Anna And Sia Kissing In Microgravity For First Kiss Day.

Anna and Sia kissing in microgravity for first kiss day.

I also wrote a fic on ao3 to go along with this art, called the center of Anna's universe, if you want to check that out.

@pulpmusicalsfortnight2024

im so sleepy and this is unfinished but please forgive me pulp fandom <3 day 9 (?i think?) home <3

Signing Off!

As I’m posting this, Pulp Musicals Fortnight 2024 has officially ended! And what an event! I will still be reblogging late submissions a week after, but it's done. It was my first time running something like this, and I had such a blast. So, fair warning, this might get sappy.

First, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in this event! It quite literally could not have existed without you, and all the effort you’ve put into it. I’ve seen some of you talking about your work for months, and it completely paid off. Your creativity astonishes me, and I am glad all of you are in the fandom! I’ve laughed, screamed in pain at some of the more angsty work, and just been in awe.

It’s amazing to me just how much I’ve seen this fandom grow over the past couple of months. When I got into Pulp, we had about 12 fics. Now we have over a hundred! Most of the art I saw back then was from @its-short-for-jackalope, and now I’ve seen tons of gorgeous pieces from all sorts of talented artists! I’ve seen more and more people sucked into these beautiful musicals, enraptured easily.

Thank you to everyone who makes Pulp what it is - the actors and Jackie (your art for the covers and the character portraits is really beautiful!) You’ve put so much time into these musicals, and it’s made a wonderful final product! Your skills make these musicals an utter treat to listen to.

And, finally, to Matt Dahan. I’ve loved your work for years, even before I got into Pulp Musicals. Starry kept me company through COVID, your work on Hatchetfield was part of what drew me into the fandom. Your musicals have gotten me through long work shifts. I’ve scream-sung along to them in the car, quietly sang along while I’ve done chores. I’ve had them on the brain whenever I have spare time (and even sometimes when I don’t, really.) The way you use leitmotifs has made me gasp in delighted shock multiple times, and I catch myself thinking about the arcs for the characters you write over and over. (My particular favourite is Samuel’s, but I believe they’re all done wonderfully.) Your musicals brought me closer to so many interesting, amazing people I might never have known otherwise. They’ve sparked my creativity to heights even I’m still astonished by. I’ve found myself smiling with glee at the themes of creativity having value, of life being more than just getting by day by day, of humanity being about creation - “feeling so small, yet never more part of it all”. It is quite possibly one of my favourite things of all time.

The world is a better place for what you have created. I believe that with all my heart. I hope if you see this event, it makes you even half as happy as Pulp has made me over these last couple of months.

So with that, this is Fortnight signing off! Hopefully I’ll see you all next year!

Some more character drawings- but this time they’re Pulp Musicals!

Through A Glass: an analysis by finch :p

I adore this song so so much, it's absolutely one of my favourites from the whole of Pulp Musicals. Plus, I'm writing a fic for pulp fortnight, and decided to do this to easier organise my ideas for that. Also, my headcanons are probably very entwined in this so.. yeah. sorry. Please enjoy :]

Through a glass, darkly I see myself, partially With pieces left forgotten or unseen Is there a way to wipe the surface clean?

So much of who Samuel is, is his family and loved ones. They mean so much to him, and he longs for connections to people. When Samuel looks in the mirror, he sees himself, but not fully. He's not completely himself, at least not the "him" he wishes he was. Not the brave man, rushing to act. Not one to stand up for himself. He sees an obscured reflection of himself. Something is missing, and seems to him, covered up by pieces of those around him that he's tried to reflect. He wonders if there's a way to see through those pieces, and see himself fully, see the man he wants to be.

Are these my mother's eyes? My father's smile?

This is self explanatory. In his reflection, he can see so much of his parents. His eyes are so similar to his mother's, round and deep and ready to take in everything they can. His smile so much resembles his father's, that old, genuine smile that they haven't seen in so long.

Speak to me, it's been a while

Samuel sees his parents in his reflection, and he wants them to speak to him. He wants them to come back, tell him things will be okay, give him advice on what to do and how to fix his mistakes. Not expect too much of him while still encouraging him to be the best he can be because that's who his parents were and that's what they used to do when he was younger. Samuel wants his family back.

Would you trust what you see When looking through a glass at me?

Samuel wonders if other people look at him and see a person they can count on, or if they see him how he sees himself. Someone just made up of parts of other people.

Through a glass, darkly I see myself, starkly With armour that's been comfortable to wear Underneath, is anybody there?

John sees himself in a suit of armour that he's grown used to. Something he began wearing when he was younger, in his early teens, because of his father. It was uncomfortable at first, but it's grown with him and perfectly protects him now. But, it's also become an insecurity for him, because now he doesn't know how to take it off, and he can't tell who he is without it. He can't even tell if he exists without it.

Are these my father's dreams? His hopes and fears?

John has a complicated relationship with his father. He loves him, though he's also never quite been his father. Even when he was younger, William could have been more considered a mentor, teaching him about the cosmos and how to study them. John learned everything his father knew, used that knowledge in school and in his career, as well using his father's money to help him along. John doesn't quite know where his father ends and where John begins. His armour and the way it makes him feel, furthers this.

Is that what people want to hear? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree When they hold a glass to me

John wonders if people want him to be just like his father. When they look at him, do they just want to see more of the great astronomer William Herschel? Everything he does, every accomplishment feels as though it's an extension of his father, not himself. John lives in the shadow of his father's legacy, and only the satellite has made him feel any different thus far. The satellite will be his [and of course Anna's] legacy, instead of his father's. At least, he hopes.

So many years spent in the atmosphere Neglecting what happens here On the earth, in my brain With the pieces just out of the frame

Both Samuel and John have found a place in the stars and the sky. John in a much more scientific way, studying and discovering new features of the sky. Samuel in a more creative and less grounded way, using his writing as a way to put himself in the stars. They both indulge heavily in this, John becoming an astronomer, and Samuel becoming a writer, and trying to include his fiction in the paper to share how it makes him feel with others. They use it to escape, John to escape how he feels with his father, and Samuel to escape his loneliness and lack of success in making his dreams come true. They use it to escape what makes them unhappy.

I'll build my own path I'll build my way back To more than I thought I could be

John building his own path represents him deciding to not use the one his father had paved, and instead find his own way to legacy.

Samuel building his way back is representative of him wanting to become what he's always wanted to be [a writer]

High enough to finally see things clearly Through a glass, darkly We judge ourselves, harshly

Inside the satellite, sharing their feelings with each other, they both feel like they can reflect better, and more accurately. They can see how they see each other, but they can also see the flaws in how they view themselves. Samuel is not just a reflection of others, he is a loyal man that is inspired by his loved ones. He's not a Frankenstein of others' traits, he is his own person who takes and learns from those close to him. John is not his father, and he doesn't have to be. He's not just an extension of him, he is his own person who, while he did get his start from his father, has made his own discoveries and advances in his field. Looking in the mirror, they have been too harsh on themselves.

The road we take The choice we make Is the view

I have such a long way to go Whatever the distance, we'll travel together.

Samuel still has a long journey to really becoming himself and finding his confidence in himself, and of course in building his relationships and trustworthiness.

John also has the rest of his own journey in proving himself to himself, and he will be at Samuel's side, and they will help each other when they need it.

a legacy of light

“But there are so many stories of the stars,” Dad said, almost playfully. He wrapped an arm around Samuel, as easily as breathing. “You’ve got to give us more direction than that!”

One of the best things about her father, to Rose, had been how easily he went along with their whims. Ready to play along, a smile near-always on his face.

“Let’s see,” her mother mused. Rose saw her gaze dart to the window, to where the night sky shone above. “Why don’t we take some inspiration from tonight’s sky?”

Rose already knew what she wanted, if they were speaking on the stars. “I want the story of Gemini!”

OR

Rose and Samuel, the Gemini constellation, and just how they grew over the years.

WRITTEN FOR PULP MUSICALS FORTNIGHT: DAY FOURTEEN: FAMILY

@pulpmusicalsfortnight2024