those sorts of things in all kinds of publications. I remember when I was getting my first game magazines in the mail, there would be stuff like that. It was always fun to page through.

I would adore if they brought those back, but I can also see why they wouldn't. While I think the fandom has gotten much more relaxed in some ways, in others, it's still nutty and weird and, frankly, a little terrible sometimes, but maybe that's just all fandoms. I dunno.

Anyway, it was nice to see that sort of stuff again. I missed it <3

So yeah, this was a lot of fun to read

Thanks again for the recommendation. I deeply enjoyed it.

It's wild too, because there are so many people who are now a part of Sonic's comic history that I remember on here just... goofing off. @bumblekast's Ian Flynn went from working as a writer at Archie to being a head writer at IDW, but I remember reading random posts of theirs online. @chibijenhen and @spiritsonic I remember being on Deviantart and following them. I remember finding bits and pieces of @tysonhesse's work online. I just, all these people, kinda showing me that, if I wanted, I could give a shot at tossing my hat into that ring, too. I ended up going a different way career wise, but now, I'm seeing all these awesome people AGAIN in an online space I'm in and going, 'You know... maybe I can try this for real.'

I don't know. It's just... it's been giving me a lot of hope, and hope is nice, especially when you're stubborn enough to foster it and give it reason to grow.

Maybe one day, that'll be my name in the credits, if I work hard and I'm lucky.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, yeah? <3

#archie #shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #e 123 omega #shadow fall #op rambles #thoughts #sharkrad08222222

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sasquapossum · 17 days

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I've been part of a big discussion elsewhere about Rings of Power and the liberties they've taken with Tolkien's canon. As part of that, I posted this timeline (SA = Second Age, TA = Third Age).

To be clear, I don't particularly care about the timeline itself. I have never been one of those to say that nobody can change canon at all. In fact, I haven't seen anyone take that position. Here are some things that are fine with me, and AFAICT with most other hard-core Tolkien fans.

I welcome changes that improve representation of women (Arwen, Tauriel, Galadriel) or Black people (Arondir), gay people, whatever. Tolkien was a man of his time, but also a decent man. I believe that, had he lived longer, he might well have approved such changes or even made them himself.

I also don't mind if characters are omitted (Glorfindel and especially Tom Bombadil) or added (Adar) or given new names/identities (Halbrand, The Stranger) in ways that don't significantly affect the history of Middle Earth as already known.

I don't even mind some kinds of timeline changes. Should Elendil have been alive at the same time as Celebrimbor? Well, no, but it doesn't really matter.

What I do mind is changes that harm the narrative - either Tolkien's or their own or too often both. Some events have a cause-and-effect relationship, so reordering them leads to a nonsensical result. Some characters have thematically important natures, so putting them in situations contrary to that nature is also nonsensical. It's particularly crazy to be bringing in Third Age elements when the Second Age is already far too big and busy for a single series (what I consider to be RoP's "original sin" from which most others flow). Here are some more examples.

It doesn't make sense for Gandalf or Saruman to be in Middle Earth before the events that caused the Valar to send them (Sauron's Third Age rise in opposition to Arnor and Gondor).

Ditto for barrow wights in this time period (hinted at in teasers for episodes I haven't seen myself yet). The wights were canonically princes of Cardolan, reanimated and/or possessed by the Witch King of Angmar. Cardolan didn't even exist until the Third Age, and even in RoP's own timeline the Witch King doesn't (can't) exist yet, so again this makes no sense.

Portraying the Fall of Numenor before the creation of the rings is not only gratuitous (just an excuse for some CGI) but it's also going to make it very difficult to tell the full story - which BTW includes Sauron as a prisoner - later even in RoP's own timeline. I'd like to see that story, so that's a loss.

Having Tom Bombadil tutor Gandalf (also hinted at in spoilers) changes both characters into something else entirely. Gandalf was already thousands of years old and should need no such tutoring; his amnesia was already an unnecessary creation within RoP. Tom, to the extent that he's anything more than a last vestige of the Hobbit writing style, is an enigma intentionally placing himself above and beyond such worldly concerns. He is almost the anti-Istari so having him help one is just silly.

By making these changes, and many more, the RoP folks have made a muddled mess. It's the same mistake David Lynch made in his 1984 version of Dune, which was widely and rightly panned for ham-fistedly trying to cram much into too small a space. Amazon's changes not only do a disservice to Tolkien's canon, but they're degrading their own as well.

Another thing that infuriates me about this is the hypocrisy of the Tolkien estate. For decades, Christopher (Rot In Piss) and his successors have ruthlessly quashed any retelling of stories in Tolkien's world. I used to play LotR Online, which suffered under this yoke for years. I'm aware of multiple fanfic authors who were legally threatened for having dared to mention one thing in that canon. Then the estate turns around and approves a project that puts the entire history of Middle Earth in a blender? No, I do not accept such double standards. This is all a huge money grab, pure and simple.

I know that other people would draw the lines differently than I do. They would accept things that I don't, and vice versa. That's all fine. Live and let live, as I always say. I'm watching and enjoying the series, just as I have enjoyed others (e.g. Wheel of Time) that are inspired by Tolkien but not set in his world. But I also think I should be allowed to notice and have my own opinions about those things too. Apparently the RoP stans disagree. Literally all of the gatekeeping and all of the vitriol in these discussions have come from that direction. Even the worst Tolkien purists I've ever met accept that he had his flaws as a writer, and that adaptation to a new medium in a new time means some changes. They're not the problem; it's the people who think RoP takes precedence over Tolkien's own vision who are the problem.

#rings of power #lord of the rings #tolkien #long post

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silver-heller · 6 months

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On Navigating AO3

I've gotten what feels like the millionth comment about two issues, in particular, from people who are just starting to read on Ao3 but don't actually know how to navigate the site.

So, and know I am saying this with affection...

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, READ FIC INFORMATION! AND GO TO AUTHOR PAGES, I AM BEGGING YOU!

To start off, this box is the first thing on the page when you open a fic, and it feels like so many new users just skip over it despite its importance:

This lets you know the fic's age rating, archive warnings, the types of relationships within the fic, the fandom, the relationships, the characters, additional tags, language, if it's a part of a series or not, and the stats. You are doing fics a disservice by reading them without this information.

PS: & is for platonic and / is for romantic.

However, Ao3 sometimes misrepresents what part of a series a fic is in, so I am begging people to please just click into a series if they feel they are missing some context.

Ao3 is littered with spaces for information, so don't think we're finished just yet. Below the title is the summary (fic description) and note area which will include the beginning notes or will let you know if there are notes at the bottom of the fic (both written by the author), all of which can give extra context:

Also, at the bottom of a fic that is a part of a series, there are two links, one to the previous fic and another to the series. The part number is also more accurate. Please use them:

It drives me up the wall how "previous work" is right there, and so many people don't click on it but go to comment about how confused they are anyway.

I know no one means any harm but, as a fic writer, it is exhausting to have to deal with people complaining my fics "make no sense" when they put no effort into understanding the actual context, or sometimes anything about the fic.

Another thing that is exhausting? Getting comments that are the equivalent of "I really hope you write more for this fandom! I love how you write the characters, I wish I could read more of it from you," when I have multiple other fics for that fandom. So, let's look back at that fic title, shall we? Right below it is the author name, and it's a link:

If you want to see more works by that author, you can click on their author name (in this case, All_Nightmares_Start_As_Dreams) to look through their profile. One of the first things you will encounter is their fandom list and, by clicking on fandoms, you can see their other works for that fandom. On the list, it will also put how many fics they have for that fandom next to its name:

Yes, I do get this comment about Lackadaisy fics despite having written 147 of them lol.

Now, you might not be able to see someone's full catalogue of fics because they have some fics locked, meaning only registered users can view them. Personally? I have some of my fics locked for this reason. Guest commenters tend to not only not understand how to use the site, but ignore the information laid out in front of them. I have some series I am very dedicated to writing and, quite frankly, I do not have the energy to constantly explain to guest commenters the set of series I've raveled myself in lol. Please prove me wrong, start using your tools!

But also...please just register for an account. You can still keep using Ao3 as a guest while you wait to get your email with the invite, but at least, eventually, you will have an account. This will help you start using Ao3 more and understanding how it all works so you can more properly follow your favorite writers and save your favorite fics. You can even start posting for yourself, yay! It's free, and you'll get access to more fics, you have nothing to lose.

#ao3 #ao3 advice #archive of our own #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #ao3 stuff

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lizzybeth1986 · 1 year

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Skills vs Passions - What's the Difference?

(Read the rest of the "Hana Lee: A Study in Erasure" series here!)

Previous: China, Cordonia and "Home"

I had mentioned, way back in my first essay of this series, that descriptors used for Hana are vastly different from that of the other LIs. The three male LIs got descriptors that emphasized their personalities and loyalty to their loved ones.

Hana's descriptors, on the other hand, came down to two things - what the MC could be physically drawn to, and what the MC could use her for.

Hana can be dedicated, devoted, open minded, explorative. You don't have to look too far to see a consistent display of these qualities in Hana, throughout both series. Yet none of these words - nor the many others that could even slightly capture her personality - are used to describe her.

What the team views as appealing in Hana, boils down to two things. What the MC can find fuckable if Hana is a love interest, and what the MC can use her for if she isn't (though to be honest, even the MC that romances her still benefits disproportionately from her labour).

Her looks...and her skills.

Ironically, even with this lack of care and forethought, Hana's story still manages to retain some nuance when it comes to exploring the things she learned. They are not things she randomly became perfect at. Nor is the process of how she became good at those things, identical.

Most times, there is a story behind how she became that good at those activities, a process that Hana often worked and struggled towards, before she could be the "Jill of All Trades" of TRR.

Her journey to acquiring all of these skills is not the same. If we do not acknowledge the differences in those journeys, we are doing her story a grave disservice.

Acquired Skills.

(Note: In this section I will be leaving out Hana's more intuitive skills, such as stealth, cunning, deep research and resourcefulness, and focusing more on the ones she had to learn. This is because her intuitive skills fit better in a different essay that I will be working on soon)

There are several things the above screenshots share in common.

One is that they are all things Hana learned as a part of her training to become the perfect debutante, the perfect noblewoman, the perfect courtly wife, the perfect hostess. In the Cordonian Waltz scene in TRR1 Ch 7, Hana speaks of being pushed from an early age to learn all the courtly and social arts. She speaks of being "groomed [every day] to bring fame and fortune to my family", primarily because they were devastated she was not a boy and the only way she could possibly be of use to them was by acquiring these skills. These weren't just hobbies she was encouraged to cultivate - they were things she had to do well, do perfectly, whether she liked doing them or not.

Another - and perhaps easier to miss - similarity between all these pictures is Hana's expression in them. Neutral. Unmoved. Bored. None of these activities actually appeal to her, or are things she is happy doing.

We will find out later on, that that was exactly the point. In her parents' plan for Hana's life and future, Hana's own needs and identity are practically a non-factor.

One of Hana's major epiphanies about her childhood, is the recognition that what she wanted, should have mattered. That her needs deserved to be met just for being her needs, not because it served a purpose for anyone else. On more than one occasion Hana tells us that "enjoying myself never factored into my parents' expectations of me".

How damaging can this obsession with making your daughter the perfect noble wife - to the exclusion of any other possible life - be? Let's find out:

Hana isn't just expected to excel in skills that mean very little to her. She isn't just forced to prioritise - again and again and again - the enjoyment of others over her own. She isn't just made to consider the needs of some nebulous future husband, to the point where she cannot even ask herself what she wants.

Over and above all this, she is never allowed to be her authentic self. She is never even allowed to figure out what that authentic self would be. From an early age she is deprived of toys and pets and real consistent friendships, ensuring a complete isolation, ensuring she doesn't even have the opportunity to safely indulge in pretend play. (That she manages to scrape together whatever she can find to make her "toys" is only a testament to her own tenacity; she should never have been put in such a position in the first place). Her parents robbed her of those early, exploratory years.

She has been told how she must be and what she must do; she never has the freedom to decide whether that is something she is even comfortable being. In the context of this scene Hana may be using this skill to help another woman, but the fact remains that even in expressing her femininity, Hana is constantly expected to perform - as if her authentic self was never good enough.

It is no wonder then that the moment she finds herself no longer answerable to her parents, Hana fears that she will discover she's nothing more than a "collection of skills...with no one underneath". TRR3 shows Hana in a full-blown identity crisis once she is completely outside her parents' influence.

In her post "How Parents Fuel Identity Crises in Their Children" on the Good Therapy Blog, psychotherapist Beverly Amsel talks about the effects controlling parenting can have on a child's sense of self thus; "When a loving parent is so certain that he or she knows what is right for the child and does not consider that the child may have valid, different ideas about what he or she wants, needs, and feels, there is no space and no invitation for the child to develop the ability to express his or her own self with separate ideas, feelings, and needs. Over time, as the child grows to adulthood and is exposed to more ways of thinking about things, there is typically a good deal of confusion about identity, thoughts, and feelings. Unless there is an opportunity to develop a separate sense of self, there will likely be a lot of anxious thinking about what is real but little ability to think for oneself in a self-reflective way."

Fortunately for Hana, her time in Cordonia does seem to present those sort of opportunities. There are story threads in TRR3 that address this identity crisis. But does it culminate into something that benefits her, or only the people around her?

Things She Does For Those She Loves

Before we move into passions, it's important to acknowledge a category that toes the line between acquired skill and interest. These involve activities that she's not entirely passionate about, but still derives some enjoyment from doing.

Her enjoyment of these skills is usually less about the activity itself, and more dependent on her fondness for sharing or socializing through it. Despite her mostly-isolated childhood, Hana is by nature a very social person. She is enthusiastic (though initially a bit wary and fearful of rejection) about making friends, loves sharing her knowledge and skills, and does not hesitate to reach out even to people who don't treat her well and accommodation them into whatever she's doing (eg. every single time she included Olivia in something in TRR2). So it makes sense that there are certain things she enjoys doing because it involves her helping someone, or allows her to spend time with them, or helps her relive precious memories.

On some level, you see this with some of her skill scenes. Often a scene will end with Hana following up a confession about her lack of interest in a particular activity with a line about how sharing that knowledge makes her happy. But you also see this enjoyment in other contexts.

Another context where she truly enjoys doing things, is when they're of a competitive nature. She thrives on the thrill of outwitting opponents and friendly rivalries. A great example of this is the dance-off she does with Maxwell in TRR1 Ch 18, where she enjoys pitting her skills against Maxwell's so much that they both agree they'd be great as a dancing duo. You also see this whenever she's competing in games with her trusted friends. This is perhaps why you see at least a handful of sequences where she expresses an interest in sports.

But perhaps the activities she enjoys the most - that aren't for herself - are ones that have her share space with someone she loves and trusts. Cooking and baking rank high among these skills. Baking began as a domestic skill that would serve her well in a noble household, but she loves sampling batter/dough and practically glows on seeing the other person's enjoyment of her craft. Her creating her own recipe for hot chocolate is especially interesting because it's a skill that she values highly, and that she only shares with people very close to her.

Hana's interest in fashion design also has interesting origins. She is skilled in embroidery and knows fashion trends well, and has learned from her grandmother to make her own clothes. Of particular note is the black-red-gold qipao/cheongsam that was the last dress she ever made with her grandmother. Her attachment to the dress is so strong that she experiences intense distress when Lorelai threatens to take it from her in Valtoria. She also loves designing dresses for loved ones - for the MC herself, we see her conceptualize and design dresses at least twice (a traditional-inspired outfit in Shanghai which is appropriately titled "Hana's Heart", and a blue and white dress for their engagement photoshoot).

Through these examples we can see instances of Hana finding joy in things she didn't have as much interest in, just through the process of sharing that experience with someone else. It's great, on the one hand, because Hana is no longer alone and she gains a renewed perspective on something that came from a very painful part of her life.

On the other hand, "I find this more fun now that I'm doing it with you" comes with its own downsides. If you use it too often, you're in danger of using it as a copout that centers the person she is teaching rather than her own journey.

And if you're a writer that makes efforts for her story with great reluctance...such an explanation will rapidly change into an excuse to be lazy with that journey.

Passions

Among the many, many, many skills Hana was made to learn in the bid to make her the perfect debutante and the perfect noble wife...just a few rank as ones she does wholeheartedly, joyfully, passionately. But they are perhaps the most important.

After all, these are skills that Hana had honed for herself. They're meant for her consumption and her enjoyment, and she often shares them only with people she trusts.

Not only are these things, interests that she enjoys and lovingly cultivates...but she is also fiercely protective of them. She will not allow anyone - not even her parents - to turn something so personal into a public spectacle that she's uncomfortable with. This is most clearly seen when she tells us about rebelling against her parents for piano performances. At a very young age, Hana recognises the value of her music, and she pushes back against any attempts to cheapen it or turn it into some warped form of social currency. She takes ownership of her gift, and from that moment on anything she does with that talent is done on her own terms.

Like music, reading was a skill cultivated to make her an attractive prospect for noble matches - only for Hana to find pleasure in the act of reading herself. Here again, building a passion for reading allows her to rebel in her own unique way. She smuggles in books that she knows her parents will find either too frivolous or too objectionable - often by hiding the books, or modifying the purpose of the book to them so it would sound appropriate.

We must remember - this is a woman who still feels nervous breaking rules even a year after she has left her parents' home. It would take such a woman considerable amounts of imagination and courage, to be able to do what she did in an environment as restrictive as her's. For Hana to be able to do this, she must have really valued the joy that reading books had given her.

Flowers are an extremely important part of Hana's life. Symbolically, they are part of her mother's House Crest, and personally, she is someone who is naturally drawn to flowers. In TRR2 Ch 4, she confesses to devouring the words of The Language of Flowers, and knows the symbolic meaning of each one by heart. She can even make her own bouquets. During the Costume Gala in TRR3, she dresses up in a heavily floral gown as the Goddess of Spring.

One of the most captivating sequences that captures her love for flowers in the TRR2 Conservatory scene, where she takes the MC to see the spectacle of a night-blooming flower unfurling under the light of the moon. It is especially fascinating that her already latent passion for flowers grew further with the help of another passion - reading.

Another thing you will clearly notice about each of these "passions" is that when she speaks about them, she is expressive. Liam confirms this in his Diplomacy scene in TRR3, where he tells the MC that her passion always shows in her eyes.

The proof for what Liam says here is in every one of these scenes. In the scenes compiled under the "Acquired Skills" category, her expression rarely changes and her tone is indifferent. In contrast, we are exposed to a variety of moods when she talks of these things that she's so passionate about.

She seethes with anger at the memory of her parents forcing her to perform the piano to crowds, whispers conspiratorially about forbidden literature, loses herself in the scent of flowers. These are moments where Hana acknowledges her individual pleasures, and expresses pride over the way she guards them from people who will not respect what those things mean to her.

These are things she knows forwards and backwards, but not because she was forced to cultivate and perfect those talents. They're things she knows because when Hana Lee is truly interested in something, she will plunge herself into it, body and soul. These are things that gave her comfort at a time when she had no one, and they form the happiest memories she has had for her childhood so far.

These are passions that are so intricately a part of her that it is impossible for her to give them up. Not for her family, not for her friends, not for her wife - no one.

Conclusion

The base of Hana's story has always been rich with possibilities. There were various ways the writing team could have written it to benefit her story. At the hands of a skilled writer who loved the character for who she was rather than for what the MC could gain from her, the writing of these talents could have been used to further enrich Hana's journey and give her a chance to find herself. Unfortunately, the writing team at the helm of TRR were neither.

Over and over again, the writers used Hana's plethora of talents to make her useful to people, rather than turn the focus of that arc back on her. The MC learns these skills and goes up the ranks, the MC benefits from Hana's offers of help, the MC is the one who becomes a Duchess and Champion of the Realm. Even on a level of resolving her issues with her parents, the writers have her prove that she can still be useful to them without getting married to a man. In the eyes of her writers, her skills are still meant to make her useful to someone - just that the person at the center changes from her parents to the MC.

Because the MC is positioned as someone who "enlightens" Hana to how harmful her situation was, and because the narrative expects Hana to be forever grateful to her - the MC is allowed to use her and take credit for Hana's hard work (eg. The windmill move during the polo game) and get away with it.

When you put all this evidence together, and then go back to the descriptors I put up at the very beginning of this essay, you will see what the team's intention with her, always had been. To create a woman the MC could be attracted to, a woman whose skills the MC could use to advance her own interests...while still being viewed as her hero and saviour. Despite being one of the few people to get the most detailed account of her upbringing and struggles, the MC still chooses to view her in the most simplistic ways, still praises her for her skills and "perfection" rather than support her in any consistent way (more on this in other essays).

The fandom wasn't much better in this respect either. Lots of TRR fans still see no real distinction between the skills Hana had to struggle to learn, and the interests that made her truly happy. The writing team itself contributes to this inaccurate conflating of her interests and skills by having multiple characters label her 'perfect' over and over.

This results in a situation where those hard-earned skills and those moments of joy are conflated together, and spoken of like they are the same thing. But they are not. To speak of the two as if there were no difference, is to ignore completely the difficult, even disturbing, history behind how she acquired them.

The skills the MC grinningly labels her perfect for, are skills that emerged from a very traumatizing environment. Her joys - that many in this fandom so mockingly placed alongside the things she forced herself to do - were perhaps the only opportunities she had to take back her agency and claim something for her own.

To pretend that the two are one and the same is a gross misrepresentation of what was actually depicted in canon.

Next: "Perfect!Hana": Author Bias and the Importance of Framing (coming soon!)

#hana lee #hana lee: a study in erasure #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #HLAW Day 2 #HLAW Day 2: Skills vs Passions #lizzybeth1986 #content: meta

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shiraishi-kanade · 6 months

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@the-one-that-weeps tysm!! Glad to hear my 2+ years of being absolutely insane about this One particular character didn't go to waste

I'll admit I'm not immune to Angstkasa-ing An myself (especially in my own writing, staying in character is something I sorely need to work on (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠), but also I kinda fun to push characters to the extreme sometimes), but yeah the fandom's misconceptions of An are... Wild. Like with Tsukasa, and partially Emu, we don't need to make another Mafuyu out of An, because she's not that.

She's not constantly stressed about being left behind 24/7 and is only putting up a front - she's actually having the time of her fucking life having finally found a partner and a team and realizing nobody ever wanted to leave her behind and getting ready to finally achieve her dream. Like obviously she's not out of the waters yet, and because LUTF happened and the way it did, it will leave a mark on her mentally. But if you characterise An as someone who's actively and consciously lying to her teammates for... Whatever reason, you're doing a massive disservice to a very unique and interesting character.

And acting like she never had any issues beyond minor anxiety is wild too, because me personally I started reading Vivid Old Tale with "aw, baby An is so cute :D" and ended it with "oh yeah that's kind of parenting would mess up a child". Having a loving family doesn't necessarily a functional adult make, and An (and Kanade, and I could talk about their parallels for another three hours) is a textbook case of that.

With that said (I actually wanted to add this to the original post but I rather liked the note I ended it on, so it goes here, because I'm never shutting up about An), I do think her issues will catch up to her eventually. It's pretty obvious that the way she dealt with things before doesn't exactly work anymore and she needs to face everything instead of trying to push through it. That one scene in An's LUTF second side story where she attempts to "move forward" her way through Nagi's death the same day she found out and then crumbles like a card tower at the slightest gentlest reminder that it's okay to let yourself feel negative emotions is enough of the indicator of her coping mechanism don't handle it well anymore.

And considering she already made a resolution to be more open with Kohane (WLE second card story afaik, but might be the first one), she's kind of outgrowing the whole not talking thing too! She's not quite there yet, but look at her go!!

An Shiraishi what a beautiful spectacular trainwreck of a character you are.

#project sekai #prsk #an shiraishi #jay rambles.txt #jay's character analysis #sorry I went on a tangent haha #Didn't want to reblog the same thing again the third time so I hope you don't mind it this way #I don't really know how to tumbrl #'jay how obsessed you are in an shiraishi that you can name the contents of 90% of her side stories by heart' yes

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fateinthestars · 3 months

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Right as I'm still working on fics in the background I guess I ought to post something else here. So let's go for one of the other special stories that got votes on my poll:

Pressuring the Gods: His True Feelings

This set includes stories for: Leon, Scorpio, and Zyglavis.

Spoilers under cut.

These three stories are all from the Point of View of the God in question. Unlike some special stories this one doesn't have specific titles for the different Gods but there is a description of all three in the summary: 'How does he feel when...'

1.When you're in the company of another man (Leon)

Pfft, Leon really does himself no favours when it comes to work. Even he himself seems to imply in several stories (including this one) that he can breeze through it in a few days if he really wanted to, he just doesn't see the point in schedules.

Which is why here poor Karno forces him to stay in the heavens until stuff is actually done for once! (Though to be fair there is also mention of the King annoying Leon which probably hasn't helped matters).

Also, Hue? You deliberately got Leon to look in the reflecting pool here didn't you! You already knew MC was having a good time with the other Gods.

Leon's way too self-assured about their relationship to let this kind of thing bother him though. If either Hue or Karno thought he'd actually be concerned that someone else might try and 'steal' her they couldn't have been further from the truth.

It falters a little due to something else but then... GOOD GRIEF The King here! What the hell was that?! Why would you do that to poor Leon?

Despite the summary of this one this isn't one of those jealousy stories. If anything this is a showing of how much faith Leon has in MC and the strength of their relationship. Even his brief faltering is because he thinks she's being inconsiderate about something rather than having any issue with her spending time with the others - in fact the only problem here is The King and I'm on Leon's side with that!

2. When he's intoxicated (Scorpio)

This one has some nice moments between Scorpio, Dui, and Ichthys at the beginning and being from Scorpio's point of view it clearly shows how much their friendship actually means to him, in his own Scorpio way at least.

What might be more interesting about this part of this story though is this small detail about the heavens: that there's a forest that can grow all fruit that you could possibly imagine but it's only there for a limited time. It's no surprise that Scorpio heads to the apples and Dui heads to the cherries, but it seems Ichthys' favourite are peaches.

Pfft. Poor Scorpio just cannot handle his alcohol - or in this case an apple with alcohol like effects. Also it doesn't matter how often you deny it to yourself and insist even internally that you're not lonely, you clearly are Scorpio.

This is a sweet one with some nice interactions with all of Punishments as well as some details about the heavens themselves.

Though speaking of interactions with all of Punishments...

3. When he can't meet you due to being busy with work (Zyglavis)

Oh Zig, you always pride yourself on making sure work is done efficiently and properly and yet despite you ignoring the other's goading you were clearly already having slight doubts over what they were implying, even before Ichthys' 'prank'.

Re-reading this just now... I've noticed something odd. It might be a translation error but: "(Perhaps I should have at least left a shadow of myself to stay by her side)" not 'left my shadow' but 'a shadow' ? Does that mean Zyglavis' power of manipulating shadows mean he can create ones other than his own? Hmm...

Poor Zyglavis is really grappling with himself here. He believes that doing anything rather than the work after the way MC saw him off would be a disservice, but he even messes up his neat pile of paperwork whilst lost in thought here. Though I think part of the problem is what the others were saying earlier (especially you Ichthys, and Dui you weren't helping either).

Talking of Ichthys: You might be somewhat annoyed at him Zyglavis, but I'm not. I can see exactly what Ichthys was trying to do here and it worked. I think you know too really.

This is something I want to cover in a post of its own at some point but: Ichthys is a massive enabler in routes that aren't his own. A lot of his actions are actually things that either help MC or her God and helps their relationship because of it or is directly to help the relationship in the first place.

I mean Scorpio even asks Ichthys for advice at one point during his main route.

Anyway, I absolutely adore this Zyglavis story and there's another thing I want to point out regarding his character here: You know how he crashes through a window in Hue's main story? Zyglavis' usual demeanour clearly vanishes when he's panicked about something!

And the example in this story is one of the clearest of that happening I can think of:

Zig, hon, you were in your room… there was no need for you to go anywhere to do this… you have your own fountain! Why use the reflecting pool? Sheesh. 🥰

There's so many nice little details in this one too like him getting so worried he's clenching his fists so tightly the paper he's holding crumples.

Also, it may be my imagination, but it feels like this one is longer than the other two in this set? Leon and Scorpio's stories are both nice heartfelt fluffy stories that are a very nice read, but there just seems a little more to this one.

Or maybe that's just my Zyglavis bias showing. 😅

#scm #star crossed myth #star crossed myth character review/rambling #scm leon #scm zyglavis #scm scorpio #scm ramble #scm spoilers

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0cta9on · 5 months

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Hoya there bud, pray that things ease up over there😚, got quite a number of ask/tell so I will be doing it all in one ask

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🗨️1. Question: What are you looking for in creating complex characters and relationships that you want in a story? Is it like how character A personality could click together with character B (Like Intimidated looking but klutz girl get couple up with compose looking but a teasing guy)🤔

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🗨️2. Comment: Just saying, you making me go down bad for Eunha🥵, When she's in Gfriend, I only see her as a cute idol that's all but ever seen their Viviz debut, Gyaattt daym she's hot 🔥 the epitome of both cute and sexy combine into one person👌🗿

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🗨️3. Comment: I really enjoy your blurb of Eunha, sometimes a blurb (as short as a couple of paragraphs and short dialogue) already satisfies me. Kinda reminds me of this, NSFW Tag game: sex positions: https://ggidolsmuts.tumblr.com/post/655847569294049280/nsfw-so-you-lost-a-bet-and-posted-that-you-wanted

💫Just for fun hehehe: You walk upon your housemate with an unintended morning wood, How would you start your day?

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🗨️4. Comment: Here is Minji contagious laugh

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSFW3GRot/

Such a ethereal and cuddly girl to have that contrasting laugh was phenomenal 🤣, Watching minji clip always reminded me of your work, Just imagine Yuno amused shocking face after experiencing first hand her really genuine laugh 🤭

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🪶To end this off, and yet again, I am truly thankful for your time and energy and attention on my humble messages, you probably got a lot on your tab already but I really appreciate every moment of it. Hope my long ass message doesn't pressure you🥲 cya✌️

Hello mikeylo!! Thanks for the asks!! Will probably be a bit long, so I'll put a divider here :) (Listen to Pat Pat by Eunha :)))) )

I think it really comes down to my lack of planning. For smuts at least, I think of scenarios first instead of relationships, so I end up worrying about if the characters are interesting enough or if the entire story is focused too much on the sex. There was actually an ask that caps had where they started out with interesting pieces of dialogue first and built the story off of that, which I wanna try in the future as it looks very interesting and makes for better character development and interactions (evident in all of caps' works tbh). A little bit of a spoiler but one of the things I'm working on has a throuple in it and I could easily write a bunch of hot n trashy threesome sex, but I thought it would be better if I explored how each person interacts with each other outside of sex and potential issues that could arise from feelings like jealousy or favoritism.

2. EXACTLY, Eunha has always been the epitome of cute and sexy imo. Even though Gfriend mainly did "cute" concepts, there were still a lot of times where Eunha was just naturally sexy. I'll leave a couple pics here to prove it :)

omg I remember going absolutely feral when she first did the bloom performance. And all of Eunha's Mago outfits are so GOOD gah damn.

3. I'm glad you enjoyed it :) I'm still looking for a perfect story to write about Eunha, anything less than perfection is a disservice to my girl. I remember reading those NSFW tag games when I was just a reader and it's a bit unfortunate I was too late to do them myself, they seem like fun to write. Anywho, here's another little blurb;

After a night full of drinking and partying, you're at the part you hate the most - waking up with a hangover. You stumble into your living room wearing nothing but your boxers and see your roommate, Eunha, sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal in her lap. At this point, Eunha is used to you walking around in your boxers; what she's not used to, however, is your massive morning wood bulging through the fabric. Seeing you in your pitiful state, she decides to lend you a hand - more accurately, a mouth - and pulls your waistband down, taking as much of your cock into her mouth as she can. The sensation of her lips sucking your length is enough to make you forget about the pain in your head, and before you know it, you're shooting your cum down her throat. As you catch your breath, you can't help but think how lucky you are to have such a helpful roommate.

4. Omg I love her laugh so much, she's so cute I can't :,) There may or may not have been a time where I listened to her "I Love You 3000" cover on loop... Anyways, I cannot wait to write more cute shit for UD, thanks for the inspo, it helps a lot :))

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alatismeni-theitsa · 6 months

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Hi Theitsa! I'm taking a nutrition class and one of the videos we had to watch for an assignment was on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, particularly in how it can create 'blue zones' where people live longer than the global average, and it really made me think. The Mediterranean is not the only place that makes blue zones, there are blue zones in Japan and Latin America as well, but no one ever really goes around advocating for the Costa Rican diet or the Californian diet or the Japanese diet? In fact, in all these videos about the Mediterranean, they fail to mention the actual cities of the Mediterranean where people do actually live longer, like Icaria or Sardinia, which have a very unique geography that contributes to their long life! And yet all these dieticians don't go around recommending people climb a mountain 8 times every day like those people, or live in a floor-oriented society like in Japan.

I think a lot of it has to do with the Western intellectual colonization of the Mediterranean, particularly Greece. I was watching this video and just had to notice all the touristy, Instagram-perfect pictures they were using to push this diet instead of, well, actual pictures that researches have taken to record their findings, or the locations where people actually live longer. Santorini is not Icaria! Mikonos is not Icaria! Eating a plate of feta and hummus (since this is what the west seems to think encompasses the entire Mediterranean diet) in Santorini is *not* how the people of Icaria are living! It's pure colonialism and a disservice to Greece and Italy to be pushing a lifestyle that doesn't exist, and I don't know how to articulate all of this to my professor.

Just wanted to share.

Oooh nice ask!! I had these thoughts at the back of my mind myself and you came and articulated them perfectly!

I have more theories (I am not an expert, just blabbering) on the matter that could work in supplementing yours. The focus on Ikaria could be also because of geographical, cultural and biological proximity of the western nations to the Greek islands. The average Euro-North American person can perhaps benefit more from the Mediterranean diet than the Costa Rican and Japanese diet to which other populations have been more accustomed.

That doesn't make the other diets less nutritional ofc. I think all good diets have benefits for everyone. How bodies gather fat and nutritional elements, and what they resist (stuff like lactose) can play a role.

Another factor could be the availability of ingredients because of trade and what meals the population is used to, which are closer to the Mediterranean diet than the Japanese one.

Ok I'll go boil my fasolakia now 😭 And I don't even have feta to pair them with!!

#answered #mediterranean diet

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canyonroads · 8 months

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100 Albums // 2024

One of my resolutions for 2024 was to sit down and listen to more full albums, uninterrupted from beginning to end, with limited song-skipping. Here is where I'm compiling those albums + my thoughts on them as I go.

If you see this (which you might because Im pinning it for ease of access), you should reply or send me a message with your favorite album. I just may give it a listen! Thanks!!

How I'm choosing the albums: many of these are "I randomly found one song off this album, I've been meaning to listen to more". But some are just iconic, genre-defining albums that I know I'm doing myself a disservice by not listening to yet. But most are also blind suggestions! From friends and coworkers.

How I'm rating them: this is PERSONAL TASTE ONLYYYYYY. Some albums I acknowledge will be impossible to rate this way, but for the most part I am JUST rating based on MY taste. I'm trying to be open minded to any and all genre's but I'm aware my tastes lean indie.

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1. Self-Titled - Bon Iver (2011)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: Holocene, Towers, Wash

Notes: I REALLY wanted this whole album to be like "Holocene" but overall it's pretty... Meh, save a few songs. The bits I enjoyed were experimental aspects that remind me of "33 God". I will listen to that album too at some point. I haven't given up on Bon Iver, anyway.

2. Get to Heaven (Deluxe vers) - Everything Everything (2015)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: The Wheel (is turning now), Only As Good as my God, Blast Doors

Notes: I absolutely LOVED this album. I've been obsessed with OAGAMG for years, and most of the album is just as good if not better. Love the post-modern, religious imagery and overall messaging. Not every song totally landed, though, which is why it's only an 8/10.

3. Nearer My God - Foxing (2018)

Rating: 6/10

Fav Songs: Nearer My God, Five Cups, Lambert

Notes: I listened to this album on a rainy Sunday morning while finishing a book, and I'd say that's the perfect way to listen to it. Solid mellow vibes and sweeping, yet gentle, instrumentals- but nothing that really knocked my socks off.

4. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan (2023)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Pink Pony Club, HOT TO GO!, Red Wine Supernova

Notes: Almost a perfect album, to me. High points are danceable, low songs still catchy as fuck. One part Madonna, part Lemon Demon?? Its just great. However, I think the opening song 'FEMININOMENON' is awful. I couldn't even finish it. Only thing keeping this album from a 10/10.

5. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (1984)

Rating: I can't rate this are you crazy?/10

Fav Songs: Downbound Train, No Surrender, Dancing in the Dark

Notes: I won't even try to rate this album because it's so classic and contextual. I really loved it, though- especially with an eye on the way Springsteen satirizes, critiques, yet appreciates masculinity and methods of American patriotism.

6. Fine Line - Harry Styles (2019)

Rating: 5/10

Fav Songs: Cherry, Fine Line, Adore You

Notes: Another tame background listen. A few bangers but the rest is very meh. Also included my second song skip on this entire list, which is never great. I will probably not listen to any more Harry.

7. Mystére - La Femme (2016)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Ou ve la Monde, Sphynx, Mycose

Notes: First foreign language AND rec album for an artist that I'd never listened to. Really cool stuff here, very experimental- some of it is more straightforward electronica, some of it almost 60s sounding Halloween beats, some psychedelic rock- but I really enjoyed it!

8. Put Yourself Back Together - Real Friends (2013)

Rating: 3/10

Fav Songs: Skin Deep, I've Given Up On You

Notes: Chose a short one to end January on 8, but I found this album tremendously disappointing. All in a row like this, the whininess of Real Friends REALLY starts to grate after about 3 songs. Its way beyond your usual pop punk whininess, too. By the albums end I was so grateful it was over.

9. Self-Titled - Vagabon (2019)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Flood, Full Moon in Gemini, Water Me Down

Notes: This album is very good, but the best songs are unfortunately the ones I'd already stumbled on. That isn't to say there wasn't some treasures to be found- and on continued listens, I think "In A Bind" could grow higher in my tastes. Overall, pretty damn good!

10. The Slow Rush - Tame Impala (2020)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Borderline, Breathe Deeper, On Track

Notes: GREAT album. Even the songs that don't stand out are so fucking funky, it's impossible to not groove. I listened to this while cleaning the kitchen at work and I was half-dancing through most of it. I'll listen to Currents at some point, too.

11. Pin-Up Daddy - Rett Madison (2021)

Rating: 10/10

Fav Songs: Pin-Up Daddy, God is a Woman, Fleas

Notes: Finally... a 10/10 album! Pin-Up Daddy is a song that impacted me very deeply upon first listen, and the rest of this is just as gutting. First album (of this list) to bring me to tears. Definitely not a listen-in-the-background album, Rett demands involvement in the stories.

12. You Are All I See - Active Child (2011)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Hanging On, High Priestess, You Are All I See

Notes: This album is really good- mixing R&B with 80s synth, and add this mans beautiful, Bon Iver-esque falsetto, its a dream. However, the worst bits of this album are definitely where he's trying to... *Sound* more black than he is (lol there's really no nice way to say it).

Also! This album led me to Ellie Goulding's cover of "Hanging On", and this next album...

13. Halcyon - Ellie Goulding (2012)

Rating: 1/10

Fav Songs: Hanging On

Notes: think I've avoided this album subconsciously. "Lights" is a 10/10 album for me, but this albums single "Anything Can Happen" is probably one of my most hated songs of the 2010s. Its awful. And I'm sorry to report that the rest of this album is just as bad- giving "overproduced" a new standard, losing every appealing and unique thing about "Lights". The dubstep beat running through the background of every song is SO grating and was actually starting to piss me off. The gem keeping this album from a total 0 is her cover of "Hanging On", which is very different from the original but feels like the only song that she put even an OUNCE of effort into.

14. Miss Universe - Nilüfer Yanya (2019)

Rating: 7.5/10

Fav Songs: Heavyweight Champion of the Year, Baby Blu, Safety Net

Notes: Great album that I listened to while deep-cleaning at work. Its high energy makes it good for cleaning, and I really enjoyed the pacing/content of the album breaks. Really atmospheric. Her voice is so unique and her range is just INSANE too.

15. Self-Titled - Elliott Smith (1995)

Rating: 6/10

Fav Songs: Good to Go, Needle in the Hay, The Biggest Lie

Notes: I've been meaning to get to some Elliott Smith forever- he is, after all, SO influential. I was vibing to his stuff- but nothing on this album really stood out much to me. That said- it's amazing how you can feel his influence on many other artists- Phoebe Bridgers, Frank Ocean, Bright Eyes... I especially felt that he was similar in tone to Sufjan Stevens, whom I just adore. Another great rec!

16. Self-Titled - Tracy Chapman (1988)

Rating: 💧/10

Fav Songs: Fast Car, Mountain O' Things, Talkin' Bout a Revolution

Notes: I don't know why I wasn't expecting this album to be SO political when, in my opinion, Fast Car is very political. But Tracy has a lot to say about being black, poor, a woman- not even to mention being gay. This album was trangressive and inspiring when it dropped, and it remains totally excellent.

17. Fantastic Planet - Failure (1996)

Rating: 5/10

Fav Songs: Dirty Blue Balloons, Saturday Savior

Notes: Another blind suggestion for a band I've never even heard of! Overall, very cool and super different from my usual stuff. Not totally MY vibe, but this album has a lot to offer musically. I even watched a biography video about Failure afterwards because I was so interested in their process.

This album also REALLY made me want to listen to a full Tool album, so...

18. Lateralus- TOOL (2001)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Schism, The Grudge, Reflection

Notes: This album rules. I got stoned as hell and listened to it while doing a mindless task and it feels like I really, truly heard all of the instrumental and vocal depth of Tool for the first time. Not every song captured me, but considering Tool is known for LONG songs, I'm surprised it's as engaging as it is.

19. Crimes of Passion - Pat Benetar (1980)

Rating: 5/10

Fav Songs: Wuthering Heights, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, I'm Gonna Follow You

Notes: This album is certified mid. Her cover of Wuthering Heights is inspired, and obviously Hit Me is iconic, but this album offers little else besides a few decent guitar riffs. Any given song had clunky lyrics, and this is just not as refined as I know Pat Benetar to be.

20. Caught in Still Life - VAULTS (2016)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: One Last Night, Cry No More, Hurricane

Notes: Vaults basically encapsulates all my favorite musical things; electronic percussion mixed with pure instrumentals like strings, piano, harps, or chimes- plus clear, lovely vocals... It's just excellent.

21. Currents - Tame Impala (2015)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Eventually, Disciples, The Less I Know the Better

Notes: Told you I'd listen to Currents too! I liked this album a tiny bit more than The Slow Rush, I just feel like it was better put together and the flow between songs is perfect. But they are both SO good.

22. Modus Vivendi - 070 Shake (2020)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Morrow, Rocketship, The Pines

Notes: I think this is my first hiphop album of this project, which is insane. This is a good example of how the flow between songs can really make or break an album. I didn't love too many specific, individual songs- but I loved the structure as a whole which can carry a lot. I also just really enjoy 070 Shake. Her flow scratches an itch.

23. Proof of Life - Joy Oladokun (2023)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Changes, Somehow, Friends

Notes: Another album from someone I'd never heard of, and it's great! Joy was recommended to me as someone who likes Taylor Swifts 'Folklore' album. I would not say it's much like Folklore, but it was still wonderful. She has a voice like velvet and this folky, optimistic way with words. 'Changes' could have been my pandemic anthem.

24. 3.15.20 - Childish Gambino (2020)

Rating: 2/10

Fav Songs: 42.26, 35.31

Notes: (I listened to this literally days before he removed it from Spotify!) My partner reminded me of this album. Starting, I wondered to myself; "this album has been out for 4 years. Why haven't I heard any songs from it??" And the answer is; because they're bad. Like, really bad and not even in a fun way. Songs listed are listenable but I don't see myself revisiting them.

25. Strange Trails - Lord Huron (2015)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Meet Me In The Woods, The Night We Met, Fool for Love

Notes: After the last one, I wanted an album I knew would be decent so I went with Strange Trails as I'm familiar with a handful of songs. It's great! I just love the way he tells stories here. Reminiscent of old country. Redacted points for putting both 'Love Like Ghosts' and 'Meet Me In The Woods' on there. In theory, the idea of the same instrumentals with different lyrics is interesting- but in practice feels like LLG is the rough, first draft and shouldn't have been included.

26. Unreal Unearth: Unheard - Hozier (2024)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Empire Now, Too Sweet, Wildflower and Barley

Notes: Feels a bit cheat-y since I've heard almost every song off this 'album' except these new 4 added by the EP, but... I love Hozier and I wanted it to count because I listened to the whole thing like 3 times in a row. Lol.

27. Saved - Now, Now (2018)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: SGL, Powder, Drive

Notes: This album is one that inspired this project, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to it. Now, Now has a truly unique sound that I struggle to classify, and I simply love it. Catchy, yet complex and dreamy. Not every song landed but I'll be coming back to this one for sure.

28. Sahar - Tamino (2022)

Rating: 7/10

Fav songs: The First Disciple, The Longing, Fascination

Notes: Overall, I think I like his album Amir a bit more but this ones still great, especially to throw on in the background while you're doing stuff. His music is so layered and rich, truly unique sounding. That said, I REALLY don't like "Sunflower". I've heard it a few times now and I like it less every time.

29. Spirituals - Santigold (2022)

Rating: 6/10

Fav Songs: No Paradise, Fall First, Ain't Ready

Notes: This one was a coworker recommendation. Its just okay! I appreciate how unique and difficult to genre-fy Santigold is, but I prefer some of her older stuff. This album still has some great flow and a few total gems, though.

30. Beauty Pageant - The Bobby Lees (2018)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Radiator, Mad Moth, Bobby Lee

Notes: Another coworker rec and I LOVED this album. The old-punk feel is so visceral, you could close your eyes and be in an 80s basement show. I couldn't BELIEVE how new this is. Not a casual listen for sure, but worth a quick dive if you feel like going hard.

31. Чёрный альбом - Kino (1990)

Rating: 🎸/10

Fav Songs: N/A

Notes: This was a bestie-rec but I've listened to enough Kino in the past to know it probably wasn't gonna be my vibe! And sure enough, it wasn't. I enjoyed it ok, but most of the songs just blended together for me. I spent a good chunk of time reading about Kino afterwards, though. Cool band.

32. Older - Lizzy McAlpine (2024)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Drunk Running, Staying, Broken Glass

Notes: Lizzy's album before this, "ten seconds flat" is a 10/10 album that CONSUMED my entire Spotify wrapped last year. I was cautious about this album and I'm glad for it, because it's VERY different. I still enjoyed it a lot, but to compare the two would be weird. This is a melancholy album with very few highs, a jazz-feel throughout, and features Lizzy's voice on full display. A few songs bored me to death, musically, but a lot of it also brought me to tears!

33. Apocalypse Whenever (Deluxe vers) - Bad Suns - 2022

Rating: 3/10

Fav Songs: Maybe You Saved Me, When the World was Mine

Notes: This was my first truly disappointing listen. I love Bad Suns and "Disappear Here" is an album I just BLEED for. This one falls flat in comparison, and the culprit is obvious. I'm not sure if the singer is trying to sing in a more healthy way or something, but his voice just totally lacks that indescribable *thing* he does. The special sauce, if you will. As a result every song sounds really low-energy?

34. Fade to Bluegrass (a tribute to Metallica) - Iron Horse (2003)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Nothing Else Matters, Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam

Notes: Another coworker rec, and the concept really intrigued me. I don't even like Metallica but I'm familiar enough with them to admit these songs went hard. A few I even feel lend themselves better to the Bluegrass genre?? A really interesting listen!

35. The Tortured Poets Department (ANTHOLOGY) - Taylor Swift (2024)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: I Look in People's Windows, Down Bad, The Black Dog

Notes: Certifiably mid. Does not justify being 31 effing songs long. Most of it sounds indistinguishable from one another and I feel like she has stopped refining her first drafts. Every song is so densely packed with lyrics, I wish she would just write a poetry book or something. And this low energy 'talk-singing' thing she does now sounds awful and bores you to tears by the end.

36. The Secret to Life - FIZZ (2023)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: The Secret to Life, Close One, Hell of a Ride

Notes: My partner brought this supergroup to my attention because I listen to 3/4 of the members solo stuff. It's a great collab album and I LOVE the flow from song to song. Its also just a super fun listen.

37. Cure for Pain - MORPHINE (1993)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: All Wrong, In Spite of Me, Thursday

Notes: Forget bands I've never listened to, this one comes from a GENRE I've never touched; jazz fusion. My extreme enjoyment really caught me off guard, but the sax is one of my favorite instruments and it shines in all forms through Morphine. The real gem, though, is the singers voice, which delivers a rich rock and roll sound.

38. Here in Your Bedroom (2020) and Medusa (2018) - Kailee Morgue

Rating(s): 8/10 & 4/10

Fav Songs: Still, Dying to Live, Knew You

Notes: These are both small EPs, so I listened to them together expecting to mostly feel the same about them. I do NOT, so rating them together feels unfair now. My bad. The earlier stuff is very early. It's not unlistenable, but it's nothing exceptional. 4/10. However, the latter is AMAZING. I adore 'Still' and I think it's one of the best songs I've heard in recent memory. 8/10.

39. Floetic - Floetry (2002)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Say Yes, Headache, Sunshine

Notes: Holy fuck I loved this album. Another blind rec from a coworker that comes in the midst of some modern rap controversy. This album beautifully blurs the lines between hiphop, rap, jazz, and R&B, and it is SO horny. The sexual tension ripping out of this album is unbelievable and excellent. A few songs kind of bored me, but not usually for long before I was whisked away to enjoyment again.

40. 12 Golden Country Greats - Ween (1996)

Rating: 3/10

Fav Songs: I'm Holding You, You Were the Fool

Notes: Another coworker rec from a guy who was VERY upset I'd never given Ween a chance. This one is tough because I can see the clear and present artistry, but Ween is just... Not for me. I listened to some of their other stuff with similar disinterest, so it isn't just the stab at country, either. However, it's still a fun album.

41. けものたちの名前 - ROTH BART BARON (2019)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Skiffle Song, 春の嵐, iki

Notes: Felt like I was due another foreign language album, so I gave ROTH BART BARON a listen. Japanese folk is always awesome. I love the almost jazz-fusion aspects of this album and it has great flow. His voice is gorgeous, and the trumpet and violin are working overtime here.

42. Sound & Color - Alabama Shakes (2015)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: Gemini, Gimme All Your Love

Notes: This started off badly because I asked my followers for R&B recs, and this is decidedly a funk/soul album. Not what I was looking for, and not my vibe. The singer is AMAZING but I feel like the rest wasn't quite as good as her, and a lot of it songs sounded very similar. Objectively, I'm sure anyone who likes funk would get more out of it.

43. Indian Yard - Ya Tseen (2021)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Close the Distance, A Feeling Undefined, Light the Torch

Notes: Cool album and another blind rec. Very varied and experimental, which is what you'd expect from an artist of physical design dipping into music for the first time. I LOVED the hiphop elements, and the features were great. A few songs were kinda droning and didn't totally land. But an incredible first effort.

44. Hit Me Hard and Soft - Billie Eilish (2024)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: WILDFLOWER, THE GREATEST, LUNCH

Notes: I probably would not have listened to this so soon after it was released if not for some friendly pestering. It's good! It's about what I expect from Billie. The slow songs are beautiful, she always captures this hollow feeling that is very special, and the fast songs are... Weird! I see the artistry, but I kinda wish there was something more surprising from Billie on this album.

45. Young, Loud, and Snotty - Dead Boys (1977)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Sonic Reducer, Down in Flames, High Tension Wire

Notes: GREAT rec from a coworker that I'm surprised I wasn't already aware of. I love classic punk, and the Dead Boys are CLASSICCCC punk. Still, they manage to capture something totally unique, too- especially in songs like High Tension Wire.

46. You're a Man Now, Boy - Raleigh Ritchie (2016)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Werld is Mine, Bloodsport '15, Keep It Simple

Notes: This was a spontaneous choice upon learning that Jacob Anderson has a music career. But boy, I don't regret it. Jacob's unique mix of trip-hop, soul, and rap create a truly incredible album. His flow is AMAZING, and his accent is so charming. Can't wait to listen to his other stuff AND he has a third dropping later this year.

47. Bigger, Better Faster, More! - 4 Non-Blondes (1992)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Morphine & Chocolate, Superfly, Pleasantly Blue

Notes: I'd never listened to 4 Non-Blondes beyond Whats Up, and obviously that was a huge mistake. I didn't realize how capable Linda Perry was at sounding exactly like Robert Plant. But their rock sound is also so wholey unique, it's not totally fair to compare them to Led Zeppelin... I wish there was more!

48. Self-Titled - The Philharmonik (2018)

Rating: 6/10

Fav Songs: Underdog, Neon Lights, Good Day

Notes: Similar notes to the Ya Tseen album, though I liked it a bit less. Good stuff, can get experimental but you really feel the album flow.

49. Disco - Kylie Minogue (2020)

Rating: 10/10

Fav Songs: Magic, Real Groove, Supernova

Notes: Was starting to wonder if I'd ever get another 10/10! I was in a random Disco mood and stumbled on "Magic", which I immediately fell in love with. Listened to this whole album and it's just magical. I've never given Kylie much thought at all, but now I think she might be genius.

50. American Hero - Towa Bird (2024)

Rating: 7.5/10

Fav Songs: This Isn't Me, Boomerang, Sorry Sorry

Notes: The first of some summer releases I've been looking forward to. AMAZING first album from Towa. Her voice is so unique, but it's obvious that she's a guitar player first and foremost. The album is almost centered around the guitar, and it's pure artistry. Can't wait for more from her.

51. iTopia - The Get Right Band (2023)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: The Outrage Machine, Generation Happy or Dead, Miracle/Mess

Notes: Very topical to the 'now'. Almost too topical, because I think it works best as a single, long listen. But oh, who cares. It's a great album and you can tell the artists put a lot of thought into it. Thanks to whichever follower recommended it!

52. Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen (1982)

Rating: Once again, how do I even rate him?/10

Fav Songs: My Fathers House, Nebraska, Open All Night

Notes: Another Springsteen listen. I think I liked the overall cohesiveness of "Born in the USA" more, but "My Fathers House" quickly became a favorite Springsteen song. It's so gutting. I don't even know how to write about it. This album is very emotional.

53. The New South - Hank William Jr. (1977)

Rating: Yee Haw/10

Fav Songs: You're Gonna Change, Tennessee, Feelin' Better

Notes: Another coworker rec that I was hesitant about because HWJ is such a colossal asshole. But I'm trying not to let the rep of the artist influence my work, here. Very cool album- reminiscent of Waylon Jennings and Hank's voice is just amazing.

54. Big Ideas - Remi Wolf (2024)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Toro, Wave, Cinderella

Notes: Another highly anticipated summer release, and it doesn't disappoint. Remi is a rising star and I just love her way with words.

55. RMCM - Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners (2017)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: Evergreen, Lucerne

Notes: This was a coworker rec but I was already pretty familiar with Evergreen. I wanted this album to be better but it's not offensive, either. Good for a summer morning listen but there's not anything that impressive or unique about it.

56. Stick Season - Noah Kahan (2023)

Rating: 10/10

Fav Songs: Dial Drunk, Call Your Mom, Paul Revere

Notes: I've been hearing about Noah for years, but I just never got around to him. Now I'm kicking myself for it because this album is AMAZING.

57. Blame My Ex - The Beaches (2023)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Me & Me, Edge of the Earth, Blame Brett

Notes: These girls are unrealized genius. The satire of songstress womanhood that flows through this album is incredibly smart, only overshadowed by how genuinely catchy everything is. The speed up at the beginning of Me & Me is so god damn fun.

58. DEAD ENDS AND DIVERSIONS - Raleigh Ritchie (2024)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Security, Hyperventilating, iLie

Notes: Another anticipated summer album, and the first slight disappointment. This album is still great, but it's a bit of a let down from "You're a Man Now, Boy". It also feels quite short because a lot of it is live performances of older songs. But overall, Jacob never truly misses.

59. Halo - Bakar (2023)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Facts_Situations, All Night, Hell 'n Back

Notes:

60. Marigold - Pinegrove (2020)

Rating:

Fav Songs: Dotted Line, No Drugs, Endless

Notes:

61. Bismillah - Peter Cat Recording Co. (2019)

Rating:

Fav Songs: Floated By, Remain in Me

62. Paradise State of Mind - Foster the People (2024)

Rating:

Fav Songs: Lost in Space, See You in the Afterlife, Take Me Back

63. Discovery - Electric Light Orchestra (1979)

Rating:

Fav Songs: Last Train to London, Don't Bring Me Down, The Diary of Horace Wimp

64. I Saw the TV Glow OST - Multiple Artists (2024)

Rating:

Fav Songs: Starburned & Unkissed, Claw Machine, Psychic Wound

65. Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club (2010)

66. This Empty Northern Hemisphere - Gregory Alan Isakov (2009)

67. Preachers Daughter - Ethel Cain (2022)

68. The Money Store - Death Grips (2012)

69. Prelude to Ecstasy - The Last Dinner Party (2024)

#100 albums #mine #up to date as of August but I need to add a few notes

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