#romantic is my favourite classical era

[sadesluvr]

Battinson! Bruce Wayne - NSFW Alphabet

A/N: Okay, I know I’m *really* late to the party but for some reason I’m back in my superhero era (I’m a retired Marvel girlie😔✊) and I’ve got Battinson brainrot….This is my first time writing for any Batman, and I haven’t rewatched the movie in entirety so sorry if this isn’t accurate!! :3

Written with a fem! reader in mind, but can be applied to anyone :)

18+ only, Minors DNI!

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

He’s always very caring, if not very subtly. I get the vibe that he’d become shy/reclusive after sex again, and so he communicates through his actions. If he lost control with you, he’d get you a rag/water/etc and leave it by you, and either signal to Alfred to run you a bath, or do it himself.

He stares at you, and you *might* not know what he’s thinking, but it’s definitely positive…He loves you and it’s scary :’)

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He’s quite neutral on his body, but he likes his hands. It’s one of the parts of his body that gets the most work done, and they’re the same ones to protect you. On his partner, even though he appreciates your entirety, he’s a hips and thighs guy.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

Prefers cumming in you. It’s a deeply intimate act, and although there are big implications he loves the sensation of your walls clenching around him, and the way he feels inside you.

It’s also less messy! Still, he’s not averse to cumming on you… See W for more ;)

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He enjoys voyeurism, or ‘stalking’. Before you’re in an official relationship, he’ll follow you around the city, getting used to the routes you take and places you frequent. It starts off in a place of curiosity and desire to protect, but it gets a little kinky when he sees you semi-nude, or having sex with someone. He literally can’t get the image out of his head, it’s in his contacts…

When you’re together, he likes watching you get ready. We know he’s quiet af, so you won’t ever notice him standing outside a door/in a corner as you get ready, or undressed to take a shower. He’s even watched you touch yourself and it gets him so hard

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

None…Like, he may even be a virgin lmao (Which is HOT if Reader is experienced😳) The first time with you may be a little awkward - he’s not bad, but it takes a while to get him to feel relaxed and vocal about his needs. Practice makes perfect ;)

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Cowgirl - He likes being able to hold onto your waist and thighs while you fuck yourself on him, and he loves looking at you in the heat of the moment. Your whole body is on display, and it’s beautiful.

He also likes missionary!! It’s classic and romantic, and his favourite position to cum inside you. He melts when you cling onto his back and beg in his ear…

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

He’s not overly humorous, and your first times together are deadly serious. But, he’s basically a human cat and whilst he isn’t playful, he will make a dry joke or crack a smile at the little things when the time comes - He just takes a while.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Bruce isn’t a hairy guy, so the carpet definitely matches the drapes. Before being in a relationship with you I don’t see him caring that much of what he looks like down below, but he keeps it trim. Any hair is very light/short to the point that he may as well be clean shaven. He couldn’t care less about what hair his partner does or doesn’t have as it’s not something that’s a dealbreaker for him.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

OKAY. At first, he is definitely a little distant, detached even, but it’s literally because he’s inexperienced and is at one of his most vulnerable points. He does the basics, like checking in to see if you’re okay, but it seems a bit strained. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, of course! As time goes on, and he starts to be open to the whole idea of love, he can become very romantic. It’s dark af in the manor already, but he *might* become open to the idea of candles/mood lighting, just for you. He’ll touch and caress you more, say a few words in your ear, and he’ll always give you eye contact! Sex is really revealing for him so it’s always a big affair.

(I headcanon that a lot of his ideas of romance are kind of old fashioned, just because of how he grew up viewing his parents’ marriage, and Alfred is quite the old school gentleman, and the only one around him to give advice…It’s cute🥹)

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Is not a chronic masturbator. Only really does it when he’s very pent up and agitated, or after he’s been around/seen you (ref: D). His loads are pretty normal.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Clothing (?) - Idk if this is a kink, but seeing you in a nice outfit gives him a kick. He definitely likes clothed sex.

Voyeurism - Mentioned in D

Praise kink - He’ll probably never admit it, but he likes hearing how he makes you feel, especially when your relationship is new! He’s inexperienced so he likes the reinforcement.

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

A bedroom, or any closed room, preferably. The *only* time he’s willing to shower without Alfred telling him to is when you say you’ll go with him /hj

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

A combination of the little things. He’s definitely attracted to energy, but on the physical side seeing you in a nice outfit gets him going. Like, imagine getting ready for a gala…He’d spend hours watching you get ready, just in awe of how ethereal you look. Touching him, specifically when it’s not inherently sexual - Running your hands on his torso, arms, or the back of his neck to check his injuries or wipe off his makeup. It’s a way of seeing him.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Hurting you, so no kind of BDSM. The regular things like scatplay/pissplay/bodily fluids. Calling him ‘Daddy’… Absolutely not.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

A CERTIFIED MUNCH. I’m talking that video of James Brown sweating, okay?🙈 He loves to pleasure you, and that means spending hours between your thighs, exploring every inch of your folds. Loves spreading your thighs apart, tracing circles on them as he makes you squirm and you hold onto his hair. He wouldn’t say no to a blowjob once in a while (Cumming in your mouth is his guilty pleasure), but definitely prefers giving. Can make you cum from oral alone.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

A mix of both! It’s always sensual, but sometimes he loses control and will get a bit rough, but it’s underpinned by his desperation and want for release.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Doesn’t mind them, but prefers when you have 100% of each others’ attention. Quickies in the Batcave definitely hit different, though ;)

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Not much, imo. Outside of having sex in the Batcave he likes to keep his lives separate, especially as he’s from such a well-respected family. Anything in public would be a PR nightmare and he’d rather not.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

The first time, he definitely cums quickly. He’s a little ashamed but it’s kinda flattering. After that, he’s got good stamina - he could probably do three rounds - but it’s dependent on how he’s feeling at the time. He doesn’t sleep much so downtime can be between 5 mins to hours if he wants another session.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t own toys, but would secretly love it if you did. Likes watching you use a vibrator - especially when you don’t know he’s watching).

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He’s not a tease, tbh. His hands might linger in certain areas for longer than normal, when he’s in the mood, but other than that there’s not much.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He switches between loud and quiet! When he enters you, he always starts off with little whimpers and grunts, his sounds coming from behind his clenched teeth. As his pace quickens and he cums, he gets louder, with desperate moans and pants coming from deep with his chest. His volume level is at least a 6.5/10, not loud enough to be heard from another room. It’s the same when he masturbates, and he always whispers a little ‘Shit…’ if he thinks he’s making too much noise.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

His contacts have recorded everything. I’ll leave it there.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Above average, but nothing crazy! It’s got more length than girth.

Soft - 4 inches (10cm)

Hard - 5.9 inches, almost 6 (14.9cm)

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Average, if not a little lower. He’s human, after all, but his emotional state can get in the way of things. Once you’ve been together a while, it increases as he’s got a person to put to his desires.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He doesn’t sleep. It’s rare, but sometimes his eyes might *just* fall shut for a few minutes or so after, but he’s pretty much awake beyond that. If you fall asleep quickly, he’ll watch you, or if not he’ll bring you a glass of water/a snack before disappearing again.

[lesser-known-composers]

Classical Music Eras

My favourite style/era of classical music is late romantic, but I also really like baroque music. At the moment what would your favourite era be ?

I maybe should have split some of the eras. Anyway, thanks for voting and I like the comments, from temporary tastes, to long lasting loves.

[drconstellation]

Brazil and The Dream of Escape

I was delighted to find in the Xtras that the machine created to be used by Furfur to use to find out how many demons Shax could requisition for storming the bookshop was inspired by the movie Brazil. This is another nod to Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, who directed this film, and who almost directed the failed GO film in the 1990's.

I love this film. Always have. Yes, I was around when it came out in 1985. I'm that old. It's always been in my top 5 favourite films. And its totally relevant to Good Omens.

Brazil can be described as a dark dystopian story based on the novel 1984. It doesn't have a happy ending, but its funny, horrific, ludicrous, romantic and timelessly beautiful all at the same time. Its so iconic that when ever I see its influence in other productions its been unmistakable.

It stars Jonathan Pryce long before he was a James Bond villain or the head Sparrow in Game of Thrones, a comedic turn from Robert de Niro and a handful of other famous faces that you are bound to recognise, such Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm and Jim Broadbent.

Pryce, as Sam Lowry, lives in a world that is strictly controlled with paperwork that comes in multiple copies, where people are routinely arrested and tortured and a long running unexplained terrorist campaign sees bombs explode in the most random of places. Sam has dreams of a beautiful woman floating in the sky, and he is a sliver-armoured winged hero trying to rescue her. He eventually finds that she is real, and finds out her name through various means via his work and contacts. He tracks her down, but that is where it all starts to unravel as she is mixed up with an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.

Its easy to see the common themes and elements that run through the film with GO: the desire to run away and escape (that doesn't work,) a totalitarian authority controlling the masses, propaganda, piles of paperwork, an undercurrent of rebellion, torture and abuse, forbidden love between classes, a villain hidden in plain sight.

There is an art deco aesthetic to the film that also carries over to other films and shows it has influenced, and the busy work floor scene that stops on a dime to watch the tv show de jour while the boss isn't looking is one of the highlights of the film.

It was a reference of this that caught my eye in the Cohen Brothers modern fairy tale The Hudsucker Proxy, where they copied the busyness of the work floor for their mail room scenes, but also the art deco aesthetic. That's another film that is always in my top five films, and could go a round of comparisons with GO - its got time stoppage, an angel appearance and a near-godlike manipulator.

It also appears, surprisingly, in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The casino at Canto Bight is Brazil inspired, in the way its introduced to us, its decor and the music. I know some people hate this film because of what they did to Luke, but I love it, the whole thing is just utterly gorgeous to look at.

And if you've watched any of Loki recently, since S2 of that show finished not long ago, you would also seen some influence from Brazil in the retro look.

I love the classic art deco style. my grandparents had an art deco house that I spent many of my childhood hours in. The style itself is a clean, unadorned look, and often is meant to give a look of movement, speed or strength. A classic example of this is the Bentley, of course, which comes from the height of the art deco era in the 1930's.

Hell is the other place we see the Brazil influence in GO, where is looks like it's constantly several decades behind the times, with overhead projectors and manual typewriters and odd looking not-quite steampunk contraptions.

Brazil is available to stream on Disney at the moment, if you'd like to take a look. I highly recommend it, its one of those influential films that once you know it, you see its long reach in the most unexpected places.

[lonelyroommp3]

honestly could you just straight up review every song on brat

deal

360 - functions perfectly as an album opener (and i appreciate the work it puts in to set up the far superior 365 at the end) but doesn't do much for me as a standalone song. i'm not sure if this is actually a problem with the song itself or if i just dislike the post-ironic nyc it girl culture featured in the music video so much that i now have beef with the song as a consequence

club classics - i have not heard this song while off my face in a grotty warehouse club in an east london industrial estate and as a result i don't feel i can truly give it the impartial ranking it deserves just yet. this is not a song that reaches its full potential in any other setting

sympathy is a knife - i don't find myself returning to this song often but i do objectively think it bangs hugely. i just have surprisingly little to say about it honestly

i might say something stupid - huge song, and yet so small at the same time. it is very rare that i call a sub-2 minute song perfect because i'm 5minutesongfucker420 but it comes in, says what it needs to, and rips your heart out in the process. i go back and forth comparing brat and melodrama quite often (SORRY CHARLI, I KNOW YOU HAVE A SONG ABOUT THIS COMING UP) because they're both Party Girl Concept Albums and to me this is brat's "liability" in terms of early album moment of complete braking-hard-and-hitting-the-wall vulnerability.

talk talk - SOOOO fun. absolutely love the production on this one, right up my alley, i am also a huge sucker for a big fun song about having a crush. i would also like to shout out this song for ruining any international sporting event where france and spain face off because all i can ever think is TALK TO ME IN FRENCH TALK TO ME IN SPANISH TALK TO ME IN YOUR OWN MADE UP LANGUAGE

von dutch - absolutely gigantic and a perfect opening single to set the tone of the era. those massive revving synths encapsulate the sound of what i thought clubbing would be like when i was about 13 years old. also a perfect confidence boost song - i have strutted at olympic racewalker speed down the street with this blasting in my airpods more times than i would care to admit

BONUS: the various von dutch remixes - i don't always subscribe to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rule of remixes (for example, to go on a complete tangent, i adore both deadmau5's original raise your weapon and the madeon extended remix because they do entirely different things equally well) but nothing in the von dutch remixes make me think yeah, this is worthy of existing alongside the original and adds something cool and interesting and different to the track that i wasn't already getting from the og. the one exception i'd make is, of course, addison rae's extremely cunty scream in the a.g. cook remix but i'm not going to keep returning to an entire remix for just one fun moment that's already been oversaturated on tiktok

everything is romantic - i will confess, for all i claim to be an open minded enjoyer of music and a fan of Insane Tracks For The Club, initially the jagged production was a bit jarring to me and i thought yeah, i probably won't be coming back to this song. and now i'm obsessed with it. however it does make the children (me) yearn for the mediterranean and as a result i will be invoicing charli for the damage to my bank account when the day inevitably comes that i listen to this song too many times after half a bottle of wine and immediately book myself an italian weekend getaway

rewind - first time i heard this i was like oh okay we're getting into the slightly more fillery second third of the album, it's a fine song but not quite on the level of all that has come before it. and now it is one of my absolute favourites. i also LOVE how direct and specific the lyrics are on this track, which is something i normally beef with when it comes to a lot of contemporary pop music but the difference is 1) charli is good at it 2) her delivery is so direct that it sort of dares you to sit still and listen without criticising it. incredibly strong song

so i - a genuinely beautiful song that i rarely listen to because it makes me feel like i am intruding on something. i think the fact that it exists out in the world on this album is a wonderful thing and the most perfect tribute to sophie & full circle moment when it comes to charli's insecurities around working with her - "when i make songs i remember things you'd suggest... would you like this one? maybe just a little bit?" - but at the same time i'm always like. i kind of feel like i shouldn't be listening to this

girl, so confusing - the original is a lovely little paradox. i enjoyed it enough on my first listen and the lorde version quite simply would not exist, let alone be as impactful as it is, without it, but now that the lorde version exists i don't want to listen to any other version. the remix is almost certainly going to be my top brat track of the year

apple - initially a skip, then i had a moment of realisation that it is in fact the best marina and the diamonds song written in years (that froot looks familiar, i suppose), and then it rapidly became overplayed as the result of, to be fair, the very good and fun tiktok dance that i still do on instinct every time i hear the song. i think instead of riding the wave of its virality by releasing it to radio as a single etc charli should lock this one in a vault for about three months so nobody can listen to it and then when it comes back we'll all be like oh yeah wait this is a really good little song

b2b - love it, was my immediate fave out of the club classics/b2b double single release, but once again i feel like i've not yet heard it at its full potential (inside a cramped and small and extremely sweaty basement club when i'm 8 shots deep planning a terribly ill advised pulling mission)

mean girls - the thing is i think it's a fun enough song as a storytelling concept if you view it as Just A Little Fun Song, also i love the production, a little bit of house-y piano is always going to hit for me. the issue is i've already told you what i think about the post-ironic it girl subculture this song is about and i think if you actively listen to this song and go wowwwww she gets me then you need to have your internet access forcibly removed for at least six months until you calm down and develop a personality outside of the red scare podcast and pretentious "overrated vs underrated" columns hosted by wannabe substack celebrities. also the thing is this song is going to be dated within the year, which is a shame bc it does, musically, go

i think about it all the time - this song should NOT hit as hard as it does considering i staunchly plan on never having children. i cannot relate to the sentiment behind it at all but charli paints such a beautiful and vivid picture with her lyrics (all perfectly intertwined with that understated, quietly pulsating production) that you can't help but have an emotional connection to it. beautiful and vulnerable and a really perfect moment of quiet towards the end of the album

365 - first of all, a perfectly placed song when it comes to encapsulating those dizzy night out mood swings of "wait. should i settle down and have children.... nvm let's go back inside and do coke". second of all, as a musical theatre girlie to my core i love ANY song that reprises an earlier theme and this not only repurposes the 360 stems excellently but actively improves on the earlier track. thirdly, i think charli's "okay, OKAYYYY" at the beginning of the song is a flawless and fun way of rounding out the album - it really feels like she's bringing you back into it, going OKAY let's do this one last time, are you FUCKING READY, etc. fourthly, it's just FUN. definitely a standout track to me

hello goodbye - LOVEEEE, i do greatly enjoy and appreciate charli's more experimental music but i can't lie. sometimes she releases a fairly straightforward poppy banger and it just hits the spot. like this

guess - YOU WANNA GUESS THE COLOUR OF MY UNDERWEAR YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT I'VE GOT GOING ON DOWN THERE IS IT PRETTY IN PINK OR ALL SEE THROUGH IS IT SHOWING OFF MY BRAND NEW LOWER BACK TATTOO. btw the billie eilish verse on the remix slays, i know this is a charli review but i love that billie has devoted her first two explicitly gay singles to being just outrageously horny with it, you go girl, i think the discourse around the song is so unbelievably daft and we need to settle down and have fun

spring breakers - i know this is a fan fave that people were begging to put on the album but i just simply do not care about it. sorry

[oodlyenough]

rogue!

well i really enjoyed that! felt like a classic MOTW doctor who episode, in a way that none of the others this season really have (except maybe space babies... except i uh. did not like space babies lol). i think it makes sense that bringing in two new writers (women! hooray) would stick pretty close to the formula, and i think it worked well. as much as i love the experimental episodes, the formula done well is still a very good formula. that's how you get 60+ years of tv.

the one-off romantic interest for the doctor who tragically gets sacrificed to save the day shtick felt refreshing because it was a man this time, and also because it's in a season where the doctor and the companion haven't had any ship tease stuff themselves lol. also the kylie song playing reminded me of astrid, who had a very similar arc. wonder how intentional

i also liked ruby's subplot of bonding with the one girl, she felt very Companion in this episode

i thought the bridgerton cosplay angle was pretty hilarious and i enjoyed it. i haven't really been paying much attention to the "it's a tv show!" theory -- mostly i find it... more enjoyable to not create theories for myself on doctor who bc there's a 99% chance i'll be wrong and get disappointed -- but i have to wonder if that being the plot of this episode helps or hinders that idea.

also this. really felt like it was meant to be episode 2 of the season. sorry. i know i've been in a "devil's chord got swapped in its order" conspiracy theory this whole season. but space babies leads to the doctor meeting carla again and then we flash back to that conversation here. to prove her identity ruby only references TCORR and space babies. the 6 month jump in devil's chord and the obvious finale tease at the end of it, which was notably missing from this episode. i feel like rtd could personally pinky promise me these episodes weren't swapped in their airing order and i'd still be skeptical

overall, i feel like we've had a pretty enjoyable run of episodes. i've liked just about every episode, with space babies being my least favourite. 73 yards / dot and bubble / rogue is a really strong three ep run for me, had a blast with all of them for different reasons.

however, with only two episodes left in the season, i have to say fifteen and ruby as a team tardis feel quite... generic? they're both extremely likable in the role and i enjoy both characters and the dynamic they have. but there's not really any tension between them, i feel like we skipped so much of the getting-to-know you, i don't feel that ruby has any big character challenges to overcome which means there's not really a lot of growth opportunities for her development either. it's such a shame because this was always the RTD1 era's biggest strength. i think a lot of it is the reduced episode count, but i'm still surprised we haven't seen more of that characterwork that is usually his bread and butter.

sad there's only two episodes left though, i've had fun with the season

[caustinen]

omfg love love loving the new additions to the hollywood au!! i love how it just keeps growing and getting better with every new thing you say about them 🖤🤍 (the b&w hearts are reserved for the clegan hollywood au now)

just have to say the way they’re actually so in character and so madly in love already even before the first time they say i love you (that drabble gave me sm life btw thank you :)) ) is so insane AHH and the hcs are out of this world amazing too THANK YOU

and YES YES YES can totally see the potential for a singer john & songwriter gale already. imagine buck writing all these songs with bucky as his muse but bucky thinks buck’s writing all this with someone else in mind (he thinks there’s no way anyone would be able to write such beautiful lyrics unless they really are in love) because every time he asks gale about it he manages to avoid the question/change the topic (& blushes slightly) and john just gets jealous/upset. cue all the intense pining & miscommunication because these two are oblivious idiots in love but obviously they get together in the most dramatic way possible & become even more insufferable to everyone around them. everyone around thinks that it’ll get better once they stop hopelessly pining for each other and once they get together but it’s somehow even worse cause now they go from oblivious idiots in love to obvious idiots in love (but everyone’s obviously so so happy for them and there are definitely bets placed about the two of them getting together)

and also YES YES would love to see more ig posts, but definitely no pressure though <33

im soso sorry this got super rambly but i had to get it out and you are literally my favourite person on this app right now so sending you loads and loads of love and hope you have a lovely day 🩵🩵🩵

oh you’re my favorite person on this app too this really made my day 😭🤍🖤 (<- and yes for these being officially their hearts now 🥰)

THAT SINGER-SONGWRITER AU 🧎‍♀️ that would be so amazing, the potential of delicious miscommunication & pining is making me shiver because i could also see how bucky would then sing the songs so emotionally, so filled with feeling that gale would also be like goddamnit he must be in love with someone and it would be this endless cycle until it gets absolutely ridiculous 😭 like gale could hand bucky a song literally called ”in love with my best friend (but he doesn’t get it)” and bucky would be like sigh if only you understood your own work 😪 and then when they get together the music they’d write together would be so cheesy, so sweet, so disgustingly romantic that even the label is like… maybe it was better when we were just releasing a million sad singles about pining? but also they’re like absolute bangers and bucky would fit the confident lover boy era just as well as the sad pining boi era 😌 and gale would write the masterpiece of his life with john as his muse, like the kind of love anthem that would stand time and become a classic that everyone knows 🥹

also wanted to say that i reallt appreciate you saying these have been in charachter, that’s always my biggest stress!! so ty and hope you’ve had the best day 💘

[that-irishman-fan]

anton ego x musician! reader headcanons

So after rediscovering Ratatouille recently, after being relegated to the back of my mind of childhood memories, I've been crushing HARD on Anton Ego. He's definitely one of my forgotten childhood crushes and is most probably one of the reasons I'm so into older men and dilfs. But after scouring the Internet for fanfics of him, I couldn't find anything. So I've taken it upon myself to fill the void of Anton Ego content!

These are some goofy little headcanons I wrote at like two in the morning; of critic era and post-critic Ego with an s/o who's a musician! So I hope these are satisfactory and can help give all my Ego stans a little something!

Quick note that the reader is gender neutral with no specific pronouns, so you don't need to worry about that!

FANDOM: Ratatouille, 2008

GENRE: Headcanons and romantic relationship!

SYNOPSIS: Anton Ego falling in love with and being together with a musician significant other!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Minor swearing, some spicy but not outright smutty headcanons, and Ego being an asshole for the first bit!

Critic! Ego

• You'd have to be something pretty damn special to catch his eye in the first place. To impress him is an entirely different ballgame. If you do though, you'll get his full attention. It's not often he runs into somebody with so much talent. So expect yourself to be on his radar.

• However, that doesn't mean you'll get preferential treatment. Anton Ego doesn't do favourites right off the bat, it's kind of his thing as a critic.

• He still will catch your shows out of mild interest when he can. He's a very busy man, so him being there is literally a huge compliment in of itself.

• " Going out again, Monsieur Ego? " Ambrose would say to him as he'd pull his coat on. Checking the hallway mirror to be sure he was impeccable. Then glaring down at the assistant, tone sharp.

• " Indeed. I do believe I have somewhere to be. But never you mind that. "

• I see him enjoying classical, opera, and jazz, but in a really snobby sort of way? Like that type of guy that thinks popular music is lesser. But regardless of what genre you are, he's fascinated.

• And if you write and/or play your own stuff? Its kind of a turn-on to him? His respect for you only gets greater the more he sees you in action.

• He knows firsthand how hard it is to navigate any industry as a critic—but especially in the case of the entertainment world. If you play that field well, that's only another point to you from him.

• At the peak of his admiration, he has a fuck-it moment and publishes a slew of rave reviews about you and your musical talents. Eager to highlight what he—in all his stardom—deems as real potential for once.

• Ego finally meets you when you play a show at a restaurant he's reviewing. The food itself is unimpressive, nothing surprising there. What is intriguing is you. He beckons you to his table afterwards. You know him from word on the street, and him from seeing you perform. You get to talking and you both really hit it off. Well past midnight and a few drinks later, you two are dating in all but name. From that point, your lives are entwined.

Post Critic! Ego

• While his professional opinion is now moot since his review of Gusteau's, Ego never stops shouting from the hilltop about how amazing he thinks you are.

• Being together really gives you both a safe space to express yourselves. Sure enough he comes out of his shell. No more coldness, stoicism, arrogance, or pride. You see who he truly is deep down: sentimental, poetic, thoughtful, romantic, and very sensual. And you feel comfy around him too to just be yourself. Flaws and all, he views you as absolute perfection.

• Also gives you a plethora of material to work with now that you're dating and he's your boyfriend. Although his old fashioned ass prefers 'beau' and 'courting you' instead.

• You want to go full La vie en Rose with a sappy love song? He's like putty in your hands, almost like a lovesick puppy.

• Or if you're feeling more charged and want to take it down the sexy avenue? That man is ready to go with a glass of wine in hand like the French love machine he is.

• Ego's always excited to hear and see your new projects period. He'll drop everything just to sit there and watch. Even if it's a draft or not done, he's heaping you in praises.

• Has his head in your lap as you write lyrics on the couch. You play with his hair, stroke his cheek, or let him doze as you put together songs. Or if you're actually playing a piece, he's glued to your side so as not to miss a moment.

• " What a nice melody, mon amour. "

• " Your rhythm is flawless. You never fail to impress me. "

• " As always it is a masterpiece. "

• Funnily enough, it's nearly impossible for him to give you criticism. You're more than open to it and have said so to him. It was his job for decades after all, so who better else to ask?

• But he can't bring himself to do it. Even positive criticism gives him a visceral dread. He's so sensitive to your feelings, knowing full well how personal music and writing is. And the last thing he wants is to hurt you. It takes him a long time before he can actually give you pointers and tips. And you have to be constantly assuring him you aren't taking offense.

• Goes to every single gig you play, no questions asked. He will rearrange his entire schedule without a second thought. Wouldn't dream of doing anything else at that moment but being blown away by you up there on the stage.

• Definitely will ask you to play or sing for him, albeit with a hint of sheepishness. He's so cute, not wanting to put pressure on you.

• It's actually therapeutic for him and becomes one of his emotional release forms. A coping mechanism born from how close your bond is.

• One evening he comes home in a foul mood. Exhausted, sore, and pissed. The second you start to play for him, all those feelings disappear. Melts into the songs, your voice, your instrument, immersed in utter euphoria. Gets goosebumps, his eyes closed and body swaying softly. When you finish, he only pulls you close and kisses you.

• And no, he's not above getting you to recite your lyrics or hum a melody to him as he's making love to you. If you do it in French? Let's just say he'll be a moaning mess. And he'll come undone very quickly.

• " I need not know what Heaven is like. I've heard it right here and now. I've fallen in love with an angel. "

• Lowkey kind of Phantom of the Opera vibes almost for just how devoted and obsessed he is with your music? Maybe I'll write Anton Ego as Erik Destler one day? It kinda fits, though!

Anyhow, here's my attempt at giving my boy the attention and love he deserves! Thank you all so much for reading and please have a fantastic rest of your week! Let me know if you'd like to see more of this type of stuff on my blog, I really do enjoy hearing from my readers and followers!

[beechicory]

Since you've mentioned before your love for Khachaturian several times, I've been meaning to ask you: what other composers do you like!!!

OOH! Now this is a delight!!!

I love composers that sound a bit 'weird', usually those who have an emotional tone, (and often use minor keys). And composers that have an actual melody in there, dangit. I like composers whose works have "something to chew on", which makes sense in my head but I can't explain.

So, as you may have guessed, I'm a big Romantic Era girlie.

As a little kid, my grandma had vinyl records of bits of classical that we'd listen to. Sabre Dance was Khachaturian was my favourite. It was so *weird*, and you could envision it!

For composers... when I was learning piano it was Mendelssohn. I didn't know piano pieces could sound like that. Could make you feel like your emotions were going to try to escape up your throat.

For piano I love Chopin, of course, though I'm terrible at it, because God help me I still struggle with managing two different rhythms at once and that dude loved triplets.

I really, really love Tchaikovsky.

If you actually listen to the full 1812 overture...my God. There's so much in it. So much emotion, so much of a story. Incredible. Most of his stuff, (even the really famous stuff, if you get yourself to separate it from where you know it from)...you can feel such emotion. Amazing.

I do like some 20th Century composers, like Khachaturian continues to be great, now that I know him for more than just the bit of Sabre Dance. So much to chew on.

I like Shostakovich, though more for himself than for his music 💀. A bit too little melody for me, usually, though I do like Waltz no. 2. I like some Prokofiev, though I've never been a big fan of Stravinsky.

Let's see... ooh, Brahms! Brahms has some good ones! Some Grieg, some Dvorak, some Smetana... others...

Hey I'm noting that I really like Eastern European composers, especially.

Anyway, any recommendations are welcome!

[trans-lykanthropie]

What would the game loop look like? And maybe also the genre?

Like, will it be a group of werewolves cleaning out old ruins of evil spirits and such?

Or are the quests more mafia like in the city?

Is it rpg like? Or a bit like the (first) mafia game?

Or something completely different, maybe sidescroller/2D?

Or finding people in the mountains/woods and rescuing them?

I like hearing people's ideas of games, so if you feel like thinking and also sharing? ^^

OK ok ok so daydreaming is one of my favourite things to do, so here goes. I was thinking something like the first mafia game with a more RPG like slant, you know the classic start from the bottom with nothing, but it's less about climbing to the top and more about making a pack, found family style, and carving out a place for you and your pack in this Fin de Siècle era city.

(When I say 'pack', not everyone in the pack has to be a werewolf)

You can explore how the very layout of the city reflects class separations, your starting 'home base' as it were being in the workers district, and you can enter the wealthy parts of town for quests if you and your pack are sufficiently disguised (you need to replace it if you wolf out while wearing it, the 'cost' for daring to reveal your true self at the 'wrong' time maps to the themes discussed), hence why reaching the 'top' isn't really the goal because why seek to reach the top echelon of a world that doesn't even accept who you are and never will. How and where you build your home and keep it safe is entirely down to the player.

I think it would also be interesting to see how the old literary and folklore tropes have transposed into the late Industrial age, in those last decades before the Great War. The era of the 'capital-R' Romantics and Gothic authors has passed, but you can still see how it affects the player in the 'present' as it goes through the filter of the new avant-garde. You can see how the changing culture in the arts is affected by the underground existence of 'folklore creatures' in the way art in our world slowly started exploring the life of the underclasses. The Art Nouveau styles of the time act as an inspiration for the visual design of the game, especially in menus and the HUD.

Mechanics wise, I'll admit I'm not good at that sort of thing. Kinda open world? With old timey vehicles, including trams and horse-drawn vehicles and such. I'll defer to others on that

I love talking about stuff like this, so anyone is free to add their ideas ^^

[megumishotgf]

kpop groups class 1-a listen to because i said so

here are some of my headcanons detailing what kpop groups some of the 1-a students would listen too!!

also i’m terribly sorry for the inactiveness. got diagnosed with autism and dropped out of uni (i’m so much happier now) and am going to pursue my art dreams.

masterlist

: ̗̀➛ kyoka jirou

jirou loves day6! prefers k-rock over k-pop but still knows all the best hits of each year. her expert knowledge mainly focuses on second generation groups. it’s as if she’s been spending years preparing for a pop quiz on this. other artists she likes include the rose, xdinary heroes and rolling quartz. she loves boy groups and girl groups equally.

: ̗̀➛ tenya iida

this man is a stan of snsd. tenya is a very cultured man and generally gives me second gen stan vibes. he truly believes ‘into the new world’ changed the trajectory of his life and had the biggest cultural impact of any piece of media in this century. tenya will write an essay arguing this. he also appreciates exo and shinee! hates superjunior (as he should) but hearing lucifer gets his hips shaking side to side.

: ̗̀➛ momo yaoyorozu

momo loves classical and instrumental music (her spotify wrapped is just studio ghibli soundtracks) but she can appreciate the occasional k-pop song. she loves female soloists in particular! think iu, taeyeon, chungha, ailee… she knows how to appreciate beautiful female vocals. also has a strong affinity for k-drama soundtracks. the ones with special idol features - you know what i’m talking about. slow, romantic ballads. shows jirou all her favourite ones (jirou thinks they’r kind of boring but listens just for her girlfriend).

: ̗̀➛ izuku midoriya

izuku loves bts because of the messages in their songs. he finds their story so inspiring. izuku relates to the fact that they built up their legacy from the ground up with nothing but hard work, and that they were ignored for so long. definitely listens to spring day and young forever when he is sad and just sobs (just like me fr). if you knock on his dorm and ask if he’s okay, he will squeak out a response insisting he’s fine. but you can still hear him sobbing into the pillow during the pauses before the next queued songs play. oh and izuku’s bias is namjoon because of how well spoken and intellectual he is, but he admires all members for their passion. oh and and ochako introduced him to twice!! he loves how cheerful their music is.

: ̗̀➛ ochaco uraraka

now, uraraka has devoted her life to twice. she is a diehard twice fan. but she is poor and her only album was a gift from kirishima and she treasures it. her favourite era was dance the night away and her bias is jihyo (this is so intellectual of her). carries a photocard in her phone case. class 1-a surprise ochako with tickets to see them live on one of her birthdays (they piled up all their money) and she just started floating towards the ceiling in shock. then she cried there

: ̗̀➛ mina ashido

mina is in love with ateez!! she loves to learn their dances and appreciates their high energy. also thinks they are the most beautiful men to grace this earth (this is facts). her bias is yeosang. she knows every choreo and it always looks incredible. for school festivals, mina will gather some of her classmates and force them to learn complicated dance choreo to perform in front of everyone. this year it was o.o by nmixx.

: ̗̀➛ shouto todoroki

shouto undoubtedly listens to loona and is not afraid of admitting it. it’s like the patrick bateman meme - he walks with zero emotion but hi high is blasting in his headphones. however does not know their names, or at least he cannot put name to face. but yes he knows their whole discography. bought an album once and he was shocked at how many inclusions there were (he was expecting just a cd). eventually discovers the loona universe and fan theories and for a week straight it was all shouto spoke to his friends about. they got so annoyed they blocked the word loona from their social medias temporarily so it wouldn’t set him off on a spiral.

: ̗̀➛ katsuki bakugo

hmm.. katsuki loves dreamcatcher. this man has got superior taste. i feel like katsuki would mainly listen to rock music and hip-hop. so other artists he may appreciate are dean, dpr live and epik high. but sometimes you can hear red velvet coming from his dorm and if you question him about it he will scream at you (if it plays when katsu is drunk you can even catch at a peek at him doing the choreo when he thinks no one is looking).

: ̗̀➛ eijiro kirishima

also a cultured man as kirishima is a fan of twice. he joins the girls when they had ‘girly’ sleepovers and learns the dances from them (this headcanon applies to all their ‘girls night’ sleepovers. kiri makes them so much fun). this is especially fun during award shows, where they all gather around a laptop, eyes wide and glossy as they wait for their favourite groups to hopefully be announced as winners. definitely films the dances on tiktok and also shows them to katsuki later. based on mina’s recommendation, he would probably listen to ateez too!

: ̗̀➛ denki kaminari

i sense a neverland. this man is obsessed with (g)-idle. denki has a crush on soyeon (he is me). denki cried when soojin left (i did too) but will take this to his grave. also loves stayc. he most certainly owns a few albums. he prefers girl groups over boy groups because he is a bit of a perv (sorry denki i love you!!). but also because denki believes girl groups have superior music. his most played song of all time is tell me by the wonder girls.

[pearlgisa]

qala and the style over substance argument

so, i watched qala (dir. by anvita dutt) immediately when it came out - a story that exposed the music industry and the position of women in it, especially focusing on the toxic nature of indian classical music? it was like they made the film for me (someone who's spent a good chunk of their life trained in hindustani classical music). however, i was sorely disappointed.

in essence, qala, along with other films that did commercially well that came out in bollywood last year, solidified my understanding that the audience of today's generation of movie-watchers genuinely puts style over substance and in fact, uses it as a way to defend their favourite movies from criticism. the recent resurgence of praise for om shanti om of all films, only strengthened this opinion.

my criticisms for qala are in plenty, yet i will choose to expand on the ones that strike out the most to me, all of which range from the lightest to the harshest criticism:

the choice of music

the acting

the direction + writing

the handling of the serious issues that are the main theme of the film

before you read ahead, please know that there are spoilers.

in indian classical music, there are two distinct forms: hindustani (or, north indian) and carnatic (or south indian) music. each have their differences and similarities and even someone who hasn't trained can tell them apart upon listening. within hindustani music - which is the genre of music that qala learns from her mother - you have many different styles of singing, ranging from shastriya sangeet (classical form of singing) to laghu sangeet (semi-classical and sometimes, light music). of course, this categorization also has its roots in religion and caste. shastriya sangeet has forms of singing like dhrupad (the oldest form and a strictly devotional medium), khyal (the most common one, telling tales or speaking of human emotions), bhajan (also a devotional medium), etc.

laghu sangeet has forms of classical music like the thumri, a form of singing popularized and invented by courtesans. the lyrics were sensual, romantic and more explicit. of course, owing to these, they were looked down upon. even the british had a huge role in diminishing the status of indian women performers. the "other woman" concept was specifically one that they propagated and the rise of the "perfect housewife" phenomena began since the seventeenth century. the extreme effect of that? the courtesans lost out on their patrons and were forced into prostitution.

hence, that was the primary history behind qala's mother, urmila, shaming her into never being a performer, i.e, in a more derogatory term, a "singing girl". a courtesan, essentially. which is accurate, considering the film is set in the 1940s. if a girl was too "out there in the world", i.e, her achievements being publicised in newspapers or her getting recognition for her academics, her future marital prospects were ruined. and the "shame" that befell the family if she was learning music or dance was worse. a significant number of the prominent female musicians that emerged from this era of pre-independence to post-independence were unmarried. or they had many patrons and salacious rumours regarding their love life were in plenty. the film pakeezah (1972) explores such themes quite well. and the many renditions and retellings of devdas also serve as a good example of the stature of performing women.

however, it's the music itself where it goes wrong for me. the choice of songs as well as qala's singing (of course, all of qala's songs are sung by the amazing sireesha bhagavatula), is in a style all too similar to laghu singing. the years of egregious training, no matter how much her mother dismissed her, would've developed a voice which would've sounded a lot more like what a lot of classical singers would sound like, unless they were singing a lighter form of singing. and it isn't a matter of pitch or using falsetto. qala's mom is referred to as a master of qawallis, which is a sufi form of devotional singing (and comes well under hindustani music too). even the lyrics of qala's songs, while full of very obvious foreshadowing, do not match the overall orthodox classical upbringing that the film portrays.

while bhagavatula has an amazing voice well versed in classical music (especially since she sings bhajans so often), considering the time that qala was set in, you would've expected a sound similar to something along the lines of noor jehan or even roshan ara begum. instead, it sounds a lot like a mix of semi-classical instrumental with a more pop-based voice. which is easier for our generation to digest and consume, however, it comes at the cost of a sound which is very typical of the 50s-70s era of bollywood.

one that qala does right are the costumes. they do their job well. not the sets as much, which i will get into later. at some points, they are well in line with the rest of the era of the film, other times it just sticks out like a sore thumb. here's where the "symbolism" comes in.

one of the most jarring examples is the song qala sings at the first performance, a very light classical song just by the sound of the vocals. even the song jagan sings is very contemporary at its core. despite the characters having an allegedly strict, traditional schooling of music (jagan's voice is devoid of the typical heavy accent or dialects that those who are from underprivileged backgrounds tends to have), the songs at hand present a very modern take on qawallis, despite bollywood being a flourishing ground for many iconic qawallis. therefore, the compositions sometimes falter at some points specifically because of the vocal choices. choosing to do away with alaaps, especially in qala's part, less aakar and more bariki, are all signficant details that feel jarring to someone who's lived in the world of classical music as long as qala. otherwise, there are some signature sounds retained from the era that the film is set in.

and while still on the topic of singing, a very important issue that i find least addressed is the acting of it. despite there being little vocal variations in the compositions, the actors don't show that they are singing. and in the film specifically revolving around music, that's an extremely important detail that i find amiss. hardly opening the mouth, the movement of the lips, the posture as well as the hand gestures (yes, a very important detail!), are all obvious flaws. a recent film that does that does those details well is the disciple (2020). the first scene of urmila teaching qala singing displays urmila wearing an elaborate piece of nose jewellery that covers half of her mouth, and that's when they're doing rehyaas (practice), not a performance. it's huge details like these that don't sell the film to me.

the acting is quite underwhelming and here is where disagreements with my opinions might enter. i find trupti dimri's rendition of qala extremely, for lack of politer words, exasperating. she tends to show the same expressions for all of her problems, i.e., there is no great difference between her feeling anger or feeling despair or feeling depressed or feeling cheated or just plain exhaustion. qala's character is a complex one and difficult to act, which is a concession i will give, however, the hype around her is a little unnerving when the audience is given such an unremarkable delivery of dialogues and emotion. it comes off as school-play acting at times. swastika mukherjee, who plays urmila, is quite two-note with her acting, which sometimes suits her character and sometimes just feels very low-effort. babil khan has his moments, yet there is such less versatility. you'd think the babil of qala's hallucinations and the one who existed in real life would have some distinct characteristics (which they do), but they never come off as that. it feels so half-hearted at times.

the whole point of symbolism is that it's subtle at heart and not on the face. qala has on-the-face symbolism, which is an irony in itself. the black swan scene, the frosty room in the beginning, the ghostly jagan, etc. almost made me bump my nose into a wall. it comes off as pretentious at best, as if the viewer is stupid. it is also very off-putting in some scenes. for example, the black swan scene - there is very little buildup and it feels very predictable in the sense that "it all goes downhill from here". however, there is one scene which i like, which is the gargoyle one (a very traumatic scene, for those who recall, it is the one right before ghodey pe sawaar gets recorded for the final time). i think that is the most effective filmmaking in the entire film. the best thing about symbolism is always the subtlety. it makes the viewer keep coming back to pick up on something they might have missed in the first watch, it helps them pick up the pieces along the way instead of being able to tell the twists thirty minutes before they are revealed.

and one of the most egregious crimes of the entire film is the direction. here is where we get a little more technical (but just briefly, do not worry). the way it cuts from one scene to the next is like watching a poorly edited reel put out by the team of an out-of-touch marketing firm. the editing could have been better at many places. the writing falls flat specifically when it comes to the characters. i'm pretty sure on paper, the script must've been a delight to read. the story has so much potential - considering that it's based on two books, where there might've been even more depth given to the characters - it isn't new in any way but it offers a different, feminist perspective of the indian music industry. yet, the characters are paper thin on screen - in their ambitions, psychology and sociology. hence, urmila suddenly turning a new leaf in the last ten minutes of the film is something that feels wrong, because all along, she has been portrayed as a heartless mother. qala's actions make sense because her character has nearly always been rooted in self pity and rage. jagan is nothing without music. there is very little dimension to them apart from me summarizing their characters in one sentence with less than thirty words each.

that is why, the film feels even more half-hearted when it speaks of the issues that it centers around. all of these elements add up and make for a tiring watch. i gave qala a second chance, to be fair and omitted some of my pettier criticisms, yet the more serious ones remain. to a certain extent, it does aestheticize depression, which i have a huge issue with. however, baby steps as always with bollywood. it's no dear zindagi considering it is set in a different period with a different ending. however, the writing of the characters could've been so much better. a little more exploration of urmila's intentions would've given her so much depth. a few more interactions between qala and jagan might've given qala the chance to befriend him and not just see him a rival, thus intensifying the decision she took. the characters do not feel human, they are strictly white or black and qala being the anti-hero feels very off since it requires better writing and a stronger plot. and of course, much better acting.

however, qala re-opened up discussion of a nearly-always forgotten discourse - that of the position of women in music. and for achieving that bare minimum, i give it full credit. however, when there have been films with much better writing, characterization and cinematography in bollywood itself, with a similar theme, qala needs to be seen for what it contains than what it displays. just because it glitters, doesn't mean it's gold.

[darkeyesunderthesky]

I have so many of these edits bookmarked, I could just post these all day. WAIT. I'm linking my favourites of all time because I can.

out of the woods (<- I can't begin to explain how much I'm banging my head on the wall over this one. it's actually so incredibly amazing and life changing. My favourite edit of all time, I'm so serious)

Mr brightside (OIFUFUDHDHHDJDJ)

Lights (the usage of my favourite lines TURN IT UP)

goth (<- perfection I fear. and the reason for this url)

ceilings (what if we all jumped into a hole)

bags (what if we all jumped into a hole again)

read your mind (this is one is fun and silly and cute)

question...? (TURN THIS SHIT UP!!!!)

new romantics (this one is just of babygirl)

here kitty kitty (this one is just of pookie)

god's favorite (he is very hot in this and this is on repeat in my brain)

classic (changed my world with this hc. she's pan!!!!)

heartbeat (the editing choices here are so good. kissing the editor on the mouf for this)

paper rings (the opening clip is so cute)

slipping through my fingers (ugh they're so in love)

good 4 u (the push and pull these losers have oh so good)

espresso (I love this song so much, I'm so glad somebody edited them to this)

uptown girl (babygirl AND billy. huge day for people named indyethansummer)

august (their season is summer and I love that for them)

505 (OUUUGGHH this one makes me a jump up and down. the push and pull!!!!!!)

Even If She Falls (they way they look at each other o lorde)

I Can See You (chewing on the furniture!!!!)

making the bed (I love when they're miserable)

Because Of You (the sillies!!)

Perfect (she's so pookie)

I Think He Knows (they use the scene where he drops that he listens to Taylor heehee)

instrumental song??? (IT CHANGED HIM!!!!)

so high school (got me shaking my ass!!!)

356 (he's brat to me)

I Love You I'm Sorry (I need to save them)

Untouchable (bear <3)

HER (I love her!!!!)

Bad For Business (in my Sabrina era lately)

When Emma Falls in Love (MWAH)

Saturn (FIRST MEETING YOU ARE SO IMPORTANT TO MEEEE)

Midnight Rain (that transition in the beginning is so so so good)

[all-things-gothic12]

GOTH FASHION

For my fourth post I want to talk about an equally important aspect of Gothic culture/aesthetic. The outfits, the fashion, and the accessories!

Gothic fashion has spanned centuries. Specifically starting in the Victorian era. A surge in gothic fashion truly started because of the beginnings of gothic novels, gothic architecture and even gothic classical music happening with the late 1800s early 1900s.

As you can see from these two images, Victorian gothic fashion is absolutely gorgeous, playing heavily off of Victorian fashion, the garments themselves usually being in full black or a mixture of black or white. Playing into the darker aesthetics of gothic cultures.

A lot of the accessories themselves again play off of the chic victorian aesthetic, with tight lace, bodices and darker makeup.

I really enjoy this aesthetic because of how classy it appears, it’s especially a nice choice when you want to present more high fashion. Although, the garments themselves can be quite expensive.

Another gothic fashion subgenre termed `Romantic Goth` is quite similar to the Victorian gothic iteration. Although the main stark differences are that the romantic aspect is entirely because this gothic sub-fashion started and takes direct inspiration from the romantic era. A Lot of people who dress in the romantic goth aesthetic, play heavily into the vampiric vibe.

I enjoy this subgenre of gothic fashion just as much as victorian goth, they both serve as similar yet different juxtapositions of one another. Although, both aesthetics can be quite hard to source and maintain unless you can find well made garments or know how to sew yourself.

Moving on to possibly my favourite gothic sub fashion of all time is the obvious Traditional goth, more commonly said as Trad- Goth for simplicity.

This gothic aesthetic arose in the early 80s right after goth music started becoming popular. People such as Siouxie Soux from Siouxie and the banshees, and Robert Smith from the cure show great examples of what traditional gothic fashion entails. White faces, exaggerated yet gorgeous contours, and black clothes! Reminiscent of industrial and clubbing scenes. Trad goth is easily accessible with thrifting, makeshifting, etc. Although the trad goth makeup is a plus, a lot of goths prefer to only wear the clothing pieces and not full makeup. (It takes forever to do without practice lol).

It’s interesting to note the similarities between trad goth makeup and corpse paint. Both styles include mainly white bases and heavy dark black makeup, usually coinciding with the ìdea of ‘trying to look dead’.

Another great sub fashion within the goth community is cyber-goth! Although I don’t know a ton about the history of the aesthetic itself, the outfits are wonderful and serve as great clubbing outfits. As the name suggests cybergoth takes a lot of elements from the cyberpunk aesthetic, including tons of bright colours (usually neons as shown in the picture down below). Although this aesthetic isn’t as popular as trad goth it’s super cool and super campy. I really like how cybergoth incorporates a lot of masks and headgear into the mix of their outfits.

Finally, I want to touch on the Nu-Goth aesthetic. As the name suggests, Nu means ‘new’ in this context. Nu-Goth is a much more modern take on the gothic aesthetics of the past. Still incorporating a lot of darker colours; black, greys, etc. Nu-Goth takes a modern approach of the gothic aesthetic placing a lot of emphasis on modern prints and modern edgy aesthetics like ‘tarot’ cards, moons, suns and overall more popular things that were present in the 2000s tumblr aesthetic lol.

And although there are a lot of different gothic aesthetics I haven’t covered in this blog. The ones I did cover are generally the most popular and my overall favourites (excluding Nu-Goth, which is good, just not my daily wear. I just included that in there because of how popular it was and still is).

As a little addition I should mention that a lot of goths don’t dress this way all the time and mainly wear band t-shirts and black clothes without a lot of the extra makeup as a lot of these outfits require sometimes hours to prepare.

Thank you for reading my blog! Looking forward to sharing more in my next post.

[kuroppiii]

hiiii omg i saw ur a film nerd in ur about me post and so am i !! whats ur favourite movie/s :P

hello!!! and yes omg i always LOVE answering this question lmao so first and foremost:

my letterboxd top 4 <3 !

( explanations and honorable mentions under the cut ! )

1. little women (2019)

watched it with three of my best friends when it first was in theaters so that definitely added to the message and experience watching it. i love how greta gerwig directed the sister dynamic. she’s gone on record on interviews and also if you can find the screenplay itself that in the script the actors’ lines were written on top of one another to reflect the spontaneity and chaos of sisterhood and family through the film’s dialogue. so genius?!?! this adaptation just felt so real and genuine and i also see a little of myself in all the sisters 🫶

2. challengers

UGH i did like a whole deep dive here but in short: luca guadagnino you absolute mastermind. i love tennis, i love colorgraded film and photography, i love hot people!!!! story was insane, i quite literally had to sit in my car for like half an hour just processing when i got out the movie house before i felt normal enough to drive home lol.

3. emma (2020)

again i did a thorough tedtalk on this one. but i’m a big jane austen fan!!! and the aesthetics and score on this adaptation were just off the charts and so so lovely. love the regency era and i think they translated it to screen in a very appealing and classic (although maybe not entirely historical but hey it’s art) way. i’ll always come back to it as my comfort movie ngl.

4. call me by your name

amazing story. (not a love story mind you!!!) which is actually why it stuck with me sm bc i went in with my hopeless romantic self just to be fuckin crushed. watched it two summers ago and it took me like weeks to recover, it broke my heart in a way that felt so good. also just a downright beautiful film all around (colorgrade, cinematography, acting, music, everything!!). in guadagnino we trust!!!

honorable mentions:

watching the detectives (!!!)

lucy liu and cillian murphy? ummm FUCK YES? my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE in the romcom genre to date. they just match each other’s freak. and the whole movie is abt being film nerdy and awkward and weird and manic pixie dream girl and like lowk…. so ro-core fr!

shape of water

ok don’t call me a freak, it was pretty interesting— from the aesthetics, to the minimal dialogue, to the overall story. it’s a doozy but imo that shit was art. (or guillermo del toro was the real freak all along)

spirited away

my fav ghibli film bc it’s just so haunting in a way none of the other ghibli films are and i like that. like the way some of those characters were drawn was lowk gross—but i find that kinda gnarly. so over the top fantastical it makes my brain tingle in a certain way.

isle of dogs

my fav wes anderson film in both stop motion or live action (my fav live action of his was the most recent asteroid city tho!). truly art and has such a heartwarming story but at the same time the DRAMA. my lord. crazy how captivating the story was even if half of it was in largely unsubtitled japanese—unique choice but i actually liked what it added to the movie a lot especially considering the movie’s pov from an english-speaking dog. i’m actually a big cat person but i finished that movie so convinced that fuck yeah that dog is man’s bsf right there

the amazing spiderman movies

andrew garfield’s spiderman is my fav <3 but also i love the darker feel to this version of spiderman. maybe it’s bc i’m also a big batman/dc fan (sorry my marvel babes </3) and generally those movies have been handled with a more dark tone. but nonetheless andrew garfield is hot too so that’s a plus!

cruella

i’m lowk a disney hater but this movie was SO. CUNTY. fuck i loved it. the actors were amazing and the visuals and the FASHION were just mwah, especially compared to other disney live action films (😭).

maleficent & maleficent: mistress of evil

AGAIN, SO FUCKING CUNTY even if i’m a reluctant disney enjoyer. i watched the first installment when i was real young but in 3d at the movie house. SO COOL. watched the second one with my mom at home. IMMEDIATELY WATCHED IT AGAIN. angelina jolie is maleficent, n i love how these movies characterize the villain in such a genuinely human way i don’t think anyone could’ve seen coming when these babies first came out.

ok thats it finally 💋

[realcrocodiletears]

new music debrief - Bewitched by Laufey

When you hear anyone talk about Jazz, it isn’t always met with much excitement. From my social experiences and interactions, liking jazz is structured like a joke or an insult. Bewitched by Laufey serves as a resurgence to the waning popularity of Jazz as a genre, and invites new listeners to a fresh yet faithful interpretation. Executed with precision, thought, and love, Bewitched is a masterpiece in its category that embraces the humility and simplicity of the genre as a form of expression. Laufey pieces together elements of classic jazz and contemporary themes seamlessly.

Laufey, pronounced lay-vay, has taken over as the new poster girl of Jazz. Her previous installment, Everything I Know About Love, was one of my favourite releases of 2022, which led to my expectations and excitement for Bewitched being higher than any other projects this summer. Everything I Know About Love felt presented as if it were a fairytale, illustrating her hopes, fears, and ideas of love. Bewitched is bolder than its predecessor, speaking volumes with its unconditional love stories and the soothing, roaring, complex contemporary compositions that aid the overall atmosphere.

Opening the album, Dreamer is a bouncy track that reinforces the hopeless romantic theme of the album. The line "No boy's gonna kill the dreamer in me" dismisses casual dating in the face of modern standards. Moving into Second Best, Haunted, and Must Be Love, Laufey rides the melancholic, harmonic, ghostly rhythms supported by her powerful orchestral composition. Her vocals display her ability to span octaves and fluctuate to the tone of the song. Spilling traditional elements of the genre over piano and guitar compositions introduces us to the timeless sound Laufey has crafted.

Bewitched maintains an impressive level of consistency throughout its entirety, even during its more experimental moments. The album boldly explores pop terrain, as evident in tracks like Lovesick, where Laufey channels an aura reminiscent of artists like Soccer Mommy or Julien Baker. In this high-energy track, she delivers an explosive chorus that offers a rare and intense emotional release, departing from her usual delicate approach. The seamless interplay between silky, ascending strings and rolling percussion mirrors the complex mix of emotions, evoking feelings of both excitement and anxiety.

The inclusion of the classic jazz gem Misty on the record is a testament to Laufey's deep connection with the genre. Her rendition of this piece blends her universal vocal tone with a straightforward, organic production that stays true to the song's roots.

Laufey not only revitalizes the jazz genre but also showcases her versatility as an artist. Her remarkable ability to seamlessly merge classic and contemporary elements, coupled with her poignant storytelling, positions this album as a must-listen. Laufey undeniably weaves a spell with her music, captivating her audience and rekindling the timeless allure of jazz in the modern era.

10/10 a literal genre-redefining masterpiece

~ will

[lovejustforaday]

Gay Pride Anthems (According to Me) - Tristan

Tristan - Patrick Wolf

Genres: Folktronica, Goth Rock, Art Pop

Okay, so this one is definitely gonna be stretching the definition of a "gay pride anthem" quite generously, but hear me out on this one.

There's an undeniable anthemic, queer anti-hero energy festering under the darker lyrics and theatrical mannerisms of Patrick Wolf's 2005 single "Tristan", and I'm gonna tell you all about it.

THE ARTIST

Patrick Wolf is an openly queer and largely subversive singer/songwriter originating from London, UK.

He's a millennial indie folk artist, so naturally he had his big heyday in the latter half of the 2000s, when artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom and the like were becoming big names in the indie music sphere. The Big Indie Folk Boom of the 2000s, might I call it, which indirectly lead to the subsequent (shudder) Star Bucks Folk or "Stomp Clap Hey" Boom of the early 2010s.

Patrick Wolf has described himself at different times in the past as bisexual, though in more recent interviews he has identified himself as a gay man. Patrick has also remarked in the past how his record labels have tried to pin him down, pushing him to embrace a more camp gay archetype and less of the soft, mildly androgynous energy and aesthetic he often cultivates.

I discovered Patrick's music fairly early on in my coming out years of high school and my freshman year of university. The song in question today was actually one of my first favourite songs from an explicitly queer indie artist, even before I discovered more contemporary artists like Perfume Genius if I am remembering correctly.

To this day, I've still only listened to Patrick's 2005 LP Wind In The Wires, an LP which I highly recommend as a somewhat forgotten classic of its era. The record marries theatrical, angsty poetics and macabre cabaret with beautiful, nocturnal folk chamber music and art pop eccentricities. There's also elements of indie rock in the mix.

It's the kind of record I imagine Oscar Wilde might've made if he was born at the end of 20th century and decided to become a musician (Take that with a metric ton of salt - I read like one or two Oscar Wilde poems in high school).

I'd also highly recommend "The Libertine" and the title track off of that record for a better picture of his unique artistic style. But today, we're gonna be talking about the GAYEST song on the record which is definitely "Tristan".

THE SONG AND WHY IT SLAPS

My name is Tristan...and I am alive.

ugh. uff. HAAHHH ✨

"Tristan" is the vampiric ballad of a man who is a miserable lone wolf and walking contradiction. It's also a complete and total fucking banger, the likes of which is so rarely achieved through such a bizarre approach to pop songwriting.

The track opens with these hollow, mildly grating acoustic guitar twinges, before it all comes together with an accordion riff, piano stabs, and electronic filtered drums and effects creating a very awkward, hiccup-y rhythm. I feel like "Tristan" is wading through swamp water and digging his feet out of sink holes as he pleads his story to whoever will listen.

Patrick snarls and grunts, performing as a sort of beastly creature, and yet an elegant gentleman with his romantic declarations during the chorus. The performance could've been much too goofy in the hands of a lesser talented vocalist, but Wolf pulls it off. Hell, he doesn't just pull it off - he knocks it out of the park.

The lyrics offer the perspective of someone who feels he is monstrous and at war with himself. lines like "I am the victim / but I'm the murderer" paint the picture of self-destruction and self-loathing. But despite his woes and general misery, he compiles his identity together in the chorus with the iconic affirmation that, ultimately, "[he is] Tristan, and [he is] alive". This song is just filled with awesome. It's original, it's dark, it's symbolic, and it's catchy as all hell, even though it probably shouldn't be for how oddly it's conceived. Lesser-known gems like this song are the ones that get me really excited to post my silly little reviews on this music blog that maybe four or five people read each time, because if I can even get just one more person to listen to it, then it will feel like a huge accomplishment on my end.

WHY IT'S GAY

I could just state the obvious that "It's by a gay man and it's about another man so it's gay", but I think we all can dig a little deeper with our queer analysis than that, can't we? Let me offer my interpretation. Have you ever noticed that like, a lot of gay men carry a significant burden of self-loathing? Or how many times have you felt as a gay man, or any type of queer person for that matter, that you were essentially a beast because of the way that society and especially religion has cast you into the role of the dangerous "other"?

Of course, feeling like a monster in the eyes of society in the way that the eponymous Tristan clearly does, will often lead down paths of self-destruction and self-harm. Indirect ways of trying to disengage or even disappear from a world that feels full of rejection for you as a person.

In the gay male community especially, I've seen this manifest a lot in the forms of substance abuse, as well as the phenomenon some psychologists and social scientists are referring to as "sex as self-injury". I have known of, and even met a few Tristans in my life time, and many of us have some degree of a Tristan personality inside of us to varying extents. In a different timeline, I could've even become a full-on Tristan myself, and I was certainly not terribly far from it during my worst years. it's very easy to interpret this song just as a cautionary tale, so why should I include this in a list of "gay PRIDE" anthems? Well, it's complicated.

Pride isn't always the way that mainstream media depicts it. It's not always bright pink feather boas and sunny days and big beautiful happy gay couples and radiant drag queens.

Sometimes pride is just having the ability to wake up the next morning and the will to press on. It's having the self-respect to fight for your autonomy to live as the person you truly are.

Tristan states it himself. He might be all of these things: troubled, a tragedy, a victim, metaphorically fucked, but he is also clearly not willing to give up. He's "working for joy on overtime", fighting for his happiness. He is Tristan, and he is alive, and that's just a little bit uplifting, isn't it? It is often the music that acknowledges the pain in this world, and tells you to press on despite everything, that has gotten me through my darkest hours. That includes, of course, having to navigate all of the bullshit homophobia online and in the real world.

And it's never that far off - I live in the statistically gayest province of one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in the world, and there was still a reported hate crime in my own city this year. Patrick Wolf himself was once the victim of a hate crime by bouncers at a concert, and experienced relentless bullying in his school years. "Tristan" is very likely informed by his lived experiences.

Don't get me wrong - when I'm feeling my oats and going to a gay club, I expect to be dancing to some loud and proud disco bangers. We need that kind of music in the community to empower us and give us that collective hope.

But there is definitely a much needed place as well for more complex, bittersweet, and even tragic gay anthems in the lives of gay men, and all queer people in general. We need anthems that tell our stories without any pretenses. We need to hear that our pain is real, just as much as we need to be told to keep going.

So thank you Patrick Wolf, for this unsung timeless classic. May Tristan, and all the Tristans in all of us one day heal from our scars.