#THE FUCKING. LEITMOTIFS. GOD.

[ceramicbird]

finally watched the live 4 climax (i was waiting for eng subs then waiting for my finals to be over) and there are actual tears in my eyes who said they could do that. (sort of spoilers in tags i guess??)

[7yd1a]

SOBBING WAILING SCREAMING

[solasfenheral]

SUCKS that Trevor Morris created one of the best video game soundtracks of all time because I’m sitting here, genuinely enjoying playing veilguard, only to keep getting bitten by the “god I wish I could hear Trevor Morris’s score for this game 😔” bug

[diodellet]

my ears aren't trained enough to spot em all (except the Obv ones) but these references and callbacks to prev sagas are making me ascend i want to shed my mortal coil and get mixed into the music like a beaten egg

[sobredunia]

Pretty sure this game was the reason why I had a near-phobic levels of fear to dying in videogames as a child but I revisited it recently watching some gameplays and it's actually really cool and fun when you don't stay inside your home 24/7 bc there are enemies outside. I absused the noise filter with this drawing even though it ended up being barely noticeable lmao

anyways please play/watch gameplay of Aquaria!! it's such a cool but forgotten game, and it needs more love and attention

@rotkad @sansxfuckyou @blackfright @beetroot-merchant @ashs-hellhole @h3xt0r @bree-sae @helloidkwhatimdoing-0 @zecrisketch

[peeemsaymorebeamnotifs]

WHO'S BEEN HIT WITH THE SEYMOUR BEAM TODAY

@writing-prompt-s @sleepdeprivedpikachu @khaotic-entity @pukicho @intercal @vampireopossum @hollowboobtheory @aurorealis9985 @flirtatious-slenderman @one-time-i-dreamt @pomeg-juice-and-rinds @majestictortoise @hero-of-dork @roach-works @thechillseekr @prokopetz @badjokesbyjeff @arend-8000 @mmolia @nyancrimew @tedlyanderson @j4gm @rockndluve @cargopantsman @antlerpunk @technoturian @kindagaybutnotgayenough You guys have gotten in the newest P.M. Seymour video!

[moodlesmain]

What I'm Made Of (Sonic Heroes OST) 🤝 With Me (Sonic and the Black Knight OST): Final boss songs who's lyrics apply almost just as much to Sonic as they do to the villain he's facing

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

sudden music make head go brrr ramble

I’m starting to think Casey Lee Williams really does put crack into every song she sings because I listened to all of The Fox and The Bird (Ok Goodnight) and brother. I am snorting this entire album

[doctorwhoisadhd]

bibliography for my leitmotif paper still has to be formatted but it is

FOUR PAGES

[katzirra]

I'm not a musician or a writer but I do feel this can apply about visual works like animations or movies too!

As an artist I love oogling a good piece of media like anyone else, but when it comes to movies my favorite thing in this world is a good piece of cinematography in a film. Holy shit.

Having a friend who works in film, and is crazy passionate about it, who has explained how some things are achieved or handled only makes me analyze shots and movement more these days.

I love the idea of how storyboards work from conception to final shot, and a lot of times when I watch a complex scenes, or see a crazy colorful arrangement I'm lost in that thought train of "how did they achieve that?" "what did that board look like?" "what was the conversation about this like??" I'm lost admiring composition set ups and such.

I think that's kinda the beauty of any kind of media; deconstructing it down to why it's hitting or missing with us. The beauty of discussion and media analysis!!

Why a piece of writing is received well, and what sticks it in the consciousness of the world or what it could do better - what YOU may do different, or what inspires you. There's a reason people love to quote books and writers - reasons sentences stick with you and make you pause at times reading a truly good book. It could be a line about something as simple as the turning of the season, but what words slotted together to make that image might really HIT something.

What a song is doing lyrically that's impressive, or what about the background/instrumental track is good - is that a sample? What are they doing to achieve that little hook that's going on? Are these two things meshing well? There's so many times at work I've put stuff on a playlist to listen to and pick apart later. Playing mostly harmony roles in orchestra in my childhood gave me an appreciation for what's going on in the background, and it's interesting to really LISTEN for that stuff tbh :0

But movies are a big thing for me as an artist... I love going to the movies, sure!! But sitting at home on my PC while I'm working on art? A movie going on half my monitor, and pausing every so often to admire a shot, a composition or a sequence of how a camera moves through a scene? Man. Rewinding and analyzing a shot and how they frame things - visualizing the layout planning? So fun. So neat. Inspiring, truly at times!

Media intake, analysis, deconstruction - whatever have you is so interesting in general. But it's also ya'know, some people just take it in and nod their heads - ALSO VALID!!

okay sorry, one other thing annoyed me about that writing class. one of the students is this super clean-cut doctor who works at an HIV clinic, and he asked the prof "do you ever get distracted while reading books, because you find yourself analyzing the craft of them instead of sinking into the story?"

and she said "no," and turned away. and the whole class laughed awkwardly, bc it was a pretty abrupt and dismissive answer. so then she turned back to him and said "you wouldn't ask a musician if they get distracted listening to songs. they just enjoy the music."

but I dunno, I'm a newbie writer with only one (scheduled-to-be-published) book under my belt, but I get distracted sometimes when I'm reading. if I find I'm not sinking into a block of text, I'll squint at it and be like "okay, they're using too much passive voice, that's why my brain isn't grabbing on to it." so I'm sorry Mr. HIV doctor, I thought your question was reasonable!

[jamiepaige]

Constant Companions Closeup #2: NOT QUITE THERE

(also on spotify!)

b-b-back once again

Round two of the Constant Companions Closeups - a series of in-depth dives into the songs off of my latest album, Constant Companions! Yesterday was track one, Dyad - today is track two, Not Quite There, featuring the incomparable telebasher!

This one's a bit of a dark horse relative to the rest of the album, but it may very well be my personal favorite song on the entire thing so dammit let's Yap

---

For the uninitiated, this song pulls heavily from a song off my previous album called Gummyworm, both in vibe and by very directly quoting its synth motif.

Both of these songs deal with two sides of the same emotional coin. I actually don't want to go into too much detail about it - I feel like the lyrics spell things out clearly enough - but I will say this:

When it's all you know, it's easy to believe that a love that isolates you, a love that doesn't respect you, a love that hurts is better than no love at all.

You deserve better. There are always people who genuinely want what's best for you, who want you to feel truly loved. It certainly isn't always easy - it's genuinely good if your interpersonal relationships have a little friction sometimes - but love should make your life brighter.

You deserve a love that's fair.

---

The original version of this song was actually intended to be on Bittersweet alongside Gummyworm. The original concept for that album had a whole heady concept involving duality, songs reflecting each other, the two halves basically being reprisals of each other... Ultimately, I'm glad I scrapped that idea, because it was waaaaaay too much for me to manage after a couple years of barely making music. Maybe I'll revisit it someday though?

The drums on this song are sampled from an Instagram post by Louis Cole, where he's doing this crazy one-handed hi-hat blast by holding a drumstick sideways. I'm a drummer and that shit genuinely scares me a little like i dont know how he does half the things he does its fucked BUT. I bring this up because he's one of my biggest inspirations as a musician! I'm really big on jazz in general, in case my love for spicy chords wasn't enough of an indication, but his specific brand of freaky hyperactive bullshit just does it for me.

Seriously, go watch his band KNOWER play their song Overtime. Absolutely insane performances across the board. also Clown Core

This whole song is really just my attempt at matching some of that hectic jazzy energy with my own style of music, so I figured it only made sense to make it another collab with another musician making delightfully frantic jazz bullshit - the legend herself, telebasher! I really am such a massive fan of her work, and I struggle to think of anyone who plays guitar quite like she does. We previously worked together on another Bittersweet track, Asemic Speech, and her guitar work is a major reason why that song is still one of my favorite I've ever released!! She's just built different like listen to this oh my god!!!!

Lastly, since this song was one of the first written for this entire project... it is admittedly a case of me shoehorning the album's leitmotif in after the fact. It's a little forced when it shows up in the backing vocals! But, the choir of vocal synths during the guitar solo served an additional purpose - my own voice doesn't show up on the album again for another four entire songs, and this would've otherwise been the only song on the entire album that didn't feature any vocal synths. Thus did I attempt to bridge the gap, as it were. Hopefully it makes the final product feel more natural!!

Either way, that's all for today's post.... i think.... which means that tomorrow.... we're gonna rot.... for clout

[amygdalae]

The hozier song from the God of War soundtrack came on on the music station at work just now and it tripped me out cuz I went from "Huh, kinda pretty folk song" to "is that fucking. Kratos leitmotif"

[gayemoji]

saw wicked the movie.

lesbian polycule of all time.

saw wicked live. lesbian polycule of all time.

[cobragardens]

Holy Kittens, Y'all: My Favorite Good Omens Moment Has Gotten EVEN MORE ROMANTIC

Okay so I wrote this post about my favorite moment in Good Omens, and the stuff people are pointing out in the reblogs and comments is blowing my freaking mind, and I HAVE to show you how beautifully this all fits together, like I am flailing at my desk about this.

@vidavalor points out this gif from @soft-ange-aziraphale [Source]:

Here it is in sequence (gifs 1-4 from Fuck Yeah Good Omens):

I can't stop laughing over Aziraphale's smile, which shows, as @quoththemaiden says, that he's "utterly delighted with himself" and knows perfectly well that he's minxing Crowley; and this tiny extension of the moment convinces me even more that Crowley is desperately fighting a smile himself here.

Actually there's a lot in @quoththemaiden's comment that's insightful and well-put:

Totes agree with all of this.

And then. AND THEN!

I knew Crowley was trying to communicate something with this Shakespeare line, but I didn't know what until @paperbunny and @musingsofmaisie put it out there: Crowley is complimenting Aziraphale here, telling him he's enjoying being in Aziraphale's company, telling him his humor worked.

Remember how I keep banging on about how much equivocation Crowley does? This is more equivocation. In 1601, Richard Burbage was 34 years old, so age hasn't had the chance to wither his infinite variety yet. The stupidity of demons and the ignorance of angels regarding the human aging process prevent surveillance from noticing the poor applicability of this line to Burbage, but since the first half of the line fits Aziraphale (who does not age at all) more than Burbage (who is merely not yet old) it stands a chance of indicating to Aziraphale that Crowley is speaking about him. And the underlying true meaning of this equivocal statement would be A DIRECT RESPONSE TO MY FAVORITE MOMENT: Even though I have known you so long, you still surprise and delight me.

(Crowley's Antony & Cleopatra line also accomplishes something else important: it gets William Shakespeare to go away so they can speak privately, because Shakespeare doesn't want them to see him writing it down.)

A Dip Into Speculation

I don't think the evidence for it is binding enough to say for sure, because the evidence is really just that it fits together so nicely and lines up so well with A&C's coded romantic messages in 1793; the (pretty overt, actually, I mean damn) romance in 1827; the size and nature of the fight in 1867; the yeah, really overt romance in 1941; and in 1967; and yes okay now that I'm thinking about it the whole series, but I have this View about how the rest of the 1601 scene goes.

And in fact there is Word of Gods that could be interpreted as evidence against this little pet headcanon I have, though it doesn't necessarily have to be:

Here's my assertion: Aziraphale volunteers to go to Edinburgh for Crowley. Crowley cheats the coin toss to accept Aziraphale's offer and to keep up appearances as a demon. Rather than making a deal with (or asking a favor of) an angel, he's 'cheating' him (without the angel's knowledge, but with his consent), which "moves the dials" of evil a bit and would also make Aziraphale appear less at fault if this instance of the Arrangement is ever discovered by Heaven.

This can coexist with Gaiman's statement, above, that it doesn't even occur to Aziraphale that Crowley cheats the toss. THEE ongoing leitmotif of Aziraphale's view of Crowley is that he thinks of Crowley as much more genuinely evil and much less in need of ways to create cover as evil than Crowley actually is.

(Which is interesting, given that he also clearly thinks that Crowley is not as evil as he pretends to be, that he is and wants to do good, and that he deserves to be an angel again. [There is a whoooole nother essay slowly curdling in the churn in my head about how Aziraphale is obliged to practice doublethink and how that stunts his personal development because that's what happens when people aren't free.])

Here's what I mean when I say Aziraphale volunteers.

Does Aziraphale ask in this tone because he is actually feeling suspicious and curt, or because he has to sound suspicious and curt? He could be perfectly willing to do Crowley a favor and would still need to sound the way he does. It's difficult for me to believe this guy--

--or this guy--

--are really all that bothered by the idea that Crowley might want something from him.

Crowley's response sounds like a(n unconvincing) protest of innocence. Maybe it is. But he doesn't disagree with the premise on which Aziraphale based his question, which means Aziraphale now has confirmation: Crowley called the meeting because he wants to ask Aziraphale to do him a favor.

Close your eyes and listen to Sheen's delivery of this line. The way he says it is so soft it's got no judgy angelic sting to it at all. Is this really a prissy answer to Crowley's semi-rhetorical question? Or is Aziraphale using the cover of a prissy answer to ask Crowley, Is what you want related to the no-good you're up to, i.e., demon work?

Either way, Crowley answers:

Is Crowley making a demonic jibe at Aziraphale in return to "You're up to no good," or is he telling Aziraphale, Yes, what I want from you is related to my work, and to your work, esp. what you've got on right now?

Aziraphale volunteers some information about his schedule and what it is he's got on right now.

--he says, and the velvety way Crowley says "Ohhh," tells us--and could tell Aziraphale--that Crowley already knows this. In this coded communication I'm suggesting, Crowley's tone on "Oh" confirms to Aziraphale that the thing he wants help with does indeed have to do with Aziraphale's trip to Edinburgh.

So Aziraphale gives Crowley his travel details: Yeah, I have a couple of blessings and a minor miracle to perform. It's going to suck; I have to ride a horse.

Crowley's like, yeah, riding horses does suck. You have my sympathies. (Phrasing it as an insult to God: "Major design flaw if you ask me.") And then he says, I have to go to Edinburgh too this week. Tempt a clan leader into stealing some cattle.

And here's where I think Aziraphale volunteers to do Crowley's Edinburgh job for him:

If, as I propose, Aziraphale understands already at this point that Crowley is asking him to take Crowley's Edinburgh temptation, then this response tells Crowley he's willing to do so.

And then they have a little bit of kayfabe theater and a little bit of miscommunication between themselves. Crowley suggests Aziraphale take Crowley's Edinburgh job. Aziraphale protests "You cannot actually be suggesting what I infer you're implying," even though, as Crowley immediately points, out, they've now done this dozens of times.

Now, obviously Aziraphale is pretending innocence here with "You cannot actually be suggesting," etc. But he's not pretending innocence to Crowley. He can't be: Crowley knows about the dozens of other times just like Aziraphale does. So the protest of innocence is for surveillance; it's the spirit, not the letter, of the protest itself that's genuine: I am reluctant about this.

And Crowley misses it.

He reads the surface layer of the equivocation, the Heavenly pearl-clutching; and the surface layer is where he argues. "We've done it before," he points out. "Dozens of times now. The Arrangement--"

But Aziraphale, visibly frightened and looking around, cuts him off. "Don't say that." Getting caught in an Arrangement would be much, much worse than getting caught in a one-off deal.

Why is this suddenly a problem? says Crowley. You know we've been getting away with this; you know they don't check up.

It's not pearl-clutching at all; Aziraphale is worried for Crowley's safety.

When Crowley says--

--is his tone half wheedling and half impatient because that's how he feels, or because it must sound like that? Is it soft only out of courtesy to the other people in the Globe?

There's no difference to the outcome of this scene or the story as a whole whether this romantic interpretation of the Edinburgh bickering is correct, because we've already got a solid base of evidence that the characters have romantic feelings for each other and show each other affection and care in this scene. In my opinion this interpretation fits the tone of the rest of the Globe scene better than only the face-value interpretation. What Gaiman and Mackinnon say about Crowley cheating the coin toss and Aziraphale not being aware of it can still easily apply.

While these three statements together aren't enough evidence to convict, so to speak, if my initial argument about the interpretation of "Buck up!" and Crowley's reaction is correct--and the cool stuff other people have found and pointed out suggests it is AND explains Crowley's Antony & Cleopatra line--this reading of the Edinburgh bickering is, if not ironclad, at least valid.

And holy shit, people, that makes this scene romantic af from beginning to end. I could not have asked for a better little gift from my fellow humans. 🤯I have such a better understanding of the entire 1601 scene because people from anywhere with an Internet connection sat down and spent their time sharing their ideas, and it just makes the lit-nerd lobe of my brain so happy. I love you all, you romantics and nerds and perverts.

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Foreigner's God (Hozier)

She moved with shameless wonder/The perfect creature rarely seen/Since some liar brought the thunder/When the land was godless and free

"Like, imagine that your entire culture is fucked up and lost, and when you try to lament it, you find yourself crying out to the god of the ones who did it. And the only language you have to express the feeling is their language, because yours was forbidden."

Dream Sweet in Sea Major (Miracle Musical)

It's now and never, a reverie endeavor/Awaits somnambulant directives to take the helm/Believe me, darling, the stars were made for falling/Like melting obelisks as tall as another realm

"Fuck yes fuck yes 7 minute song using leitmotifs from most other miracle musical songs!! teleports you DIRECTLY onto an otherworldly beach at midnight in the 40s!! this song CHANGED my LIFE when a friend recommended it in 2018, it fucking injects memories into your head I swear"

[piracytheorist]

Spy x Family 30 Day Challenge

Day 6: Favourite Soundtrack

This is actually such a freaking hard question for me to answer, exactly because I've spent so much time listening and analyzing the soundtrack that every piece I listen to I go like "Oh this has great instrumentation" or "This ties in to that moment or that other song really well" and combined with the use of themes and leitmotifs in the soundtrack, I'm just... kinda at a loss to pick one? 😅 So I guess I'll settle for three pieces I like, in no particular order!

I think I would be remiss if I didn't mention "子守唄" (Lullaby).

I mean, aside from the whole context that this song was used in...

like excuse me but how dare they

I have a confession to make: although being anime-only and avoiding manga spoilers, I had actually gotten a spoiler about that episode, that Yor would sing a song to Loid because he for some reason was sleeping or unconscious. I had no idea it would be that impactful for him, but at that point I had already listened to the available soundtrack enough times to remember the "As a mother. As a wife" song so, with the idea of a spoiler like that, I was like Damn. If the song Yor sings has this melody. If they do that. IF THEY DO THAT...

And then they did do that. Yor kicked Loid, I burst out in laughter because I hadn't expected that at all, Loid dropped unconscious and I was both shocked and a little excited because yay whump, the screen went black...

AND THEN I RECOGNIZED THE FUCKING NOTES. For half a second I was like, is it now? Is the song coming now? And from the first notes I was like YES THEY DID IT. THEY WROTE YOR'S SONG INTO A LULLABY.

Of course, I didn't have a lot of time to react to that because baby Loid was shown immediately after and I quite lost my cool at that point. Even more so when he said that he recognized the song.

But yeah, this was an absolutely brilliant way to incorporate Endo's idea of the lullaby into the anime, especially if you've paid enough attention to the soundtrack already. They prepare you with the soft tune that plays in some of Yor's moments, and then they just HIT YOU SMACK ON THE FACE with that scene. Absolutely fantastic, 10/10 would lose my entire mind again.

Next, I will have to go with the "main theme", aka STRIX.

I am in love with this piece. It's fast-paced, it's exciting, it's rich, it sets a magnificent theme, it introduces the "spy leitmotif" that we next hear in "serious" mode with Loid and "playful" mode with Anya, the part at 1:30 is just... MY GOD. TERRIFIC. And all just in less than two minutes and thirty seconds. Absolute banger of a main theme.

Last but certainly not least, I'll pick the "little by little" piece.

FAMILY THEME MY BELOVED.

No but for real the fact that the composers created a leitmotif that centers around family, and specifically the Forgers?? My musician heart swells and melts with it. And they made it into a soft theme, because for this family the main theme is that they make each other feel at home, feel safe, feel welcomed and protected, and so the music mirrors that.

Also, important video to watch regarding the soundtrack 👀👀 (so that all that stuff I say about leitmotifs makes sense to y'all)

Finally, I'll add some honourable mentions because they really nailed that jazz (jazz noir sometimes!) feel, and I hope they add more tracks like these as the seasons go on: WISE, Liar, Disguise, Ponder, Berlint, Gorgeous step, Try again, and The Forgers.