#their osts are always spectacular

[imgenheaney]

that's what love is, everyone knows and endures it like a fool, i closed my eyes and endured

[dieselpvnk]

nobody asked, but here's my opinion on every Rain World region because I am pretty bored. A note that a lot of my experiences/opinions on Downpour regions come from release, so there were no maps, no nothing.

Outskirts: a good basic region, nothing spectacular, but a good introduction into the world, has few threats, the platforming is not challenging and the punishment for failing is mild, but it gets you accustomed with the controls and mechanics. Hell on earth with Hunter/Downpour spawns tho, still a solid region.

Industrial Complex: love it a lot, I don't even remember why at this point. Used to say it's my favourite region, wouldn't call it that anymore, but nonetheless I think it's great. A bit more of a challenge than Outskirts, while still being pretty chill, probably the player'e first encounter with vultures, which scared the shit out of me, but also my first vulture kill happened there (on the bridge to Shaded, flat ground my beloved). Has a lot of good places to learn advanced movement tech too. Aesthetics wise it's not too remarkable and pretty similar to Outskirts, but it works, also bio-engineering is one of the best tracks.

Drainage System: I'm #1 Drainage defender. It doesn't deserve nearly all the hate it gets. Yeah, it's prettt much a trap and a death sentance if you go there immediately after Outskirts, but that doesn't make it a bad region. It has great aesthetics, great ost, great layout. Ideally you have to have a bit of experience with water physics in Rain World before entering, otherwise it gets problematic, but really it's not THAT necessery if you're willing to experience some trial and error. Yeah, there's The Tunnel, but really, not that bad, you either have to be good at controls in water or get a little creative and that's always fun to find workarounds. I got stuck there the first time like many others, but after some time I realized that I have a spear that can help me jump back over the hole, and it worked, after that when I got there I first went to the left, since the water falling pushes the leeches down and they don't follow you, there you can grab a bubbleweed and proceed back to the right, since it repels the leeches. Then, you know, I got good at the game and there's no reason to do that anymore. Also with Downpour it's no longer a "jump in The Tunnel or it's a dead end". Also extremely fun to run and jump around there as Rivulet, they wall jump so fast.

Garbage Wastes: pretty mid imo. It's not BAD, but it's not great either, just kinda there, part of the reason I grew to dislike it is the fact that back in vanilla I took Garbage Wastes route to Shoreline while I was on the quest to bring Moon every single pearl. The aesthetivs are solid, I can see the appeal, but for me it just doesn't do it, not a fan. Also it's full of scavs and I'm a scav hater 👎 (has nothing to do with Artificer, I was a hater way before Downpour)

Shoreline: it's meh, it's most notable for being a "walking right simulator", too flat and long for me, not enough interconnecting parts with interesting terrain. It's water, like Drainage, but done boring. I remember platforming in Moon was sooo difficult the first time, now it's mildly annoying.

Shaded Citadel: scary as shit and I love it. so much. First time was the worst, didn't know about lanters, had scary sounds, thought only source was light was throwing flashbangs. I entered from Idustrial, got scared, quickly died, and turn around never to return for the next ... many hours. Now it's the only route to and from Shoreline I take, love the feel and aesthetics dearly, I learned how to deal with coalescipedes and I feel powerful. Usually go there after I have neuron glow because I can't be bothered to carry a lantern, but it's not required, realistically I can navigate there without a light source. Industrial to Shoreline is "going right simulator", sure, but unlike Shoreline itself it has terrain variation, it has interconnecting paths, but it's also not a complete maze, it's clearly devided into upper, middle, and lower parts. Also Memory Crypts is cool, even tho I don't go there because. well, because next point ↓

The Exterior: to me it's very clearly devided into The Wall and The Underhang/Leg, about which I have very differing opinions. The Wall is awesome, great, fun, I love going Up Up Up, and also being above clouds when rain starts ... wow so cool. And now that Downpour added day/night cycle it's even prettier. The Underhamg on the other hand... yeah, I don't like it, it requires a grappleworm to pass and I don't like them, it's no fun, got softlocked there the first time I've been there, but like for real, not like in Drainage. DLLs can be annoying to deal with when they're blocking your way, you can waste an entire cycle waiting for the path to be clear. And also the karma gate to Five Pebbles in TheUnderhang is in every way inferior to the one above The Wall.

Five Pebbles: immaculate aesthetics, but going through the region ... no thank you. I only found it fun as Artificer, since it has a lot more movement control in zero-g. As any other slugcat, it's very frustrating waiting to hit a wall to jump off it, or trying to grab something to throw to boost yourself in a direction. The region looks really cool, Memory Conflux is my favourite part, but I simply can't enjoy it because of zero-g. And on the first playthrough I HAD to go there because I've been to Pebbles' chamber one too many times and he kept killing me, and as a consequence I HAD to go through The Underhang, overall a very unpleasant experience that largely shaped my attitude towards the two regions.

Chimney Canopy: a lot of hostile creatures, but in a fun way, once again I like going Up Up Up, and there's also the bridge to Sky Island/The Wall which is nice flat terrain to fight vultures, very cool. The Gutter is like. It's fine, I don't hate it, I enjoy the aesthetics, but the thich water you swim through very slowly is frustrating. Also I want the dropwig in that one room back :'[ thank you modders for saving me. My path of choice to Five Pebbles/Sky Islands, but overall unremarkable, not bad however.

Farm Arrays: I don't like this region. at all. it sucks. It's annoying, it's frustrating, unrewarding, when I get somewhere I don't think "I finally did it!!" I think "it's finally over", and the aesthetics aren't good enough to make up for it. I like raindeer, but dealing with them is awful.

Subterranean: it's meh, it's fine, it's okay. Not a hater, not a fan, don't really go there ever because. it's not interesting to me in any way. My favourite room is the one random pool looking room I want to see something that expands upon that idea and aesthetic. Filtration is annoying, but at this point I can navigate it blindfolded, Depths are just time consuming after the fiest couple of times, not ineteresting at all.

Pipeyard: I'm an avid hater, it's boring, it's frustrating to navigate, the color palette makes me wanna throw up, it offers NOTHING, you can beat the game a billion times and never step a foot in there, it serves no function, other than being a shortcut for Hunter, but it's not even needded really. The only serviceable part is Sump Tunnel, it's kinda like Drainage but lamer. Also Pipeyard is a maze, and not even the fun kind.

Submerged Superstructure: very cool to explore, it is a maze, still not the fun kind, but the aesthetics and how it's interconnected does make up for that, so it's not a big complaint, esp since you primarily explore it as the speedy fast rodent. It's exploring an iterator, but without the zero-g, that's cool. And also Bitter Aerie is sooo awesome, I love the snow, the way it just spits you out there once you place the rarefuction cell, fun. Was kinda frustrating on release, for some reason a lot of downpour regions lagged really badly on my computers back then, after a while it just. was fine again, literally nothing changed in my hardware, idk what was the issue. I figured out giant jellyfish caused lag, got rid of them, but it still occasionally lagged so bad I had to quit. Now it's all good and I can enjoy the region in its full glory.

Outer Expanse: unpopular opinion, Sunken Pier > the rest of it. Idk, I just don't like it, it's very much not doing it for me. The rooms are boring even tho objectively I can say they are fine, the look and aesthetic of the region it's just. Objectively it's fine, there's nothing wrong with it, but I don't like it to an absurd degree. Also probably part of the reason is that I did not enjoy playing Gourmand.

Waterfront Facility: I still don't like it, it's not bad, I don't hate it, but it's once again not good either. The Precipice can go fuck itself tho. It's long, frustrating jumps, no shelters, so you have to backtrack a lot, and you WILL die with how tight the jumps are, and with all that it's still infested with hostile creatures.

Metropolis: one of my favourites, very fun, very cool, tailor made for Artificer's explosive jump, which is a great design choice imo, adds some platforming challenges that are fun and rewarding to overcome. Those platforming challenges also serve for a good (better) terrain to fight scavangers, since they can't reach as far as you can (there are srill piper they can access to get to you, but it buys you time). The aesthetics are great, it' clearly divided into sectors, it's interconnected but still makes sense, the fun kind of maze. I love going Up Up Up and it has The Tallest Tower, exactly what I need. I wanted to see Pebbles' city ever since vanilla and they gave it to me. This is a region made for me specifically. Also the region art is a banger.

The Rot: very big, confusing to navigate and the overseers don't really help. The rarefaction cell is so close to Five Pebbles, but on my first try I went pretty much everywhere except the right direction, went from all the way from The Wall gaye all the way down to The Underhang gate. But I'd still say I like it, the aesthetics save it, once again, iterator insides, but no zero-g. A lot of fun platforming challenges, but also a lot of bullshit with DLLs.

Looks To The Moon: same as Five Pebbles in vanilla honestly. Zero-g is extremely unfun for me. It was cool to see familiar rooms, but working, but was does it save it? no. Also the neuron flies are not enough to sustain Spearmaster, and Moon's Underhang ... oh god it's awful why is there so much shit there, especially spiders.

Undergrowth: Drainage, but green, nice.

Silent Contruct: good, but too big for it's own good, I was barely able to find Five Pebbles. Once again it's neat to see familiar rooms in a new way, being destoyed that is. I like it, but not a huuuge fan, don't think I'll ever revisit it much. Especially since I spent A LOT of time there the first time, I think I've been everywhere on the map before finding Five Pebbles.

Rubicon: once again it's too fucking big. And once again it was laggy as hell on release. I got lost, backtracked, got lost again, went back in the directing I've been to originally, rinse and repeat over and over and over. Aesthetics are cool, but wear off quickly. I don't like yellow and it's pretty clear throught this whole post I think. Seeing old rooms in a new way, again, cool, neat. But it still doesn't make up for all of its bullshit. I just wish it wasn't as big as it is, because thematically I like it a got. But gameplay wise, I don't wanna go there ever again.

[carnelianwings]

Went and saw Gundam Seed Freedom in theatre last night, I have so many thoughts about it (as you'd expect for a long time fan - I've been waiting for this movie ever since they announced it), there will be spoilers behind the cut, but the spoiler free highlights:

This movie is everything I ever wanted out of a Gundam Seed movie - the characters, the mecha, the OST, the cast, everything. It is as much a continuation of Cosmic Era as it is a celebration of Cosmic Era at its best, there's so much love put into this movie I can genuinely say I enjoyed every minute of it from the beginning to the end. My one and only nitpick is that they recasted Cagalli, but Mori Nanako does a fantastic job, so much so I don't have anything negative to say about her performance. (More on this behind the cut below, as I will delve into spoilers.)

Story pacing was actually really good here, in that there's no true retread/recap of both Seed and Seed Destiny. The movie assumes you've seen both, and while you could arguably get away with a cliff's notes version of Seed Destiny (even I know how much of a Base Breaker it is from watching it as it aired in Japan), if you sat through it you're rewarded between the shout outs and extra emotional impact from some of the scenes. There's a few brief clips of flashbacks to the prior series, but to me they feel like they're providing context (as you don't get to hear the characters' inner thoughts the same way you would out of a manga or a novel of the same story).

The animation just looked so good on the big screen, even the CGI used for the Gundams (like they've been doing in the newer Gundam series) looked fantastic. So smooth, no stock footage, you can tell where they made obvious homage shots to the original, but they're clearly redone for the movie. It was a feast for the eyes, in more ways than one.

The OST is fantastic, the way Sahashi wove the various melodies from songs past and present were a delight to the ears. I particularly love how he kept using various melody lines from Shizuka na Yoru ni as a way to musically reflect Lacus's journey and arc through the movie - just a line or two of the main melody, sometimes shifted into minor key, sometimes intertwined with another character's theme (usually whoever she's interacting with at that moment). There's also some glorious reprisals from both Seed and Seed Destiny, all rearranged to give it a grander, more spectacular sound to match the on-screen spectacle. Definitely one of Sahashi's best works, and I'm really happy they brought him back for it. Also, if at all possible - don't listen to the OST before seeing the movie. It will spoil key moments for the final battle, especially if you know which themes are used where.

Now, onto spoiler territory.

First and foremost, I really feel like Seed Freedom manages to redeem Seed Destiny as a whole. My biggest complaint in Seed Destiny is and always has been that Shinn's redemption happens in 5 minutes in an epilogue that was added on in an extended cut - I loved the idea and potential of Shinn as something of a Villain Protagonist early on, and even as we watched him spiral further and further into his grief and anger throughout Seed Destiny, the fact we never got to see what redemption and atonement meant for him was something of a sore point. One of the things I love is a good redemption arc, where the character learns from mistakes they made and improves themselves as a person, as an individual, and we finally get to see that here in Seed Freedom.

Shinn finally gets to do what he really wanted to when he enrolled into the academy, and under Kira's command he shines. For a character that was so heavily defined by his grief and anger for 50 episodes, he's done a 180 here, putting in the work and effort to turn his life around - we get more scenes of him smiling and eagerly working to help Kira as part of the team in COMPASS than angrily scowling or yelling at someone. He's finally found someone he can look up to and work towards being; it's clear he looks up to Kira as something of a role model, both as a goal and commanding officer, and has been rewarded accordingly as the pilot of the Immortal Justice. He's a lot calmer now, long gone are his days fighting for glory on the battlefield, he puts a priority on COMPASS's main mission of intervention and protecting civilians (so much so he'll voluntarily use Immortal Justice's shield to protect them over keeping it to defend himself). But it's not to say his past is completely forgotten or even retconned away - he gets called the Freedom Killer multiple times here (largely as a way to get at Kira too) and while Shinn never denies having been that person, his reaction shows he treats it as Old Shame, something he did but is no longer proud of.

And the true pay off to his arc comes in the end, when he gets reunited with the Destiny thanks to Cagalli upgrading it to the Spec II in the final stretch of the movie. He greets it like someone would greet an old friend, proudly and triumphantly launching this time to the fanfare of Seed Destiny's next episode preview bgm - it's hands down Shinn at his most heroic, and it's a moment he's earned. He's finally become the person he wanted to be at the beginning of Seed Destiny, before he let his grief and anger cloud his mind, before he was manipulated by Durandal. And in the end, his journey through the darkness that was his time under Durandal's command become his strength, granting him a spectacular flawless victory over the Black Knights achieved through his own skills - Stella protects him from the Black Knights' Mind Control, and his instinctual berserker Seed Mode keeps them from reading his mind to predict his moves. It's after all the trials and pain he went through that he comes out at his absolute best, and the Seed Freedom version of Shinn is hands down the best version of him.

Character development aside, it's genuinely heartwarming to see a character that was so narrowly defined by his grief and anger to be the one who brings a lot of the light and levity in what's otherwise a fairly heavy movie. Seeing him as a Big Eater during the ball at Foundation, his entire reunion with Lunamaria after she thought he'd been KIA'ed in the joint operation on the Blue Cosmos base, him getting hit by both Kira and Athrun during their brawl (with neither of them noticing ^^;;) - he's come so far since his Seed Destiny days he's (and I can't believe I'm actually saying this) one of the major highlights of the movie. And then there's his smile at the end when Kira finally relies on him and his cheerful response.

And of course, I can't talk about Shinn without mentioning Lunamaria - they've both come a long way from their days at the ZAFT military academy (if you go off the prequel novel Moonlight Valkyrie) and even from their time on board the Minerva. You can tell there's genuine love and affection between them, mutually supporting each other both on and off the battlefield, between them sharing a room onboard the Millennium and the energy transfer moment between the Impulse and Destiny. There's even a clear moment of redemption for Lunamaria's shooting skills when she shoots down a tactical nuke in her Gelgoog. And while she's definitely not one of the main focus characters in the movie, she still gets her moment of triumph, launching in the Impulse once more after Shinn's Destiny. Even though she's relegated to the Designated Chick Fight, it's a moment of personal triumph for her - she's grown as a person since her academy days, her time on the Minerva and with Shinn and Rey has changed her, and she's a better person for it. Even her time pursuing Athrun (even though he doesn't return her affection at all) comes back as a Meaningful Echo in how she ultimately deals with Agnes. Instead of choosing to kill Agnes in her GYAN, Lunamaria does something of a "pay it forward", disabling the GYAN and returning to pick her up from the moon after the fighting is over. Like Shinn, it's clear Lunamaria's in a better place than she was during the finale of Seed Destiny, and she also gets to join in on some of the lighter moments of the movie next to Shinn.

Onto Kira (because I'm saving my favorites for last), who is most definitely the main focus of the movie, along with Lacus and his relationship with her. Is his story arc a rehash of Seed? In many ways yes, and in so many ways, no. On a surface level, sure - we once again have Kira trying to shoulder the entire burden of the team on himself, of trying to do everything without relying on anyone else, of pushing himself to his limits, and as icing on the retread cake, we're even treated to a CV Kuwashima Houko girl (Agnes) trying to get his attention and affections. And that's about where it ends, because Agnes' motivations are vastly different from Flay's, Kira's circumstances this time around are entirely different from when he was in Seed - this is more about Kira realizing he really doesn't have to shoulder everything by himself, that even if Lacus is a non-combatant, she's there to walk next to him side by side, that Lacus's love for him is completely different from Flay's (initial) love for him. For Kira, it's The Power of Love while also echoing Seed's earlier themes of how easy it is to fall into old habits and make the same mistakes again. It's about Kira finally breaking past his remaining trauma with his relationship with Flay - he finally realizes that Lacus wants to be with him for him, that she never expected him to hand her everything she wanted on a silver platter, that she's willing and ready to work and walk with him to their final goal and destination, wherever that may take them. His relationship with Lacus was never a transactional one like it was with Flay - even if Flay genuinely grew to love Kira in the end, her true feelings for him never managed to reach him before she dies. And in the end, once he realizes what he has with Lacus, once he gets a chance to talk to her and clear the air, he's rewarded with a shiny new upgrade to the Strike Freedom, Lacus voluntarily joining him in the battlefield, and of course, that ending on the beach.

As for the whole "Is Kira Yamato a failure because he was a failed Accord or just Orphee insisting that he is superior to even Coordinators as an Accord" debate, ultimately it doesn't matter (at least in terms of Kira's arc - on a meta level, yes I absolutely want to know lol). He's got the one thing Orphee will never have (Lacus's love) and with that behind him he can overcome anything.

Honestly, if this is where we end Kira's story, where he gets to go off into the sunset with Lacus, to live quietly in the middle of nowhere (or even return to Marshall Islands to stay with Reverend Malchio) where he doesn't have to fight anymore, where he can just spend his days with Lacus until there's some world-ending reason to step back into the cockpit, I'm good with that. Kira never wanted to be a mobile suit pilot to begin with, he only ever did it to defend the people he cares about, and if this is where we part ways with him, because in learning to rely on other people, he also realizes he can hand things off to Cagalli, Athrun, and Shinn (and by extension, Lunamaria), I'm good with that. (I'll get to Cagalli and Athrun after Lacus, I want to save my favorites for last lol)

Lacus always came off as a little too perfect, a little too good with her words, and with a Seed Mode that ... didn't activate like your traditional Seed Mode (for one thing, she never gets the Seed burst animation on screen when she goes into it; she almost always monologues her way in). And I have to say it was satisfying to see that crack some more this time around, where her decisions are a bit more questionable, where she's finally having to deal with some of the consequences of her actions (and by extension Kira's as he answers to her and only her within COMPASS). But ultimately in the end, she's still the same Lacus as ever - Silk Hiding (nerves of) Steel, steadfast in her love and support for Kira, something that nothing can change, not even meeting her genetically destined partner in Orphee. And yes, while even she gets in on the action this time, quite literally delivering the Proud Defender to Strike Freedom to upgrade it into the Mighty Strike Freedom, I don't really have much to say about her.

I will say this though (because it gets very indirectly touched on by Athrun) - if Lacus hadn't fallen in love with Kira, and had continued with her engagement to Athrun as set up by their parents, would she have gone with Orphee? Would that alone have changed events enough so that Athrun might've been conveniently KIA'ed so Orphee would've been able to sweep in?

Now, onto my personal favorites (and complete show stealers this time around): Athrun and Cagalli.

Where do I even begin? Athrun being a Big Damn Hero for Kira not once, but twice? Cagalli taking over Lacus's role for being Crazy Prepared, Bearer of (Gundam) Gifts this time around?? The complete insanity that is the Z'Gok hiding the Infinite Justice Type II??? The (remote) Battle Couple fight????

Cagalli's just pure Crazy Prepared this time. She's learned from the painful lessons of the past 4 years, ensuring there's a plan in place to get her people to safety, immediately issuing evacuation orders for the civilians to avoid direct orbital laser bombardment from Requiem. She's made peace with the fact that sometimes, you really do just need to hop into a Gundam to get shit done, so she's seen to it that the Gundams for the top COMPASS pilots are available should they ever need it. She's the one who came up with COMPASS in the first place, providing some much-needed legitimacy for what Kira and Lacus want to do. She's also very clearly been training with Athrun for mobile suit training - where she once Could Not Keep Up, she's able to seamlessly pilot the Infinite Justice Mark II remotely, a less advanced unit than Shura's Shi-ve.A, without Shura ever realizing it was someone else piloting it. She's back as the Goddess of Victory, now older and wiser and all the better for it.

For all that she hardly showed up on screen, her presence was felt everywhere, most especially whenever Athrun's on screen. Really, I wouldn't even be surprised if the next time we see Orb get threatened by Orbital (Laser) Bombardment, she tells her people to get inside to safety before turning on a shield to protect the cities and then taking the field again.

And as for Athrun - it makes sense he didn't join COMPASS, even though the fact he has a custom COMPASS pilot suit and the Immortal Justice was clearly designed with him in mind. He's found his place in Orb, staying by Cagalli's side as her personal knight. He's even got his own custom suit with the Z'Gok-hiding-the-Infinite-Justice-Mark-II - he's got everything he could ask for while still being able to do his part to maintain peace. And in a double redemption moment - Athrun's the first one to throw the punch this time when Kira starts wallowing in his self doubt and lets his insecurities get the better of him, repaying the favor Kira did back in Seed Destiny when he, well, Saviour'ed the Saviour. Athrun's the one to remind Kira that as a close friend of Lacus's that her actions this time don't sound like the Lacus that he knows, and this time (unlike when he did something similar with Shinn) it works and gets Kira back on track. Poor Shinn - he thinks Athrun's about to do the same thing to Kira that Athrun did to him during his time on the Minerva, but while Shinn's not entirely wrong, he's also misreading the room a bit, not realizing this is a "They're really good friends, and sometimes they just gotta throw some punches to work shit out" moment.

Because in overcoming everything that happened in Seed Destiny, Athrun and Cagalli have finally grown into the people they both want to be. They've found their way, fighting for what they both believe in. Their time apart in Seed Destiny forced them both grow as individuals, so that when we get to see them working together again it's in perfect sync. In so many ways, Athrun and Cagalli (and not Kira and Lacus) are the ideal the Cosmic Era wants to push - two people working together side by side, regardless of genetics, as partners and equals. The dream of Coordinators and Naturals, living and working side by side in harmony - that's them. And ultimately, it is what they do that brings the heroes victory and lets everyone fly off into the (metaphorical) sunset together. They played the long gambit - creating COMPASS (giving Shinn and Lunamaria a means to atone for the things they did, giving Lacus and Kira a legitimate way to stop skirmishes), upgrading the Gundams, being there for their friends and allies when they needed it (Athrun literally knocking sense back into Kira, Cagalli coming in with the equipment upgrades) - all while keeping their priorities in order (first the civilians, then reequipping allies, and then finally going into combat together to take down Shura), and it all pays off in the end.

Really, is it any wonder, then, when Shura tries to read Athrun's mind in the final battle he's just thinking of hot (naked) Cagalli?

[chicalepidopterareblogs]

Some speculation for what's to come based on the OST* and my own perception and yearning

EPISODE 1

Not so much to guess about this one. The opening track and how it is used to introduce Delainey's Claudia is one of the most spectacular pieces of cinematography that I've seen in my entire life

EPISODE 2

We know which scene Paris sucks belongs to since we've already seen it in the trailers so it makes sense for it to be at the begining of ep. 2.

I speculated that Who are the young men could be related to Lestat and Nicolas and their portraits hanging in the theatre. But it can also be about Loustat first meeting and even the brave men they met at the park (cruising-meet cute confirmed around min 21:00)

They invite us for a hunt is def the slaughter scene at the palace after the motorbikes and Armand for you could be the moment Armand finaly joins the interview (meaning, Daniel paying attention to him finally) by the end of the episode.

Included Raglan James in ep 2 cause I wanna see Justin Kirk asap but he might as well appear at the begining of ep 3.

EPISODE 3

The 1700s flashbacks are said to happen at the beginning of this ep so The fourth great law could be an introduction to Armand as a coven master in both the 1940s and 1700s and A vein winding through paris sounds like something Armand would say to describe the city and the time. This is when Arlecchinostat is supposed to happen so there should be some remarkable track that didn't make to the OST

I don't like windows when they're closed we know is Claudia's debut performance so wouldn't it be beautiful if we hear it right after Lestat's 1700s show?

Amadeo... I don't even know how to make sense out of this one. I'm just getting ready to be stabbed through the heart and that's it

EPISODE 4

This episode is when Caludia meets Madeleine so most of the tracks may have to do with it and Madeleine as a character.

Hello Francis, Goodbye Francis I think is referring to the Francis Bacon tryptic

EPISODE 5

First time in new orleans sounds like a way to introduce the first interview.

I didn't know it was a gift I don't really know how to explain it but since it's probably in episode five (unless it isn't) something about someone being too young and stupid to realise something is important and what Eric said about Daniel reading something from one of his books that didn't know what he meant when he wrote it. Something...

EPISODE 6

Most of these tracks will probably have to do with theatre performances.

Ladies And Gentlemen as in something Santigo would say; Jardin de Satan might be some of the plays Nicolas wrote.

Come To Me Again it is a performance on its own**

Annika is probably the girl they torture on the stage and Le Bucheron and Woodcutter... a lot of foreshadowing (Le bucheron could even be a pun in French although I don't know enough French to be sure). We have also seen a play about a woodcutter in one of the trailers

EPISODE 7

The Five Great Laws for this episode since it is probably going to be The Trial and we know Baby Lu is Claudia's (unfortunate?) theatre persona

My gut tells me that Je N'Aime Pas Fenêtres Quand Fermée will play at the end titles of the episode, in contrast with the atrocities that might have happened previously

EPISODE 8

We know that Nicolas should have already showed up at some point between ep1 to 6 so For A Young Violinist Again being at the bottom of the list can only mean that we will see him once again. Something tells me it will be painful and maybe the first approach to authentic Nickistat.

Love Wronged could be applied to almost every relationahip in the show

In Nomine Magni. Who could possibly say a line like this in Latin so close to end of the season?

Followed Closely By My Madness has Nicolas de Lenfent written all over it again

Vien À Moi Encore sounds perfect for a dramatic clifthanger, maybe even Lestat coming back to Louis

*Considering always that the titles are in order of appearance as they were for the S1 OST

**Unlike Come To Me on Rue Royal that goes at the bottom as a bonus track, I doubt we will actualy hear it *in* the show but we will see

[cinnamoncountess]

Fellow Travelers Rewatch Party | episode 2

Content warning: NSFW, strong language (maybe)

Let’s continue the weekly review / reaction session while watching episode 2 tonight!

First time seeing the title sequence and the composition of different LGBTQ+ and historical photographies as well as original sequences from the show - Hawk hanging Tim’s cross chain over the bedpost - merged in is spectacular. The intro has been composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan and he explains the build-up and musical structure as follows: 

„The idea was to have this loop which kept on evolving and descending keys,as Hawk’s life descended into inner turmoil.Tim’s cello sound playing the pizz at the start and the end - I wanted to represent that Tim was the grounding force, keeping the steadiness in the relationship while Hawk’s life descended into chaos.Each character adding a layer to the arpeggios on the top - first the violin, then the piano, then the wind. Sticking to our rule of never resolving. It gets increasingly frenetic until the final reprise played on the cello. Also, it’s written in. Again, so we never settle, just like @MattBomer (Hawk) and Jonathan Bailey’s (Tim) complicated relationship in the show.“ (source: Paul Leonard-Morgan via X / twitter)

It’s incredibly beautiful, well-crafted and the meaning behind feels very palpable in the music, especially with the given explanation! You should check out the Fellow Traveler’s OST: 

We’re in the 80s timeline with Maggie and Hawk meeting in the café!

I still wonder how that came about… Did Tim just tell Maggie to call Hawk? Did they have a discussion about that with Tim pondering whether or not he should go and meet Hawk and Maggie, the protective sister she is, intervening and shushing her brother off in a ‚no way, I’m gonna call and meet this douche who breaks your heart every decade‘ manner?!

Maggie: Although he swears no one else even came close. - Ouch. Tim never found happiness with someone else. That’s truly devastating. However, I’m actually curious to hear a conversation between Maggie and him on that. What did Tim tell her about Hawk and their past relationship? How did he justify his feelings for the man? I crave for more scenes focussing on Tim and his family.

Hawk is part of the Smith family. Leonard is rightfully salty at Hawk, seeing right through his scheme of settling himself a place in his family whilst masterfully playing a false game, while his standing with his own father is standing on wobbly feet.  

Tim: Had I know there’d be pictures I would have worn my best tie. - Dawww. 

I love seeing Tim and Mary socialising with the key political society and shielding each other. The supportive friendship between them is absolutely precious.

Roy Cohn looking Tim up and down suspiciously and then presenting his mom as his date, what a goblin. At first I thought he’d eye Tim up as a potential ‚interest‘ of McCarthy, but maybe he’s just extra cautious recognizing him from the State Department Bureau and the fact that he always seems to linger around when important meetings are held. 

That change of scene from Mary/Tim sweetness to Tim full on blowing Hawk in a doorframe is just  so filthy, sinful and juicy - it nearly threw me off the couch the first time I’ve watched it, such an unexpected switch. Also, damn Tim, clutching the peachy cheeks! (I get it, I get it) Also, it’s Jonathan’s / Tim’s muffled moans while he’s at it, enjoying it just as much as Hawk and edging him on, that makes me feel like a sinner. 

Tim figuring out that Mary is a lesbian and Hawk plans to encourage them to see each other, caring about both of them, their safety, because they aren’t bulletproof like he is. It’s his way of protecting the (vulnerable) people he cares for. 

Hawk talking about his dreams of buying a villa for himself, living a life where no one is judging. He doesn’t explicitly mention Tim but it makes me think of the villa he buys on Fire Island, which comes as close to his dream as it gets, just under more tragic and depressing circumstances. Tim seems satisfied with every little glimpse he is allowed to have into Hawk’s perfectly guarded ‚inner world‘ and emotions. He doesn’t press further and ask what his own place in this dream of Hawk’s would be.   

Them falling asleep together and Hawk waking up to the sight of Tim sleeping peacefully next to him, the sun and lightning in this scene - so beautiful and warming and at peace! That's how every morning for them should be.

Oh no, the neighbour seeing them together. Hawk, you can’t fool him. He’s got his own newspapers in his hand and these were definitely not handed over by a dorky looking man in glasses and a suit.

Marcus introducing us to Langston Hughes and a world where he struggles between racism and homophobia. He’s an outsider in the black community for being gay, which is why he can only handle and focus on one cause… This is far worse than living a fake life in a ‚white people‘ world. 

Momma Fuller: Don’t tell me you’ve gotten some poor girl in trouble. Didn’t think so. - Oh, Momma Fuller knows everything. What a lady, ahead of her time. Like, she’s a Gilded Age woman and is more tolerant and accepting than most of society at the time, very fierce, knows what she wants and willing to marry for a wealthy entourage. She also reminds me of Lucy, because I think she indicated as well that she’d marry a man if he’s wealthy and even if he’s ugly (because then she wouldn’t have to try too hard to hold onto him).

Momma Fuller: And he’s had a change of heart.

Hawk: Doesn’t seem likely in the absence of one. - Hawk can cut super sharp, especially when standing up to homophobes and his father. Love it. 

Mary’s party is honestly my favorite scene of this episode! The pure joy, the music, the playfulness during the charade game, seeing Tim happy / smiling and dancing with Luis. Mary insisting that Tim shouldn’t mention her relationship with Caroline to Hawk… well, she knows very well that Hawk wouldn’t approve at all, that he’d consider it dangerous, not only for them but also a threat for him. AND Mary might be worried for her job as well, she's his employee after all.

Hawk preferring to stand up for his past actions, talking down to his father’s homophobic bullshit and thus refusing to gain the heritage. Wow. Delicious, superb cinema. Wonderful. Perfect. Love to see it!

Hawk (to Tim): I’m home now. - Remember the echo in episode 8 and hold back your tears till then.

Hawk is the big spoon! Awww. Again, such a beautifully staged scene. 

Hawk dictating the love letter, formally addressed to Mary with words actually aimed at Tim - my heart. 

Again, Hawk’s attempt to protect both of them, Mary and Tim, with ethically questionable but effective means. Mary does as Hawk predicts - they know each other very well. Also, can we please recognize that Mary and Marcus as well are just as willing to throw people under the bus as Hawk is?

Back in the 80s timeline!

80’s Hawk refusing to go and have fun with the young guy in the gay bar, instead warns him to be more cautious. 

When Hawk enters Tim’s apartment and Tim notices who it is… then just traces his lips with his fingers, reminiscent. Also, I just love that Hawk still calls him ‚Skippy‘ (affectionately) and Tim doesn’t protest, although he would have every right to claim that he doesn’t call him by this pet name, a name that arose from their first sexual encounter. But he doesn’t. Because he still loves his Hawk.

Sen. Smith: But someone asks me the other day why one of the most eligible bachelors in town hasn’t married yet and I couldn’t think of an answer. - Here’s the pressure for Hawk to start courting Lucy, to protect is mentor and not be his Achille’s heel. 

Hawk (to Lucy): You’ll make a wonderful mother. You’ll teach them to have principles.

Lucy: You always found my principles annoying, silly even.

Hawk: Come on, you know I’m too smart for my own good. 

Their whole conversation, looking ahead. Ouch.  

The whole Marcus and Frankie scene is so effin’ sweet. The way they talk about their poetry and Frankie opening up on his first drag experience and what that entailed… Such natural chemistry between them. The poem Marcus recites is flows so well with the scenes!

Seeing 80s Tim all overjoyed and happy and smiling when they sit down together for Chinese Takeaway food is such a treasure (His ‚thank you thank you thank you!‘ is so sweet)! I’m pretty sure a great part of his delight must derive from the fact that Hawk is there with him, spending this evening with them, eating together. They NEVER had that, not even in the 70s, Tim and Hawk eating with a family member of either of them.

That’s it for episode 2!

[tipsyjaehyun]

which are your yaijom's favorite scenes that made you scream into the pillow??

Hello anon! If I could I would link the entire 12 episodes and the pilot because every single one of their interactions made me lose my mind. But no, I'm gonna include some of the scenes here, the ones that made me scream into pillow out of giddiness (this could turn into a lengthy answer so, sorry for that. Also, I'm trying to do this in chronological order but I might miss a few scenes).

The first meet - The camera work, the ost playing in the background, the way we are introduced to the character of Khun Yai, the expression of vague recognition in their faces because of their dreams. AAAAH, PERFECTION!

Khun Yai making Jom read smut - That was such a hilarious scene. The background score getting faster and faster as Jom continues reading the text, Khun Yai's bewildered face, Jom starting to curse the two-timing male lead of the novel... CHEF'S KISS!

DRUNK KHUN YAI - Could there be anything cuter than a drunk Khun Yai just reciting love poems to his crush? Their soft conversations, with Khun Yai's head on Jom's lap, Khun Yai asking Jom to forget his old lover and then confessing his own feelings with the most romantic poem of all time. Then him telling Jom that he only needs one lover (read Jom), a throwback to Jom telling Khun Yai that he hates libertines during the smut reading scene.

The lanthom scene in ep 5 - Khun Yai trying to persuade his father to lessen Mae Prik and Jom's punishment, him apologizing to Jom by giving him a lanthom flower, his promise to make things better in the future... BEAUTIFUL!

THEIR FIRST KISS - One of my favourite episodes. We start off with the Christmas party, the conversation between James and Jom, a jealous Khun Yai being spotted in the wild, Jom making Khun Yai's favourite dessert, Khun Yai's confession, THEIR FIRST KISS (!!!), the OST in the background... I could go on and on.

The dance scene - I agree that it is a bittersweet scene, a glimpse of what could have been if they could be open with their love, with everyone's support, their friends and family just looking at them with happiness but it was so well executed. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCENES IN THE SHOW.

Olive oil scene - Can I just say that this was the most brilliant portrayal of sensuality, sexual longing, tension, desire on screen? It was not explicit, per say, but still managed to show the feeling of want and lust perfectly. The background score, the back and forth between Khun Yai's bedroom and Jom's and then between Khun Yai's expressions to Jom's... SPECTACULAR!

EPISODE 9 & 10 - These made me scream into my pillow out of frustration. The whole fiasco around engagement, the breakup scene, then Jom just fucking shit up by exposing Uncle Dech and Robert, the aftermath... MINDBLOWING!

Jom drawing the portrait of Khun Yai - In the middle of the anticipation of the doom, these love birds getting a few moments to showcase their love for each other was like a balm to my aching soul. It was yet again bittersweet to watch these two being playful while knowing what was round the corner.

YAI KANTHORN - Listen, I had no hopes at all to see Kanthorn. I had made peace with the thought that they're gonna end the show on a bittersweet note but I literally threw my cushion when Kanthorn came. He had always been my babygirl and I'm glad they gave him to me, no matter how confusing and short his scene was.

This turned way lengthier than I expected. I'm not including Commander Yai scenes here with the hope that if season 2 comes, I'll get to make another one of these posts but with Commander Yai and Jom. Anon, please share your favourite scenes with me!

[ninjapotatohead]

What do you think about each Megaman X’s main games?

These may not be my in-depth thoughts on the X series, but if you want the gist anyways...

• X1 was (and still is) a fantastic first impression from both a gameplay and story standpoint. Makes me all the more salty that Capcom thought that making Maverick Hunter X a PSP exclusive was a good idea. In all seriousness, it accomplished what it set out to do (being the start of a MegaMan series for the next generation). Oh, and the OST slaps.

• X2 was a pretty damn good follow-up to the first game. Opens up strong (RIP Green Biker Dude), and the X Hunters provided that extra layer of tension in rebuilding Zero before they do. Oh, and the OST slaps.

• X3 was an okay game. Not spectacular, as it did fall short of the first two, but you also never forget that moment where Zero bursts in from the ceiling and - OH SHIT, I'M PLAYING AS ZERO?! Shame Zero was implemented so haphazardly after all that hype from X1 and 2, tho. Anyhow, I've played X3 the most out of the early X series to the point where I can name off every single X3 Maverick by heart. Always thought that Dr. Doppler was neat, too. Oh, and the OST slaps.

• If playing as Zero in X3 was only an appetizer, then him being fully playable in X4 is the creme of the crop! I always admired that Capcom stuck to their guns and kept X4 a 2D game instead of just diving headfirst into 3D (we would eventually have Legends for our 3D MegaMan fix). Gameplay was fantastic (if a little on the easy side) and I never brought this up before, but I love X4's selection of weapons the most. The story of X4... not gonna lie is kinda dumb in retrospect. Okay, I'm gonna TRY and talk about X4 without bringing up its... "infamous" English dub, but I just can't empathize with Repliforce (except maybe General's sacrifice at the end) because their situation could've easily been avoided. Not that X and Zero were much better, given that Zero shouldn't have attacked Colonel if the latter just wanted to talk, and X... let's be real here, X got completely shafted from a story standpoint because the interesting story beats (and I use that term loosely) happens in Zero's campaign. Well, at least this game gave us Magma "HE BETRAYED THE IRREGULAR HUNTERS AND HID HIMSELF IN A VOLCANO" Dragoon, and the armors you can get for X are fun to mess around with. Oh, and the OST slaps.

• X5... Hoo boy, X5. You know the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, X5 feels like the result of someone who didn't quite get that memo. It's not a bad game by any means, but it does a myriad of questionable things (oh hey, Alia). I always wondered what it was about Capcom making the 5th entries in their franchises the most handhold-y yet also most frustrating games ever (oh hey, Dual Destinies). Not to mention the Enigma cannon having a chance of failing even at 100% completion. As a (at the time) finale to the X series, it stumbles in places, but it's an okay send-off, in my opinion. Even has a celebratory vibe to it from the moment you boot the game up. Oh, and the OST slaps.

PS,

• X6 was a headache and a half; doomed to fail from the start since it was greenlit (and against Inafune's wishes, no less). Also, Zero's back now! Never you mind that he was just an arm and a talking torso the last time we saw him; he hid himself while he tried to repair himself, clearly! In all seriousness, this game was very slapped together to make a quick buck off of brand recognition, and it shows. Even the plot feels like little more than a first draft (how much of that is due to the game's REALLY poor English localization if it had any, who knows?) The Nightmare was poorly thought out too, and the bosses? What can I say? They suck too. At least the OST slaps.

• What can I say that hasn't been said already about X7? It controls like molasses, the 3D sections were forcibly tacked on, the voice acting (while not nearly as bad as X4's imho) was stiff and atrocious, X's portrayal in this game (though I didn't mind it as much as most people did) is infamous for a number of reasons, and the less said about one particular fire-based Maverick, the better. If anything good came from X7's existence, if you asked me... it's Axl. No seriously, I remember being one of the few people on the planet who actually liked Axl as a character (not sure if that's changed any in recent times, though). At least the OST still slaps.

• X8 was a decent (if a little mis-timed) pallette cleanser after X7 came and went. Although, weirdly enough, it's the only game in the X series I played from beginning to end once, and then never touched again. I can never remember why, though. Oh, and the OST slaps.

[firewoodfigs]

Hey I'm actually taking you up on the Asian film recommendations. Any genre except outright horror is a go! (:

You've come to the right person (I abhor horror and would never recommend that to anyone)! <3

I will preface this by saying that everyone should watch Fullmetal Alchemist if they haven't already LOL it truly the best anime ever. 10 stars for Arakawa! My second-ranked anime is Naruto, but Kishimoto's depictions of females is laughable at best and downright sexist at worst lmao. I recently binged Spy x Family too, which I really enjoyed!

Off the top of my head, some recommendations I have are:

Ghibli films (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for all tbh, Ghibli never disappoints): Kiki's Delivery Service Whisper of the Heart Howl's Moving Castle Spirited Away Castle in the Sky and the usual suspects :) honorary mention goes to Kimi no na Wa because I was a total wreck on the plane watching that show (and I got to visit the iconic staircase irl that inspired that scene this year, which was a real treat!).

Dramas: 花より男子 Hana Yori Dango (aka Boys Over Flowers; there are also Korean and Taiwanese adaptations of the same) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Goong/Princess Hours (a real Korean classic, also the cast is so attractive) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ King of Baking 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞 Vagabond (not horror, but there are elements of thriller! the budget for this was insane lmao and it had me so on edge I had to go through the episodes at 1.5x speed hahaha) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Witch at Court ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Business Proposal (had such a fun time bingeing this one with @tsaritsa) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Familiar Wife ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extraordinary Attorney Woo ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Shooting Stars (the male lead is so my type lmao) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Little Women (both the movie directed by Greta Gerwig, and the k-drama that came out not too long ago haha!!) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tearjerkers (includes both films and dramas; this is going to be a long list because this is my ultimate guilty pleasure):

Japanese *1リットルの涙 1 Litre of Tears (warning: the title lives up to its name. make sure tissues are accessible at all times) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Midnight Sun (there is a drama and movie available; the drama lead is played by YUI, who sang FMA's 'Again'!) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Koizora (translates to 'Sky of Love') ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Rainy Days ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Korean A Millionaire's First Love ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ No Breathing (my friend and I walked out of the cinema drenched in tears lmao the actors really ate and left no crumbs) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Beethoven's Virus (@nightofnyx8 I feel like you would love this, plus the OST makes me cry every time...) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 200 Pounds Beauty ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taiwanese 那些年 (Na Xie Nian / Those Bygone Years -- I think the official English title was 'The Apple of my Eye') ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Our Times / 我的少女時代 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As an aside, the movie adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin was actually stellar and the only film adaptation of anime that I personally deem acceptable (let's not talk about the FMA movies... 😂). Another one that will always hold dear to my heart is Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Cloud was my very first kid-crush before I even knew what that was lmao).

I'm sure everyone has heard of Everything Everywhere All at Once by now -- that was truly spectacular and wacky, I loved it!

Lowkey obliged to recommend Crazy Rich Asians since it was filmed in my hood, but if I'm being brutally honest this movie was probably a 5/10 at best for my bf and I lol, I personally preferred Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby (10 ⭐️s from me). Speaking of Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat was really funny (also available on Disney+ I think)!

Most of these should be available on Netflix, if not Youtube/other random online sources should work (and generally have subtitles as well)! Most if not all of the above have AMAZING OSTs as well :')

Happy watching, dearest! 💕 and of course if anyone has any further recs feel free to drop them :)

[stormyoceans]

5 Songs Tag - QL Shows Edition

tagged by cassi @seatawinans and vish @morkofday. thank you both for thinking of me!!!!! 💜💙

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL media that you actually listen to.

🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series.

🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages!

🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating.

🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

tried not to put only vice versa related songs in this. still ended up finding a way to sneak them in because im biased ;;;;;;

follow by ロス [utsukushii kare/my beautiful man OST]. ABSOLUTE BOP OF ALL TIME i've never skipped this song ONCE since the first time i listened to it. also embarrassed to admit i always (badly) sing the ousama ka? kamisama ka?/suuhai suuhai/bakamitai da part out loud ;;;; bitter always by ロスfrom utsukushii kare: eternal is also really good.

我怎能留下你 (how can i leave you behind) by ezu [history 3: trapped OST]. THIS IS YOUR DAILY REMINDER TO WATCH HISTORY 3: TRAPPED IF YOU HAVEN'T YET (and then come talk to me about it PLEASE). this was the very first QL related song i ever put on repeat for days and it's still one of my most played songs because it's just THAT good (exactly like the show IM JUST SAYING).

ใครคลั่งรักกว่ากัน (madly in love) by jimmy jitaraphol and sea tawinan [our skyy vice versa OST]. LOVE HOW THERE ISN'T A SINGLE VICE VERSA ENJOYER WHO'S NORMAL ABOUT THIS SONG AND I MAKE NO EXCEPTION. i picked this one because i think it's the kind of song that the more you listen to it the more you find yourself humming it absentmindedly throughout the day, but honestly i could have put the entire vice versa OST here. it's another thing about this show that's absolutely incredible and it actually introduced me to a lot of songs i now listen to on the daily (ผ่านตา (everyday) and ข้างกัน (city) by three man down???? เรื่องมหัศจรรย์ (miracle) by sofa???? love by paradox???? INCREDIBLE SHOW STOPPING SPECTACULAR).

ร้อยล้านวิว (million views) by stamp [last twilight pilot trailer]. SHIVERS ALL OVER MY BODY EVERY TIME I LISTEN TO IT. and like im the first person to admit im biased as hell but this is genuinely such a beautiful song!!!! there are no words to express the amount of feelings it evokes in me, and then you read the lyrics and it's like.. emotional devastation to the highest degree but you're somehow glad for it.

หยุดหัวใจ (stop the heart) by three man down [my ride the series OST]. much like the show itself, this song feels like a warm soft blanket on a rainy day. i can't explain why, but every time im sad and listen to this song i instantly feel comforted. it's cheerful and light and it's like it's telling me that things are gonna be okay. the show is now on youtube btw and i highly recommend it!!!!

tagging @puentalay @blmpff @stickymoonsoul @petrichoraline @abstractelysium @clandestinegardenias @vera9 and whoever wants to do it!!!!

[ivykim]

PARTY PARTY YEAH!!

masterlist // wattpad

summary: it was finally the last day to their trip to danyang and of course, what better way to end it then with a party. though, the party was a little special.

ivy’s outfit: classy ivy | pyjamas | let’s go home

NOTE: episode 6 to so so fun! // italics are them speaking in english.

— going on a trip turns out to be...SO SO FUN!

"sorry i'm a little late. I had some work to take care of." heeseung says.

they were roleplaying since it certainly looks like some company or team dinner. just like ones in kdramas.

sunghoon joins them shortly after changing into his outfit. jay brings out the meat to grill and sunghoon greets him.

"manager jjong." sunghoon says.

"chief park, how have you been?" jay says.

"you wore a tie that stands out for this team dinner." heeseung pretends to drunkenly say. they laughed.

"where is our CEO? lady ivy?" heeseung slurs.

just then, ivy walks down the stairs (since she changed upstairs). it catches the boys attention and when ivy emerges from the foil curtains...their jaws dropped.

ivy was rocking a spectacular long black satin dress. the slit appearing every step she takes. she had brought a small blanket to cover up for when she settled on the ground.

"sorry to keep you guys waiting." ivy says.

"no no, it's okay." jake says.

"close your mouth, hyung." ni-ki says. jay pats the seat next to him.

"our CEO needs to seat here. after all, i am her secretary." jay says. ivy snorts.

"alright then secretary park, feed me a piece of meat."

"at your service." jay feeds her a piece of meat and ivy happily eats it after settling down. jay helps to make sure her dress was covered by the blanket.

ENHYPEN enjoys their little feast.

"this is not the party we were hoping for." jake mentions.

though it wasn't what they hoped for to happen so far, they still enjoyed the food. jay comes back with 2 more servings of rib eye.

"honestly, i'm so full right now." ni-ki says.

"no, this is so you don't stumble in the river later on. eat more." sunghoon says.

"i want to hurry up and fish." ni-ki pouts.

"it would be legendary if you caught something."

"but can you really fish at night though. there are a lot of bugs out there." ivy mentions.

"if we catch something, will you reward us?" jake asks.

"you always want a reward huh?" ivy says.

"well it's from you, sooo...yes." jake smirks. ivy playfully rolls her eyes.

"concentrate on grilling, jaeyun." ivy says. jake chuckles.

"let's try the meat that cheif sim grilled." heeseung says.

"oh, suddenly i am promoted to chief?"

"hey, that means you just got a pay raise." ivy says.

"not bad. i keep getting promoted the more heeseung hyung speaks."

just after they settled eating and enjoying, they ended up starting up their engine. it was time for the real party.

"guys let's go!" heeseung shouts.

"let's GOOO." jungwon yells. sunghoon and jay join in too.

— [at this point, this song is SO SO FUN's OST]

and so ENHYPEN sang. ivy watches the boys in horror. she covers her mouth in shock at their energy.

"i am still not used to seeing them like this." ivy tells the camera. jungwon grabs onto ivy's hand and pulls her.

"noona, dance!!" jungwon excitedly say.

"well, i'm kinda limited by my outfit." jungwon laughs, he twirls her arm and places his hand on her waist.

"you look pretty, noona." ivy blushes. she smacks jungwon's arm.

"yang jungwon, you flirt."

— [song: soju hanjan by im changjung]

the sound of ballad reaches their ears as they settled down after dancing and yelling.

"i don't know this song-" ni-ki grabs the mic from jay. "how do you know this song?"

— the song was released in 2003 [NI-KI is born in 2005]

"even i don't know this song. ni-ki yah, are you perhaps really chulsoo instead?" ivy asks. sunoo and sunghoon laughed.

"noona, you sound drunk." sunoo mentions. ivy turns to look at sunoo.

"maybe i am drunk on sleep. i'm tired." ivy lays her head on jungwon's shoulder. she listens to jungwon's singing and shuts her eyes. jungwon holds ivy's hands. he plays with her fingers whilst singing.

"how about we hype this up again?" jay suggests.

"let's sing 'anyhow song' again." ni-ki says.

and so they sang 'anyhow song'. ivy goes to the bathroom. when she comes back, the boys pointed at her.

"it was wrong that i'd thought you'd always be my girl~"

"i don't need what has changed. now when i see you I don't feel anything." he points to ivy. "when your gaze always fell on me, the way you were."

ni-ki sings to ivy, "i miss everything about you."

"everytime i saw you, i felt my heart flutter~" sunghoon holds onto ivy's hands.

"i just threw myself onto you!" the boys sing and dance. ivy giggles whilst shaking her head.

"ENGENEs don't be fooled, this song is for you guys. it's not me." ivy tells the camera.

— [ENHYPEN and their love for IVY]

just when you think it was over. it wasn't it was just starting.

"it hurts too much to just send you away like this!" heeseung sings.

"don't stop!"

that was when the real partying started. each of them did their own headbanging and ivy just watches them.

"oh, i'm so dizzy." jake says.

ivy was even more shocked when she noticed heeseung and ni-ki going full out.

"yah, are you guys not getting dizzy?" she asks worriedly. they simply said no and continued.

jay starts playing the air guitar passionately.

and of course finally, the time that enhypen had always dreaded for...doing the dishes.

"let's leave noona out of this, she was already feeling sick just now." ni-ki mentions.

"sorry but there is no exception. one must do rock, paper, scissors and loser has to do the dishes." jay says.

"i'm fine, ni-ki. i'll do the dishes if i have to."

"if noona has to do the dishes, i'll replace her." jungwon pitches in.

"won, thank you but you don't have to."

"nope, i insist." jungwon says.

"well...since you insisted...ROCK PAPER SCISSORS SHOOT!"

they held their hands out. thankfully sunghoon held out scissors so they could play once more.

but unfortunately, jake and sunoo loses. ivy was shocked she even won.

"noona won her first rock paper scissors!!" jungwon mentions.

"YOU ARE MY DESTINY!!" jay yells.

"well in that case...GOODBYE EVERYONE I'LL GO TO SLEEP NOW!" ivy points to the stairs.

"wait, let's have one person do the dishes. the other will help to clean up outside." jake suggests.

"oh jake, you are playing a dangerous game-"

sunoo lost.

and so his journey of cleaning the dishes starts. ivy goes to change into her pyjamas. she goes to the kitchen and grabs the soaped up dishes before rinsing it down and letting it to dry.

"noona-"

"it's okay sunoo, there were a lot of dishes and those boys just want to fish. i'll help rinse and dry them. you can soak them."

sunoo pouts, "noona..." ivy pokes sunoo's cheeks.

"anything for my sunshine."

and so ivy and sunoo did the dishes. they could hear heeseung singing in the background.

"we'll bring back tomorrow's breakfast!" jake says.

"if you can." ivy mentions.

"not with that attitude, love." jake shouts as he leaves. ivy shakes her head.

while the four boys went fishing, jay, sunoo, jungwon and ivy stayed back. ivy and sunoo were done with the dishes and so they shared the ice cream tub. sunoo happily brings out the tub to eat.

jay comes back from changing his clothes. he pecks ivy's forehead.

"enjoy the ice cream." ivy says.

"you should eat it after you shower though. it would be better."

jungwon enters the living room, "yoi."

"yoi." ivy replies, "weren't you going to see the bunnies?"

"nope, not yet. heeseung hyung wanted to come along but he is still fishing." jungwon settles next ivy. ivy feeds him a spoonful of ice cream.

"honestly, this place is really nice."

"it's sad that we have to go home tomorrow though."

"let's live here instead when we grow old." ivy suggests. jay nods.

while the camera cuts to the 4 boys fishing, ivy and jay laid on the couch. ivy shows jay some little funny things and he laughs.

"babe?" ivy says. jay hums. "if we were to get married, would you want kids?"

"where is this coming from?"

"well..." ivy shoves a video of a cute baby at jay. "look at her. isn't she adorable?"

"ah, is this what they call 'baby fever'. does my vivi want to get-"

"oh? the camera." sunoo says.

"what? did the camera just move?"

"i don't think so? i just i guess heard things." sunoo says. just then, the camera moves again. he gasps. jungwon comes up to it and places his face directly in front of the camera.

"reminds me of I-LAND." jungwon mentions. sunoo hums.

"it does."

the 4 four boys came back from fishing, unable to catch anything. moreover, ni-ki was soaking wet and it was cold. it was best if he went in to dry up and change clothes.

"oh no, what happened?" ivy inspects ni-ki.

"he fell." jake mentions. ivy pouts.

"go change, you get cold easily. wouldn't want you to get sick. oh, i made hot chocolate."

the boys gasp.

"is that why you asked us to get hot chocolate powder?"

"yeah. anyways, enjoy. the staff already grabbed their share. they deserve it after working hard the whole day. you guys too."

"aww noona, you're are too sweet." jake makes kissy faces. ivy playfully rolls her eyes.

"drink up and go sleep. it's been a long day." ivy says. jay grabs her hand.

"let's sleep." ivy pats jay's head.

"alright, come on."

and so ENHYPEN went to sleep. ivy laid with jay on the bed, they cuddled to sleep.

[the final morning of their trip is here]

ivy was already fresh out of bed. earlier than both jay and sunghoon, she was in the kitchen grabbing a small bite of jam and bread. she enters the maknae line bedroom and spots jake and sunoo.

"what are you doing, jakey?"

"mmm, tired. the camera moves and i didn't even wash up yet."

the camera turns to show ivy. she waves.

"go wash up then."

"nooooo."

in the end, jake still washes up.

"hi babe." sunghoon wraps his arms around ivy.

"hi hoonie." ivy turns around to face him. sunghoon leans in to kiss her but ivy turns her head.

"cameras are here."

"you didn't kiss me goodnight." sunghoon pouts.

"aww look at you. fine, just one-" sunghoon pecks her lips. ivy blushes.

"i love you." sunghoon says.

"love you too."

after the sweet moment, ENHYPEN diligently pack their things before they left the accommodation.

— [Q: the trip is over...]

"ah, really. it was sooo fun. we did so much in the 3 days. it was not only healing but also filled with excitement. we did a lot of fun things that i never thought i'd try like paragliding." ivy says.

"jay also played a huge role during this trip since some of us can't cook so I have to thank him for the meals he provided us with for the 3 days." ivy makes a huge heart. "i love you, jongseong."

— [to ENGENE]

"life is hard and we face many challenges throughout our lifetime so i hope whenever you're stressed...you can take a step back and possibly take a break for a bit. enjoy life, go on a trip with family or friends."

EPILOGUE

— [Q: what did you do the most during the trip?]

"sleep. nag a lot to the members to make sure they cleaned up." ivy thinks for a second. "ah and fishing. jungwon said this in his interview but they are still fishing as i'm still doing my interview."

ivy points to boys. the camera pans to the boys who weren't giving up just yet.

"oh? i felt a nibble!" sunghoon yells out.

"park sunghoon!!"

"yeah?" sunghoon yells out.

"i'll take you fishing next time!!"

"really? this is a promise!!"

"yes!!"

ivy turns to the camera, "don't worry ENGENEs, i'll make sure the boys can actually get a fish if we go on a fishing trip."

[SO SO FUN was so so fun!]

END

[redd956]

3 Dark Works of Worldbuilding You Should Check Out

Growing up fascinated by worldbuilding I consumed it frequently as a child. Even to this I love indulging in the hard works of others, getting lost in their creations. Here is three works of worldbuilding that did so for me.

Mystery Flesh Pit National Park

This glorious, beautiful, well thought out, and bone-chilling creation is thanks to Trevor Roberts. Warning! His works are not always for the faint of heart. Mystery Flesh Pit National Park is a horror worldbuilding project, kickstarted by Trevor from reddit and tumblr. He has made quite the rabbit hole to deep dive into, providing all sorts of intricate worldbuilding.

His collections of art, found footage, merch, faux advertisements, and more provides the dark and horrific story of Mystery Flesh Pit National Park. His creation utilizes body horror, cosmic horror, gore, and more. When you delve into his stuff you begin rapidly digging for more.

I cannot fathom how intricate, detailed, and well thought out his worldbuilding to this horror story is. You seriously have to see it for yourself, and I cannot wait for what he does next!

Watership Down

Watership Down is a novel about rabbits written in 1972 by Richard Adams. It also grew in popular from its surprisingly U-rated “children’s” movie, known for its dark themes and extreme violence. I knew instantly after seeing the original movie that I needed to find and read the book, so I did. 

Adams did a spectacular job in worldbuilding. Even though the characters the book follows is a group of rabbits they feel as human and two-dimensional as possible. Adams holds nothing back in worldbuilding what a rabbit’s culture would be like, and how that effects their journey. There is even a consistent pantheon patterned throughout the book, constantly references and used as motivation to these rabbits.

Adams makes up his own words and rules, and when the characters say them it is as if you’ve heard them millions of times before. He is a great writer at allowing the worldbuilding feel incredibly natural to the story. Also a great writer at making you root and fear for these rabbits lives. Watership Down isn’t even Adams’ only book of very dark nature, with great writing skill, I encourage you to check his works out.

Cult of the Lamb

I followed the production of Cult of the Lamb when I saw its Kickstarter trailer a few years ago. I became incredibly excited due to its dark concept, and bubbly adorable art style. So when the video game released I bought it quickly as to avoid spoilers. I was not disappointed.

As an Indie game developed by Massive Monster, it is an occult themed dark game consisting of cutesy anthropomorphic creatures and exquisitely well designed dark worldbuilt settings. I myself am a sucker for strong gameplay, but what I really found myself absorbed in was the art and worldbuilding around me. Each boss’s area is alive with dark fauna, intriguing enemies, and epic OST.

The spider inspired area and the Cave of Midas both gave me chills upon first entering. The bosses themselves are based off of plentiful of dark references, and I cannot help but appreciate the research that must’ve gone into designing them. I also enjoy seeing that the lamb’s cult isn’t the only one around, and you interact with many other darkly religious designed societies running with their own deeply upsetting problems.

[crazykuroneko]

you don't know i can't be normal about lestat now because i was technically imprinted on him during middle school. i found the pirated qotd vcd at a traditional market near my school. i had my eyes glued to the screen. like i knew it's not a spectacular movie but i was obsessed with it. i could recall all the scenes even now. i looked for the cd of the ost afterwards, imported the songs into my mp3 player. listening to it like half a year non stop. i always checked the magazine stall near my english course and bought every magazine that featured the movie. i kept rewatching the movie that its vcd was one of the few vcds i kept during vcd/dvd to video download transition. i entered my goth phase because of the movie. and i'm not a physical book reader, but i believed i bought iwtv and qotd just so i could have them. i'd never thought i'd be obsessed with a western tv show again after hannibal, especially the one that's still airing. but here we are. and to find later that the actor who played lestat now went through similar thing with lestat as i did 😭✊

so yeah i'm basically not a show-only audience (because history and i read all the wiki and metas i could find, and skimmed through important parts) and not a book fan (i've never for the life of me been able to finish one chapter out of TVC), but a secret third thing

[beholdingthedead]

Hello !! First I just wanna start off by saying I really love your art. It's always a nice thing to see, and what I've seen of your ocs is very interesting! Especially love how you draw Rogier.

From elden ring and bloodborne (bc they're my favorite souls games/what i know most about/played most) What would you say your favorite in-game areas are? Favorite songs from the ost? Favorite characters? Favorite armor (if you have any)? Do you have any particular headcanons about any characters or bosses in either of the games?

Sorry if this is a lot to ask ! Take all the time you need to answer :)

Thank you so much for your kind words, dear heart! Truly, I appreciate it and words such as yours is what motivates me to produce more work that I hope you and many others can enjoy! If I can make you even a bit happy, then I’ll have completed my task!

I will provide up to three answers for each of your inquiries since it is rather difficult for me to narrow down any favourites since I hold those two games so close to my sullen heart!

My favourite areas in Bloodborne… in no particular order, The Fishing Hamlet (the lore implications really impress me and I find myself fixated on Kos and sympathetic with her plight; as if I was of a sort of child of her’s as well, once upon a time. The enemies are unique and frightful and I remember being in awe seeing that pale, moonlit body of Mother Kos and the shivering child that tore itself out of her. It really interested me and it gave me a sort of nostalgic feeling that I could not shake from my head.), Forbidden Castle Cainhurst (I love Cainhurst so dearly; the whole area is so intrinsically special in comparison to the other locations. The stark white of the snow makes it both foreboding and eclectic and I fancy the bedazzlement of it so very much. Entering the castle for the first time was so much fun for me and also drew out quite a bit of sympathy from me. The women who screamed and the anxious, dreary servants… it is like no other location in Bloodborne and I love how whimsical it is. A winter wonderland of all sorts of horrors.. it is so dim and tangibly cold and the poetic nature of it is not lost on me), and the arena of the Celestial Emissary (this arena is one of my favourites. The two boss fights in the area are really enjoyable to me; I don’t mind they are rather easy, in my opinion. With the Emissary I take great satisfaction in defeating them efficiently. It’s gallant and a frenzy fight which I enjoy, if I’m honest. It makes me feel like a proper hunter, and, subsequently, a monster and a beast, as every hunter is. I find the Celestial beings quite cute as well and I love how the area is decorated in flowers. It feels innocuously peaceful, as a trespasser.)

As for Elden Ring… there are many locations I fancy, the first of which, being Nokstella (I remember going down the elevator, beaming with curiosity. My first play-through of Elden Ring was entirely blind, mind you. I had been careful not to view any spoilers- I didn’t even watch the trailers! When I got to the area with all those beautiful, prophetic underground stars, I was truly enchanted. That area is beautiful and it feels so meaningful to me. Elden Ring has spectacular colour contrasts for it’s areas. Caelid predominantly being red, Nokstella being blue, Altus Plateau’s yellow… I love how bright and resonant they are! I can distinctly remember each location with such brilliant clarity. I remember seeing the giant in the chair, piecing together how to fight the Ancestral Spirit, struggling with a Dragonkin Soldier, if you could believe it! These are all memories I hold so dear to me and I would just love to sit and listen to the singing of the idle mobs in the area.), perhaps an obvious pick but the Academy of Raya Lucaria (this area is spectacular in everything it is and does attempt to be! The sheer beauty in this area never fails to put me in utter awe! This is an area I always have fun exploring as it is always very dynamic in the pacing and directions! It is incredibly intuitive and enjoyable to traverse and the arena of Radagon’s Red Wolf always sticks out to me as one of the most beautiful places in the entire game! It is so incredibly magical and going into that location for the first time was just something I wish I could experience again and again! I didn’t even know where Rennala was! I had been live on Twitch at the time and I was so confused as to where to go and being immediately crushed by the ball is a favourite memory of mine from playing the game! The cutscene of Rennala as well is just incredible as is her boss arena! Everything in that area is flawless and I firmly believe that.), and, finally, Faraam Azula (in many of these games, I find myself intrigued with a particular area that feels like home to me. In Dark Souls 3, it was Archdragon Peak that felt to be my home and in Elden Ring Faraam Azula is the home I have found. The soundtrack in the area is so wonderful and being in the area was a glorious shock! It is by far my favourite area. The lightning, the spiral of wind, the dragons… all of it is so breathtaking and inspiring. It truly feels ancient in the way I feel as if some of the predecessor games could not capture. Not to mention this area holds Maliketh, who is one of my favourite bosses/characters in all of the FromSoftware games I’ve played. His dialogue and design and lore is some of my favourite content to listen or take in again and again. There have been many times where I just listen to his dialogue and smile as I do so. I wish I could’ve defended him, truly…)

Seems I’ve gone a bit overboard… for the next questions I will attempt to keep it brief! For Bloodborne my favourite soundtracks include: Ludwig the Accursed / the Holy Blade (I had a dream of playing this soundtrack on the cello; that is how rooted in my head it is! This soundtrack is a complete masterpiece and the stark contrast between frightening and valiant in the two halves of the soundtrack never fails to excite me! I have a great fondness for Ludwig and I have had dreams in the past of speaking to him, the gentleman he is! The complexities of the soundtrack are not lost on me either! I watch a particular YouTuber by the name of Davi Vasc! I recommend his content greatly and him reacting to this soundtrack genuinely got me so ecstatic I had to stand up and pace back and forth a bit since I was so thrilled with his appreciation of it! In short, I love this soundtrack with all my heart!), Laurence the First Vicar (I don’t even think I have to explain why this soundtrack is amidst one of my favourites. Sheer perfection. It is so imposing and so tremulous and fanatical and just a true work of art! It gives me shivers every-time I listen to it, honestly, and I am infinitely a better appreciator of music because of it. I love the beastly soundtracks- Laurence, Cleric Beast, you know the ones, and Laurence is just the pinnacle of music to me. The fact someone even had the mind and genius to produce something of such spectral magnitude is incredible to me. I can’t even imagine how much work it took to create something so unimaginably perfect, really.), and, lastly, Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (I don’t really have to explain this, do I?)

Elden Ring; Lichdragon Fortissax (it is a shame that the boss itself is not scaled up a bit more to appropriately keep this soundtrack going for longer. It is incredible in every way and when the second half of the song begins I am always blown away. Really, I’m so glad the FromSoftware community exists because it is so relieving to talk about music I love without blatant dismissal. This soundtrack is so awe-inspiring and there are many times where I find myself in a stupor, mindlessly replaying the song in my head, even without listening to it directly. I love it so much and every-time I hear it I am taken to another world.), Mohg, Lord of Blood (another basic choice, likely, but I am really quite a fan of themes that are villainous or befitting of something reminiscent of cults and darkness! This soundtrack is so very perfect and mesmerizing…), and finally, God-Devouring Serpent (the second phase… I am in love with it so dearly.)

For Bloodborne… I think it is quite obvious I might favour Alfred, haha.. I can’t help it if I favour those who might be of a slightly deranged inflection. His design is so handsome and I love his voice so dearly. When he monologues after slaying the one he hates so deeply… I get chills, truly. I always look forward to speaking with him whenever I play the game and I can’t keep a frown on my face too long with him around! Another favourite of mine is Micolash! Fun fact, perhaps, I adopted his name for awhile since I was so interlinked with him! Micolash is so whimsical and I love him so dearly for that. I imagine dancing with him and spinning around with him until I get dizzy. I just think he would be great (albeit insane) company! Though, if I’m honest, I love all the characters from Bloodborne and Elden Ring and all the games! I can’t particularly think of a character I really hate or anything! I love all the games and subsequently I love the people living in them! So, it is hard for me to not just list all the characters and be done with it! Ludwig and Laurence are favourites as well, of course! Brador is getting there too! Moon Presence and Ebrietas being my favourite inhuman friends!

As for Elden Ring: D, of course, is one of my particular favourites. With no preference for the older or younger variant, if I’m honest. I feel like I personally resonate with the eldest emotionally (or at least how I portray him in my mind) and I like the youngest in terms of characterization (ahh, the crazed type… my weakness…)! Another few choices being Varre, Yura / Shabriri, Gurranq, Rogier, and more! Oftentimes, I enjoy the characters tempting you to different loyalties. Shabriri, leading you to Frenzy, Varre leading you to Blood. Oh, how it enchants me so. I feel a great amount of sympathy towards Gurranq and Rogier and I love them both in the sense I would really like to give them a warm embrace and dull their worries for a bit. Who could forget Alexander, as well? All the characters are so lovely, it is hard to pick out a particular favourite or two but rest assured that they all are dear to me and my bleeding heart.

For Bloodborne, I favour Gascoigne’s Set, the Cainhurst Set, the Executioner Set (I like to cosplay as Alfred and Micolash…), and the student’s set with the Mensis Cage on top! For Elden Ring, I am a fan of Alberich’s Set, Mohg’s set, Maliketh’s Set, and the Fingerprint Set! Though, all the sets are masterfully done… I’m sure you can tell by now my saying of distinct favourites is likely fictitious since I love all the sets so much… I am sure half an hour later I will shame myself for forgetting a particular set or something of that matter…

My Bloodborne headcanons… I did write about my headcanons (sort of) in a big, gallant storytelling way! Those are some of my favourite headcanons; giving Damian more depth or a fixation with decay, Micolash and Laurence being childhood friends, Micolash having memory issues. I like giving depth to characters since I am, naturally, not a complete lore master. Perhaps some of my headcanons are dismissed by the actual lore already but that is the fun of indulging in noncanon isn’t it? Some other musings I enjoy: Edgar being a foreigner and coming to Yharnam to cure himself of an affliction and being too poor to properly compensate for the care he received so he is forced to become a choir intelligencer to pay off his dept of consuming the good blood, Alfred and the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst being acquainted (perhaps romantically), Ludwig transforming first and then Laurence (I imagine Ludwig would be too valiant and heroic to leave Laurence alive and Laurence would be just the right amount of cowardly and despaired / ashamed to kill Ludwig), Rom being in a time before Micolash and the rest of the founders of Byrgenwerth (I just love having it so she is more unattainable that way, beyond the comprehension of the others but just close enough to bring the school the misery of not knowing how she came to be), and finally, and inconsequentially, sedatives act similar to alcohol when ingested!

I don’t have many Elden Ring headcanons, if I’m honest. I don’t really think about deviation or exploitation of the source material, if I’m honest- and that statement is true about any form of media. Some headcanons I do have, though: D suffers with displaying emotions (a genuine struggle to the point that he cannot bring himself to a shed a tear, even), D, eldest, took on the facade of D to comfort the youngest and hoped his bravery and strength would inspire the youngest to look up and abandon despair, in spite of everything they have gone through, Rogier has a fixation with the dead (the intrigue him to the point it endangers him and it borderline is in a nihilistic, depressive way and is much more grim and, perhaps, twisted, than sympathy), Marika tops anyone (ahem… anyways…), D and Rogier are scorned lovers, which is, sort of obvious. If anything else comes to mind, I will perhaps edit this or reply to this message!

Thank you so much for this ask! I truly enjoyed taking my time and answering it and it made me really happy to share my thoughts with you! Have a lovely day!

[sonic-wildfire]

Favorite song off the sonic frontiers ost? (Or top 5/10?)

In no particular order:

“Vandalize” is a pretty solid tune, all things considered. The vocal melodies are great and I always love good production on the guitars.

I’m fairly certain I started headbanging the first time I heard “Undefeatable”. The beginning lures you in and then immediately knocks you to the floor. Spectacular number.

“Break Through It All” felt like it could have been a Linkin Park cover, and that’s a compliment. Smyth’s vocals add another dimension to the music that flows well with Quinn’s and reminds me of the dynamic that Shinoda and Bennington had.

“Find Your Flame”, fittingly, is a towering wave of fury with crunching riffs and biting lyrics. Anything I’ve said about “Undefeatable” and “Break Through It All” applies here.

“I’m Here” fits perfectly as Sonic’s leitmotif, especially in a game like this. Complete with soaring guitars and an anthemic chorus, it puts the exclamation point on an incredible game.

[beevean]

Top 5 favorite game series based on the quality of the OST?

heyoooooo, tough question this one :P

5) Metroid. Most games don't have an OST that you can easily bop to, and they have to be enjoyed in game, but the creepy ambience helps the player immersing in the game even more. (also it has some bops too :P)

4) Ace Attorney. The complete opposite: every game is a bop machine :P I don't know how to describe AA's style, the music is simply very fun to listen to no matter the soundfont and the composer. It has some poignant tracks too!

3) Megaman. Ace Attorney on steroids. With multiple subseries, each with their own style, and a general "cool" direction, every game knows how to squeeze the most of every console's soundchip, no matter if it's 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, or CD quality.

2) Castlevania. When nearly half of the collective tracks were composed by certified genius Michiru Yamane, you know you have some real gems on your hands :P although I must insist she's absolutely not the only composer that made this series' music so iconic, everyone who has worked on this series delivered (yes even Soshiro Hokkai of HoD fame, come at me :V). You can go from awe-inspiring choir and organ pieces to absolute bangers, sometimes in the same game.

Sonic. How can I even describe Sonic music? From new jack swing, to pure rock, to jazz, to orchestral, and anything in between, it rarely misses and almost always delivers something special, to match the sheer eclectic tone of the series. Sure, it may have lower lows than CV (or at the very least, I don't enjoy every OST), but it has spectacular heights and I just appreciate the sheer variety in the series - there' something for everyone!

[moiloru]

🌸 (Another) Anohana Review! 🌸

Welcome to a new anime review, everyone! In this one, I'll tackle an anime I reviewed over a year ago, but that deserves much more than the couple of lines I gave back then. I'm talking about Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day!

Deciding to rewatch this was undoubtedly one of my best decisions of the year. Anohana is an eleven-episode slice-of-life anime that aired in 2011. It features drama and supernatural elements.

I don't even know where to start. This anime is simple plot-wise. It's straightforward to follow and short enough that it doesn't get the opportunity to become too intricate.

The episodes flow well together from the very first to the very last. Thanks to its ending, which is considered one of the best ever, you may have heard of this anime. And while the finale is spectacular, there's more to Anohana than just this.

First and foremost, Anohana is a beautiful human journey. The fact that it has such splendid character growth in only eleven episodes is out of this world. This anime just feels... real, in a way, even if it has supernatural elements.

There may only be six main characters, but they're one of the best casts I've seen. The focus that was put on their inner struggles is written perfectly, and their development throughout the series is excellent.

The protagonist is underrated and one of the best slice-of-life protags out there. Anohana also has one of my favorite girls and ships (multiple of them, actually). I just love this silly little cast!

The authors gave every character enough backstory and screen time to positively impact the story. On top of that, they also get moments as duos or trios, reinforcing their development (and making them independent from the central pair).

As I said before, the humane aspect of Anohana is not to be underestimated. You just feel for the characters, and you can understand their hardships and frustrations - even for the least likable of the six.

Also, the story is brilliant and gives info away slowly but surely, gradually leading to the climax of the last episode. New elements are being revealed in each episode with carefully placed flashbacks (which are excellent, by the way).

Musically, this anime is a banger for more than one reason. The music always complements the story, especially during the saddest scenes. The OST feels homey, too, and most often very relaxing.

The opening, Aoi Shiori, by Galileo Galilei, is a f*cking masterpiece (my third favorite ever), and the ending, "secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~ (10 years after ver.), sung by the Japanese VAs of the main female cast is tearjerking. IT'S SUPERB. LISTEN TO THEM.

This anime is eleven years old at the time I'm writing this, so the art has aged. Still, it looks good, even to this day, and I particularly enjoy the color palette used on the backgrounds and character designs. Very fitting.

Overall, I hope this review was enough to show how much I love this anime. It currently sits in my top five of all time. In a year, I had convinced myself that it was simply "awesome," but only eleven episodes reminded me that it is, in fact, "beautiful."

Please watch it!

Down below is the tierlist for the characters in Anohana! Thank you for reading this review!