Top 10 instrumental songs. Go!
Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, okay... let me try this. Also, sorry if you meant like JUST ~real instruments and no electronic stuff included. I did try going more instrument-sounding and not just pure synthization, so like "Strobe" by Deadmau5 isn't here despite me loving the track. But like... there are things are are clearly synthetic here. Sorry. Was tempted to put "Sandstorm" by Darude anyways. Or cheat and put instrumental versions of songs, like "Every Night" by Exid which does actually have a really fun vocal-less version (if you don't mind being alarmed by a dial tone sound).
God, I know it's cheap to go for this song of all Ryuichi Sakamato songs but it's the first I ever heard by him (thanks Utada) and so... "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence." Achingly, deceptively simple-sounding. It conveys both aching and urgency.
"Your Hand in Mine" Explosions in the Sky. I use the term "cinematic" to describe music a lot but I think it really fits here. Like this is a track that plays during the trailer for an indie movie that blows everyone's tits off.
"Tocatta & Fugue in D Minor" specifically by Vanessa Mae. Her violin plus the more electronic sensibilities really feels electrifying.
"Viridis Quo" by Daft Punk. Galactic, otherworldly, a beat that syncs into your bones and rests behind your eyes.
"Sadness & Sorrow" from Naruto. It is sadness and it IS sorrow! Iconic.I couldn't find who originally performed the song? SHould look deeper for that. Guren by Yasuharu Takanashi is also a great, haunting track from the Naruto OST.
"Keeping the Blade" by Coheed & Cambria. Haunting. Feels like witnessing a forbidden love story and watching them fight to stay together. Without any words spoken.
"Wu Ji" by Lin Hai. All versions. Yes, it is from the Untamed. And yes it is beautiful!
"Ego Death" by Polyphia. Very different from other tracks on my list, this is guitar shredding. This is drum kits. This is bad ass.
"Aruarian Dance" by Nujabes. Would be wrong to not include Nujabes when his music was so... instrumental to my taste in music.
"Khun" by Kevin Penkin & Ben Matthews. Kick ass jazzy piano with a great overlay of... grainy (?) sound.
"Always You" by Malta. Great jazzy sound. Couldn't think of a song to kick off this list but needed to include this one.
I feel like a lot of these aren't really what people mean when tehy ask for instrumental? They normally mean more like... Yann Tiersen but my instrumental go tos are more Toconoma or like... the sims soundtrack. Or electronic fare like She.
If you were looking for instrumental music to put on while you write/study, maybe listen to the Imogen Heap collab album "Chordata Bytes." Or even the Tron: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk. They're kinda non-intrusive instrumentals, while Polyphia might be more distracting. Or try "Sharratt" by Bibio! I find songs with a ~looping sound, lots of repetition, are good for like taking over the background while you work.
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Ladies, gentleladies and cats of assorted genders! After all the propaganda, the struggles, the drama, the classic ties, almost-ties and oh lawd we're one vote apart near-ties!
Behold! Round 1 results!!
(winners in pink, losers scratched out)
Tabby (@cure-icy-writes) vs Murphy Laud (@much-the-millers-kid)
Elle Chihiro (@cure-icy-writes) vs Clause (@mxbrightsky)
Mavis (@bookoramaenderteeth) vs Ni'iri (@sillysorcerer)
Luna (@lydiahosek) vs Spirit (@spirits-of-kin)
Jett Wild (@ravenmoodle) vs Gull (@featherfrond)
Grey Wild (@ravenmoodle) vs Paxel (@cat-skull)
Kitty Heels (@esmaelj) vs Silver (@ravenmoodle)
Ginger (@esmaelj) vs Taika Namur (@kjmellow)
Jade (@dragontoonss) vs Kitty the Kitten (@kjmellow)
Caitrionia (@kjmellow) vs Lara and Rio Coddsworth (@acromafireair)
Slash (@candlewitch-cryptic) vs Vivi (@rainewintersnow)
Mr.Catman (@rainewintersnow) vs Nico (@crownne-prince)
Narciso (@crownne-prince) vs Finch (@wickedcityy)
Miami (@wickedcityy) vs Kat (@laceghost / @laceghost-art)
Honeycloud (@rat-soup64) vs Briarfang (@plaguedbutch)
Leafcloud (@plaguedbutch) vs Greenriver (@teknoctarkamacska)
Bobsyfella (@thunderwhenhepurrs) vs Teasel (@teknoctarkamacska)
Jinna (@teknoctarkamacska) vs Ren (@j-fashion-wearer-otd)
Torchflame (@kratt09 / @torchflame) vs Tumbledown (@sugarsprinkles)
Caro (@sugarsprinkles) vs Comet Whiskers (@element-kitten-klaws)
Frozen Teeth (@element-kitten-klaws) vs Chai (@malaky-nightm4r3)
Mason Spectrespeaker (@2bu) vs Exoskeleton (@element-kitten-klaws)
Mina (@spacedragonstar) vs Zoe (@flishthedragon)
Darkfur (@spacedragonstar) vs Cherry Lipstick (@hyephyep)
Bramble (@bramblestar334) vs Lane (@hyephyep)
Saberattle (@ratherchaseamouse) vs Pawtree Purrety (@kdm13)
And, of course, let's not forget our automatic round 2 entry, Apotheosis (@horizontalnobelcat), whom you shall meet in due time.
Round 2 bracket shall be announced shortly, it will mostly adhere to the current order except I'll have to decide where to put the extra competitor and how to move apart the tied ones so we don't have to go against each other again of the off chance we both make it to round 3 :D
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the way i wish there could be more good faith analysis and fic about billy having adopted racial prejudice from his dad and then learning to properly recognize it and grow past it in order become a better person.
i wish there was more posts and fics that tackle the bullshit lucas has had to deal with as a black kid in small town indiana because the duffers never even considered it.
but the sheer puritan black and white thinking and performative activism or moral virtue signaling or whatever the fuck that is so pervasive in this fandom means that even the few posts and fics that dare to try and actually tackle racism tend turn it into either a punishment narrative, are depressingly shallow about it, make it about hating and liking the 'right characters', or miss the mark entirely
like i get it, homophobia/transphobia is easier to explore and talk about for most fans. it's complex and multi-layered just like other types of oppression, but so much of fandom is queer and dedicated to shipping and labels that yeah, i can see how talking about it is just. easier for a lot of ppl.
also a lot of fandom is white. and lots of white gays get weird about discussing racism in their spaces. y'know the deal, but i digress.
from what i can see, very few ppl want to explore how racism affects our favorite characters and the stories they live in. i know some ppl are probably afraid of getting it wrong, or they don't know anything about it and don't feel like they should. it's like, my blorbo is queer and so am i, so why wouldn't i talk all day about that? i get it. but it honestly just means a lot when someone tries earnestly. i have read beautiful fics about trans love through hardship by cis authors and such genuine fics about connection in the face of racism's poison by white authors.
there is just SO much untapped potential in exploring lucas and max and billy and patrick and argyle and all the other characters directly and indirectly affected by bigotry and racism within the narrative that never got the acknowledgement it deserved.
plus it's super weird being used as a 'gotcha!' by white fans that hate billy (as if poc fans of billy aren't capable of seeing it for the bullshit it is) or seeing lucas' treatment in the show get brushed aside like it's nothing or how argyle gets sidelined an awful lot in the fandom (and don't even get me started on how messy the classism in this fandom can be, the borderline erasure of eddie's poverty and its effects on who he is as a person in fic is insane sometimes)
anyway. idk if any of this makes sense, but i can count like maybe 3 good fics and maybe a dozen good posts about billy that actually address this in good faith and only maybe a dozen more for every other character i mentioned. and i desperately want more. i am brown and queer and i want healing and love for all of these characters and i am going to have to start churning out more of it myself at this rate.
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hindsight
[ID: A two-panel comic with crudely drawn stick figures.
Panel 1: The lime green person is talking to the leaf green person and the moss green person.
Lime: "I... have a confession to make."
Leaf: "Go ahead."
Lime: "I want to rewatch the Wizard Child movies."
Leaf: "Didn't the wizard author get incredibly chromophobic?"
Lime: "Yeah I just... It's nostalgia you know? They meant a lot to me when I was a kid."
Panel 2: The three are on the couch.
Lime: "All right, let's go."
Leaf: "It's so weird how the wizard author just turned chromophobic though. Like I remember this series being pretty good for its time. It'll be weird seeing their work contrasting with their views now."
Moss: "I'm just glad we got the movies for free through normal and legal means. Heh."
End ID.]
[ID 2: Scenes from three Wizard Child movies.
Wizard Child and the Simplistic Morality: A slightly round child with a propeller hat is talking to a child with no hat.
Round child: "I am so fucking fat and greedy I am textually shown to be fat because I am greedy and also evil."
Hatless child: "You are to infer my moral purity from juxtaposition with this fat child. Woe is me for our shared parent has deprived me of a propeller hat."
Wizard Child and the Goodness of Wealth: An adult wizard is talking to the child, who now has a wizard hat.
Wizard Adult: "Wizard child you are secretly extremely rich."
Wizard Child: "I will form biases regarding the bankers all being triangular for some reason!"
Wizard Adult: "Your wealth is deserved because your true parent was Good and therefore you are also Good."
Wizard Child: "Now we should acquire consumer goods. Buy consumer goods!"
Wizard Child and the Dark Family History: A blue-grey horse person is talking to the wizard child.
Blue-grey: "No, wizard child. You don't understand. I am one of the good ones, because unlike the bad ones I don't try to spread my curse that makes you a blue-grey horselike creature to others!"
Wizard child: "Wow uncle blue-grey you are one of the good ones! I forgive you for being a horse because I am so good I would even forgive horses. I sure hope you don't conspicuously get killed off later in this movie!"
End ID 2.]
[ID 3: Oh hell no there are even more of these.
Wizard Youth and the Tokenistic Relationship Dynamics: A square headed wizard youth is talking to the former wizard child, now a wizard youth.
Square Wizard Youth: "Wizard child, as the only person with a square head in this entire series it is my duty to inform you that you are the savior of all people with square heads, too. Let us build a one-sided relationship that only furthers your character development, after which I will immediately lose all plot relevance."
Wizard Youth: "I will do this because I am a maturing wizard youth and need disposable relationships that don't threaten the endgame!"
Wizard Youth and the Escalation of Stakes: The Dark Wizard, a sort of grey-green person with a cloak, is pointing at Wizard Youth.
Dark Wizard: "Wizard Youth, I have returned!"
Wizard Youth: "Dark Wizard! Why are you green now?"
Dark Wizard: "Evil magic made me green! I am green with envy towards all who are good!"
Wizard Youth: "I will not engage with how you are clearly based on fascist ideologies and yet this narrative plays into fascist aesthetic sensibilities!"
Wizard Youth and the Post-Hoc Revelations: The Wizard Youth is leaning over their Wizard Mentor, who is laying in a pool of blood.
Wizard Youth: "Wizard Mentor no! You can't die!"
Wizard Mentor: "It is fine, wizard youth. My death will further your character development into a wizard adult. Also, I was secretly a very very dark purple this entire time. I never brought it up so I could retain narrative approval.
End ID 3.]
[ID 4: Wizard Adult and the Overdue Conclusion. Three panels. I am sorry.
Panel 1: The dark wizard is dueling the Wizard Adult with magic beams.
Dark Wizard: "Evil green beam!"
Wizard Adult: "Good red beam! Despite the enormous variety of magic in this series this is what our final battle looks like!"
Panel 2: Wizard Adult stands victorious over the dark wizard, who is dying on the ground.
Wizard Adult: "In the end, dark wizard, you were defeated because I am morally superior to you."
Dark Wizard: "I was a product of systemic failures. There will be someone like me again someday!"
Panel 3: Zoom in on wizard adult, who says:
"Not if I can help it. Because I am going to be a wizard cop now. The moral of this story is that all systemic issues can be solved by finding a bad guy to beat."
End ID 4.]
[ID 5: Four panels.
Panel 1: Return to the green trio on their couch, watching the TV say "The End." All are are silent.
Panel 2: They are sitting on the couch. Moss is looking at their phone.
Lime: "Yeah so there were maybe a few signs we missed because we were children."
Leaf: "Yeah. A few. Some."
Panel 3: Continue conversation.
Lime: "So what did you think, Moss?"
Panel 4: Zoom in on Moss, who says: "I've been zoned out on my phone since the second movie. They lost me at the magic stuff. Wizards aren't real."
End ID 5.]
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