#also this song has been stuck in my head and out of context it could be so idikei

[heartscrypt]

showing a pa-pa-para-part of me so you might get the message, but the words i wanna shout to you get swallowed back up again!

[blue-jisungs]

HELLOOOOOOOOOO CONGRATULATIONS TO MY ONE AND ONLY ON 8K FOLLOWERS LETSGOOOOOO

so proud of you bro

sooooo 👉👈 I was wondering if you could do jaemin + pearls b u t specifically with one of those pearl back necklaces 👀 whatever the context but it could be him getting jealous or looking respectfully

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ WISH YOU COULD🧸ྀི — respectful boyfie jaem being whipped :p ( wc 1155 )

[ extras ] a small fight between them, reader drinks alcohol, reader wears a backless dress high key inspired by the one linked and the one in the pic ! also can u guess which idol i wanted to write w this idea in the first place based on the linked song~~~

ੈ✩‧₊˚ note ! MOTHERRR !!! TYSM I LOVE UUUU <3 thank u for sticking around hehe!! hope u like this one <33

@kstrucknet

“you’re joking”

your intense stare drilled jaemin’s soul inside and out. he frowned, shaking his head.

��angel, don’t get mad. you know how hell of a schedule mark and haechan have, we have to cherish it” jaemin pouted, grabbing his phone. “it’s just dinner”

“it’s my company’s banquet!” you whined, tossing your calendar on the table. jaemin chewed at his bottom lip, flipping the pages to see the date. he remembered when you put that in three months ago.

“i know, i’m so sorry. but you know that next week jeno has–“ jaemin started. the dinner with his friends was unexpectedly moved - and even though he protested, it was the only available date. “you said you didn’t even want to go”

“but i have to” you grunted, pinching the bridge of your nose. you wouldn’t admit that you already bragged about bringing your boyfriend with you.

you huffed, glancing at the clock. you had four hours to get ready.

“whatever. i’ll order an uber” you hissed, leaving the living room.

jaemin figured he won’t bother you longer. he felt bad, he really wanted to go with you. but…

but you’re here alone now, sipping on a vodka sour.

the room was huge and finely decorated. your company truly went all in, renting such a luxurious place. the food was delicious too, servers in tuxedos not missing a chance to offer small appetizers.

the gold ornaments and huge chandelier made you feel like in an old romantic movie, marble vases with fresh flowers acting like a set. you wished jaemin was here, he’d appreciate the beauty of it as well.

even the music! a jazz band was rented out and jealousy gnawed at your heart upon seeing couples dancing to the slow rhythm on the dance floor. ridiculously in love, enjoying the moment.

you sighed and swirled the glass, ice clanking. your phone kept occasionally buzzing from the inside of your clutch bag laying on the bar counter. you didn’t bother to check it. if it was jaemin, he should know better. you were sour that he didn’t come along (perhaps even more sour than the name of your drink would suggest).

“oh, girl…” you heard a sigh.

you looked through your arm and smiled softly upon seeing your bestie.

ningning tsked and shook her head, approaching you. her gaze stuck on your exposed back and she gently touched the pearl lining running along your spine.

“holy shit, you look amazing?” she gasped and you just grinned. ningning made her way next to you, mouth agape “like, you’re kidding. the back? girl… the pearls?”

“i bought this dress a while ago, didn’t have a chance to wear it” you admitted and scanned her “you look hot as hell too, miss girl”

she just giggled and ordered herself a drink too.

“can’t believe this asshole of yours…” she started but just saw how your jaw tensed.

“don’t even mention it” you mumbled, drowning any more words with your alcoholic beverage.

“are you having fun though?” she asked and the bartender handed her order.

“do i look like i am?” you snickered and looked up, only to meet a pair of familiar eyes looking at you through ningning’s shoulder.

you’ve been at the banquet for three hours now, bored to death. and, maybe, a couple of drinks too much. so you weren’t even sure if it’s not your imagination pulling pranks on you.

ningning turned around and scoffed.

“well… have fun. if you want to sleep over at mine, just find me” she sing-sang and walked away mischievously, drink in her hand.

you turned your gaze the other way, leaning your face on your hand. the bartender suddenly seemed like the most interesting person in the whole room, the way he poured the liquors and mixed them.

you felt someone approach you and you just tapped frustrated at the counter.

“angel…” you huffed, trying to turn your head even more.

you heard a soft sigh of resignation.

“if that makes you feel better, i couldn’t stop staring at you ever since i arrived”

you slowly turned your gaze, meeting jaemin’s ebony irises. his features were soft yet… there was a certain look on his face. some kind of regret, some kind of… possessiveness.

maintaining eye contact, you took another sip of your drink.

“that dress… holy shit. the pearls…” he hummed, shamelessly checking you out. well, that was your plan in the first place. he couldn't look away, a small chuckle leaving his lips “i kinda regret i arrived just now. everyone else got to see you like this before me”

he was trying to get you to talk - and you were trying to give him the silent treatment. but he could see your facade was slowly breaking, the need to reply with a snarky comment growing stronger.

jaemin turned his gaze to your face and smiled gently at the sight of your pearl earrings to match. earrings, which he gave you for your first anniversary.

“i’m sorry. i should’ve made it clear for the boys that i already made plans with you. we ate dinner and i left. i just had to” he apologized, honesty in his voice. “it won’t happen again”

“obviously. since it’s one time of a thing” you mumbled and ignored the proud smirk growing on his face.

you tried to ignore him, in general. he had no right looking this handsome in an elegant suit with his hair slicked back. when did he even find the time to change? and why does such outfit fit him so well?

he cleared his throat, eyes wandering at your exposed back again. now it was your turn to swallow a cocky smile behind your drink. the dress worked like a wonder.

“i know i’m fine” you hummed and put away the empty glass.

jaemin looked you in the eye and you both knew you’re good now. you knew he was waiting to make it up to you; it was just who jaemin was. he has a soft heart and hates making you upset.

“i know you wish you could” you teased, finally stepping closer to him.

“oh, that is correct” he played along, a proud smile growing on his features. “can i…?”

you stared at his outstretched hand, dramatically humming in deep thought.

you just grabbed your bag and took his hand, leading him to the dance floor.

the jazz band was still playing a slow, romantic rhythm.

“jaemin” you hummed, wrapping your hands behind his neck. your boyfriend gently held your hips, swaying you to the rhythm. “you know, i appreciate it. that you came, in the end”

“of course. sorry you had to deal with my foolishness first, though” he smiled and leaned closer, his lips brushing yours “also, this dress is really, really gorgeous. not sure if i mentioned.”

you just giggled, pulling him closer to seal his lips in a passionate kiss.

m. list <3

taglist. @l3visbby ,, @laylasbunbunny ,, @planetkiimchi ,, @mon2sunjinsuver ,, @w3bqrl ,,

@eternalgyu ,, @haecien ,, @slytherinshua

[pixeltwix]

-Unrelated McGucket Ramblings

Because my mental illness is metal illnessing my brain has been having a wonderful time combining interests. Specifically gravity falls and the Odyssey of all things?

The parallels between Fiddleford, Emma May, and Tate -& Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus is driving me bonkers. EVERYTIME I hear songs like ‘There Are Other Ways’, ‘I’m Just A Man’, and ‘Love in Paradise’ I can so vividly see Fiddleford so ardently longing for home, for his wife, for his son, but something or some event keeps pulling him back every single time he has a mind to just go home. I can’t help but let my head make the connections and rewire silly lyrics to fit closer together than I already feel they are.

‘Back at home my wife awaits for me, she’s my everything, my Emma May. And she’s all my power, all my power, but it’s been (x) long years. Oh (x) long years since I have seen my wife, and now the god of (chaos) is out to end my life-“

Additionally while I do not see Emma May as Calypso to any degree, her few lines in ‘Love in Paradise’ stuck out so hard to me if it was outside of the context of Calypso & Odysseus’s no good very bad situation. Just the-

“It will be fine dear, come back inside dear, love of my life come back to paradise. I know your life’s been hard, I’ll stay inside your heart. I love you my dear, I love our time here, life would be so much worse if you had died. Please stay away from harm, stay in my open arms.”

Is SO POST FIRST PORTAL TESTING FIDDLEFORD CODED- when Emma May finally comes up for herself to check on him in Gravity Falls and sees his condition. I refuse to believe for a moment that she didn’t at least try to understand what was going on before fearing for her and her sons life. Finding her husband most likely stumbling around like he doesn’t even know himself or where he is, trying to soothe and bring him back to her. And at first it seems like it’s working, like he’s slowly piecing together what she’s putting down, but then he’s sparking, spiraling again. She tries a final time to coax him from whatever whirl of madness he’s gotten himself into, but it never gets better. In fact it keeps getting worse. But just the vISUAL ALONE of her with that part of the song trying to bring him away from harm all the while he’s still deeply haunted with the ‘all I hear are screams’. AHHH-

Additionally the narrative of Penelope stalling her suitors for YEARS because she’s hoping, praying, that her husband is still alive, still out there somewhere. That maybe just maybe he’ll come home. I am screAMING and pointing at the Emma May core of it all. I’ve been meaning to develop elderly FiddEm dynamic be it platonic for the sake of recovery, but my biggest thing with her design is despite after all these years she sTILL carries aspects of her husband with her. Be it wearing his old specs he left at home or still keeping her floral motif with her brooch. She still loves him deep down- she always will, and she’s always gonna mourn the life that could’ve been if Bill hadn’t been involved, but still. Keeping him as apart of her even if she ‘hated’ him for so long kept her going.

Also idk plus just the-

‘Hell no, I could kill you where you stand. I’m no pet, I’m a married man.’

Is silly to me because I know it would be very ooc for Fiddleford to have THAT much bite even if he is capable of ‘lashing out’. Regardless it’s still amusing brain movie content to envision-

If I didn’t already have so many other ideas on hand I’d draw this all myself, but raaaaa so many other concepts I wanna draw first :(

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Randomly thinking about “tolerate it” (narrator voice: it was not random) and how under the cloak of fiction it is ostensibly inspired by works like “Rebecca” (which Taylor said she read during the 2020 lockdowns I believe?), with the line of “you’re so much older and wiser” indicating that the speaker is significantly younger and inexperienced compared to the person she’s speaking to and a pretty direct reference to the plot of the book.

But I saw something somewhere once that stuck with me about how it might not be referring to relative age between the characters but chronological age as in the passage of time in a relationship. And that made me think about how in a contemporary context, it might not necessarily be referencing an actual age gap between the two characters, but rather a sarcastic or cynical response to the man’s claims that he has matured (“you’re so much older and wiser [than you were before/than you were when we met/etc.]”), which then made me think about that line in relation to the woman. And that it could be taken like, “you act like you’ve matured so much in our time together and like you know everything, while I’m supposedly still stuck as the girl I was when we first met.”

Which then made me think of the “right where you left me” of it all and did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen time went on for everyone else she won’t know it and the bit in Miss Americana where she talks about how celebrities get frozen at the age at which they got famous, and how she’s had to play catch up in a lot of ways not just in her emotional growth but kind of in general. (Which also made me wonder if she’s ever been called out for immaturity/lack of curiosity/lack of education about things in her life…)

Which then made me think about the rest of the song, and @taylortruther’s posts yesterday about “seven” and “Daylight” and the way Taylor idealizes her youth yet contrasts it with an almost sinister reality in its wake, and the line, “I sit by the door like I’m just a kid,” because the discussion raised that her relationship let her recapture some of the childlike joy and wonder she’d lost. So this line is a double-edged sword: the speaker sits by the door with childlike hope that the person will come home and cherish her, but on the darker side, feels like the child dealing with the monsters she doesn’t have names for yet and the feelings of isolation she felt as she aged.

I’m not saying the song is necessarily autobiographical; like most of the songs on folkmore, it’s clearly a fictionalized story based on media she’d consumed and created, but we know a lot of the fictional songs were infused with her own feelings and experiences and… This idea swirling in my head picked up steam and now I kind of can’t stop thinking about it. Sorry but I’m a little obsessed now.

Like maybe it might start to shed light on why she identified so strongly with the novel in the first place…

[primus-why]

SkyStar + "Would You Fall In Love With Me Again"...?

Yo! I keep hearing that clip of Penelope from Epic the Musical singing "I will fall in love with you, over and over again..." and I keep imagining the blorbos from my shows. Trouble is, I can't pin who should play which role in the AMV in my head...

On the one hand-- Skyfire was "waiting, waiting..." in the ice, while Starscream went out to war and changed. However, before his voyage, Odysseus was noted as having a softer/kinder side-- "I am not your kind and gentle husband"-- and I'm not so sure that describes Starscream.

On the other hand (and this is what I'm leaning towards, though it's not perfect either)-- was Skyfire actually waiting, or was he in more of a limbo/stasis? (Hello, Calypso?) You know who has been "waiting, waiting", feeling stuck in his place as time creeps onward? In that clip Penelope is basically lamenting the years they've spent apart, to the point she's basically spiraling. It's maddening. And I keep picturing Starscream having flashbacks to the horrible stuff he's inflicted or endured while his lover was sealed away. It could also be very powerful to see Skyfire (who, as we know, typically does eventually join the war on the Autobots side) realize he also done or contributed to some horrible things, and be so shocked that he believes himself unworthy of love even after the fighting has ceased.

UGH but that's still tough! In my mind the 2nd option is more about a betrayal of Skyfire's core values, because I can't see him going as far as Odysseus does. I also can't see him in the songs leading up to this context-- wherein Odysseus fights his way through a militia to get to his wife and son and take back his home. THAT feels more Starscream...

Like UUUUUGHHH I love the EMOTIONS of the scene but idk who to assign the emotions TO!!!!

[forsaking-serenity]

Get to know your mutuals!!

all the love and care to indi, my beloved munchkin @aixabi, for tagging me <333

What's the origin of your blog title? it’s a lyric from my all time favourite song “again&again” by against the current (im wearing their hoodie rn actually lmao)

OTP(s) + Shipname: uhhm idk my dudes parksborn and gwenmj will always have a soft spot in my heart and probably musa/layla from winx too

Favourite colour: blueeee :) any and all shades, my second favourite is red and colour combinations (do not separate, im attached) are pink & blue, red & black, purple & yellow

Favourite animal: (red) pandas, otters, manta rays and cats :) (also the peacock mantis shrimp)

Favourite movie/show: depends on the category, animation, live action, anime, genre, mood im in and whatnot, but mostly in that order. movie: treasure planet (2002) shows: the owl house (2020-2023), bones (2005-2017), the apothecary diaries (2023-present)

Favourite food: uhhh i love anything pasta/noodles, thai is probably my favourite cuisine rn, i also really enjoy korean, indian, japanese and italian (im not counting surinaams bc thats my own culture and ill always be biased lmao)

Favourite game: uhm idk i like card games and some board games, do puzzles (from sudokus to jigsaw and the human mind, i enjoy picking them apart) count?

Song stuck in your head: uhh probably k.o. by haiden henderson (its the first song i thought of lmao vv catchy)

Hobbies: photography, reading, writing, listening to music/going to concerts, puzzles and uhm bouldering? maybe? ive only gone once but i wanna start going once a week

If you work, what's your profession? currently, im a piercing apprentice, id like to find actual work in that area tho

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? marine biologist, absolutely obsessed with marine life as a kid and i still think its fascinating

Something you're good at: my friends have told me im a good photographer and ive also been told im good with words, be it giving compliments or writing poems or fics

Something you're bad at: trying new things, new things are terrifying

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: how winx club fumbled and lost its cuntyness (i have a miro board, pp slideshow and word doc abt it)

Something you love: lots of things truly, flowers, nature, wildlife, photography, music, writing, reading, my found family, puzzles (see the other question)

Something you hate: hypocrites and entitlement idk i don't really hate all that much

Something you collect: seventeen albums, plushies, tote bags and pins

Something you forget: to be kind to myself i suppose, tho i am working on that

What were you like as a child? lonely, quiet and tired lmao

Favourite subject at school? biology and chemistry

Least favourite subject: math and physics (i had really bad teachers, i didn't understand anything when they tried explaining stuff)

What's your love language? words of affirmation and acts of service are the "traditional" ones ig but idk im not that big on love languages, i kinda just see it as showing ppl i love that i love and care for them in any way i can that they are comfortable with. like if my friend isnt comfy with physical touch then ill focus on other things yk

What's your best character trait? hopefully my kindness and compassion, that's what id like it to be. can't really say if it is tho

What's your worst character trait? saying "im fine" when im clearly not lmao, and also i tend to undersell myself/talk myself down bc i don't feel like im good enough

Weirdest habit/trait? pickle pits? pit pickles? ticklessssss (this has context btw but i dont feel like typing it all out, also i asked my bf and this is what he said so blame him for the confusion)

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be? idk my dude nothing in particular, other than maybe the abysmal weather in amsterdam rn

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet? my maternal great grandmother, she died when i was two years old, but i have so many things i wanna ask her. she literally took secrets to her grave and now im left curious

as for who im tagging @tmarauder101 @outofmyhead-justlikeyou @sarah-sandwich @shipskicksandgiggles @ordinaryhorror @toa-greatmind-nothingislittle @calliiopes and anyone else who wants to, ok byeeeeeeeee <3

[brofightiscancelled]

yapping about how i approached translating karamatsu's brand new world. just discussing the localization liberties i took and other things i think are interesting. i just love yapping sorry

part 3/4 because i forgot about tumblr post image limits lol

CHAPTER 8

as you probably know if you watch anime, in japanese they say いっただきまーす before they eat a meal. english has no colloquial equivalent so they usually just translate it as "thanks for the meal!" because something like "down the hatch!" comes off as quite goofy and old-fashioned. luckily, THESE characters ARE goofy and old-fashioned, so i get to use it.

if it were solely up to me i think "cuz I'm the oldest" would've been a more natural english-speaking sibling thing to say here. but source material LOVES saying eldest so i left it as that

todomatsu says "you're kicking up dust" here. this is where cultural knowledge in translation is important.... i just kind of assumed that this is colloquially used the same way as "making a mess", but im not actually sure, this was just a guess. so i wish i had that cultural knowledge lol

admitting my weakness: i have no idea what bro was talking about here. i made my best guess based off what nonsense i could glean from this as well as the chinese fantranslation. sorry

admitting my whimsy: i had no reason to localize todomatsu into talking annoyingly here i just kinda wanted to. sorry

CHAPTER 9

the dialogue here is more literally "The one who showed me that was--". this doesn't sound that unnatural, and i probably could've stuck with it (if it was song lyrics i definitely wouldve gone with that lol), but i thought "something I learned from--" felt a bit more natural of a sentence to be cut off (i feel like an english speaker would say "ichimatsu was the one who showed me that", y'know?)

in the first panel, ichi says "let's go/return home". but it doesnt fit in this itty bitty speech bubble, and also is not quiiite as colloquial in english? (in this kind of casual context i think it would be more like "let's head out" yknow :?), so i just did "let's go". but then later he literally does say "let's go", which i can't use again, so i shifted this to "c'mon!" even though it's slightly less faithful of a translation for that phrase... but it's for da sake of the overall meaning. welcome to da translator's dilemma

personal pronoun moment! though the karamatsu we know and love uses オレ, a confident and bold personal pronoun, high school karamatsu uses 僕, a polite and reserved pronoun. again no english equivalent so this kind of subtlety in characterization is just kinda lost foreveerrrrr and needs to be made up in other ways

(as a side note ichi uses the same おれ pronoun in hs as in the current day, though. it fits his casual, laid-back high school personality and also his current low-energy, slacker personality. da versatility. very interesting)

a little look into my sick and twisted mind process

"remaining empty / will you be this way forever?"

remaining is too long to fit in this speech bubble, so im shortening it to "staying empty"

"will you be this way forever" doesn't sound very natural to me. "do you plan on" feels more direct and accusatory (as asserted by ichi's use of よ here) so let's use that

"do you plan on staying that way forever?" is a very nice sentence! but i already used "staying" in the first speech bubble. curses

the last thing ichi asked was "why are you still alive", and is about to say "just die", so i think bringing back "living" here wouldn't be too off-base, right? it's a similar meaning.... even though it wasnt insinuated in the text.....

it's fine no one will know

this translation is from the source material. but a bit of potential double meaning here that maybe was lost: 逆に means like, "on the contrary" or "conversely", so can mean something closer to, "(if you just plan on staying empty), you might as well just die instead!" which i think is a slightly different vibe than "actually" and is also neeeat

okay one more part to come just for chapter 10 i guess

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4

[fictionfixations]

i watched alien stage for the first time

watched it all. im. gonna go rewatch it and look at the comments. i wrote this while i was still in the process of watching it cause i wanted to get my thoughts out and i mightve forgotten otherwise but

the way the moment ivan and till were introduced and i just thought 'oh no' (I READ AN ALIEN STAGE CROSSOVER FIC OK and it was THE PUSH I NEEDED TO GET INTO ALIEN STAGE and it has to do with ivan and till)

also i heard that someones favorite song was ruler of my heart. yeah thats my favorite too ………………but cure is also fighting for that spot, ruler of my heart will get stuck in my head but cure.. AGHHH FUCK man i cant tell if its cause i read that fic but oh round 6 made me want to cry what the fuck. like like like before i was like.. watching it in suspense??? like prepared for everything kind of deal cause i had like a base idea of how this was gonna go but FUCK i need to STOP pausing and just do one full watch through and then go back and pause??? CAUSE i keep pausing on my first listen to see the details and i just see till's like points rising and ivan's lower when i went back and realized oh. OHHHH. also out of everything i did not expect a kiss 😭 i genuinely cannot tell if its so impactful because i read the fic or if it wouldve still hit me with no idea on who these two were

im SO baffled on how i managed to get attached to characters in the span of like a few minutes. FUCKKK.

also the way it took me so long until i realized that they have like their names on like their collarbone??? is that what its called? or like around the neck area. it took TILL. i think i noticed it in the first video but i just couldnt make out what it was but it mightve been clearer in another shot so ill have to see on rewatch. i also wonder if the color on like the white collar?? thing??? around the neck means anything? cause sometimes its like green, red, or orange but im not sure if it means anything.

also the way luka(? DUDE if i had a nickel for every time i saw a character named luka id have like 3) keeps like… sort of. impersonating? or like reminding???? the other character of like a past opponent (who was their friend)???? !?!??!?!?!?! WHATS UP WITH THAT????? ..if its impersonating them though i wonder if its like. his body language changes to closely fit the other person to probably fuck with till and pink haired girl who i do not know the name of 💀? or maybe if its that he reminds them of well them but that hes not going out of his way to do it ? but there was that line on the ruler of my heart one with like something something like similarities?? darkness??? and it showed the black-haired girl and him changing places?? so im thinking its intentional

i have so many questions.

also i wonder if maybe the reason lukas doing like the impersonating thing which clearly strikes a nerve and makes the other person want to fight back or lose composure, if maybe its that vulnerability or break in the image trying to be portrayed that leads to luka winning as its not the kind of thing the aliens want even though till was clearly very passionate. ………..i refuse to think that luka could win on his own merit even though ruler of my heart was a banger /hj

i i need a moment to process this

does anyone have more lore. like. anything compiled up of the story that i can play catch up on?? i

i heard theres like a patreon and twitter with more details on it but

i feel like a mess rn 😭

anyway i need to go back and rewatch everything with this new context

..and then im gonna try to read some alien stage fics for like idk maybe haha happy fluff what if nothing bad ever happened cause fuck man holy shit.

ALSO ALSO what was up with the the th teh e luka(?????) when he he he he he (assumedly) beat up that guy (who in an earlier shot was like carrying hyuna on his back as kiddos?) after i think he (luka) was trying to kiss hyuna??? is that her name? and like

his fingers tips were turning like that blue-ish shade that it is now??

and like i look at that and think of how that pink haired girl at the end of her hair was turning blue and i dont know if that means anything but i noticed it and then i forgot to mention it again

also nother thing. i had a like on the round one video even tho i don't have a recollection of watching it so i guess somewhere in the past it ended up on my recommended, i watched it, i liked it, and then proceeded to forget i ever watched it. huh. tbh though i think it was better that i only got into alien stage now cause its like. you ever feel like you only gained awareness recently?? and like the years you lived before just kind of feel faded and you cant really remember them ??

idk man i have weird thoughts but its because it feels like i wasnt really aware aware then that i wouldnt have been able to properly appreciate it until now

lives rent free in my head:

crying cryinsjfuisj 'i knew it but thats what i love about you' type ass smile you

[pumpkinsy0]

Do u have headcanons about or what do you think about a 90s or 00s AU (maybe) where Curly Shepard is a punk and Ponyboy a goth or a babybat? ^_^ Like imagine purly but ponyboy tries to show his obsession for edgar allan poe and curly or the gang JUST DON'T GET IT 😭

wym anon that literally already IS purly🙄🙄

BUT YEA I DO HAVE HCS!!!! o(^-^)o

(for context who dont know, baby at is the name for like ppl who r newly goth basically, theyre just starting out listening to music n stuff like that)

•since curly is punk here and the whole idea of punks is essentially anti establishment and love individuality i will NOT make him make fun of pony for being goth, especially when hes a babybat hes just embracing himself

•also curly is curly i feel like hes a bit morbid himself and would be at the very least interested in edgar allen poe, so even if he wasnt punk he wouldnt make fun of pony for liking him, even if he does thats just bc hes being friendly and just does NOT like poetry

•ill place this in like, late 90s and early 2000s, so there is that huge thing against goths and punks for being ‘weird’ and against god or something along those lines

•curlys pretty used to being targeted for being different for his punk style and such while pony isnt exactly used to that so i imagine that hes more protective while ponys trying to figure himself out in that regard

•some bands pony would b interested in is evanescence, the cure, and siouxsie and the banshees, london after midnight, of course there IS more but these r like more so his favs

•how pony found out about gothic bands was like, a song was playing in darrys car radio and darry didnt rlly like it so he changed it but the song was already stuck in ponys head

•he brought it up to curly but pony was just like ‘idk maybe itll pass’, it in fact DID not pass and later they was just chillin in curlys car and the song came back on the radio and pony was like ‘neuron activated’

•curly was personally not rlly into the song, but hey, ponys happy so its whatever

•personally i imagine that pony doesnt have a gothic STYLE more so he has a love for gothic songs and literature, yknow what i mean??? but maybe he does borrow some clothes from curly thats more on the gothic side or thrifts some clothes

•other than edgar allen poe, he does like phantom of the opera, frankenstein, dracula, carmilla, dr jekyll and mr hyde, also he would like ruby gloom (thank my gf for this hc)

•his art style is kinda influenced by those media actually

•as for what type of goth he is i could mostly see him being like a geek goth, but he is interested in the looks of victorian goths and gothabilly goths

IVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT PONY FOR TOO LONG NOW ON ABOUT CURLY

•tbh, not much to add for this guy, punk curly is literally just regular curly but more understanding of who he is and what he wants in the world yknow??

•think of curly but actually a lil more, idk thought provoking in his own curly way with a better understanding of the world

•MAY I INSERT MY HC OF CURLY HAVIN AN AFRO MOHAWK HERE🗣️🗣️

•he is from a haitian household tho and haitian moms especially tend to be more, religious and all that jazz, so while tim and angela get their ears yelled off for well being them, its especially happening to curly bc in his moms eyes hes “turning away from god” n what not being a “vagabon” as many haitian moms would put it

•he likes customizing his own clothes, he thrifts and gets a bunch of hand me downs so might as well make them look cooler

•hes a graffiti artist and hes acc pretty well known, everyone knows its him but they dont rlly say anything cause 1) hes curly shepard but 2) his work rlly isnt that bad actually

•i could totally see him liking green day and he does NOT like fall out boy but he does like a coulle of songs from them (much to his dismay

•hes picking up guitar (how he afforded it??? i payed for it lets just say that)

WHEN IT COMES TO THE GANG, they dont rlly get pony being goth, they support him of course, but they do tend to make fun of him a bit</33 but darry, soda, and johnny do try to understand him more, its rlly just two

ps anon my gf said she loves u for ur idea (shes goth, u got the goth stamp of approval)

[dhmis-autism]

anyways since i hurt my wrist ive been reading a lot of DHMIS fic, and as such i have some opinions on alla them! i also have some faves that i am going to reccomend now if any of you are in the mood to read:

First up, this whole series of DHMIS shorts are SO well-written and very bittersweet. They’re both sort of mini stories AND explorations of the positives and negatives of each individual character in the trio + their dynamics with each other. Pretty accurate to the characters, I think, and just straight up, well-written, fun to read. CANNOT OVERSTATE how much I enjoyed these ones. This was my fave of the three, I think about it ALL the time. Though, honestly, you can’t just read ONE and not read the others!

Alright, next is my FAVE FAVE FAAVEE dog/dad duo fic! I love a lot about this fic! I love the in-character dialogue, I love the thoughtful way this fic explores one of my favorite dynamics in the show! It's heartfelt and awkward and jumpy and misshapen- and I think it's a pretty fantastic avenue to take when exploring these characters. There's also a bit of existential terror, for those of you who like that element of the show! Anyways, this fic is literally ALWAYS going to have a rent-free space in my heart.

THIS ONE is a really smart and thought out rearrangement of the first TV season, with a kind of emotional narrative throughline that I gotta say, I was invested in. I always like fanworks that reintegrate lines from canon in different contexts and this is something this fic really understands how to do well. The epilogue made me understand why people will buy and read books telling the exact same event from a different characters POV. tbh i’d buy this if I could.

THIS one is short,sweet and REALLY fucking funny. I literally crack up just thinking about Duck asking Red which of the other two he’d rather be stuck with on a desert island. Comedy of errors with a bittersweet ending that has really stuck around in my head.

This one is less of a singular character exploration and more of a exploration of a hypothetical character dynamic ,imo. And I LOVE the dynamic in it so much! It's compelling, it's messy, it's very push-and-pull, it's like watching two cars almost crash into each other, miss, and then smash violently into poles in opposite sides of the street. I like the OCs in it ( they have a very funny bit going ), I like the fun little fanmade songs, and I like that the relationship between the two main characters is used as a really good platform to see what their insecurities  and their worst traits are up close. I rarely see ship fics that do that! And as someone who is far more interested in the characters themselves than the ship together, I am all in on the carnage. 

[tragicbeauty1991]

So, I’m planning to go see Disney’s new movie Wish when it comes out, and as perhaps is unsurprising, I’m most excited about the film’s villain. King Magnifico looks like he’s gonna be a fun, likable (in the sense you love to hate them) villain while also perhaps being a little more complicated. Some things I’m loving so far from the trailer clips and soundtrack:

We get a classic Disney villain again! Finally! There’s nothing wrong with the “surprise” villains or the idea of family trauma as being the real source of evil but I have desperately missed the old villains who embraced and reveled in their role. We’ve been severely lacking in those over-the-top villains with their catchy songs and big personalities for a long time now, and it’s good to see it again.

“This is the Thanks I Get,” while a lot more upbeat and lighthearted compared to many classic villain songs, is definitely a song that gets stuck in your head. Gives me Gaston vibes, for sure.

Classic evil villain lime green returns!

I really have missed how the old hand drawn characters used to be so strongly based on the voice actors performing the role. You could see the live action reference model’s facial expressions, etc., in the character if you looked closely. It made them feel more…real? Human? Wish, though not traditionally animated, seems to be returning to that to some extent. King Magnifico looks exactly like an animated Chris Pine should.

I don’t think we’ve ever had much in the way of evil kings. (Unless you count Scar, maybe, but I’m mostly talking about human characters here.) We’ve had plenty of evil queen tropes and we do have Hans, who is a prince, but this just feels different somehow. I think part of it is the fact that the king is married. Most all the classic villains are single. Magnifico has a wife who genuinely seems to love him and is concerned when he lets the power go to his head.

“At All Costs” - This song is the least advertised and yet probably the best on the soundtrack in my opinion. It’s a gorgeous villain/hero duet that sounds like (entirely out of context) it could be a love song or a father/daughter duet. Now, I’m totally aware that that is very likely NOT what is actually going on in the song, BUT it doesn’t take away from the fact that we rarely, if ever, get to hear a villain be a part of such a sweet, gentle song. It’s different and I like the “softness” of it. Chris Pine has a great voice and while “This is the Thanks I Get” is fun, “At All Costs” is the song that really showcases his talent.

I’m not expecting King Magnifico to have a change of heart in the end, but I do like how Disney has seemingly gotten just the right mix of a classic villain and a complicated character in Magnifico. I hope he lives up to the hype!

[howling-medic]

My Father Told Me

A/N: Is this either of the promised Boromir fluff pieces? Nope. Not at all! In fact, this isn't even about a canon character. This is a highly unplanned introduction of my OC Sairiniel. A skosh of backstory: I wound up with this song stuck in my head for the past 4 days after I was listening to this version of Over the Misty Mountains on repeat for hours because I stumbled on that....somehow. Still not sure what rabbit hole landed me there, but it happened. Don't question the middle of the night ADHD rabbit holes. Anyways, My Mother Told Me reminded me very much of Sairiniel, my Dúnedan OC, in feeling, but not in lyrics. I spent 3 days reshaping the lyrics to fit her idly in the back of my mind. Once the lyrics fit, the rest took shape in quite literally one hour - initial write and editing both. So, enjoy an entirely out of context introduction to my OC.

Trigger Warnings: violence, mentions of blood

Word Count: 492

My Father Told Me

My father told me 

Someday I will wield

Sword of sharpened steel The fire crackled before me. Snores drifted over from the bedrolls nearby, but I could not rest. My sword rested on my lap. My whetstone sat heavy in my hands. I stared at it, not seeing the gray stone and its striations from all the other nights just like this one, but reviewing the plans once more. Every detail, every mark, on every map was already seared into my mind. 

A cold breeze rippled through the trees and cut through my cloak. The shiver running down my spine drew me back to the present. I ran my thumb across the whetstone a few times. Each ridge my thumb caught on a mark of previous battle, another night spent just as this one. Another time I prepared for death - my death, my soldiers' deaths, my enemies’ deaths. 

The flames dancing before me shone off the blade sitting on my lap. There were no notches. Its edges already honed to perfection, but still I dragged the whetstone across the blade. Shinkshinkshink. Shinkshinkshink. The familiar rhythm became duet with the crackle of the fire. The repeated movement became the singular focus of my mind, guiding me away from the persistent loop of plans running in my mind’s eye. 

Lead men into war

Stand before danger

Every eye is trained on me. I cannot tell them we will survive the day. The odds lay against us. I call for their valor, for their bravery. Their eyes burn with hatred for our enemy. We spread through the woods, moving silently. They outnumber us ten to one. We encircle their camp. I stand before them all, between them and our enemies. I will never let them make the first move. The danger is mine. We charge on my scream, my war cry rings in the clearing.

Protecting our land

Bring peace unto it

Our families lay behind us. We kill to bring them safety. We die so they may live. Blood splatters my face as I rip my sword from the neck of a nameless man before me. They crumple to the ground. I did not know him, but I know his people killed mine. He may have killed them himself. Maybe not. It matters not.  

The clearing falls silent. My breathing, shuddering gasps, echoes in my ears. My arm shakes. Blood drips from my blade. I scan the scene before me for any survivors. No enemies stir. Blessedly, I see none of my men down. They all struggle to catch their breath, just as I do. 

This battle won’t bring peace, but perhaps, it will bring us one step closer. Possibly it will bring one day of safety to our families. 

Vanquish many foes

They will come back. More will take their place. For each of us, there are at least a hundred of them, but we will fight until we can no longer. Peace or death. That was my promise.

Vanquish many foes

Note: I have not written in first person in...years probably. It has also been years since the last time I wrote a song fic. I cannot say it's the greatest thing I've ever written, but it was a fun exercise. I am also very much not a song writer, so the reshaped lyrics are...not stellar.

[hezuart]

A handful of songs for Mono and Seven, but let's let Six have some glory and discuss a song for her:

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

This song might fit multiple LN characters, but I think it fits Six the most.

You said that Six is a lone wolf, so the song's constant theme of being alone suits her. The 'what's f*cked up' bit could reference her being repulsed of screwed up things like her finding out that kids are being cooked and served as food in the Maw (cannibalism), and she has to choose picking between the sausage she knows is made of human flesh or a Nome (just a critter as far as she knows and that she may have hugged up to 12 of before).

And the line from the song that's made for her is 'My shadow's the only one that walks beside me', because of Shadow Six.

Ah, a Six playlist!

Yes, Boulevard of Broken Dreams... the lyrics fit well. Great choice! ~~~

Ruins (Ella Isaacson) - Voices in the head, trapped in a madhouse, burning betrayal, the ending is an escape... walking away from the ruins.

Blood // Water (grandson) - Sacrifices, corrupt systems, the price of greed, poisoned.

Without Me (Halsey) - Supporting someone you feel left you behind. In a way, that person moving on to bigger more powerful things because of what you did for them... even if the context for this is wrong.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (XYLO) - Circling tides like time, drowning, needing saving; the choice between the chaos of the land or the chaos of the sea and being stuck amidst both of them.

Run Boy Run (Woodkid) - Also befitting of Mono and Seven... Fleeing from a world not meant for you. People trying to catch you. One day you'll grow up, but for now you are young and must flee when you are powerless.

Living in the Shadows (Matthew Perryman Jones) - Confused on who the enemy is. Shadows. Feeling like something was taken from you. Seeing a truth others can't. No longer hiding from one's dark side.

Falling Inside the Black (Skillet) - Dreaming of the way things used to be. Having a connection with someone. That someone leaving you in some way. Begging to not be alone. Falling into darkness.

Youth (Daughter) - Those who still breathe are lucky, because you breathe through corruption. Shadows settle in after someone left. Chasing the future. One day revealing the truth that could threaten your life. Apathy. Old memories recollected. Destruction caused by someone important, a shocking revelation. A silhouette, a shadow of yourself than you were before. Bitter feelings. Perhaps still missing the one who your feelings have soured for.

Vandalize (ONE OK ROCK) - Safety, rebuilding... caught off guard, broken heart, betrayal, marked by those you once knew.

Goodbye (Ramsey) - Memories of bloodshed; smoke up ahead. No longer recognizing one's home... wondering where your childhood friend disappeared to. Deciding its time to say goodbye to it all.

Fault Line (The Rigs) - Standing up to a world as a hero, only to flee and hide when the world bites back. Crushed dreams, caught in the wreckage, unable to tell friend from foe. Caught in the crossfire of the war inside one's soul. Searching for that someone... no matter what side they are on.

Living Hell (Bella Poarch) - Don't let people close. Threaten to make one's life a living Hell. Won't change. Always been cruel.

Two Birds (Regina Spektor) - Two friends. One rambunctious and free. The other promises they too will be like this... but lies.

Carousel (Melanie Martinez) - Round and round like a time loop. No turning back. Running through playland hand in hand. Freakshows together. Disappearing act.

Tag, You're it (Melanie Martinez) - Playing tag. Rough housing. Getting kidnapped.

Milk and Cookies (Melanie Martinez) - Lunacy, craziness. Singing a lullaby where you die at the end. Cookies baked sweet and poisoned for you. Never want to see you again. Ashes burning down.

Playground (Bea Miller) - Playground of nightmares and fantasies. Welcome to the lost and found. Prices to pay, sinking into the wasteland.

Mountains (Message to Bears) - (Also works for Mono and Seven) Running away into the night, always could have. Maybe never could have.

Gasoline (Halsey) - Been insane, been in pain. Wasting a pretty face. This isn't a dream. Part of the machine. Not human. Living on a screen. A face made up. Lighting matches. Pointing fingers. Voices in your head. Heart of gold, but hands are cold.

Season of the Witch (Donovan) - Things to see. Strange faces, strange places. Witches and stitches. Surreal and paranormal.

DARKSIDE (Neoni) - No heroes or villains. Shadows in your head. Phantoms. Monsters and demons. Darksides. Embracing madness. Living in nightmares.

Dolls (Bella Poarch) - Cute, polite doll. Deranged and backstabbing beneath. Knife under the sheets. Bitter and Sweet. Provoked and then attacked. Walking all over those who went after you.

INFERNO (Sub Urban, Bella Poarch) - Sweet but villainous. Run away. Be afraid as she loses her head.

Evil Spider (BENEE) - Tangled together. Never letting go. Won't bite unless you hurt me or struggle. Fangs out. Run and hide.

[lovejustforaday]

2024 Year End List - #11

Samurai - Lupe Fiasco

Main Genres: Jazz Rap, Boom Bap

A decent sampling of: Lo-Fi Hip Hop, Abstract Rap, Conscious Rap

Lupe Fiasco is one of those artists that's been around forever ,that I always knew I would probably like, but had yet to check out any full-length projects from. That was, until this dropped and I saw that cover art and was like "fuck it, you got me".

But really, can we just appreciate that sick fucking cover art for a minute? Man's got serious taste.

Lupe was kind of an anomaly in the hip hop world when he made it on to the scene. Here's this nerdy, offbeat conscious male rapper from Chicago, with bars about respecting women, the kinda rapper who would've very rarely reached anything approaching his level of commercial success. But in the late 2000s, he proved that hip hop was already beginning to diversify its perspectives on what a successful rapper could look like. Like Ye (before he went all batshit anti-semite, anyway), Lupe paved the way for other colourful rappers who didn't fit into a very particular archetype of mythologized machismo.

But like I said, I'm not too familiar with the dude's actual back catalogue. To me, he's always just sorta been that relatively mainstream 2000s rapper that was a respectable cool guy. But now I'm kicking myself for it, cause the dude's got some mad bars to match his genuine nice guy persona.

Though it might sound odd given the warlike name and confrontational cover art, I'd honestly describe Samurai as a very comfy listen. It has that in-your-element, geeking out alone in your bedroom kind of vibe. The really breezy, downright sexy jazz rap beats go well with some very unabashedly verbose lyrics. Like a comic book come to life, this record is full of drama, bravado, and just some really cool shit.

I get from this record that Lupe Fiasco is a true logophile, and the man puts his heart and soul into his bars. It's a real pleasure to look up some of these lyrics and just read along, as you can palpably feel the man's passion for the pen oozing out of these songs.

Samurai is also a concept album. Lupe is apparently a long time fan of the late great soul singer Amy Winehouse, and a little known fact about the legend herself was that she originally wanted to be a famous rapper. The story of Samurai chronicles an alternative reality where Amy became a formidable battle rapper, and throughout the narrative he weaves, Lupe draws parallels with aspects of his own career as a rapper.

I'm tempted to say that, in the hands of a lesser artist, this could've been in poor taste, or even exploitative in some way. But Lupe makes it abundantly clear through his wordsmith on the record and in interviews just how much respect he has for Amy, and the project ends up being this really genuine and imaginative tribute that's honestly quite touching. If you're gonna do hero worship, then the one true right way to do it is to keep it classy AF like this project.

The eponymous opener "Samurai" is the album's biggest selling point. This track is a huge blast from the past, while simultaneously feeling so fresh and cutting edge. This is how you begin a story. I get hyped just thinking about that little saxophone riff that heralds the arrival of a truly seasoned master. The chorus was ripped directly from a voicemail left by a young Winehouse when she actually was a battle rapper. The song is such a genuine celebration of the artistry of rap to the point it almost brings a tear to my eye.

"Cake" is an infectiously rhythmic and braggadocious track about Amy's first battle rap victory. The hook on this one has gotten stuck in my head at least a dozen times in the last month.

"Palaces" is pure rainy evening jazz piano class. The lyrics are pensive, reflective, and bittersweet, pondering on legacy and the perpetual vulnerability of fame, with Fiasco pleading not to fall to its many trappings, which feels particularly grim in the context of the record's concept revolving around Winehouse, an individual who was very much hurt by the double-edged knife of success.

The record closes with "Til Eternity", where Lupe posits that art, or rather the process and the effort of making art, could immortalize us as human beings. The song has a splendid and humble kind of sound, as if taking in the simple beauty of life.

Apparently, a few tracks were cut from the record for the sake of making it more concise, and it definitely feels that way at just eight minutes and thirty tracks.I'm conflicted because I love what's here, and it does feel like the narrative comes to a satisfying end. But it also feels like Lupe really only scratched the surface of the concept and the themes he was trying to convey here. What we get is amazing, but it feels like its over all too soon.

Nevertheless, I'm still impressed with what we got. Moreover, Samurai's conception comes off so clean and effortless, despite the obvious blood and sweat that was put into these lyrics. The record tells a short story about two legends and does a fine job at it. This is a very easy listen that I'd gladly recommend as a gateway for anyone looking to get into more lyrically heavy, concept-driven hip hop records.

8/10

Highlights: "Samurai", "Palaces", "Cake", "Til Eternity"

FOR FANS OF: Be by Common Enter the Wu-Tang by Wu-Tang Clan

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

what was your view of coney island when it was released and what is it now?

because with all the new information we have about that relationship I honestly think this song is kind of the mother of midnights. the reference to old relationships in the bridge and knowing that he wrote or contributed in some way today makes me think that that reflection on the song was about them

idk, for me there is a bridge between coney island -> most of the tracks of midnights -> dear reader -> hits different -> ttpd

makes sense to you? I thought about asking about this song when you were talking about cold in some other song that I don't remember which one it was, but it reminded me of “and it gets colder and colder when the sun goes down” 😂

OK so one thing to know about me is that despite the fact that I've been listening to Taylor casually since Debut, was a huge fan of 1989, and consider myself a pretty serious fan since at least Lover (as in that's when I started following her more online and not just for the music), I really didn't know much about the personal lore until after folklore 😂 I loved her music, but I wasn't the type to be like, "omg this song is about this person!! Or this event!!" when I'd listen to it. Obviously, some of them were obvious to me (e.g. LWYMMD, Paper Rings, Bad Blood, etc.) but what I'm saying is that I didn't dissect the muses or inspiration as much as I connected with the lyrics.

And the next thing to know about me is that even though evermore is my favourite album... Coney Island is not a song I think about a lot 😂 I know, that's going to send me to Swiftie jail. I don't dislike it! It's just not one of the ones I gravitate towards generally unless I'm listening to the album in full. So when evermore came out, I honestly just thought it was a complex story about a relationship breakdown that she wrote with the dudes from The National. 😂 Obviously I knew a lot of Taylor's music was personal, but I was also of the belief (and still am tbh) that while she may have taken emotions and situations she's experienced and put them into her songs, the actual details/circumstances aren't always factual. (Hence, folkmore. I clocked that before it was cool haha.)

So back to Coney Island. I would say that when it came out, I didn't think of it at all in terms of her personal relationship. I could certainly believe some personal feelings infused in it, because like I said that's what writers do. But it wasn't a song that, like, gave me pause. (As opposed to, say, False God, which immediately sent red flags up to me when Lover came out.) And tbh, I still don't know, precisely because it was written collaboratively. I think I see it sort of like The Alcott -- you can certainly see where her influence is, and can infer what inspired it, but I'm not sure how much of the story is hers and how much is Aaron/Bryce/Matt?/or Joe's writing. Looking at the credits, I don't know if Taylor wrote it all and the National dudes just got credit because of the music as is often the case when they get credit, or if they all wrote it collaboratively or what.

Reading the lyrics now, like really reading them, it's kind of a lot tbh lol. "And if this is the long haul, how'd we get here so soon?" is a lyric that has always stuck with me, like suddenly coming to an impasse you didn't even know was on the horizon. I'm actually like, processing this song for the first time I think, which is a little scary four years down the line lol. So thanks for that I guess? 🥴 j/k.

I guess it's hard for me to really deconstruct in this context just because I'm not entirely sure where it falls on the inspiration line. But I do think that it may be quite telling and I can see the pipeline to Midnights you mention. And, um, the quiet resentment. "The question pounds my head, 'What's a lifetime of achievement?' if I pushed you to the edge, but you were too polite to leave me," is ooooooooof. Like. Yeah. Because that's kind of the crux of a lot of Midnights, which culminates in TTPD. The golden age coming to a whimpering end before you know it, the distance, the miscommunication, the misunderstanding, the lack of consideration, but still the kernel of love underneath it all that makes it so hard to let go.

Thanks for this! It definitely gave me something to think about! What was your line of thinking on it?

[bluebudgie]

So I have this long-standing tradition where, after I finish a video game, I sit down and listen to the soundtrack outside of the game's context.

It serves as a sort of "conclusion" to the experience and simultaneously helps me evaluate the game as a whole a little better... After all the soundtrack is often what sticks with us long after we're done actively playing a game. It preserves the memories we've made along the way.

That means: I have finally found the FF Sixteen OST online in its entirety and could finally follow through with this tradition. (Debatable how much it applies considering I didn't actually play the game myself, but it felt necessary.)

The final missing piece to the pissbaby gamer rage essay. Significantly less raging this time, though.

It's okay. I don't love it. There's worse.

I had very unfavourable opinions of the OST during the game itself which might have been due to the overall pacing issues, where large stretches were filled with the same hub music and then everything bombastic all happened at once and either side of the coin was exhausting in its own way.

I still can't believe there are over 200 songs in the OST when I could have sworn I heard like. Maybe 10 or so during gameplay. A lot of it is very same-y. A large part of the OST can be split into "loud choir explosion" or "sad piano". There isn't a whole lot in between. Good for people who like it, not so much for me.

Which means my biggest issue is the very subjective "I just don't like the style". It's not a bad soundtrack, but I'm just really not a fan of the direction the music took. The battle themes are over the top (fair for the equally over the top DBZ kaijū battles, annoying with 3 wolves that show up on the side of the road). The calmer songs don't really hit right for me. No chord progressions or melodies that hook me. Unfortunate. I did however appreciate the electronic influences in the music when the alien baddies were on screen. (in this fantasy game that is based on medieval reality and that's why people of colour cant exi-)

I have also since learned that there isn't one acoustic guitar song that plays for 20 hours straight. There are like 6 or so that all sound the same. I don't know if that makes it better or worse. I hate them all. (I don't hate acoustic guitars. It's these songs in particular.)

That said - I was curious about which ones are people's favourite tracks of the OST and went checking those out in particular. Consistently in people's tops was Ascension and I can't deny that one's been plagueing (semi-endearing) my memory a bunch the past days. Probably the theme that stuck out the most to me while watching the game. If not the entire theme, then at the very least That Violin Part. If you know, you know.

You know what. If you don't know, here:

(footage stolen from here)

Like damn. Good rhythm going on there with the off beats. Also fits the relevant character nicely in terms of mood. And I like that the battle phase before this one has a more low-key version of this song playing before it goes into this full ham version.

I just kinda wish more of the battle music had been a bit more... this. A bit more... subtle. Like yes it slaps hard but this song legitimately feels calm in comparison to the other battle tracks. This drives me nuts.

There's one other song I keep getting stuck in my head which is one that plays fairly close to the end (in the final... "dungeon" (cutscene? sequence? QTE battle?)). I figured out today that I don't actually really enjoy listening to the song on its own but I like it in-game in combination with the voice perfomance. There's an interesting dissonance in it that blends super nicely with the voice acting. (I'm being held hostage by the game's voice acting. It's unfortunately way too good. Voice actors are once again holding too much power over me.)

Other than that... I have one final criticism. The prelude theme. We must. Leave it. Alone. Enough. It's fine playing once as a gimmick somewhere in the game (I do genuinely like the menu (pause screen?) arrangement) but having it woven into what seems like every 5th song feels like someone is smacking a sign into your face that screams "YOU ARE PLAYING A FINAL FANTASY GAME." Seriously it's unbearable. (Also I did take notice of the FF1 overworld theme being rearranged into a battle theme for the final segment of the game. I don't know why, but fine. Not complaining about that one.)

Overall it's a solid "mh" from me. Not the worst OST we've had in the series (thirteen trilogy exis-COUGHAGFNJKN) but definitely on the lower end for me. Not of bad quality, but not my cup of tea at all. Dark Souls III OST executed the epic orchestra choirs better somehow. More interesting composition. Spaced out better throughout the game. Idk.

Welp. Back to getting haunted by voices and violins now o/