#musical soundtracks make no sense when they're out of order!

[raspberry-gloaming]

HUUUUUUGHFHDJ I HATE THIS SO MUCH SORRY TO YELL WAIT NO IM NOT SORRY THIS IS SO UGH

AMAZON PRIME FUCK YOU! I LOVED BEING ABLE TO LISTEN TO SONGS I ACTUALLY WANTED TO LISTEN TO, ARTISTS I WANTED TO LISTEN TO! SONGS I COULD REPLAY IN THE BACKGROUND FOR HOURS ON REPEAT, JAMMING OUT TO MY FAVOURITE TUNES.

BEING ABLE TO GO BACK AND FOCUS ON A SONGS, BE LIKE, "ECHO GO BACK 20 SECONDS" BUT NOW? ITS ALL GONE! IF I WANTED SHUFFLING ID GO TO SPOTIFY THIS HURTS MY SOUL I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT!!!!

IT EVEN ADDS SONGS I DONT WANT TO HERE TO MY PLAYLISTS THATS NOT WHAT I WANT PLEASE I HATE THIS I WANT TO CRY

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA - Episode 2: Warriors (4/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

I like the choice to have Kyoshi take over Aang's body first rather than Roku. Even though Roku and Aang have the closest connection, having Kyoshi herself come to defend her island and HER people was amazing. Suki's face as she watches her idol save her village is just…ugh it's so good. The sheer joy and excitement of seeing your hero, who you've modeled your life after, standing up for you - it's so great. Yes, Roku punishing the fire sages who've turned their backs on the Avatar is epic, but if they're going to introduce Kyoshi as the first former Avatar we actually get to know anything about in the animated series, it makes sense that we actually get to…know about her. Also the music choice when she was wrecking shop was amazing - maybe I'm biased because it reminded me of the Wheel of Time soundtrack (specifically the track for Avienda), but that chorus singing behind her was epic.

I like the change that it's Zhao's report that alerts the Fire Lord to the Avatar's return (and Zuko finding him). In the animated show, the fire sages see the signs and alert him, but now, it's more personal and we get to see the dynamic with Ozai and Azula after the banished prince as come close to doing the impossible. Really sets up a lot of stuff for the characters.

In the animated show, the first half of the season lacks any sort of urgency despite us knowing there's a war, genocide, and people actively being subjugated all over the place. While that can work for an episodic kids show - where most episodes are going to focus on character and little side quests that add to the depth of the world and characters rather than the overarching plot - it doesn’t work with 8 episodes. The tonal whiplash of hanging out on an island to ride Elephant Koi fish with no intention of ever leaving right after seeing the remnants of a genocide just wouldn't make sense for the more serious take on the war the live-action wanted to take. In the next two seasons of the animated show, this tonal shift happens, but the lackadaisical nature of specifically the first half of season 1 of ATLA animated show has consistently been one of the weakest points of the show. Yes, Aang running away from his Avatar duties is an important character point to hit, but the live-action shifts this from a physical avoidance of his responsibility to him trying to shove the responsibility off onto the previous Avatars - that way, we get the character beat of 'Aang isn't taking the seriously' with still a forward momentum for the plot.

So overall, this was a super solid episode and had some of my favorite moments (Kyoshi wrecking shop and Sokka batting away the fireball with a fan) and I like what they're setting up. It still holds very close to the animated series - it's not until next episode that they really step outside the strict adherence to the story order/settings of the animated show. While episode 3 is where I really started loving the show and fully bought into this new iteration of the story, I still left this episode with my heart pounding and so excited to continue watching. Themes were seeded and concepts hammered home (like hope - lots of hope talk) that I think really make the season more cohesive than the animated first season was.

[surveillance-0011]

Galeem and Dharkon head canons: Redux

Remake of an old post. Dharkon and HCs for their dynamics with each other and the smashers below the cut for length

Galeem

any, tends to default to he/they but is totally partial to whatever

maverique , pan + aroaspec. only very rarely experiences attraction.

Wishes to change the world into one that suits his likeness out of a sense of entitlement and superiority. He thinks the world as it is now is dull and overcomplicated and wishes for one revolving around himself, drenched in light

A very selfish and prideful individual, out of touch for sure.

Presents itself as elegant, sophisticated sort of deity. Cares a lot about presentation and any attack on his ego will be met with an eternal grudge.

They get very humiliated when they are proven wrong and when their facade of coolness breaks. Because it does. A bit more often than Galeem would like too.

They try to act unaffected but they get very emotional. Galeem is always at the extremes when they're upset or even happy.

Genuinely scared of the dark to an extent. He's very glad he glows.

Doesn't really need to eat or drink but can do so and sometimes feels the drive to. Likes cute lil pastries and fruit. Not huge on chocolate though and won't each much of anything else.

Doesn't like most of the smashers but has grown to respect most over time. Likes Kirby the most now that the burning rage has faded and kirby sneaks him bites of cake when he can is nice enough

Also has some bias over the more light-aligned smashers esp Palutena and Pit

Giving the Hands the cold shoulder still. Mocks them behind their backs. Sort of teases MH about being able to control the guy but MH is like "shush you lost you can give it up it's not my first rodeo". though MH is totally still bothered.

Likes classical and very cinematic sort of music.

Loves sunny days, dislikes stormy weathers. That being said, he enjoys snow.

Dharkon

any, defaults to she/he/it in no particular order but as w/ galeem it doesn't matter all that much

genderfluid sapphic/trixic. Greyro? sad little girlboy-boygirlthing

Can change its voice to sound more fem, masc or even in between. Sometimes it does so because of a change in mentality as well (vulnerable,strong,angry, friendly) Its voice is often deep, raspy and rumbling.

This also means he can mimic voices with a lil bit of time and effort. Totally uses this to taunt people.

Wants to plunge the world into darkness out of hatred and apathy for virtually all life. Wishes to be alone with only like individuals in a world of gloomy anarchy.

Certainly very selfish but he's got like. Reverse superiority-inferiority complex. Self loathing but also so hateful of everything else that he decided his way was still the better option. like does that make sense. doomer blackpilled nihilist reddit core.

Not unlike ridley he's smart but sees no need to communicate this. Clever but from a rougher school of thought and can't be assed to talk to people he doesn't respect.

Same as Galeem, doesn't need to eat food in the traditional sense but will do so out of boredom or cravings. Likes rich chocolate and hearty meaty foods. Great spice tolerance also. Eats much more than Galeem 2 fill the void.

Sensitive to light, especially in its weakened spirit form. This keeps him inside, when he is allowed to go out he stays in the shade or waits until twilight and night. Fond of rainstorms and cloudier weather.

Has also warmed up to Kirby somewhat. Still holding a grudge but she's starting to see the humor in being beat by a lil pink puffball, too tired to be angry about it anymore. Not to mention how Kirby is extending an olive branch

More fond of the villains. Has probably talked to Ridley, Seph and Ganon if they approach him.

Also thinks Sonic is kind of cool. Dharkon is Guy Who Only Listens To Sonic Soundtrack ig. That's the sorta person she is.

Likes rock and metal.

Drilled into the Hands for not being able to protect the smashers. Master Hand might've cried a lil about it. ok he totally did. But Dharkon has warmed up a little to Crazy Hand but hasn't been able to reconcile

Slowly starting to be less misanthropic but could still benefit from therapy and some prozac.

Together

Kept under pretty high security with lots of limitations, but allowed some freedom to keep them from being totally miserable.

Allowed to roam around every now and then.

Though it may seem rather odd to not really punish them strongly, the beatdown they've faced and permanent servitude as spirits alongside Typical Smash antics are punishment enough in the Hands' eyes (erm, lack thereof?). And, considering they did what they did out of greed and dissatisfaction, keeping them relatively happy now that their egos are in check seems like the right thing to do.

Clowned on 24/7. The fighters that feel comfortable enough to approach them tend to be teasing or will outright use them for pranks and whatnot.

Kirby is sternly kind to them, willing to turn the other cheek as long as they don't turn back to their old ways. Would totally wipe the floor with them if need be.

For others, the water is not under the bridge. Many want nothing to do with them. Some like Villager, the Ice Climbers and Duck Hunt Duo are terrified of them. Others are hostile. Oddly enough, the pikmin of all folks fall under this latter group and are extremely aggressive towards Galeem and Dharkon. In turn, these forces of light and dark have learned to fear them. Olimar is almost apologetic about it but above all else he just doesn't want his pikmin getting wiped off the face of the earth. Alph gets a little bit of a kick out of it.

Mario isn't having any bullshit. He's very cautious about the whole ordeal and will even admonish the more mischievous individuals that go out of their way to try and rile the two up. Palutena, Rosalina, Peach, Link and Samus are also very, very cautious and keep a close eye out.

Some of the villains are curious about their power, namely Ganon and Sephy. They'd like to harness their powers probably. Ridley is also curious, moreso about Dharkon but it's more like he's sizing them up for revenge.

Wario is still figuring out a way to make a quick buck off of 'em. He almost got Galeem into a mlm scheme that one time. Bowser is more cautious and cares less about trying to win them over and more about trying to avoid them bc he's mad abt his kids being hurt.

Mewtwo is also cautiously curious.

They're enemies but. Sometimes they seem a little. hm. maybe you should just kiss abt it. or something. frolic in the fields. hit each other with squeaky hammers. don't actually stab each other. thanks.

if they could stop arguing they'd be a cool evil couple. They'd be great partners in crime because they do bounce off of each other well on the occasion that they're on the same wavelength. Even when they clash, there is beauty in the way they work off of each other.

The two were kind of friends once upon a time. Whatever happened to them? No one knows, and they won't speak.

They kinda sorta apologized about WOL to each other but it's like. The spongebob scene where they're like "id hate you even if i didn't hate you" that's them 24/7 still. And they're always getting into petty disagreements.

They haven't formally apologized about it to the smashers though.

Dharkon enjoys challenging Galeem and is usually the instigator of their conflicts, but Galeem also angers Dharkon a lot through his smug behavior. Neither apologizes or forgives easily. Galeem can be bribed or buttered up, but Dharkon needs time for sure. And a valid apology.

It's very can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em, tried both. They really cannot imagine life without each other.

[emmaswanned]

@cleoselene tagged me several days ago to share 9 of my favorite albums! sorry it took me so long to respond but I did still want to make the post!

I've been bad lately about listening to full albums as opposed to individual songs but i'm trying to be better about this because i think listening to full albums is a better way to find new artists. anyway, in no particular order:

matchbox twenty: yourself or someone like you - i think i am perhaps a little young to love matchbox twenty as much as i do (this album came out when i was 4 years old LOL) but they were very much a soundtrack to my growing up. it was actually hard for me to choose between this album and mad season, but ultimately i thought you just can't go wrong with the album that features "real world", "3AM", and "push", just to name a few. (and hey, by the way, not to be that guy, but i loved "push" long before ryan gosling ever touched it!)

taylor swift: red - i chose the original album art to post here rather than the new version because RED has been my favorite album of hers ever since it came out in 2012. i have vivid memories of being a 20-year-old film student listening to the album on the train i took to get to school and thinking wow, this album really tells a story from beginning to end!

sara bareilles: the blessed unrest - this was another hard one because i wanted to choose just one album per artists and it was a tough choice between the blessed unrest and kaleidoscope heart. ultimately went with this one because of songs like "chasing the sun" and "december." sara bareilles has always (at least in her first 3 albums) conveyed a sense of unrest and uncertainty that i've found both relatable and comforting and i think in this album she finds her stability, or at least a hope that she can find it.

maisie peters: the good witch - idk what i can say about this one that others haven't already said - i think it's the newest album on my list, certainly, but it's also just, like, the ultimate breakup album. and the way maisie frames her songwriting as a way for her to take control of her own narrative is very interesting to me and very taylor swiftian.

rob thomas: cradlesong - kind of cheating here to choose a rob thomas album when he's the lead singer of matchbox twenty but i feel i cannot ignore him because he, too, was the soundtrack of my high school years. i had an obsession in 2009 that i cannot explain nor do i apologize for.

halsey: badlands - my least favorite thing about halsey is she put out this, the perfect album, on her first try and everything else has left me disappointed. i'm heading straight for the castle. they wanna make me their queen. it cannot be topped.

fun.: aim and ignite - fun. is just the perfect band for me and every day i am sad that they're not making music anymore

noah kahan: stick season - this album is very sad and heavy, and a lot of the songs sound quite similar, which are two things that are hard for me to get past when listening to music, but ultimately this album is too good to pass up. somehow makes you horribly homesick at the same time it makes you want to run screaming from your hometown and never look back.

of monsters and men: my head is an animal - i think a lot of my taste in music can be traced back to the era of of monsters and men and mumford and sons and the like. it's the thread that leads me to noah kahan now. my head is an animal is almost a no-skip album if we're being honest.

[plague-doctor-on-tumbler]

What I recommend music wise depends on what you're looking for, I listen to a little bit of everything including things many don't consider good. This is gonna be rushed because I'm tired.

The Mechanisms are a band I've been enjoying recently, it's very narrative though and best listened to in order. It's about immortal space pirates and rebellion and stuff. very cool.

Starting your villain arc? May I recommend Shayfer James, and his album Counterfeit Arcade? Also Will Wood/Will Wood and The Tapeworms

I personally like System of a Down, Linkin Park and Deftones, they are Metal/Numetal.

Some trad goth artists I like are The Cure and Souxsie and The Banshees

I also really like synthwave covers of the Bloodborne soundtrack on YouTube, and synthwave in general really

Not all Country sucks, just most of it, especially after 911. Folk and Gothic Country are great. Poor Mans Poison, Johnny Cash, First Aid Kit and The Crane Wives are bands/artists I enjoy.

They aren't for everyone but I thought I'd throw them out there just because, I'll probably remember more tomorrow. What I listen to mainly depends on vibes so often times it's just specific songs rather than artists/bands or defined genres.

Need a playlist to cry too? I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski, No Surprises by Radiohead, Euthanasia by Will Wood, etc.

Disturbed made a cover of the Sound of Silence, and it's beyond awesome.

Thanks for the list, I shall listen to them and not my thoughts down.

The Mechanisms, "ooh pirate metal, that's going in the sea shanty playlist"

Counterfeit Arcade by Shayfer James, a bit slow for my taste but pretty good nonetheless.

Will Wood, this is more my taste.

Will Wood and the Tapeworms, same as before, musics pretty catchy. (this is about Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!) 2012 REFRENCE!!!!!! GOING STRAIGHT INTO MY PLAYLIST WHERE THE ONLY CRITERIA IS THE SONG NEEDS TO REFRENCE 2012 IN A NOSTALGIC SENSE (it's more common then you think)

System Of A Down, think I've listened to them before, or at least a band that sounded similar.

I already listen to Linkin Park

Deftones, reminds me of Weezer for some reason.

The Cure, already listened to them before, they're one of my friends favorite bands.

Siouxsie and The Banshees, dosent make me feel anything, no likes, no dislikes.

Yeah most synthwave covers of videogame music/voice lines sound pretty good, personal favorite is dagothwave.

Poor Man's Poison is already a band I listen to quite often, favorite song is Feed The Machine.

Johnny Cash, reminds me of the music I used to listen to when I was 10ish, so that's okay by me, might not listen to it as much but still makes me a bit nostalgic.

First Aid Kit, definitely sounds like my type of music reminds me of Young Rising Sons a bit.

The Crane Wives, wonder where the name came from, anyway a bit slow but reminds me a lot of Five For Fighting which is an artist I like so that's a good sign.

I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski, too slow for my tastes, still kinda relaxing though.

No Surprises by Radiohead, too much radio not enough head 😔, never liked radiohead that much, pretty calming though liked the background music a lot.

Euthanasia by Will Wood, really similar to a lot of songs I like so I kept expecting a louder and quicker paced chorus but sadly it never came, pretty sad lyrics wonder what's the context.

Sound Of Silence, did this song for 8th grade choir, so I've heard both this version and the original, I perfer the original but this ones pretty good too.

So that's it. If any of my other mutuals want to suggest songs go right ahead

[raedacted]

since these never ended up getting used, i thought i'd share the music i wrote for devil town by my friend @rebelpeas!

under the cut are 4 out of 6 tracks i composed from scratch, as well as some notes on my process for writing each of them. obligatory spoiler warning for devil town; i will be talking about some of the themes and plot points from the fic!

also, i'm not a professional or anything; this was my first time ever doing anything like this! i'm just really into music and like to pretend i know everything!! so apologies if i use some music theory terms incorrectly

(super long post incoming haha)

Devil Town Theme Concept

this was the very first track i wrote for the project, but i ended up not liking it very much and wanted to rewrite it, which is why i have it labeled as a concept. i threw this together in about 2-3 hours one night when i found out there was a concept for a devil town game. i desperately wanted to work on it with the group, but i'd convinced myself i had to prove i had something to offer. and so, the theme was born!

the first idea i had was a motif for quackity. quackity's arc revolves around the notion that he is cursed to never leave his hometown. he tries time and time again to escape, but is always pulled back to where it all began no matter what he does.

you can hear this in the melody that the guitar plays at the very beginning.

the first note of the melody starts on the root note, or "home" note, of the chord (g minor). then, it raises to the minor third (b flat), only to immediately fall back down to g. the melody continues to rise little by little, but always returns to the home note.

the bass also follows this pattern, never being able to fully deviate from the root note.

another subtle way i tried to convey this theme was by writing the track in 6/8 time. this allowed me to write the melody in a dotted eighth note + sixteenth rhythm. it gives the sense that quackity is trying to leave for as long as he can, trying to hold on to whatever new location he traveled to each time the melody rises and gets a little further from the home note.

the second melody we hear is the motif that represents time is a circle. much like quackity's curse of returning home, time is doomed to repeat itself over and over. i planned to use this motif a lot throughout the game's soundtrack, as it's one of the central themes of the story. ultimately, i ended up going with a different melody, but here's the one you hear in this track!

Tension/ Searching for Karl

this one is my darling beloved. i adore it so so so so much.

i originally wrote this track with the purpose of having it play whenever a particularly tense moment came up in-game, but after playing around with it more i decided it would fit best in the scene where the group is searching for karl in the woods.

there's a ton of stuff to dissect in this one because i love it when music reflects the story and i cannot control myself

first off, the pulsing eighth-note rhythm you hear in the bass was intended to be what you hear whenever shit was about to go down. it's a very simple musical idea that can be played around with in a ton of different ways!

my plan was to introduce it in its own song, which would be a "mood" track that plays during tense moments, in order to make the player associate that musical idea with a feeling of apprehension/ anxiety.

then, i would incorporate it into "situational" tracks (which would be a song meant to play only during a specific scene) like this one. because the player has already connected that theme with stressful scenes, they're likely to feel anxious before the dialogue even starts.

in the fic, the woods are viewed by all the characters negatively. they all see it as being not quite right; there's something wrong with it, but they can't figure out what. i really wanted the soundtrack to reflect this as well, so i originally planned for the woods to be the only location in which a synth was the main focus of the track. (of course i was using a free music notation software so all of the instruments were synthesized, but whatever, shut up) this also extends to anything associated with the woods, including the voices/ the egg, the mines, badboyhalo, etc.

speaking of the woods, this here was intended to be its theme! (yes, i really tried to give a theme to pretty much every element of the story including the locations. i know.)

(also, the notation is a beat off from the recording because the synth was wonky)

and now for my absolute favorite part of the track, the motif for the voices!

gonna be real, i Do Not know what this chord is called! pretty sure i just slapped a couple of notes together and moved one of the notes around in half steps until i got something that sounded creepy and vaguely dissonant. but i ended up really liking it and it's become my favorite thing about this soundtrack!

by having the synth fade in and out quietly in the background, it simulates the voices calling for techno, occasionally getting louder in his head before backing down once more.

the synth used for this chord was supposed to sound like human whistling, which i thought is perfect for having it symbolize the voices! it sounds vaguely human and obviously not at the same time.

near the end, the guitar finishes its melody on a simple octave + fifth chord, but it has an augmented fourth on the bottom.

the fifth (a) and the augmented fourth (g sharp) are a half-step away from each other, which creates this really nasty sounding dissonance and makes it sound like the musician made a mistake while playing.

this was done so the player still feels as if something is off about the location/ scene, and they haven't reached a satisfying resolution quite yet

The Mines

i'm going a bit out of order and talking about the track for the mines before i get to my favorite one!

as you can tell, this was the location track for the mines, which would have played near the very end of the entire game. my goal with this one was to create an atmosphere that really fit the spookiness of the mines and the situation that put the characters there.

the track opens with the same chord that "Searching for Karl" ended with (to give it an instant unsettling vibe), followed by a super super low note. this low note was really just meant to reflect the fact that the characters are deep underground. (fun fact, the instrument that plays the note is a sitar that i pitched wayyyyyy down)

immediately afterward, we get this unusual bouncy rhthym in the bass marimba (which i also pitched way down for the purposes of the track):

this rhythm and instrument was meant to simulate the sound of wooden support beams creaking under the weight of the earth (remember this, it will be important later)

afterwards, we get a couple of callbacks to earlier themes, like the chord + synth i used for the voices, as well as that tension motif i talked about in the last track.

then, the voices motif comes back again, this time with the top two notes of the chord descending in half-steps. this reflects the fact that the characters are descending deeper into the mines, and also that the voices are pulling techno further and further.

we then hear this melody play on top of the tension motif and the sound of the wood creaking:

remember how i said i ended up using a different melody to represent the idea of time is a circle? that's this.

along with the ascending and descending melody, it also crescendos and decrescendos similarly to the voices, giving it the sense of an endless loop.

on top of this melody is a high-pitched percussion instrument that hits on the third beat of every measure. (according to my soundfiles it is something called an "agogo".) this was meant to simulate the sound of pickaxes striking the stone as miners extracted coal.

the rest of the track isn't anything special, just some more generally spooky vibes and repeating a few ideas we've already heard at the beginning.

Dream Sequence

now THIS is my absolute favorite thing i have ever written. i listen to this sometimes and go "damn i really did that /egotistical"

per the title, this track was meant to play whenever techno had a dream involving tommy and the voices, and it is filled to the brim with symbolism and fun little details!

let's start with the actual arrangement of the beginning.

the synth being used here is the same whistle sound i used for the voices motif! that's because these notes are the same ones as the voices, the chord is just in a different inversion/ order

the music box was used so that you could distinctly hear what notes were being played and their rhythm since there was so much reverb

the reverb, the slow fade in, and the odd chord are all meant to create a dreamy/ floating feeling that reflects the way techno felt when having these visions

“Something winds around his wrists, up his arms, pulling him down. Not roughly; it’s more of a coaxing, not commanding. They call him. They’re gentle.”

“The walls are close around him, something is ever so gently dragging him down, and his mind is far from his reach, but he can’t bring himself to care. He’s tired. It’s warm here.”

“He stays there, not asleep but at rest all the same, and time drifts lazily by. That tangible grip around his arms continues to wrap around him, coaxing him further into the darkness, and he lets it. Why would he fight it? It’s not going to hurt him. They wouldn’t hurt him. He’s not truly himself, anyway - he’s them too, or they are him, and he’s safe here.”

my favorite fun fact about this track is that the entire thing is out of tune. the majority of western music is tuned to 440Hz, but this score is set at 425Hz, which is smaller than a half-step, meaning you can't play it on a piano and have it sound exactly like it does in the recording (unless your piano is out of tune). making it microtonal really helps to drive home the idea that, while these dreams are not necessarily threatening at first, there is something inherently wrong about them.

then we have the melody:

this melody is played by a piano in a high octave, which i did purposefully so it could be clearly heard through all the reverb

the notes being played here are taken from the "time is a circle motif". this reflects the fact that techno is not the first person to hear the voices. he is part of a cycle.

after the melody repeats, we get a sudden rhythm in the bass marimba

this is the same rhythm and instrument used to represent the mines!

this is meant to hint towards the fact that tommy is in the mines, which he was trying to tell techno every time the two met in one of techno's dreams/ visions.

then we get two cluster chords while the melody takes a break. these are all of the notes for the "time is a circle" motif smashed into one chord and transposed up one whole step (to better fit with the rest of the music).

there's not too much left after that!

the music grows louder and louder, with the bass becoming more prevalent and the synths drowning out the piano. then the whole track is pulled down to a b flat bass after so long of sitting on an e.

all of this goes along with the constant imagery of the voices "pulling" techno down, and letting himself be taken as they grow louder.

and that's pretty much it! i had two other tracks that i didn't care for as much, since they were just simpler version of some that i shared here. i had a ton of fun working on these and i'm really proud of what i came out with!

huge giant thank you to dee for writing such a banger fic and being so inspiring :)

[samaspic31]

Theory : anti-spoiler culture ruined the soundtrack of the kenobi series

I relistened to the series' soundtrack last week and the thing most noticeable about it is.... how unremarkable it is. Aside from the main theme john Williams composed, can you remember or sing anything from it? Aside from few good parts here and there, the impression I have is very generic, bland, and definitely void of the trademarks that make a good, memorable star wars soundtrack in my opinion.

Now I'm not one to hang on established themes if new, equally good ones are introduced; the mandalorian is my favourite star wars music, it proved it was possible. That wasn't the case here. And the kenobi series is, let's be real, mainly an appeal to nostalgia of the prequel movies. The mandalorian made new themes for new characters; and used the force theme for Luke's appearance, because it would feel like it's missing if it didn't. kenobi was almost exclusively legacy characters, some of them with firmly established musical themes. Leia has a theme since A new hope. The series also repeated instances from the prequels that had distinct musical associations: order 66 had the march on the jedi temple, anakin's betrayal, and the obiwan - anakin duel was characterized by battle of the heroes and duel of the fates (whose absence is made more frustrating by its use for the trailer. I don't think it was unreasonable for us to expect in to be used in the series when the promo was done with it).

Leia's theme is not used at all, despite the fact it had come to represent even alderaan itself in tcw's soundtrack. It makes no sense not to use it. They used it for baby leia meeting breha, it was created for her 19yo self, why wouldn't it be relevant to her 10yo self ? Besides, the emperor's theme is also left unused despite being long established in both trilogies. The imperial march is used once, and while I don't mean to swing back and argue they should have used it as much as rebels did, I do think it was too little and felt missing in the village scene on mapuzo

Again I would not be complaining if the music we got was so great that it made me forget what it didn't include. I don't want star wars to become a repetitive loop of rehashing and never any new theme, only callbacks. I do feel those themes should be used, sparsely, when relevant, when telling the story of the characters they represent. And especially in flashbacks. And the "replacement" we were given instead is, frankly, mediocre. I can't help but feel a void listening to it, because if you are reusing so much of the prequels both narratively and emotionally... why leave out such a huge part of what made us feel this way? Why cut the wings off your most emotional scenes by not reminding us musically what it's connected to ?

If you have to make me watch order 66 one hundred times, make it good. I have qualms with tcw s7, but I can't say Victory and death wasn't efficient, fitting, and as good a track as revenge of the sith's order 66 music. And it's just my opinion, but kenobi's take didn't live up to the challenge.

Ok, rant over. Why did this happen tho ? Why wouldn't they use the established themes? This is just my theory, obviously I don't work at Lucasfilm, but my guess is : the composer didn't know who she was writing for, she couldn't know what to use when. They wanted to keep the importance of leia's role a secret at all costs and make it a big reveal, as was when the vader - obiwan confrontations would take place, and the emperor cameo. I wouldn't be surprised if it was kept from even the composer. Favloni kept Luke's cameo secret from as many people as possible, telling basically anyone but mark that it'd be plo koon, and the only reason we did get the force theme in my opinion was that it did not give away it was specifically luke but any jedi. That specific brand of bland soundtrack mediocrity reminds me of what happens with the mcu when composers don't know neither what characters nor the details of the scenes they're writing for, in opposition with the Black Panther soundtrack where ludwig Goransson was informed.

It betrays such a disdain for composers that Disney is fully choosing to sacrifice quality, retaining relevant and vital information, to exclude artists from key aspects of the projects they hired them to be a part of, stifling their abilities to give us good music, and all out of fear of leaks that they cannot stop from happening anyways. Word got out of Luke's cameo, word got out of leia's involvement. Total lack of spoilers is impossible to achieve, and striving for it is hindering the very art it claims to protect the enjoyment of. Besides, a good plot should be able to withstand spoilers, and the whole spoiler circus seems very much a way to manufacture hype by signaling to people that they should want to find out before anyone else. But I digress. My point is that the lack of involvement of the composers make for some very forgettable scores and it's a damn shame

[supanuts]

my top albums of 2023

(but i'm cheating, probably, because of course i am)

tagged by @theelast-straw <3

in no particular order except for roughly release date/order in which i got obsessed with each album, i present you: the albums i've had on loop for most of 2023

i like to listen to albums from start to finish, i think for the same reason that i tend to rewatch the same movies when i can't sleep (the sense of familiarity) but i'm picking a favourite from each because all of them had that one (1) song i got obsessed with and/or made it into one of my very specific playlists... some even more than one, if i'm honest lol

my world, aespa (2023)

what can i say about my favourite gg except that i love them so much? their title tracks are always a 10/10 for me but so are most of the sides, and for my world we got some amazing track videos (my favourite was of course i'm unhappy). plus there's the added layer of collecting pcs and the friends i cry about pieces of cardboard with, and while i admit i went a bit overboard during my world and that may be one of the reasons i got overwhelmed and eventually bored so now i'm stepping back from collecting, i still had lots of fun and this was my soundtrack for most of it.

perfume, nct dojaejung (2023)

my sons and jungwoo, do i really need to say anything else... i was lowkey scared i wouldn't like the mini for some reason and yeah that wasn't a problem, i am still obsessed with perfume lol i think this came out right after i decided i wouldn't buy more physical albums except the ones that i really loved the design of, and then i loved the songs so much that i ended up getting doyoung's box... and eventually two pbs from ktwt because i wanted to make covers out of them, and then never did lol

golden age, nct (2023)

pado and baggy jeans are my most played songs of the year; wish i could say i've gotten over the brain worms baggy jeans caused but nope, it's still on loop in my mind months later and i fear it's not going anywhere 👖

nil, the gazette (2006)

so this one is not new... but for some reason in the first half of the year, i think? i got back into the gazette; i've been listening to nil now and then throughout the years but now i also listen to their whole discography regularly. it's like being 16 again but with back pain lol happy to announce nil is still my favourite album of all time, and that i somehow remember all the lyrics! for this one i'm picking cassis because it has been one of my favourite songs since it came out and then cemented its place forever in my heart when i saw them play it live, which is something i'll never forget.

fact check, nct 127 (2023)

ICONIC MOVE, MY MOTION. i adore fact check, 127 never miss with their title tracks and i always go through at least a few days where i need to play them on loop because they won't leave my mind otherwise... but this time, if i could only pick one song from the album, it'd have to be angel eyes. i don't know if it's the happy 90s boyband energy or what but it's so special to me, makes me happy every time i listen to it <3

ร็อก เล็ก เล็ก, micro (1986)

we all know when and where this came from, don't we? one thing i'll always be grateful to only friends for (other than sandray both as characters and as a ship) is the music; i discovered so many wonderful songs and artists by listening to the playlists, and of course my favourite was micro, particularly this album which i started to listen to because both อย่าดีกว่า and อยากจะบอกใครสักคน are in it, and while they're still my favourites i really like the rest of the album too.

the land is inhospitable and so are we, mitski (2023)

i think i discovered mitski back in 2018 when be the cowboy came out, but for some reason i never listened to her music a lot? i had a pearl in my playlists, but it wasn't until laurel hell came out in 2022 that i started to listen to more... and then this year we got this amazing album and she's now one of my most listened artists of all time. my favourite is my love all mine because, like for most of twitter, that was (one of) my sandray song(s).

something to give to each other, troye sivan (2023)

this album came out right when i was itching for new music and to make more playlists because i was bored of always listening to the same songs. it was kind of a break? not because it's super different from other things i listen to, i don't think, but idk it was exactly what i needed right when i needed it. there's something about can't go back, baby that has always made it stand out to me, but don't ask me what.

to. x, taeyeon (2023)

mother! taeyeon has been in my life continuously for the longest time; her voice is such a comfort, it doesn't matter if i stop listening to kpop for years (which i've done a couple times in my life because i am that dramatic) i don't think i could ever quit her. honestly the whole album is perfect, no notes, and we even got a live clip for all for nothing. best way to end the year!

not tagging anyone but if you see this and want to do it you can consider yourself tagged <3

[etherealdemon]

🤍 — katie/aiden!

send me a 🤍 + a ship and i’ll answer some questions about them!

who cooks meals for the others?

out of the two, it's definitely katie who cooks more. aiden is kind of helpless in the kitchen and you probably won't be happy eating anything he makes. he's not a horrible cook but he's just kinda ehh. most of the time though, katie and aiden just order take out. their schedules are always so packed and busy that they rarely have time to cook.

who spams the other with memes?

aiden likes to spam katie with memes and most of the time he'll send stuff that relates to their current or past projects. his favourite memes are ones that came from love theory. he's also definitely sent katie a few youtube compilations titled along the lines of 'katie and aiden being in love with each other for 8 minutes straight'.

who likes to tidy around the house?

katie's the one who's mostly picking up after aiden around the house. aiden isn't exactly messy, it's just that he tends to leave his things around the house especially if he's had a long day at work. he's the type to lose his keys because he can't remember where he left them.

who likes to play pranks on the other?

aiden sometimes like to play little harmless pranks on katie but most of the time she can see right through him. he isn't exactly subtle so it's very obvious when he's trying to prank her. he'll start giggling in the middle of his sentences and most of the time the things he says won't really make sense.

who asked the other to move in with them?

aiden and katie had decided to live together while they were filming love theory in korea. when filming wrapped up and it was time for them to go back home, they both decided to continue living with each other and got a place together. aiden had suggested this when love theory was nearly done filming and katie happily agreed to the idea.

who is in charge of the music during a car ride?

since it's aiden who usually drives, katie is the one who has the power of choosing the music during car rides. aiden doesn't mind either since he's happy to listen to whatever katie wants to put on. both of them like to listen to the love theory soundtrack and sing along during the car ride. aiden will also often request katie put one of her group's songs since they're his favourite kpop group. katie is his bias :starcry:

who is more likely to tickle the other mercilessly?

aiden's the one who usually initiates tickling but katie is always quick to fight back. they're both very playful with each other so this happens more often than not. aiden is very ticklish and katie knows where he's the most sensitive so it's not long before he ends up falling on the floor and rolling uncontrollably.

who needs to hold the other while watching scary movies?

katie's the one who ends up holding aiden when watching scary movies. he's not a fan of them since he gets scared very easily, but he always ends up having to watch them because supporting his friends and their projects are more important than him keeping his sanity (arabella i'm looking at you). aiden always ends up hiding behind katie when they watch a horror film which doesn't really help him at all since she's so tiny.

who has to help the other when it comes to technology?

both are pretty competent when it comes to technology. they don't ever have to ask for help since they know what they're doing most of the time. the only time aiden has ever asked katie for help regarding technology was when he first got his tiktok account. he didn't know how to use it or how it worked so he had to ask her a lot of questions. he still does up to this day since he still doesn't fully understand how it works.

who likes to get a bit frisky in public/ an inappropriate setting?

aiden is the one who usually gets a little handsy in public. he's no samuel kim but he is known to get a little too attached to katie when they're out in public. the most inappropriate thing he's ever done is put his hand on katie's thigh during a press tour, inching higher and higher as he answered the interviewers question. this moment went a little viral and is included in every 'katie and aiden being in love' compilation video.

who wakes up first, and do they wake up the other or let them rest?

who wakes up first really depends on their schedules since there are times when they need to go to work in the early hours of the morning. when this is the situation, they usually just leave the other to get some sleep and rest, leaving a note for them on their bedside table. when they both have nothing on for the day, katie is the one who usually wakes up first, and depending on her mood, she'll either let aiden rest or wake him up using her mouth.

who is always taking pictures of the other when they aren’t looking?

i like to think that both of them do this! aiden is literally katie's number one fan and his camera roll is just filled with cute photos of her, whether they're selfies he's taken with her or candid shots he took while she wasn't looking. he also likes to take selfies of himself on katie's phone, so it's always a little bit of a surprise for her when she opens her camera roll and there's 50 new selfies of aiden.

who always forgets their wallet and never ends up paying for anything?

he doesn't do it often, but out of the two, it's definitely aiden who forgets his wallet the most. sometimes his brain is just a little scattered and he'll forget to bring his wallet when he and katie are going out. he'll always feel bad that katie has to pay so he'll always try and make it up to her next time they go out.

who can’t sleep because the other snores or moves too much at night?

unfortunately for her, katie's the one who can't sleep at night because aiden moves around too much. he isn't exactly the type to lie down in bed and immediately go to sleep, it probably takes him around an hour before he can find a comfortable position and finally sleep. he's gotten a lot better once he started sleeping with katie. there was something about cuddling with her that brought him comfort and allowed him to sleep a lot better.

who is better at video games, and do they let the other win or show no mercy?

for someone who loves to play video games and has been playing since was a little kid, aiden sure is shit at them. even if katie is not exactly amazing at video games, she'll always end up beating him since he sucks so bad. he's also NOT a sore loser so when katie beats him he'll literally just be like 'nice! can we do another round?'

who always gets up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and accidentally wakes the other?

aiden. he's not at all subtle and will probably startle katie when she's sleeping. since he's huge, he also tends to bump into furniture when the lights are off. there is absolutely no doubt that katie has woken up because aiden accidentally ran into the door while he was trying to go to the bathroom

[radellama]

1, 13, 25 & 31

1. Do you listen to music when you write?

Yes and no... I have a few playlists made for specific aus/characters to help me get in the mood and have fun rotating them, but I don't actually listen to them when I'm writing (with like. Only one or two exceptions)

That's because I struggle to concentrate on the writing if I am hearing words, and I'll just turn into a scribe and write what I hear haha. I have some playlists that are instrumental only for certain characters, or use other general playlists that are pretty chill, or if there's a soundtrack that belongs to the game/movie/ect I'll listen to some songs from it. Otherwise, those white noise tracks that are a few hours long, like rain sounds or sci-fi warp core- those REALLY help me. And sometimes I write in silence too, but cause I'm sensitive to sounds listening to appropriate white noise with my noise cancelling headphones on is often more helpful.

13. Describe your writing process from idea to polished

Ohhhh boy. I am kinda insane with this cause I love planning.

I'll usually have a core idea (specific scene, thematic motif, that kind of thing) and have that written down in my phone notes somewhere. Then, after thinking about it for a while and expanding upon that idea, I start trying to link them and see how they could be connected (will this dramatic moment work better before or after this other moment, what context would make this scene mean more, ect) and that will start to make a basic story roadmap. Then, when the ideas are starting to come together, it's often fun to discuss them with someone and bounce the ideas around a bit. These days I usually make an outline or some kind of list/guide for myself cause I find that I work better when I know I can refer to stuff so I won't stress over missing the important bits. Then, I start writing! I used to try write everything in the order it was supposed to be read, but that's too rigid and ended up feeling like an arbitrarily self imposed rule - why write in order if I'm not thinking in order? So now I just try to write the scenes that seem the strongest or most approachable in my mind, and slowly fill in the gaps when I've got stuff down. In this writing stage is where I switch between creative mind (just getting stuff on the page, trying things out) and critical mind (doing passes for spelling and grammar, seeing if what I've written actually makes sense or needs restructuring) and I'll go through these various passes until I can't realy change anything else and am satisfied. Then, however I post, I post!

I get stuck in perfectionist tendencies but I'm getting better, not everything I do is as cool as it was in my mind, but I get close enough. Sometimes I'm just ready to post cause I'm soooo sick of looking at it and can't keep sitting on it haha

25. Favourite part of writing

Tricky... I think I like writing dialogue or scenes that demonstrate a characters behaviour, esp in contrast (or complementary) to other characters within the story. Characters are so interesting to write about and I especially like when they feel real to me, and hope that they're interesting and entertaining to others when they read my characters.

31. Least favourite part of writing

Probs editing lol. I'm not the best at spelling, and I care more about a certain rythmn and flow to my writing over strictly correct grammar. Little quirks I guess, but it can get frustrating trying to balance between beautiful prose and wanky ramblings.

Send me some writing asks

[todayimgonnaplay]

Today I'm Gonna Play: No More Heroes (PC)

I've heard this series get a lot of praise and people pleading to play it. I have vague memories of seeing the cover art but only really got the name in my head after NMH3 released. I was curious to know what it was all about, so I've jumped into the first one.

For the pros, the art direction is pretty great, I'm always a sucker for anything cel-shaded, it helps preserve a sense of style even when the game has aged. The character designs are a highlight for me. Everyone has unique silhouettes and personalities that make them memorable. The story and thematics are straightforward but very meta, and although at times I felt it was grating (such as the crude humour), I like that it didn't take itself seriously and simply exists to have a fun time. Travis is quite a degenerate, but I like having to see flawed protagonists at times, which makes me root for him.

The cons however, is the overall gameplay loop being repetitive. Majority of the progression requires you to grind for money by doing a number of part-time jobs or missions disguised as minigames in an open world, which are fun the first time! But not so much when you have to do them repeatedly. I've read that the developer intended it to be this way in order to replicate the mundane nature of working jobs, which is an interesting choice. I think trying to replicate something monotonous in real-life isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the lucky thing about games is that it tends to offer shortcuts (or cheats for games like The Sims or Grand Theft Auto) that make ''life'' in the game easier. Implementing cheat codes could be one way of going at it, which could be fitting for a game that is very GTA-esque in terms of the 3D classic era. Although this wouldn't really be possible as this was initially released for the Wii (although it'd be interesting to know how cheat codes could be implemented, if there aren't any other games out there), it could be an addition for other consoles/PC ports. The other alternative is to have menus and triggers instead. Grinding should be rewarding, but also convenient. By having a retry button after the mission (by standing at the entrance of the mission area), or being able to access past missions from the pause menu would allows the player to easily get back rather than having to go back and forth to start the mission and actually do it. Fortunately, many modern games have this implementation already. Another issue in the repetitiveness is also the level design, and some aspects of combat. For the former, there is not much of variety in the layout, often feeling like I'm running in a straight corridor (and one level is ACTUALLY a very very long, straight corridor). It felt frustrating and draining that in order to make it bearable, I had to change my perspective and not treat the game like other hack and slash games I've played, but rather like 2D beat em' ups that happens to be in a 3D environment and camera. If this was the intention, then it makes more sense. As for the latter, the combat has some variety and some occassional fun gimmicks with wacky phrases, but I felt there was little to no use of different tactics when it came to boss fights. Most of the time, I felt I just had to block, evade/counterattack and then mash attack until I find an opportunity to stun or slow down time to mash some more, while enemies only show a few seconds of vulnerability. Only once was there some variety which was trying to press a button to shoot back obstacles like a batter in a baseball game. It also didn't help that the camera was often clunky throughout the game. Both aspects also felt very dragged out and padded for the sake of extending game time. But regardless, the boss fights are the most entertaining part of the gameplay as they're also intertwined with the story. I've also heard praise about the game's soundtrack but...in my experience I could barely even hear the background music and whenever I did, not much stood out to me. I may have to listen to it separately in my own time.

The game is really charming, and I think should be experienced for its strengths. But it gets heavily bogged down by its weaknesses. I heard that NMH2 has a lot of improvements however, so I'm still willing to give this series another chance.

[songsfordustmites]

so i was tagged by the lovely @autumngore to share my top 5 songs in my "on repeat" playlist. clearly that playlist is generated by spotify and i'm not a guy who uses that so here is what my phone says.

right, so i feel like i have to explain things. i only listen to full albums so that's why it is all songs from the same EP. i think it's interesting that this at the top when my phone says that my most played album is 'why?' by they might be giants, but i think that the EP not being my most played album might correlate with how often i listen to these outside of my band's discography in chronological order playlists. i think they're just counted as individual song plays and not album plays when i add the whole playlist to my queue instead of adding just the album by itself. does this make sense? samsung, how is this done?

this whole thing made me wonder if windows media player can do a similar thing since i listen to music on my computer the most and it can apparently! i've figured it out. i made a playlist where i set it to add songs that have over 100 plays and here is what it added.

so it's basically the same fucking thing. alright. i am quite surprised by this and i feel like tmbg should be in here somewhere, but they have a huge discography where i listen to each album at the same frequency so it'll take awhile for them to appear. steve has about thirty songs so with the obsession that i had, i could only listen to these fucking songs and nothing more so i guess it makes sense that he's the only one there.

now, i have used spotify before many times so let's see what has been put in that playlist for me.

alright...i have to explain this. sweet young thing is there for some reason because some person i follow posted the link to it and said some thing about it and i clicked on it because i couldn't remember what the song sounded like so i wanted to hear it. i do not think i listened to the full thing. i think i listened to the soft bulletin once on spotify. friends..my friend shared it to me and that was the first time i heard it and ever since i just listen to the mp3 that i have of it. silly hat is on here because i wanted to see what blue's clues albums were on spotify. i have that cd now. i used to listen to the spongebob squarepants movie soundtrack a lot on here. i should get a copy of it. also it said all of these were added in 2021. i have heard other things on spotify since then so i don't know why they chose these songs.

aw shit i was just supposed to post a picture and that's it, but i got too caught up in the data that i just had to compare!

[olderthannetfic]

I have a real stupid question/challenge for you, if you want. (you can also tell me to shoo, i won't be mad lmao)

I have a friend who insists that I'll fall in love with BTS if I give them a chance, based on the fact that I love montero and lemonade. they don't listen when I tell them that 1) just cuz I appreciate a few beautifully-crafted, pop-flavored hip-hop albums, doesn't mean that I now like pop; and 2) I have a raging hate-on for manufactured boy bands that dates back to the new kids on the block era. I'm not mad about them anymore, just can't find it in my limited attention span to engage with manufactured pop groups, even when they're quite good in every measurable way.

I've listened to the big singles and they didn't hook me. i appreciate what they're doing, but it just doesn't appeal to me. 🤷

so, I guess my question to you is, do you know any good BTS songs that might change my mind? anything bluesy or reminiscent of old-school 80s rap? any super 90s throwback tracks? idk, I'm doing my best to be open minded :|

--

BTS has a massive discography, and I dislike plenty of individual songs. I guarantee there's at least one song you'll find tolerable, though whether you'll become a BTS fan is another story.

I have little patience for New Kids, though I do like some bouncy dance music. BTS have a pretty high degree of artistic freedom, considering everything. The packaging is slick. The inside is considerably less hollow than usual. If you've been listening to their recent English-language hits... uh... they have their good points, but I really don't think those are representative of BTS overall—except insofar as they represent their intense desire to win a Grammy.

I'm not great at telling what's like what, so IDK which of their songs best fit your criteria necessarily, but I'll pick a few for you to try. As a listener, I'll think some hip hop sounds familiar, but it's only when I see other people's reviews that I understand what era it's reminding me of. (TBH, what I personally did was make a spreadsheet of everything they'd done, including random soundtrack songs and solo work and just try everything in order.)

--

I might start with the BTS rappers' solo work. Try RM's second mixtape, mono. I like listening to this as soothing background music at night.

Suga goes by Agust D as a solo artist. His song 'Agust D' is one of my favorites. The lyrics to many of their songs are quite clever too, though of course, as a non-Korean speaker, I have to rely on other people's explanation. (The basic content here is "I may be an idol, but I'm still twice the rapper you are".)

J-Hope tends to sound kind of... well... goofy. I like his voice in Baseline.

He did cover Chicken Noodle Soup, which is certainly old, but I don't actually like the original version of that song.

The Cyphers are great: Cypher Pt. 2, Cypher Pt. 3, Cypher Pt. 4.

To get a sense of their wordplay and why it's cool, check out this video where a Korean guy explains Ddaeng.

--

If you want to know who they think their influences are, they outline a bunch of them in Hip Hop Lover.

Dionysus is one of their big showstoppers that I like a lot better than, say, Permission to Dance.

Louder Than Bombs is a favorite of mine.

--

I'm not usually super into the vocalists-only songs, but maybe you'd enjoy some of them. Some people find House of Cards bluesy. Not sure how much I agree.

--

I guess a couple of their older albums are considered particularly oldschool, though maybe that's because of that ultimate scourge of old albums the skit. (Kill it with fire!) Also, I like a lot of the sound, but their fashion at the time, gaaaaah! You can see some images of the full horror on this lyric video to We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2. I like N.O a lot and Satoori Rap. That latter celebrates regional dialects, which is neat.

And one of their better-known songs and one of my personal favorites is Baepsae, an anthem of youthful discontent that makes use of a Korean saying and turns it on its head.

--

And hey, if you loathe all that, you can go listen to Tiger JK as a palate cleanser. RM features on a couple of his songs like MFBTY's Buckubucku and Timeless off of Drunken Tiger X.

[measuringbliss]

So I watched The Suicide Squad last night and the first episode of Peacemaker this morning. Here are my Thoughts.

First of all HARLEY'S ROCKING THE FUCK OUT OF THIS OUTFIT!!!!

Now that I've said it. Onto the rest.

I absolutely loved TSS. I hadn't seen the first, but I did watch Birds of Prey twice in theaters. The James Gunn vibe is definitely there. Too much there, maybe? The old pop songs were vaguely justified in Guardians of the Galaxy since the protagonist is absolutely passionate about them, and it's in the narrative and it kind of became a GotG trademark, you know? They're introduced with Rubberband Man in Infinity War. It's their thing. So it does sound weird for TSS to have so much of them too. I feel like it was part of the contract; the execs wanted James Gunn, not only the man but the full treatment: colors, good comedy and songs. But I feel like now, it's really overdone. Umbrella Academy had that annoying "oh this fight scene is funny because there's a song in the background" thing in one of the first episodes, and then the absolutely ridiculous Run Boy Run scene made me quit the show because even though those moments irritated the hell out of me, they still were the highlight of my viewing experience until then because the rest was just. so. boring.

The lyrics are at least appropriate and not too much on the nose in TSS, so there's that. But it really wasn't necessary.

There were a lot of great ideas. Harley's flowers fight is wonderful, it looks like an ad for perfume you'd see on TV in the 2000s. The anachronistic order is nice. Comedy is mostly good. The opening act is absolutely hilarious and I really love Weasel. I'd already played both seasons of Telltale's Batman so I knew Amanda Waller is an asshole and wow, she was great. She was incredible. Loved her. All the actors are great, actually. John Cena was very surprising, but his scenes after the hard drive is found? Heartbreaking as fuck. Fuck that fight scene was so raw, I gasped. I gasped multiple times throughout the movie, I just wasn't ready.

Mickey Rourke's wig is awful, part of the fun obviously just as Weasel's dubious CGI.

"If I die 'cause I gambled on love... It will be a worthy death." FUCK, that quote is so GOOD. ALSO THE RATS. THEY'RE SO ADORABLE. I WANT TO PET THEM.

If anyone asks, yes of course I shipped Peacemaker and Flag, two guys trying to kill each other? Yes that's the good stuff. Also Taika Waititi was hot. Absolutely nobody is surprised.

I did think the music was overdone in the climax, with the flashback to both Ratcatchers and Harley helping killing Starro. It was... too much. But the moment itself was sweet as hell. Fuck, this movie is great. So many great stuff about it.

OKAY BUT JUST BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO PEACEMAKER EP 1

I feel like the "pop song everywhere in superhero movies" might eventually become even more commonplace and it would make sense, really, because comics are a pop thing too, you know what I'm saying? Pop songs are probably an appropriate soundtrack. Doesn't mean I *like* it, but it does make sense.

OKAY PEACEMAKER EP 1

FIRST. OMG A GAY COUPLE. FUCK YEAH. I love them. I love them so much. I hope they don't die, either of them.

okay now here is where I insert an entire paragraph about my thirst for John Economos. But I'm too lazy so you'll have to imagine it. but. yeah.

anyway DID YOU KNOW I LOVE HUGS? AND I LOVE IT WHEN CHARACTERS HUG EACH OTHER??? well it happens in both the movie and the first episode. loved it.

look. about Robert Patrick. I'm tired of seeing him play terrible guys I don't like. but also you have to admit he has the perfect face for that.

ALSO VIGILANTE IS SUCH A PUPPY. HE'S SUUUUCH A PUPPY. Freddie Stroma, I had you on my radar for HP6 and it's now confirmed: you're a certified snack.

what else, what else... I WAS SO ANNOYED I COULDN'T WATCH THE FOLLOWING EPISODES RIGHT NOW. I'M HOOKED, FOLKS. I'M SO HOOKED IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY.

okay I think I've said most of what I wanted to say. thanks for reading my ridiculous ramblings!

[dmsden]

Smells and Sounds - Campaign Sorcery

Ah, the Bog of Eternal Stench. The first time you saw Labyrinth, and you heard all the squelchy noises and heard Ludo's anguished cries of "Smells bad!" I bet you could just smell it, even if Sir Didymus couldn't. That's because of the employment of some choice sound effects combined with the fact that the olfactory sense is tied so strongly to memory. You were essentially tricked by the filmmakers into conjuring your own memories of some of the worst things you'd ever smelled, even if you weren't actually smelling them. So this month in Campaign Sorcery, we're going to talk about engaging two powerful senses in order to immerse your players in your game.

I've already talked about music, and I think music is an excellent way to conjure a mood. When Gandlaf and Eomer are about to lead the charge down to the aid of Theoden at Helm's Deep, the music swells in a heroic fanfare, and we feel excitement and pride and wish we were there swinging a sword with them. Music is a powerful tool to evoke emotions, but we've already covered that in an earlier article.

Sound effects, however, can give players some clues, while simultaneously giving them a stronger sense of immersion. You can use soundscapes to evoke a mood in place of (or in addition to) music, and/or you can use stand-alone sound effects to call attention to a detail.

If you're lucky enough to be Matt Mercer, you might be really good at making sound effects with your own voice. Otherwise, you'll need a source for them. If you're on Roll20, you'll find some very good soundscapes built in, lurking under the music section. There are other companies that offer them as well, such as Battle Bards and Syrinscapes, both of which I can say offer excellent options. But they do cost money.

If you're already investing in a streaming music service, such as Amazon Unlimited or Apple Music, you're likely to find plenty of sound effects at your disposal. If you want to play rain or thunder sounds, the sound of beach surf, a crackling campfire, or the like, you can definitely find it there. I can also strongly recommend a website called Freesound. You may have to hunt to find precisely what you want, but people upload all kinds of sound effects there. And there's plenty of good, free, fairly easy-to-use sound editing software out there, like Audacity, if you want to put them together.

I memorably once ran a Call of Cthulhu module where I hid a bluetooth speaker in a bookcase behind the players. At one moment in the module, a star vampire (an invisible creature that titters and giggles) came crashing through the window in another room to kill someone. I edited together the breaking glass, the eerie giggling with plenty of reverb, and the screams of the victim with Audcatity. When the attack happened, I triggered the sound effect to that speaker with my iPad. The players jumped and immediately had their characters go running to see what was happening.

I have also heard a time when a DM was playing a jungle soundtrack, including the distant roar of a monster. Over time, he had the mix include the roaring getting louder, and then included T-Rex stomping noises getting louder. The players were investigating a beach, and they slowly began to realize the sound effects weren't just background noise...they were a clue something was coming!

Smells are a little more challenging to do, but not impossible. You can describe smells vividly to do just what the folks who made Labyrinth did. But, if you find hygienic ways to get real smells into your game room, that works, too. I have heard of a DM whose roommate who didn't play was baking fresh bread, and he had the roommate come in with bread just as the PCs made it to a tavern. Getting to eat the bread was a bonus.

You can certainly experiment and find things with interesting smells. There are some crazy teas out there with distinct and interesting smells, and you can use them to conjure glades in the feywild or mysterious odors.

Not every smell you'll want to conjure is a food smell, of course. How can you get a dungeon smell into your home without mildew? Well, there are some crazy candle and aroma companies out there making smells for everything from Disney hotel lobbies to dungeons. No joke! You could use them to make a distinct smell in your home and conjure up a setting very effectively. Check out dungeonscents.com for one crazy candle company!

By using sounds and scents, you stimulate your players' imaginations, making the whole adventure more real and vivid for them. It will definitely make for an adventure they're unlikely to forget.

[starryparkrr]

🤍Hewwo can I order a strawberry milk (haikyuu!!) pls! ~ my preferred gender is male!

I’m 5’5 1/2 with tan skin with eczema (a rash skin condition) and very dark brown eyes and black, straight shoulder length hair and sadly pretty small and slim, I’m an INTP and a Capricorn, I don’t talk much with people I don’t know since I’m nervous when I make new friends but when I’m with my family or close friends I get pretty loud and talkative in a good way and bad way. I love to draw as my hobby and my job to sell my art as well and I love listening to many different genres music as long it sounds good lmao to me, my friends and family considers me as a human gremlin/badass (I feel like I’m not making any sense lol) also my friend thought of me as a kinda-tsundere-ish???I’m also pretty lazy, I have 2 people as my close friends but it’s better than me being with a lot of people. Another hobby I do is martial arts and boxing with my dad (practicing self defense) that I enjoy doing as well! I’m also competitive but also sadly emotional which I’m a sucker for movies and anime. ✨Finished!✨ Thank you for reading this! I luv the works I do!! ❤️

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 ! 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 ! 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘶 𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩...

It all started with Oikawa of course. He saw you walking in the halls and he knew it was your first day bcs not only where you a new pretty face but you were hopelessly lost 💀 he turned to Iwaizumi and basically dragged him in your direction. He instantly just started to talking to you like you guys had been friends your whole life and you were so confused on why these 2 really good looking guys just randomly walked up to you. But you mainly noticed the little porcupine next to him that was red as ever and looking... angry?

This wonderful first interaction obviously bloomed into a wonderful friendship with these 2 idiots and they're a package with the rest of the volleyball club sooooo... ya. Of course Iwaizumi was in total denial about his feelings for you. That is until one day Oikawa decides to push you guys together. Oikawa is a natural flirt but he finally decided to take it to the next level. All throughout practice he would flirt with you nonstop. Of course that just triggered Iwaizumi and he instantly became grumpy. After practice in the locker room Iwaizumi asked Oikawa what that was all about and Oikawa hits him with the, "Well since you won't admit to your feelings I decided to shoot my shot. I'm gonna ask her out when we all walk home together." And then Iwa just broke and started telling Oikawa he couldn't do that bcs he liked you. It was Oikawas master plan it payed off when later on that night Iwa confessed and you said yes to being his girlfriend :))

Yalls relationship starts off soft and innocent with shy touches and cute compliments. But once you guys get comfortable and adjust you both open up so much to eachother it's crazy. You become more talkative and loud and Iwa absolutely adores the fact that you opened up to him this much. Plus he loves the way you get all excited during certain topics.

He to becomes excited over certain things and when he talks about them his words start to mesh together and he speeds up and in the beg of your relationship you never knew what he was saying but you got used to it now.

He definitely supports you and your art. Absolutely adores your style and can't wait to see where you go in the future. I can see you guys hanging out in eachothers room and he has some music playing in the background while you draw and he does school work. You better believe he slips in some of the Godzilla soundtrack with out you realizing.

You guys often watch movies at his house for a typical date night. You guys take turns choosing the movie, and you better believe you guys bicker very much about who has better taste in movies. I can also see you going to the gym with him often. He's a huge muscle head and was VERY impressed with your boxing and martial art skills. He jaw actually dropped when he was teaching you and you beat him up 💀 have you ever seen Iron Man 2??? The boxing scene with Natasha and Happy??? Yaaaa basically you guys.

You guys just complement eachother very well and everyone respects you guys and sees you as a power couple. ALSO you better believe you both gang up on Oikawa all the time lol

𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 ! 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘮𝘬 !