#virtuous
Tagged by @rrrawrf-writes!
bold fears are major, italicized fears are minor
Ft. The TWBTW crew and Cassian, because we love Cassian.
Asher
the dark - fire - open water - deep water - being alone - crowded spaces - confined spaces - change - failure - war - loss of control -powerlessness-prison - blood - drowning - suffocation - public speaking - natural animals - the supernatural - heights - death - dying - intimacy - rejection - abandonment-loss- the unknown - the future - not being good enough - scary stories - speaking to new people - poverty - loud noises - being touched -forgetting - being forgotten
Will
the dark - fire - open water - deep water - being alone-crowded spaces - confined spaces -change-failure- war - loss of control - powerlessness - prison - blood - drowning - suffocation - public speaking -natural animals - the supernatural - heights-death - dying - intimacy - rejection - abandonment - loss - the unknown - the future - not being good enough - scary stories - speaking to new people - poverty - loud noises - being touched - forgetting - being forgotten
Alex
the dark - fire - open water - deep water - being alone - crowded spaces - confined spaces -change - failure - war - loss of control - powerlessness - prison - blood - drowning - suffocation - public speaking - natural animals - the supernatural - heights - death - dying - intimacy - rejection - abandonment - loss - the unknown - the future- not being good enough - scary stories - speaking to new people - poverty - loud noises - being touched - forgetting - being forgotten
Cassian
the dark - fire - open water - deep water - being alone - crowded spaces - confined spaces - change - failure-war- loss of control - powerlessness - prison - blood- drowning - suffocation - public speaking - natural animals - the supernatural - heights - death - dying - intimacy - rejection - abandonment - loss-the unknown - the future - not being good enough -scary stories -speaking to new people - poverty - loud noises - being touched - forgetting - being forgotten
I know I’ve missed a whole bunch of days, BUT as of now (the 12th) I have 1) passed par and 2) hit 20,000 words! Which is a win, and the most I’ve ever written in 12 days.
Also:
No big deal, no big deal.
I’m tired and only ahead of par by three words, so I’m just going to post some good lines. Okay? Okay.
His eyes had ghosts living in them.
It is a cruel thing, the wound that cannot be healed.
And an excerpt, for good luck:
Cassian couldn’t stand up straight. He couldn’t function. He couldn’t breathe correctly. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it— that she was gone, that he’d never see her again, that she just didn’t exist anymore.
He muttered a prayer to keep himself from floating away. “Sharmet, Fate of Morning, lend me your strength…” he said, his voice fading to a whisper like it had been torn from his throat. “Lend me your strength to…to…”
He couldn’t finish.
Total word count: 11,672
This letter is 700 words long and growing…
girl you’re dead you can stop talking now
Day Three
Word Count: 3576
(147 written)
I woke up at 2pm, a boy called me pretty, I went to a concert, and I didn’t get home until after midnight. It wasn’t a good writing day.
Line:
“Keep your chin up. And look me in the eye.”
He did as he was told. He uncurled his wings slightly, trying to sit tall like they were and look serious like they did.
Day Four
Word Count: 6700
(3124 written)
Me? Writing half my word count in a single day? (I know, right? It’s hard to believe.) It only took me THE ENTIRE DAY. No joke. I was forcing out words from the hour I woke up to midnight.
Line:
Selene stepped forward and gave him a hug. “You better come home.”
Surprised, Augustus nodded. “I’m planning on it,” he said. “But you don’t have to worry about me. It’s not like I’m leaving right this second.”
Day Five
Word Count: 7789
(1089 written)
This one makes me kind of mad because I reached par (~8335 words), but only after midnight. It is pretty good, though, considering I had school, took two tests, went to Chipotle with friends, went to hockey, and had multiple simultaneous heart attacks involving aforementioned boy.
Line:
Selene’s mouth opened, then closed. When it opened again, the words came out slowly. “They’re drafting girls now, too. As nurses.”
“At what age?” Melissa asked.
“It says here…eighteen.” Her voice cracked as she said it.
Total as of now: 8677
(Wow, that means I’ve written 888 words today. And it’s only 2 am!)
Someone please force me to write until I have exactly 3092 words for today! I already have 424 from last night, but for the most part I couldn’t write yesterday because i had a concert and now I have to make it up.
So I’m not allowed to do anything else until it’s finished.
@bookishdiplodocus
replied to your post “Someone please force me to write until I have exactly 3092 words for…”
I wrote 3096 today and I challenge you to a duel. Beat me! For your honor!Well, now that it’s a matter of honor I kind of HAVE to don’t I
replied to your post “Someone please force me to write until I have exactly 3092 words for…”
you are an arTIST. you have this PASSION. this is what you were BORN FOR now let’s get this BREADYEs
I think I’m going to try word sprints as a lot of you suggested! Thank you for all your encouragement!
So I was derailed by a stressful phonecall BUT I am back on track now I promise.
At 5281 words! Now I just have to write roughly a day’s total more! Aaaaah
I’m so bad at this “writing” thing
I have 1000 words left. My sister says she’ll give me a piece of candy if I make it. I don’t know, guys.
Ended the day with 6700 words! That’s past par!
I’m definitely not winning that was so much work haha
Here I am with the final part of July’s themed week in “Focusing on”! Today’s subject is a band whose style hangs between power metal and anime world. We’re talking about Unlucky Morpheus, known also as Ankimo, formed on 2008 and composed by Tenge “Fuki” Fuyuki (vo.), singer of famous Japanese metal bands, such Light Bringer,Doll$BoxxandDragon Guardian, and also leader of the project Fuki Commune, Shiren (gt./vo./prog.), former member of Yousei Teikoku,Undead CorporationandBabymetal, Jinya (gt.), member of Undead Corporation, Ogawa Hiroyuki (ba.), Fumiya (dr.), former member of Galneryus and also part of Hizaki Grace Project, Jill (vio.), former member of Rose Noire and Denshirenji Tsuyoshi (vo.). The band name’s meaning is not known at the moment, while their concept is an evident mix between gothic atmosphere and the world of anime and manga, as they started as a doujin circle. Their genre is a melodious and technical metal, brought up by the experience of each member, and their discography sees an interesting division between touhou re-arranged works, covering most of their repertory, and their original works,which they started to release in latest years. Their debut occurred on October 2008, with the first mini-album Hypothetical Box, followed by the first album Rebirth, the second album So that a star shines at the night sky, the third album Amazement Park!!, the fourth album Jealousy, the fifth album Unbeatable Accomplice, the sixth album Hypothetical Box Act 2(reviewed here), the seventh album Byougin kishou(Demon cat), the eighth album Heavy Metal Be-Bop, the compilation U&I Eurobeat Remix, the ninth album Faith and Warfare, the tenth album Parallelism -α & β-, the compilation Best of Dramatic Melody, the second mini-album Miseria Kills Slaughterously, the eleventh album Affected(release which started their original phase), the third mini-album Vampir and the singles Wings,Black Pentagram(read the song analysis here) and Cadaver/Revadac.
The two title-tracks are literally one the opposite of the other, both in title and music, where the former is a paced and techincally rich metal theme, driven by charismatic vocals, while the latter sees a more epic approach, with a major emphasis on guitars; the songs talk about the link between destiny and rebirth and getting back for fixing things respectively. It has been followed by the twelfth album Change of Generation.
The lead-track, named Knight of Sword, is driven by Fuki’s unique voice, which keeps up a powerful melody, enriched by a great instrumental work; the song is about life as a continuous fight, featuring a medieval concept. It has been followed by the thirteenth album Heikou jikuu no ongakkai(Parallel space-time concert), belonging to touhou series, and the original single Takiyasha Hime.
The title-track sees an energetic metal melody, with an interesting folk experimentation, which works quite well, especially with the vocal duet between Fuki and Shiren; the song is based on the Japanese legend of the princess Takiyasha. It has been followed by the fourteenth album Hypothetical Box Act 3, part of the touhou series.
In Japanese musical scene the border between touhou and the other genres has become thinner, allowing more artists linked to a more electronic and animesque world to experiment even with the proper music. Unlucky Morpheus is one of the most notable exemples of this collision, because their work is mainly based on the touhou compositions, reworked in metal notes and giving them a regeneration, allowing the touhou world to become more and more popular. Their talent, given also by the outstanding line-up they built up in the years, led them to compose works of their own and the results has been really good, filled by virtuosism and charisma and improving their status in the Japanese metal scene significantly. In twelve years of career Unlucky Morpheus have grown up a lot, experimenting, going beyond their limits and entertaining a always bigger audience and they won’t stop doing it, as they are still hitting thanks to their latest effort, the fifteenth album Unfinished, fifth full work of originals, came out last month, where their energy and potency is compelling and definitely worth of a listen, as you can read in this review.
Who might enjoy: who is looking for a metal band, whose style lives between touhou and energetic themes.
Recommended songs: Danzai wa amaneku ningen no gen ni, Black Pentagram, Cadaver, Revadac, Knight of Sword, Kizasi and Takiyasha hime.
That’s all folks! See you with the first part of August’s themed week in “Let’s Listen to”!
Thanks for the reading!
Here I am with the second part of July’s themed week in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is the latest release by the Japanese metal band Unlucky Morpheus, precisely the 18th albumUnfinished, came out today (it is the fifth full release of their original series). The album’s concept comes right from the title, which has two meanings: the first one is related to their music, defined as an experience made by the album and the live performances, making the disc the first part of it, while the second one is related to the famous 8th SymphonybyFranz Schubert(an inspiration for many Japanese metal bands), which is famous for being, indeed, “unfinished”. And now… let’s review!
-Unfinished: the album starts with the title-track, a short SE where the melody is slowly built by each instrument, joining the theme gradually in a fascinating composition, throwing the listener into the right atmosphere.
-Unending Sorceress: the lead-track sees a fast rhythm and a steady guitar work, along with compelling violin notes; the vocal duet between Fuki and Shiren is really efficient, in a great contrast between soft and harsh notes, where the violin wraps the melody along with them; the refrain sees Fuki’s unique charisma, improving the song even more, along with the guitar and the violin solos. —> 9.5/10
-Near The End: Fuki starts the song with living vocals, leading up to a nice melody, built up by the guitars and the violin, with Shiren’s voice bringing up a bit of aggressivity; a great and energetic track, maintaining the vibe of the previous one, along with an exotic touch. —> 9/10
-Kago no tori (Bird in cage): this song is opened by an obscure intro, with dark notes leading up to a gothic melody, driven by a strong rhythm and Jill’s fascinating violin; the vocals are compelling and various, especially Fuki, whose charisma dominate all over the rest; a melodious and energetic track, where the violin and the guitars improve the melody even more. —> 9/10
-Salomè: a fast violin kicks off the song, well fit with the drums, energetic guitar notes and Shiren’s vocals, dominating for half the song, along with Fuki, engaging and powerful as few, especially in the refrain, the best part of the song; a catchy but magnificient track, worth of the band’s skills. —> 9.5/10
-Make Your Choice: electronic vocals start the most experimental song of the album, with unusual beats building up a strong and dynamic rhythm; Fuki’s voice is lighter, influenced by the electronic component of the song, accompained by Shiren’s aggressive presence; an unusual but really nice song. —> 9/10
-Top of the “M”: this song starts with high-sounding guitar notes, leading up to a fast and steady rhythm, in a melody driven by the duet between Fuki and Shiren, balancing and keeping up the whole thing; a catchy and well paced song, with the violin bringing an unique touch of it. —> 9/10
-Dogura Magura: Jill’s violin and epic vocals open the song, with a steady rhythm, driven mainly by the violin; Fuki and Shiren bring out strong notes together, along with a really nice guitar work; a quite powerful song, where the highlights are Fuki’s charisma and the guitar solo at the middle. —> 9/10
-Carry on Singing to the Sky: the album ends with a song featuring lyrics entirely in English (choice made as an homage to Andre Matos, the famous singer of Angrawho passed away last year); the violin opens the song, where the rhyhtm goes on fast, accompaining Fuki’s energetic and awesome vocals and a compelling guitar work; a powerful ending track, where Fuki’s presence is the best feature, along with the sound of a cheering audience, linked to one of the sides of this album’s concept. —> 9.5/10
Final Vote —> 9/10
Unlucky Morpheus is one of the most interesting acts of the Japanese metal scene for several reasons. First of all is the composition of their repertory, which alternates between touhou music and original works, closer to power metal, then the line-up, made of distinctive names of the scene, bringing up a remarkable musical background and above all the unique concepts they bring into each release. With Unfinished the band goes on with their original works, unleashing all their potency, without sticking to a single style, delivering compelling tracks, made with virtuosism, energy and fascination, where each element fits perfectly, from the guitars, to the violin, up to the dual vocal performances, clashing but beautiful at the same time. Even if this album can appear shorter than expected, the final result is really good and brings Unlucky Morpheus more under the spotlight and they definitely deserve to be more recognized. So, turn up the volume and enjoy this great experience of metal, mystery and charisma altogether! An album for who is addicted to Unlucky Morpheus’ energetic sound and/or needs to get into them as fast as possible.
That’s all folks! See you with the third part of July’s themed week in “Throwback Thursday”!
Thanks for the reading!
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