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techguys · 2 years ago

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The Best Bluetooth Headphones for every OTT Lover!

There was a time when people’s favorite pastime was to book a ticket and head to the nearest theater to watch their favorite stars on the big screen. While movie theaters still exist, OTT platforms have gained quite a popularity among the masses. They offer the convenience of watching your favorite movies and shows from the comfort of your home at any time that you want. You no longer have to look for slots or find the perfect seats.Another thing that has resulted in the popularity of OTT is the variety of content that exists on these platforms. It doesn’t matter if you enjoy TV shows or like movies, be it a documentary or a commentary on some historical event, be it a fictional superhero movie or a biography - you are guaranteed to find it all. You can watch it all and stay entertained, irrespective of time and place. All you need is a system, a good internet connection and a pair of wireless headphones! While having a good system like a tablet, smart TV or your laptop will ensure high, bright quality visual - you do need a good pair of bluetooth headphones to ensure that you get to hear everything clearly. They ensure that you get to completely enjoy the dialogues, the background music and all the other audio effects that make your favorite online series an absolute treat. You need headphones with a mic as they can be used later for other things like talking with your friends or having online calls. And that’s why we are here today to help you find some of the best headphones that you can count on when watching movies or shows online. Immortal 1300

If you love music and movies - then these wireless headphones are definitely meant for you. Designed to offer pure bliss, these headphones come loaded with many interesting features that make your viewing experience amazing. They come with breathable, high-quality earmuffs and headband to keep you comfortable during intense watching sessions. The RGB breathing LEDs on the side of the headphones add a little drama to the overall look of the headphones - hence complimenting your style. They not only pump out boAt signature sound that is loud and clear but also supports driverless 3D spatial sound that ensures that you enjoy a highly immersive listening experience. You are guaranteed to not miss the spatial sound effects of theater when watching movies online. They also offer ultra low latency of 35 ms that ensures that your audio and video is always in sync! And if apart from being a movie buff, you enjoy gaming also then these headphones will be even better for you as they are great for gaming. These wireless gaming headphones come with dual microphones. The detachable microphone helps you give clear instructions while fighting a battle online.

Immortal 1000D

Meet another marvel from the boAt universe. These wireless bluetooth headphones are lightweight but offer a beast-like performance. Once you put them on, you will simply transcend to the world of your favorite movie or show, leaving behind the ambient reality and its annoying sounds. They come equipped with a 50mm driver and deliver 7.1 channel surround sound that is absolutely immersive. Equipped with Dolby Atmos, these headphones will make sure that you don’t just watch something but live in it. They also support RGB LEDs on the headset that add to the overall vibe of the headphones. These are great gaming headphones as well as all the above listed features will make virtual gaming a delightful experience as well.

JBL Quantum 100

Now that you know that you are not going to simply watch one episode and stop after that, you need to be a little extra careful when investing in headphones that don’t only sound good but are also comfortable to wear for long durations. These are just those headphones. They are lightweight and the headband supports memory cushioning. The 40mm dynamic drivers deliver JBL QuantunSound Signature that makes everything sound loud and clear. They also support detachable Voice focus Directional Boom mic with mute features for crystal clear communications.

Razer Barracuda X

These headphones are all about comfort and convenience. Weighing around only 250g, these are designed to help you binge watch. The 40mm drivers keep you pumped up and the patented design makes sure to deliver every treble, beat or bass with sheer perfection. They also support easy push control buttons that keep you in charge of your listening. They are a versatile pair of headphones that are not so expensive as well.

HP X1000

This wireless headset will keep you hooked to your screen. They are designed to deliver 7.1 virtual sound that provides great precision and depth. The 50mm driver delivers excellent sound quality that adds value to your online watching experience. You can adjust the flexible boom mic and the controls on the earcups add further convenience to the listening experience. They are also comfortable to use for longer durations as they come with thicker ear pads and a suspension headband. We hope that you have now decided your favorite companion for the next movie marathon!

#Headphones #wireless Headphones #Bluetooth Headphones #Best Headphones

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greenishghostey · 2 years ago

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Dungeon Master Meet Prop Master | part 2

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Drama Club!reader

Summary: With your bike secured in the back of his van, you and Eddie get to know each other better on the ride to your house. It's amazing how much you can learn about the town pariah from a van interior and some accidental flirting.

Warnings: I've decided that this series will be 18+ eventually, so please DO NOT engage or interact if you are underage. More tooth rotting fluff! Awkward flirting. Me giving Eddie more game than he deserves to have. He makes shitty puns and is proud of it.

Word Count: 4,106

Authors Note: The reception for part 1 was so unexpected and AMAZING and thank you so so much for enjoying my fluff little passion project! So far, I have 6 parts planned for this series but that's likely going to increase since I've decided to add in some smut down the line.

Part 1 /// Part 3

You buckled yourself into the squishy passenger seat while Eddie secured your bike in the back. Busying yourself with twiddling your thumbs while mutters of “fuck” and “come on” mixed with grunts richoted through the vehicle. One of the back doors was jammed, you assumed, and Eddie sounded like he was about eight to ten seconds away from ripping the thing off of its hinges. Yep, you were definitely warmer - mother of god, you never could have imagined getting hot and bothered in this, for lack of a better word, “retro” hunk of metal and polyester upholstery.

Grunt. “Fuck”. Grunt. Groan. “Fuck. Okay, there we go”. Pant.

You were starting to squirm in your seat now. His laboured noises and breathing had you gripping your knees, nails digging through the pale denim of your jeans. Your bike had a lot of great memories tied to it - your first day of high school, summer bike rides with Penny and coming home from wrap parties full of laughter. You know, all of the wholesome high school student experiences that stay in your mind and your soul.

But this new bike memory was the fucking best.

“Phew! Had to make sure she was comfy back there. Gotta say, though, it’s a nice bike. You’ve got taste.” Eddie said. He had climbed into the somehow more squishy-looking driver's seat and brought your little daydreams to an abrupt halt. Just when things were about to get interesting, too.

“Thanks, it gets me from A to B - sometimes even C if I pedal really hard,” you quipped, using a well-timed joke to chase away the last of your bitch ass hormones. “I like your van too. It’s - it’s very you.”

“Christ, don’t strain yourself to compliment it.” Eddie snorted, leaning on the steering wheel, trying his best to look really really upset at your comment. It sort of worked. His eyes were his greatest weapon, and he clearly knew it. “First, you hit me, and now you insult the van. You’re breaking my heart, specs.”

“You know what I meant. Shut up. It’s cool. “Metal”, even. I like the shag rug in the back and the little postcards and stuff on the wall.” You had twisted around in your chair slightly to survey the van properly. The fuzzy, brown carpet in the back did look pretty soft; clean-ish too. The variety of postcards, photos and miscellaneous paper tacked onto the inside of the van were a bit fascinating - in an entirely Eddie way.

There was a hand-drawn band poster with “Corroded Coffin” written in large angular letters; they looked like runes with flecks of red on the line work. The band, Eddie’s band most likely, played at The Hideout bar on Tuesdays at 8 pm - a little risky for a school night, but live and let live. The poster boasted an experience that would “melt your skin and bones”, so they must be pretty good and really sticking to that super-satan-mega-cult aesthetic.

In addition to the poster, there were a few postcards from places out west; two from Vegas, and one from LA. You didn’t want to make any assumptions about Eddie’s personal life, you really didn’t, but each of the postcards had a scantily clad woman plastered on the front. There was a stunning Las Vegas showgirl, a bikini-clad smiley redhead and a woman who looked like Marilyn Monroe in that one signature white dress, but she was showing way more skin. He wasn’t bringing any hot dates into the van, clearly. Either that, or he didn’t care about the cards.

The other van decor consisted of D&D character sketches, a photo that looked to be of the Hellfire Club from the school newspaper, and another photo of a younger Eddie and an older man at the County Fair. The man was a bit scruffy looking, but he had such a gentle smile. This van was pretty metal, in your novice opinion. But it was also cosy. Eddie had made it very homely with just a couple of personal touches. You’d only ever known the van as a screeching, brown monster that rattled in and out of the school parking lot. Absent-mindedly, you patted your seat in an attempt to apologise to the vehicle for calling it names on more than a few occasions - hazard, clunker and death trap were arguably the worst ones.

Eddie had fished his keys out of his jacket and was wiggling them in the ignition. Your mom had to do the same thing with her old Ford. The keys only worked if they were at a 48-degree angle and you were cursing at them under your breath in a dead language. The engine roared to life along with the stereo, which blasted a howling, melodic voice and heavy instrumentals straight at the two of you. Eddie quickly scrambled to punch and slap the knobs of the stereo, either aiming to turn it down or turn it off - whichever he got first.

You’d flinched and nearly launched yourself from your seat at the noise, but Eddie succeeded in his efforts. Quiet and the low hum of the engine filled the darkening parking lot. Thank Christ. The janitor probably could have heard you guys and shit a brick wall.

“Oops,” he chuckled nervously, “sorry, didn’t think I was gonna have company tonight. Also, apologies to your ears.” It was interesting for him to assume you weren’t on the road to developing tinnitus already. Electric Light Orchestra had definitely caused that ringing you always heard, some Queen too. Fat Bottomed Girls had to be listened to at full volume at all times. It was probably a law or something.

“Nah, it’s fine. Just wasn’t expecting it,” you replied, calmer now so you could return his laugh, but it came out as more of a giggle. Ugh, you were going to start twirling your hair soon. “The aaaahhhhh part was pretty good, actually.” Your imitation of a heavy metal power note wasn’t good. It wasn’t even decent. The crack in your voice made you sound like a sea lion with an upset stomach you’d seen on National Geographic.

But Eddie started to laugh. He started to cackle. He even snorted. His nose scrunched up, and you could clearly see the dimples and lines on his face. Well, shit. He was still adorable even when he wasn’t giving your prop swords names.

Eddie was pulling out of the lot with that big goofy grin on his face again. You were quite a surprise for him - a perfect one. He felt a little lucky that he had the opportunity to see you unwind so much. Relaxed, dorky and happy were a pretty hot look if he was being honest. He was glad that the stereo song had only been at the beginning because things would have gotten awkward pretty quickly. Sex Drive by W.A.S.P wasn’t the mood he was trying to achieve. At least, not yet, anyway.

“Well, no more aaaahhhhh for now. I said you had stereo privileges, and I’m nothing if not a man of my word.” His heavy metal power note was way better. Not quite at the level of a crisp hellish wail, but it made your stomach jump, so he was doing something right. Eddie gestured to the tape deck while keeping his eyes on the road. He was driving with a lot more care than you’d seen from him in the past. It must have been due to the bike in the back.

“I dunno what song I got up to on this tape, so no sass if it’s a weird one, okay?” You pushed ‘Going for the One’ by Yes into the deck and quickly dialled down the volume to avoid a possible road accident.

The haunting bellow of an organ flowed through the van and made you cringe into yourself. Of course, it was gonna be one of the weird songs. ‘Parallels’ was one of your favourite songs from the album, but it was a song you kept between yourself and your bedroom. 1970s experimental rock wasn’t the first genre pick for most. You’d heard a guy, Ben, call it “hippie dad crap” at a drama club wrap party once. Ben was a piece of shit and sucked at acting, so what did he know? He couldn’t even carry high notes in the Christmas musical.

“Wow, specs,” Eddie piped up, taking in the opening to the song in all of its eclectic glory. “You’re kind of a little weirdo, huh?” He tilted his head towards you, met your gaze, and beamed with raised eyebrows.

“Like you can say anything about that. You nearly squealed like a little girl when I gave you some coffee-stained paper.”

“Weirdo is a high form of praise when it comes from me. Also, I needed old-ass-looking paper for map layouts. Also also, I don’t squeal… unless you ask me super duper nicely.” He smirked with that immeasurable smugness. Again.

Would it look too obvious if you were to roll down your window? The van had gotten progressively more stuffy since Eddie had sounded like he was fucking the shit out of your bike and showing her a damn good time.

“Just keep your eyes on the road, Munson,” you muttered, not fully trusting your voice at that moment. “I’ll get you some more crunchy paper. I have tons of it in case I fuck up prop letters and stuff.”

“Club donations now? Aw, you’re a weirdo and a sweetheart.” That pet name felt freezing and boiling simultaneously. The old ladies around town were the only people who had ever called you ‘sweetheart’. But hearing a guy say it? Now that was fantastic. Eddie didn’t miss how you cleared your throat and went back to twiddling your thumbs. You were gonna be getting ‘specs’ and ‘sweetheart‘ from that moment on.

The inky woods whizzed by as the two of you drifted down the long stretch of road. Hawkins was a dull town with a lot of greys, beiges and conservatism. It was a blip on the state of Indiana, where everyone knew everyone, and everyone knew everything about everyone. But, the surrounding landscape made up for at least some of the place’s setbacks. Your parents were all too aware that raising a kid in a small town could be a bit of a downer, so they made sure to get you and your little burgundy hiking boots outside to soak up the Indiana elements. You had to wonder if Eddie was much of an outdoorsy type. Obviously, not in the traditional sense, but who didn’t love spending time out by the lake in the sunshine? Shit, maybe that Sun goddess illusion was getting to your head.

“You said you liked the decor in the back? I would have taken down the um… risque imagery if I knew I’d have a lady in here, promise.” Eddie’s light tone cut through the night and pulled your eyes away from your window. You were “a lady” now. The concept sent a jolt through your body that you weren’t sure you’d experienced before. It was like electricity mixed with blushing, but it felt phenomenal.

“It’s not like the pictures are full-frontal, don’t worry about it. You’re a dude, after all,” you reassured. He was making it seem like he’d left some sketchy porn lying out for you to browse through. Some saucy postcards were nothing. One of your favourite movies was St. Elmo’s Fire, which had a scene of people going at it on a coffin. “The showgirl one is quite pretty. I like her sparkly outfit.”

“Ethan, a buddy of mine, used to be in Hellfire, went on a little westward adventure and sent me all of ‘em,” Eddie said, smiling, but it held some sadness. You remembered Ethan vaguely. He graduated last year and seemed to be Eddie’s right-hand man for all things Hellfire - never saw one without the other. “He sent one from Santa Carla that was way worse than those, but I’m too classy to go displaying that sort of stuff. I have innocent freshmen in this vehicle from time to time.”

“Gotta protect their little innocent eyes from the horrors of the world…” you spoke in a low, ominous voice, “…tits.” You had to laugh at your silly voice. Eddie just brought this type of goofiness out of you. It was freeing. Liberating. Refreshing.

Eddie choked on his breath when you said tits. He wasn’t totally scandalised by hearing a girl speak so bluntly. He just thought you’d be the type to call them boobs or breasts instead.

“I’m an excellent role model; I’ll have you know.” Eddie bragged, his usual small smile worming its way back to his mouth - he was clinging to that last particle of a cool guy persona. You shook your head at his comment, almost lost for words. Honestly, from what you had seen, he was a pretty okay role model for the Hellfire freshmen. He was nice to girls and guys alike, didn’t antagonise anyone who wasn't already doing it to him, and he was just… sweet. There wasn’t really any other word that summed him up quite so well. Eddie was going to give you some severe cavities, and you would welcome every single one.

“Don’t doubt that for a second, Munson.” You sighed; it was a dreamy type of sigh. “Anyway, what’s the story with the other stuff back there? I’m invested now.”

“Wanna know more about the freak? Hmm, specs? So, yeah, the raunchy postcards are from Ethan. The stuff he wrote on the back is mushy, but I’m glad he’s having fun in California.” From what you could remember, Ethan was a friendly guy. He was chummy with a few of the past drama club members and came along to most of the performances. He might have had a thing for Penny; most guys did, to be fair. Ethan once threw the bandana he always wore around his head onto the stage when Penny did her final bow. He was a good dude.

“What about the County Fair photo? Is that your dad you’re with?” You asked. Eddie’s jaw clenched, and his tongue ran across his lips. He looked deep in thought, trying to find a way to explain his family situation to you without divulging too much information. It wasn’t a fun story, and he didn’t want to scare you off.

“That’s me and my uncle, Wayne. Took me to the County Fair for my 14th birthday and let me get as much junk food as I could keep down. This nice old lady, who was making cookies the size of my face, took the photo. Said I was a pretty boy and it’d be a waste not to get a picture. Wayne gave me shit about that for weeks.” Eddie shared. He decided it would be better to avoid “the dad” situation. The two of you still didn’t know each other all that well, and it was some heavy shit, to say the least.

Eddie had only told Ethan and Dustin about what happened with his family when he was a kid. The reasons why he moved in with Wayne when he was 7 - as bleak as the story was.

“You were a pretty cute kid; She was right.” That comment was out of your mouth before your brain could catch up. The polaroid showed a smaller Eddie who was all big molasses eyes and buzzed hair. Had the guy ever not been cute? It was ridiculous.

“Saying I’m not cute now, specs?”

“Never said that, now did I?” You had never felt comfortable enough to flirt with a guy. A few had tried to put the moves on you at parties or between classes, but you didn’t have the confidence to reciprocate. With Eddie, it was very different. Regardless if he was just trying to be cheeky, you were ready to test the waters and see where things went. “I think it’s cute that you’ve got that photo up. Like taking the happy memory everywhere with you. You’re kind of a sweetheart yourself, huh?”

“Me?!” Eddie half-yelped. Ugh, his voice cracked too. He could feel his cheeks burst into flames. You had him acting like he was a flustered little teenager who was way too scared to even think about talking to a pretty girl. He wanted to hide in his hair.

Sweetheart. Him? Holy fucking shit. Eddie very nearly swerved the van across the road out of pure shock. Maybe God was real, and this was like a divine apology for the crappy hand that Eddie had been dealt. It was the only explanation that could explain how you matched his own little suggestive comments. It wasn’t that he was joking around when calling you a “sweetheart” or “noting” that you were easy to please. Quite the opposite, actually. He was stunned that you were coming out of your shell around him and were comfortable enough with him to let your hair down. Also, he had always been weak to flattery.

“Yeah, you. Eddie, not to shock you to your core, but I don’t think you’re mean and scary.” You said. It had only been a few hours since you’d started to get to know him, but you were right. Eddie was the furthest thing from mean or scary.

He looked soft under the streetlights. You and Eddie continued your strange combination of banter and flirting as he drove carefully through the suburban streets. The houses on Fletcher Street weren’t anything to write home about - the usual brown and white exteriors, well-kept front yards and sensible family cars in the driveways. You leaned forward to point at a single-level house with slightly untamed hedges against the porch fence - your humble abode. Eddie was driving at a snail's pace when approaching your house. His van looked like a death trap on wheels and what if your mom looked out the window when he drove up?

“Home sweet home, specs.” Eddie smiled, “nice place you got there. The foundations are on the ground, very fancy.” The self-deprecating humour was like second nature to him. Not really the type of funny that women swooned over. God, he was dumb. You shook your head at him while you got your things together and unbuckled your seatbelt. A trailer wasn’t anything he had to be ashamed of. One of your mom’s co-workers lived in Forest Hills, and her trailer was a gorgeous slice of domestic bliss.

“Thanks for the ride.” Christ, he was gonna scream. “Also, thanks for coming to the drama room today. I don’t usually have company in there, so thanks, Eddie.” You said, meeting Eddie’s eyes. You didn’t want to get out of the van yet, maybe not ever. That evening in the drama room had been the most fun you’d had since you joined the club. And you got called a Sun Goddess and sweetheart? It had been a fucking magical night.

“Don’t mention it. Couldn’t just leave you and the old gal to get home in the dark, now could I?” Eddie made a move to go collect your bike from the back. But he stopped himself suddenly. You were about to leave and might not want to talk to him at school when other people were around. He had to make a final move. “Would you mind if I started coming to do Hellfire set-up on Thursdays after school? The place has never looked better than it did today. Your expert opinion might need to become a weekly thing.”

He could live in the drama room if he wanted to; you would let him. You’d make him a little habitat in the storage closet if you had to.

“It’s as much my club’s room as it is yours. But, I do charge an hourly rate for my services.” You smirked. Eddie was rubbing off on you already, and it hadn’t even been six hours. His dreamy eyes flicked up and down over your form before his expression shaped a smirk to match yours.

“Whatever you charge, I’ll pay double, sunny.” Well, shit. Again. Eddie left you in the silence of the cab while he went to retrieve your bike. Sunny. Not specs, not sweetheart. But a more intimate name, one with a meaning only known by the two of you. The sounds of Eddie wrestling with the van's back doors seemed so far away as you essentially melted out of the van and onto the sidewalk. It felt like that dumb prop sword, The Sun Strike, had pierced your chest and was causing sunshine to fill you from head to toe. It was going to start shining out your ass if you weren’t careful.

The butterflies that had been nesting in your stomach since you left school were now thrashing around violently - it was like a mosh pit in your abdomen; at least the butterflies knew the object of their affections well. You shifted from foot to foot while watching Eddie go for round two with your bike and the van doors.

Grunt. Pant. Slam. Yeah, the slam was definitely doing it.

Eddie was fighting the urge to be a true gentleman and walk you to your front door, but he knew your mom was inside. The leather jacket, shaggy hair and extensive metal accessorising were not what suburban moms wanted to see bringing their daughters home after sundown. Eddie may have been jumping the gun a little, but he wanted to have time to prepare if he was going to meet the family. He had a button-down lying crumpled in the back of his closet that he needed to hunt down - purely as a precaution.

“See you tomorrow, maybe?” You asked. It wasn’t really a question, more of a request.

“Yes.” Eddie deadpanned and held up the Yes cassette you had nearly left in the van. He never could pass up the possibility to make a shitty pun.

“You’ve been sitting on that one for a while, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” The deadpan look was replaced with his signature smugness, but it had a hint of mischief rather than malice.

“Duuuude,” you whined, trying to nudge him in the feet with your bike. Swatting at him would mean physical contact, which would mean being close to him, which would make your hands all clammy.

“Okay, okay. It’s been rattling around the ol’ noggin since I saw the cassette at school.” He was mighty proud of himself for timing that joke so well. You snorted again like you had in history class too. That was going to put a spring in his step for the next month. Eddie glanced down at his watch, and his eyes widened, “you better get inside if you’re gonna catch MacGyver with your mom.”

“Yeah, I gotta eat dinner too - wait, how do you know when MacGyver’s on?” You pressed. If Eddie watched MacGyver, too, you might just have to jump him in the middle of the street. Mr and Mrs Derrickson across the street would get an eyeful, but that would be on them for being nosey, busybodies.

“No, nope. Get your pretty ass inside. We can discuss my TV preferences another time. I don’t want to be the reason your mom hounds you.” He started to manoeuvre you towards the path as you continued to ramble and ask questions about Richard Dean Anderson.

You said your final goodbyes and started to jog towards your front door, ditching your bike on the porch and grabbing your keys out of your backpack. Before heading inside to your mom’s lasagna and some fresh PJs, you turned around to see Eddie leaning against the passenger side door. He was waiting to see you in from afar. You wanted to slam your head against the solid, oak door. Instead, you gave Eddie an awkward little wave since your bag had fallen into the crook of your elbow.

Eddie waved back. He waved with enthusiasm and dorkiness, and with his whole right arm. A wave that was him to its core.

Once inside, your back hit the front door and you slid down onto the carpet. The sound of your feet tapping excitedly on the floor caught your mom’s attention, “sweetpea, you’re home late, was everything okay with getting back?” your mom asked, confused by you sitting on the floor and grinning like a maniac.

“More than okay. Everything - everything’s great.” Your smile was starting to hurt your face. But, fuck it, you were on cloud nine.

Tag list: @fan-girl-97

Part 3

#my writing #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x y/n #fluff #fic #eddie #stranger things #stranger things fic

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theveryworstthing · 4 years ago

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more merms from patreon. a lovely musical group or sea witches.

These ladies live year round on beach that Kirom's pod considers their ancestral home. They're all strays from other pods who were taken in by his gram gram Kiromi over the years, and serve as informants/territory guardians/ interspecies peacekeepers while the rest of the pod is away (they also do a little sea-witchraft on the side).

This is an important job but they're mostly known for their impromptu concerts at the docks, where they will literally sing until bribed to stop. It's not like the singing is bad, quite the opposite, it's very lovely and it's interspersed with saucy musical comedy bits about the goings on they observe from their perch of the day.

But sometimes they'll sing All. Day.

And they'll park themselves wherever they feel like.

And they'll sing any dirt they've got on you to the whole neighborhood in a real catchy number if they spot you being shitty (yes they DO take requests, thank you for asking).

And wow, mermaids sure can hit those high notes when they want you to know that they'll be out there at midnight still singing unless some kind soul shows up with a free lunch for all this free entertainment.

Despite this lucrative 'buy my silence' variety show they're running, they're generally beloved by the community and never really have to worry about finding places to stay during really rough weather.

From left to right they are:

Miv: The youngest and the largest. Quick witted and bubbly, she's only a year older than Kirom and everyone thinks she's an angel except him. Their rivalry might just be a jokey intense friendship, but also they WILL physically fight each other at the drop of a hat. No one has any idea what started this as they are both kinda slow to anger merms. Loves to make up daily horoscopes for people. Left her old pod to diffuse hierarchy drama.

Tyrie: Not the oldest but people always think she is. Very quiet, intense, and curious. Knows all the hottest goss simply by virtue of sitting still and thinking her thoughts long enough that people forget she's around and listening. Which is a feat (the forgetting), because she gives off some intimidating vibes. Are these justified vibes? No one really wants to find out. Can speak/read a lot of languages for some reason. Left her old pod because ????????????

Chicken: That's not her real name but that's what she goes by. Don't bother asking why, every answer will be a lie. She's the oldest and the main reason why the other two stay year round instead of migrating. The girl has had it rough and she's not the best swimmer. Greatly enjoys watered down alcohol (mermaid stomachs aren't really meant for alcohol but you try and tell her that), awful trinkets she can add to her treasure hoard, and games of any kind as long as they don't require reading (get that bullshit out her face). Has the softest sweetest voice and a gentle sleepy demeanor, but is also the first to endorse chaos every time. Can tell you so many stories about the stars. Hair is always a little green from algae even when the other ladies help groom her. Her old pod left her to die in the middle of the ocean because they were tired of taking care of her and her pups inherited her powers so they had replacements for her skills already.

#mermaid #mermay2020 #bare chest #miv #tyrie #chicken #long post

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thewanderers-world · 3 years ago

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Nicaragua vs. South Korea: Which is Better?

By: Lilyan Sanchez Silva

Many just want to explore, some may feel the need to escape their reality. Here, I’ll be breaking down two touristic countries. Comparing and contrasting, while also going in depth with their economic systems. At the end, you will choose which you’d make an escape to and which will remain unchecked on your travel list.

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NICARAGUA

This Central American country, neighboring Honduras and Costa Rica, holds a number of titles, and you can add the largest lake in Central America to the list. With a view to both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea on opposite ends of the country, it’s no wonder Nicaragua means “here united with the water”. Imagine a nice walk down the beach, doesn’t it sound amazing?!

----------------------------The Culture----------------------------

The merging of different cultures within Nicaragua has caused the dawn of a creative, lively and blissful culture. Rhythmic marimbas and folkloric dances give vibrancy to fiestas across the country and the beautiful works of skilled artists spread an understanding of their history and nature.

The culture of Nicaragua reflects the mixed Ibero-European and Indian ancestry of the majority of its people. Diversity, I love it!

---------------------------The Weather---------------------------

Nicaragua has a tropical climate, hot all year round.

Temperatures are quite stable; however, there is a relatively cool winter from November to January, a hot spring from March to May, and a sultry and rainy summer from May to October. On the west coast, it's hot all year round, but there are the sea breezes. However, you may notice a certain temperature increase in the spring. On the Caribbean coast, there is no real dry month; owing to both the rains and the trade winds, the temperatures are a bit lower than on the west coast, but relative humidity is consistently high.

What’s a little rain to this magnificent view?

----------------------The Economic System-------------------

Nicaragua's economy is very active and has experienced great changes during the past decade or so. Its economy was truly a phoenix emerging from the ashes. The cause behind Nicaragua’s past economic problems stemmed from the earthquake of 1972 as well as the rule of the Sandinista regime. Nicaragua’s economic situation improved dramatically with the 1990 election of Violeta Chamorro and the establishment of a democracy. Nicaragua has a mixed economic system which includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation.

Despite the expansive growth in Nicaragua’s economy that took place after the new form of government came in, Nicaragua remains one of the poorest countries in the region and faces issues such as unemployment, low per capita income and great foreign debt. Nicaragua’s economy is working towards improvement in the future, focusing on potential growth in the agricultural sector, energy generation, tourism, export manufacturing, mining and construction, as well as the sale of consumer goods.

With all this budding potential, Nicaragua is the perfect place to invest in, especially in the tourism aspect.

---------------Where to go & What to do---------------

Fun activities to do in Nicaragua include, but are not limited to: Eco-tourism; adventure and sports activities, including surfing, deep-sea fishing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, volcano sand-boarding; historical and agricultural sites; cultural activities; agritourism; volunteerism; nightlife. Just enjoying the sun and all the different smells wile walking down the market would be wonderful. Nicaragua has lots to offer.

Towns like San Juan Del Sur on the Pacific Ocean's Emerald Coast near Costa Rica are top places to visit, famous for their colorful architecture and surf scene. Many things to do really lie in the smaller cities, like Leon and Granada, which are known for their colorful architecture and churches, and natural attractions such as Lake Nicaragua. It is the largest freshwater lake in Central America and home to hundreds upon hundreds of islands, including some with amazing ecolodges. Here are the Top 5 places to visit while exploring Nicaragua!

1. Islets of Granada

2. Corn Island

3. Masaya Volcano

4. El Cerro Negro

5. Mombacho Volcano Natural Preserve

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea is a country in Eastern Asia occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It borders the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and North Korea. In the year 1934, Korea was given the title "Chaohsien" which meant morning freshness. The title was well suited to South Korea because of its natural beauty of stunning mountains, clear waters and splendid peacefulness – particularly in the morning. Because of this, Korea was also called "Land of Morning Calm."

In a country filled with city lights and multitudes of people, a little calmness in the morning is just what you need to start the day out right!

------------------------The Culture-------------------------------

Korea is all about education, constantly ranked world-best in terms of education system and the knowledge of students as studies such as the PISA and the World Top 20 Poll suggests. They’re also quite unique when it comes to asking their age. In Korea, everyone is already one year old at birth. And not only that: on New Year’s, everyone simultaneously turns a year older! That means, in turn, that in Korean age, you could already be two years older than you are in an international age. In Korea, people love to have a good time and they also love entertainment. But they are not crossing the line—pun intended. Even in bustling Seoul, you will rarely see non-tourists jaywalking or misbehaving. It’s part of the identity and the culture to not cause too much trouble or problems for others.

The Korean entertainment industry is also becoming one of the biggest in the world. K-pop, k-movies, k-drama, k-beauty… the K’s all around! The catchy beats, colorful soap operas and gripping dramas are invading countries around the world with a massive force, and they are here to stay. No genre of media is excluded: Film, literature, graphic novels, language, food, fashion…you name it. But arguably the genre with the biggest global impact is the new wave of Korean pop music, commonly referred to as K-pop, with its addicting melodies and innovative choreographies. You know BTS?

----------------------------The Weather---------------------

South Korea has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Winter, from late November to mid-March, is freezing in the north and in the interior, while it’s milder, but still with night frosts, along the southern coast. Spring, from mid-March to May, is initially cool, and gradually becomes milder, but the rains become more frequent because of the formation of low pressure systems. Summer, from June to August, is hot, humid, and rainy. Autumn, from September to late November, is a pleasant season, especially in the month of October, when it’s not too cold or too hot.

Serious droughts occur about once every eight years. About two-thirds of the annual precipitation occurs between June and September. South Korea is less vulnerable to typhoons than neighboring countries. Typhoons usually pass over South Korea in late summer, especially in August and bring torrential rains.

The weather may be crazy, but the sights are worth it, rain or shine!

-------------------The Economic System------------------

South Korea’s economy continues to maintain its ranking among the mostly free countries. It has a mixed economic system in which the economy includes a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. South Korea has achieved rapid growth in a short period. The country has displayed global competitiveness in various fields such as mobile phones, semiconductors, automobiles, chemicals, and steel making. In recent years, its cultural content, including music, gaming, and webtoons, is emerging as an essential industry in itself, taking the lead in the Korean economy.

South Korea's rigorous education system and the establishment of a highly motivated and educated populace is largely responsible for spurring the country's high technology boom and rapid economic development.

-------------------Where to go & What to do---------------

Travelers will want to indulge in all that South Korea has to offer like: Enjoy delicious Korean food, Explore Seoul on foot, Witness the grandeur of Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung Palaces, Learn about traditional Hanok architecture, Be a street artist, Check out free museums, Glide down the ski slopes from the 2018 Winter Olympics, Visit the temples, Take a trip to Busan, Experience a botanical garden island, and visiting Jeju-Si Island. The different architecture between residential places and the city alone is astonishing!

South Korea offers everything a traveler could want in a destination. It has a long and fascinating history, a wonderful culture, amazing food, friendly people, and an excellent tourism infrastructure. Here are the Top 5 places you must absolutely think back on when planning your trip:

1. Changdeokgung Palace

2. Gamecheon

3. Jeonju

4. Seoul Tower

5. Bukchon Hanok Village

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So Which One?

This may be a very biased answer, but being from Nicaragua, I’d say take an off-grid vacation. Although known for its tourism, you don’t loose the quiet peaceful atmosphere. Its rural landscape extends even to the most populated cities, adorning the country in a cloud of green and crystal blue waters everywhere you look. The gates are open, which life-thrilling destination will you choose?

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rustdream · 4 years ago

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Hecc yea I saw @promisedangel‘s roleswap au for AHIT

and I just really like it sooo I wanted to make some ideas for it! Part 1 of I don’t know how many maybe like 2?? Anyways tho they be under the cut

General: Mustache Kid uses small bombs with varied abilities, and requires different powders to create them(as Hat Kid’s hats required yarn to forge).

Hat Girl’s future was caused because a child claiming to be there in the name of justice had set forth a series of events that led to the unwinding of reality itself. When she was sent back in time, she had believed that it was Mustache Kid that commenced these events and as such, set forth to undo everything she did. However, this caused an alternate bad future where she becomes a dictator. After the events of the Base Game, she can be found in a nice hut on the islands near Mafia Town pondering what to do now.

Once Hat Girl was sent backwards, she isn’t able to get back. This was because it was believed that when she fixed the timeline, there would be no need for her to go back in time, thus causing her to be brought back by a strange paradox. Since she wasn’t brought back, she’s trying to figure out what this means.

While Mustache Kid is for reckless justice and generally has a childish view on the matter, Hat Girl wishes to instill rules and laws to prevent these things from occurring, and has a very mature view on it, even if it borders on tyrannical. They are two sides of the same coin, and when pulled to their extremes, both can be very bad.

Hat Girl is from an organization where they go to different realities and times to fix potential catastrophes and paradoxes. She was hired particularly because she’s small enough to be nimble and has the ability to double jump. Keep in mind that they only interfere if it meant certain doom for the universe, or if it was an acopolyase scenario.

The kid that causes the calamity? They haven’t arrived in this timeline yet.

Mafia Town, or called Calico Isles: The Mafia are actually referred to as “Wrong Wallies” by CC and her fans. This is due to how she portrays them in her cooking show. While the Mafia can cook extremely well, they are blackmailed/threatened into intentionally cooking terribly in her show, so that her food looks wonderful in comparison. The person that gets this role a lot is their leader, who’s actual name IS Wallace. This usually happens in the beginning of the episode, where she states the dish she’ll be ‘preparing’(it’s actually cooked by the Mafia’s leader, for an extra dosage of irony), before the Mafia come in with extremely exaggerated accents about how they made the better dish whilst showing the intentionally terrible meal. There are many cats on this island! Though most of them are cats you won’t see elsewhere (sphinxes, grey cats, etc), though some of the Nyakuza cats are there as well. As you can tell, all of them are fans of CC and her show, and tend to bully the Wallies when they see them. Now granted, it’s more of a passive aggressive kind that Mustache Kid can break with words. After Mustache Kid vows to help the Wallies revolt against their feline threat, the food stalls are usable as a mechanic. Before, they would simply be dialogue events with comedic bad food, meant to be a reverse advertisement of CC’s show (and food line) by saying, “This man’s food is bad, but mine is great”. However, after this level, the Wallies will open up a secret business, where they will give her extremely tasty food that gives her a status boost (admittedly with pons involved). Kinda like the Nyakuza food stalls, but with fancy well-made meals instead of normal fast food.

There are advertisements everywhere, usually making fun of the Wallies(and eventually Mustache Kid) and portraying herself as an homely mother being wrongly insulted by immature unskilled sore losers.

Cooking Cat can be quite dangerous in battle, which is how she was able to threaten the Wallies in the first place.

She retains her homely country bumkin nature, although she is a lot more condescending and willing to play dirty.

Battle of the Birds:

The C.A.W Agents are still relatively the same, and are even involved in some of the Injustices Mustache Kid has to fix. Whether it’s in their favor or not varies greatly, as some of them take bribes.

DJ Peck actually has some musicals! They are generally more upbeat, and involve cliché but extremely fun stories.

Mustache Kid has a variety of movies to star in;

On DJ Peck’s end, there’s a good ol’ western, where she has to save her ‘brother’(actually an Owl doing a bad kid voice) from a gang of hungry eagles who want to use him as a ransom for her ‘dad’(a cardboard cutout). And then ya got, of course, the musical I was talking about! These are levels that go to the beat, and usually involve some snazzy tricks whilst dodging obstacles to the beat.

Conductor Grooves end has a drama, where Mustache Kid has to help a struggling dancer out of retirement in this heart warming film(mostly tasks involving helping said dancer). And a romance, where instead of being a main character, she is a side character who’s goal is to rig a series of events in order to match make a working joe who wishes to achieve his dream of groovy beats, and a celebrity dancer who’s come to the lesser city.

Co-op + Deathwish

Bow Kid and Timmy are of course, swapped! But in different ways; Bow Kid is scrapped! Joking, there’s actually gonna be a weird idea I’ll mention her in later, but for now Timmy Time!

Timmy is now Cap Chap, and has a rustic chimney sweep-esque feel to him, as he was one of the extremely few people who had survived Subcon Forest’s hostile take over by the Matriarch. He had kept himself hidden away from everyone around him, as he was terrified that he would be hung and burned for not listening to weird strict rules. However, when seeing Mustache Kid correct the wrong injustices that the Matriarch had committed, he was inspired to help. So mustering up all his courage, he had helped correct one of the biggest injustices that she had brought on. The Prince. He had taken advantage of her busyness (fixing all the damage Mustache Kid did and all) to help the Prince escape from the mansion (though it caused the poor boy to get burned badly) to Mustache Kid’s spaceship. He helps Mustache Kid out in both fixing her spaceship as well as with the ‘Death Wishes’ of this AU.

Cap Chap is an inventor! He was the assistant of a skilled mechanic in the Subcon Kingdom before everything got burned down and all.

Mustache Kid finds Cap Chap whilst he is fixing one of the computers in her ship, which beforehand was simply a running gag with it not searching the right results, or outright messing up the ship! He rambles to her about how he’s a fan, and about the whole story of he and Prince’s escape.

Now, the Death Wish in this AU is not started by the Matriarch. Mainly because she wouldn’t want to waste her time with a supposedly violent person, humoring her impulsive behavior. Plus, she has a kingdom to fix the damages of after all. Instead, it’s the Prince, who had finally snuck out (with Cap Chap’s helps as well as MU having wreaking the barriers when she had visited him Mid-game) He can be found after every chapter is complete, after interacting with Cap Chap. He hides in the pillow pool in MU’s room, reading some of the law books that she had stored on her bed. Upon interacting with him, he panics and begs for her not to alert the Matriarch that he’s on the spaceship. After reassuring him, he tells her about a bunch of fun games that they can play together, because they’re such wonderful best friends. Instead of intentionally dangerous contracts, they are actually games Cap Chap, MU, and Prince play together. The reason why they are dangerous is because he doesn’t understand how they can endanger the two kids, since it’s been literally years since he’s been out of the mansion interacting with people, as well as his occasional tantrums when he believes that the two are going to backstab him or when he becomes upset.

Of course, there are prizes! Hand made by the Prince, with an almost obsessive amount of effort put into them. From costumes to plush weapons.

Many of the Death Wish Levels are actually the three of them playing pretend/board games, with MU’s imagination involved.

Yeeeeaah I might add more but for right now, this is enough

#AHIT #a hat in time #swap au #ahit swap au #ahit au #mustache kid #hat girl #timmy #cap chap #cooking cat #the mafia

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thelogicalghost · 5 years ago

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About Roleplaying

The internet is really useful at bringing people together, but it’s also, in my experience, sometimes useful for someone to point out places to start.

Roleplaying is a vast umbrella term that covers a diverse spectrum of activities, and if you enjoy any part of it, you might want to consider trying other styles.

I say this because, as someone who has been involved in both the least and most regulated forms of roleplay, it took me far longer than it should have to find out that there are dozens of gradients and variants in between, and I want to get more people involved in that growing diversity.

I’m prompted to do this now because everyone being stuck in isolation has caused a boom in virtual gaming through apps like roll20, and I’ve discovered Discord-based text roleplay games that feel like the evolution of the LJ forums I used to love. So this is a great time to research, experiment, and find games to help keep us connected and sane. But finding the right game is extremely important.

Here’s the thing: there is a whole world of tabletop RPG outside of Dungeons and Dragons. D&D absolutely has its place in the TTRPG world, but oftentimes I see people frustrated with its limitations because they’re trying to use it in unintended ways. I’ve learned that different rules systems exist to help promote or restrain different kinds of stories.

I like to think of RPG rulesets as falling generally into these (highly overlapping and by no means all-inclusive) categories:

* Numbers-intensive, or “crunchy” systems are very granular and the most intimidating to new players. Crunchy systems are often built to try to quantify things that other systems handwave. There are players who really love these kinds of games. They can be really rewarding to master, for one. Because so much is quantified, they can allow complex interactions that other systems can’t handle, such as simulating the mechanics of a play-by-play fight between a werewolf and a psychic alien.

* In contrast, a Rules light system will try to lower the barrier for entry as much as possible for new players. It’s much more like collaborative story-writing, with the rules mostly existing to help tell the story, add an element of chance, and give the players numerical reminders of their strengths, weaknesses, and progression.

* Live Action Roleplay, or LARP intended systems are meant to be run live by a group of people actually acting out the characters, kind of like cosplaying an OC with a bunch of other people and doing improv of their interactions. These systems are designed for two purposes: to define the world and relationships between people in it, so that players build characters suited to the setting and know how to interact with it and each other, and to make the process of breaking out sheets (having to stop and calculate the results of something done by numbers) as fast as possible so people can get back to playing.

* Other systems are more necessarily true Tabletop. Some require maps and grids, different sets of dice for different rolls, or even armies of small figurines. In the old days, this could be intimidating because of the money and effort needed to amass materials, but these days, digital systems can let people play many games for free, and players who are more invested can spend money for fancier programs. Even if you just want to run your game over voice on Discord, you can upload a dice-roller bot to keep play transparent and fair.

* Another important set of terms are one-shot, scenario, and campaign, which are probably the most common ways of discussing intended game lengths. Some game systems are specifically written to be played in a single session and tell a single story. These usually have the most work done for you, such as handouts and schedules of when events should happen during the game. Other game systems have potentially hundreds of pre-written scenarios, which contain all the information a game runner needs to run one or more sessions through a pre-written story. Not every game is intended to be a campaign that extends out over weeks and months of increasingly hard encounters, and often shorter games are much better ways to meet new people, try new systems, or just have fun for an evening.

What I’m trying to say with all of this is, if you like roleplaying, there is a game out there for you and this is the perfect time to find people to play with.

Is D&D too rules-heavy for you? Why not try a rules-light system like FATE or Powered by the Apocalypse? The former is incredibly flexible and can easily be edited to fit any setting, while the latter has a dozen fun varieties like Monster of the Week (a Buffy/Supernatural show setting) or MonsterHearts (more of a CW supernatural teen drama vibe).

Do you like the rules, but not the setting, of D&D? How about Shadowrun, a near-future heist game in a Bladerunner-meets-magic world? How about World of Darkness, which has specific settings for modern-day clans of vampires, werewolves, fairies, and mages?

If you’re particularly fond of a certain licensed property, check around: there might be a TTRPG made for it. Star Wars has multiple systems geared towards telling different stories. There are games for everything from Serenity to Leverage, and many of these are available in less-expensive PDFs you can download to both save shelf space and maximize how much of your money supports the creators.

I utterly love some of these less-common systems. I love what they can do and the kind of stories you can tell with them. I really, strongly feel that if more people knew these options were out there, more people would try them and play them.

#roleplaying #Roleplaying Game #game systems #psa #ttrpg #ttrpg 101 #larp #Dungeons and Dragons #fate #shadowrun #world of darkness #please share?

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tothedarkdarkseas · 5 years ago

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So, if I'm not mistaken, you called yourself a Stu stan. How did you become a stan of the numbskull? Why do you stan Stu? Don't worry, I'm sure we all ask ourselves this question.

Have I said that? If I did I meant it a little tongue in cheek, stan’s a pretty strong word, haha. I definitely do favor Stu though, he is my favorite and currently the character I’m really invested in! But I wouldn’t say I have a very flattering image of him or that I’d ever fight for his honor– I’d fight for his dishonor, maybe!

Here is the actual answer: because I like to be difficult, haha. When I first got into Gorillaz Stu wasn’t my favorite, but I knew eventually he would be– not necessarily because of the kind of character he is, but because of my own pattern with character preferences. I absolutely have a “type” but it has less to do with any actual character traits and more to do with fandom traits. It’s contrarian and hipster and I know it… but I’ve always favored characters I didn’t think were getting their fair dues. Especially if there’s a ship involved and one character is more prominently featured than the other, it’s guaranteed that I’ll like the other one more and want to see more of their experiences and perspectives. Stu certainly is still popular, I’m not arguing that he’s ignored at all– if anything, Stu gets more attention than Russel and Noodle combined– but of the Stu/Murdoc relationship specifically, while Stu may be present, he isn’t always fleshed out like Murdoc is.

I can’t say how the Gorillaz fandom always felt and how deep the fan content was, but getting in later in the game I liked Murdoc and was on the pro-Murdoc side of the way-too-serious Murdoc hate that went on around the start of P5… and I could also tell Murdoc would get a lot of focus, and that redeeming Murdoc would be a popular sentiment. I’m not saying anything against that, I just mean that… you know, if you’ve been around fandoms in general for a long time, you know that a mean-but-troubled character like that is going to be divisive and is going to pull a lot of focus in fan conversation, both good and bad. And he does! I definitely felt some defensiveness for Murdoc because of things I’d see in the tags from people who just really, really hated the guy. Add the ship lens to that, though, and you’re narrowing it down to just pro-Murdoc. When that desire to make Murdoc sympathetic through a ship isn’t handled well, Stu ends up just feeling like an accessory. He’s just a key that allows Murdoc to feel guilt, make amends, and therefore be a good person– how Stu is allowed to feel or react isn’t always taken into consideration, and who Stu is without Murdoc isn’t important. Stu exists to play a role for Murdoc. And I wasn’t even really invested in the ship yet, but I could tell that when I found that entry point into Stu as a more rounded character, the other shoe was going to drop.

Enter, as I’ve mentioned many times before, Yearz by @elapsed-spiral. This was the characterization of Stu that fit in best with what I wanted for him, and it gave all my vague thoughts shape or just gave me thoughts to rip off in general. I know I bring it up pretty often, but I think credit should be given where credit is due, and I think Yearz is chronically under-credited. You can see places where it’s had influence all over the fandom, but it’s like a game of telephone where the influences or ideas get passed along and stop being connected to one source. Speaking for myself, I learned more about modern Britain (within the last 30 years, I mean… “modern” as in not Victorian) reading this fanfic than I’d ever known, and Danni was always happy to answer questions or fill in more blanks for me (and still does.) I also think Danni is just a phenomenal writer who maintains a great balance between the humor so essential to these guys, and the darker faults and histories that really tint the relationship with drama. I wouldn’t have started writing if I hadn’t read Yearz or without Danni’s guidance on British things, but even taking a step back from that, I might not have pursued an interest in these characters and in seeing or creating more content with a flawed human Stu if I hadn’t read Yearz.

I guess the long and short of it is that I started to have more interest in Stu because I was interested in leveling their dynamic and making the relationship feel more equal. That’s the goal of most fanfiction or meta: humanizing these absurd cartoon characters. There was already content out there that achieved this by lifting Murdoc up and making him a better person, focusing on his humanity. Human pathos! That’s well and good, but I just personally felt more compelled by doing the opposite– evening them out by pulling Stu down, shining a light of his faults, exploring how certain suggestions about his character early on could’ve unfolded had they not been mostly ironed out. I don’t think you make a man human by ignoring where he’s gone wrong. I’m not arguing the version of Stu I like is closer to canon, he isn’t really, I’ve just cherry-picked the opposite details to focus on. And I’m not arguing against the merit in having redemptive stories or exploring improvement either, I just think variety is important. I think a Stu who is imperfect and nasty is a really compelling idea, and I think he deserves to get that same in-depth treatment as Murdoc.

Sorry, I guess I got off the question there! I stan Stu because he’s fun for me to think about and write about. I like the directions his story can go in, I like imagining his perspective, and I find him really rewarding to write! Despite how slowly I write in Gorillaz, I hadn’t written anything at all in years and years and years, and I’d never “consistently” written fic for another fandom. Sad as it is to say, considering how meager my output is, I’ve been more inspired and followed through on more writing for this than anything else, and that wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t like a certain idea of Stu, so I kinda owe the bastard. As they say… we have no choice but to stan.

#behind the cut: arguably some negativity about the fandom so please feel free to skip over this one #i have no interest in stepping on toes #just giving fuller context to my answer #Anonymous

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tycoons-official · 5 years ago

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♛Ｔｙｃｏｏｎｓ♛

.•♫•♬•ＡｌｂｕｍＤｅｔａｉｌｓ•♫•♬•.

• Tycoons' self-titled debut album 'Tycoons The Album' was released on the 3rd of January, 2017, 07:00AM KST.

• JYP released two trailers for the music video a month prior to the release date, however they didn't attract too much attention as they were first advertised like regular ads that would appear on most YouTube videos, sometimes even other JYP idols' music videos to maybe draw a bit more interest, as the trailers uploaded on JYP Entertainment's YouTube channel did not do so well as expected, at first. Although this, once the album and official music video came out, people started realizing that 'Tycoons' was actually a group and began drawing in a huge crowd.

• The album focuses a lot on storytelling, through music and lyrics, telling the day-to-day life of two siblings taking over their family's money wagering, illegal weapon dealing empire within the vast Mafia and how they run operations as well as the drama that will commence throughout half of the album.

• The album starts with catchy hip hop beats and dance/house trap drops, giving a sort of Stray Kids vibe to it. As the album goes on though, the lyrics and mood start to take on a more emotional tone and meaning. Just as the mood changes, Tyke and Carmen's [the Characters] lives are changing along with it.

• A majority of the songs in the album are written by both members of Tycoons [and the music video is also partially directed by them since the CEO was curious as to how this duo plans to start off their careers after training for a good amount of time] and most of the music [in the album and the music video] was also made and produced by Tycoons themselves.

• 'Tycoons: The Album' was a success, initially selling a total of 1.7 million copies in Korea and 1.65 million internationally within the first week and a half of so. But when the album began gaining some traction, the numbers spiked to 3.18 million copies in Korea and over 4.19 million copies internationally by early February.

.•♫•♬•Ｔｒａｃｋｌｉｓｔ•♫•♬•.

▄︻̷̿┻̿═━一 25 minutes & 20 seconds

• MAFIA

• 우리는 (We Are)

• Hands Up

• GSW

• Heir

• 만족하니? (Are You Satisfied?)

• Losing It

• Fire With Fire

• Outro: The End

.•♫•♬•ＳｏｎｇＡｎａｌｙｓｉｓ•♫•♬•.

1. MAFIA - ⏱ 4:05 - Title track

'MAFIA' is the title track of the album as well as the first track in the lineup of Tycoons' debut album. It is also the only song in the album that got a whole music video dedicated to it. Being that the album was written and co-produced by Tycoons themselves, they wanted this album to tell a story; to be the first chapter of their characters' stories and build up on their development as they evolve and grow in the music industry. They promoted the album, the title track and it's B-side heavily, going on several interviews, TV and music shows for 3 weeks straight, all at once [though Tycoons themselves quote en quote 'didn't mind the busy schedule, as they have been preparing all their trainee lives for this moment', courtesy of Carmen].

'MAFIA' is a song about the 'dangers' of the Mafia world and how they rose to the top with sheer resilience and smarts, as well as available weaponry and other form of utility such as soldiers. Tyke and Carmen the characters describe a glimpse in their life in a line taken from Carmen's rap verse:

'in this dangerous place

where Alphas roam wild

one shot dead in the streets

echoing cries for miles and miles

with blood dripping on their face

as they lie cold there like a stone

truly a beautiful chaos

this is home; how we live our lives'

The song is hits hard with a hip hop style dance beat, an interesting use of common synths, a fresh twist on melodies that are often used, heard and reused, and carries an intense tone throughout the whole song. Added to that the ranging high and low notes that Tyke hits, especially in the bridge, and Carmen's consistent deep growls in the rap verses. Said factors when merged create this harmonious yet unpredictable title track that would be considered 'perfect to set the tone', as Tyke puts it. Fans often compare this song to the style of Stray Kids' and BAP's music, and although some people say that this is the 'least JYP' JYP song ever according to some fans, Tycoons have confessed to have let the company add their flair to this song, so it's safe to say that it was an even game when it came to producing.

There were also special effects to the song to amp up it's chilling vibe. For example, throughout the song, there would be gunshot fire sounds inserted, as expected from a group with a dark concept, however fans pointed out that as the song reached it's climax, the shot sounds start condescending to the point where it even tricks some people into believing that there was an actual gun fired next to them, and therefore have them either scared or even more in love with the song. This effect however was not the only sound [or even visual] effect inserted into the track; in the official music video, Tycoons are shown to present almost everything you'd want in a perfect music video; great clothing choices, beautiful sets and decor, a nice harmony of dark and bright colors throughout, flattering camera angles and lighting, makeup and filters galore, only to then show the Characters' reality, showing various ruined sets littered with blood, dead bodies, empty bullet cannisters and bloody knives on the floors, yelps of pain, stab sounds and the final groans after getting shot, make the atmosphere even more spine chilling.

Critics praised this title track for it's unique concept, style and visuals, however they added that there could've been a more clear trigger warning before the MV starts, as it could easily trigger a younger audience. So to appease them, the company temporarily took the video down to add an extra 10 second trigger warning clip accompanied with a subtle rain sound effect that goes well with the beginning of the MV where Tyke and Carmen are seen walking through the gloom streets while it's raining.

2. 우리는 (We Are) - ⏱ 3:46 - B-side

'우리는' or 'We Are' in English is the next song in the tracklist as well as the album's B-side track. 우리는 Is mostly written by Tyke, therefore it's fairly vocal heavy for the most part, however he does give his sister Carmen the bridge and the last verse of the song to rap, but the rest is Tyke. It's a more story telling song that has a much softer, but more mysterious vibe to it. This song doubles as a deeper look into Tycoons' Characters' backstory as well as a song that shows off Tyke's light and clear contratenor voice with the occasional sassy run as well as stable vibratos and falsettos.

The song carries a nostalgic feeling, as if you've heard this song before some other place or time in your life, but not exactly in the way one'd originally think. It has a sad-ish tone, despite having happy nostalgia inducing guitar, piano, a variety of classical instruments, hip-hoppy snare and slightly lighter trap drops, that is meant to symbolize Tycoons' not-so-happy childhood that is the consequence of their family joining the Mafia.

Overall, the song has a fairly light hearted tune with variety and a nicer, clearer beat compared to it's title track, however if you look at the lyrics and analyze them, they hold a much darker meaning:

'you can't run

you can't hide

hold your breath

close your eyes

turn your ear to the sky

you're not safe here anymore

this is who we are, now

who we are, now'

The unsettlingness of the lyrics combined with the strategic classical orchestration make for a song that's meant to feel like, quote en quote 'a false security blanket that shields you from the actual good reality, or even a blindfold that makes you see everything in life with a different filter', courtesy of Tyke.

This song isn't exactly a favorite of the people, therefore dubbing it 'under appreciated' or 'underrated' by Capos, however critics applaud this song as much as it's title track for the same factors, but they have less critiques for this song as there wasn't any music video, however for some critics, the sense of false security and lack of straightforwardness was not exactly their cup of tea.

3. Hands Up - ⏱ 3:25 - Inizio

The third track in the album is titled 'Hands Up' and is the introduction to Carmen's [the character] personality and role in her and her brother's business. This track is mostly written by Carmen and contains mostly rap verses, with Tyke included briefly in the chorus, the bridge and as backing vocals to go with Carmen's raps. 'Hands Up' is has traces of inspiration from hip-hop songs, with it's more uppity, 'in your face' beats.

The story, or message, this song is trying to convey is to never disrespect those whom have helped you and built you up and explain the diligence and perseverance you are going to need in order to survive in the Mafia industry, and that once you think you got there, that means you still have ways to go, or to put it in Carmen's words; 'Don't get too comfortable, life can take 10 steps ahead of you just like that.'

The bold beats and sassy lyrics can be quite jarring to some, but the song overall is very well received by Capos and music critics alike. Although a minority of Capos did make an argument about 'Hands Up' being a better B-side track for 'Tycoons the Album' than '우리는', however this dispute is easily dismissed by favor over the idea of "'우리는' and 'Hands Up' being equally great overall, but '우리는' is a B-side for a reason that we don't know yet/we will have to speculate more on to know why", given by K-pop commentary channels such as KPOP Junkee and Korea Scouter TV.

The topic of respect and being respectful is heavily mentioned in the song and due to this, some Capos said that 'it almost seemed like they were demanding respect' and this ideology was shared around with a portion of the fandom, however Tycoons responded to this issue by saying that they only wanted to portray their characters, not the actual people themselves.

4. GSW - ⏱ 3:02 - Continuazione

'GSW', short for 'Gun shot wound' is the next song in the tracklist and another hip hop dance song in the whole album. 'GSW' is co-written by Tycoons and this song carries a more JYP style of music for the group, but with that said, the JYP 'signature style' was definitely beneficial for Tycoons' versatility in music styles. What makes this track different is the lack of lyrics and the main focus on the dance aspect that goes with the track.

The music was intense like the title track and had a variety of different musical tones incorporated, like at some points of the song there could be a more deep atmosphere and in others it could be softer, or faster, or sad. Though the song may be lacking in lyrics, it compensates for a complicated, but amazing choreography. The only verses in the song are the first pre-chorus, chorus and bridge, and these verses are fairly brief;

'just when you think there's a settled score

the battle has just reborn

comes swift like an avalanche

come to steal what you just got back

at your back like a loaded gun

and the night has just begun

steady now breathe, breathe'

This song took the longest to practice in terms of dance. According to Tyke, he stated that they've had to practice this dance longer than any of the other song's dances combined. The choreography is much harder and more technically challenging, and it also involves the usage of various props as well as stage actors to accompany Tycoons in their action sequences throughout the dance. The CEO even opted to postpone the actual date of their debut because of how challenging this dance was, as he had doubts that the group could actually meet the deadline. But hard work and dedication pulled through and the duo clearly succeeded through all the hours of work.

5. Heir - ⏱ 4:45 - Conflitto

The song 'Heir' is sort of like the climax of the album. This is when the tone of the song shifts to a more calmer, simpler tunes and faster timing with more room to add story telling lyrics and catchy raps. Tyke and Carmen worked on this song together and therefore rapping-to-singing ratio is pretty equal, and their inspiration for this album can really be sensed here, or at least that's what they think anyway. At the beginning, this song sounds quite to 'MAFIA' because of how Tycoons' characters are connected to the person next in line to their 'throne' but they found out something was wrong and they go searching for her. Shown briefly in the music video, this 'heir' is a baby, almost a toddler, who's sleeping in a crib inside a dark nursery but the scene is shown to flicker to a clip of people in full black outfits taking them away, resembling a kidnapping.

In the music video for 'MAFIA' we briefly get video shots of Carmen turning around to face the camera angle with a distraught expression before running towards a hallway as if rushing to get something, and Capos think that this is Carmen running to save her 'heir.' Tycoons soon confirm the rumors surrounding this mysterious heir however didn't drop every detail, but did mention said heir's name; Chloe.

The song itself is intense just like it's title track, but with added drama and theatrics by an orchestral pre-chorus and followed by another dirty dubstep/trap drop and bridge. The classic parts meant to symbolize going back to the classics, where king and queen take care of their heirs as they rule their kingdom, but by the end of the song the orchestra melody doesn't complete itself and loop, instead for the last 5 seconds of the song, it's heard glitching and skipping certain beats before eventually quieting down.

This strategic, but harmonious symphony of classical and trap genres seems to be the critics' favorite and it definitely made sense for Capos to enjoy it just as much. However some added that the drop sounded too much like 'MAFIA' and when put side by side, they almost have the exact same notes. Tycoons took to answer this predicament right away, explaining that, though taking care of children aren't the characters, Tyke or Carmen's, front suit, their heir still plays a role in their journey to the top, by being more careful, thought out and responsive to anything, and eventually the crowd died down.

6. 만족하니? (Are You Satisfied?) - ⏱ 4:30 - Calore de momento

'만족하니?' or 'Are You Satisfied?' in English is the 6th song in the tracklist and right off the bat is a rap-heavy trap style song, going back to harsh, dirty beats and Carmen's growly voice. This song is meant to represent the heat of the moment and a continuation of the previous song 'Heir', after they realize that the next generation of their 'royal family' was taken from them. Carmen wrote this song feeling her own anger to the horrible people present in her life as a child, and after some fine tuning from Tyke so it doesn't sound too much like a diss track [though according to some fans, it still does], the lyrics to the song can really convey how angry and angry [and rather sadistic] their characters were over loosing their 'heir':

'you think this is fun?

that this is all just a game?

well I'll tell you this now, you pricks

that you'll regret this mess you made (yuh)

you've dug yourself deep in a hole

where we will throw you a rope

and drag your body to your neighborhood

and cut you open wide!

does that sound good?

are you satisfied now?'

The rather horrifying lyrics of this song and the glitchy sound effects added makes it one of the least favorite songs in the album to fans, along with 'Losing It', but as the internet is known for divided opinions and constant fighting over the slightest things, Capos were no different. One side said that this song was okay and 'the others who can't stand the lyrics are actual babies', quoted from one Capo, and 'the other' side of the fandom just did not appreciate the gory lyrics and 'would just listen to the album without this song overall', quoted from another Capo.

Critics also agreed that this track and 'Losing It' in particular could've been less gory, however they did understand why Tycoons wanted to make it so that it would sound sadistic and scary and all that, even if it was their least favorite song concept. Tyke quickly defended himself and his sister by stating that they wanted the album to be raw and true to their characters' personalities and the storyline, and at the end of the day it was just some lyrics in a song that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Some people saw this as Tycoons' over-involvement with their fanbase and turned them away from the group but a couple of them have since returned to being a Capo after realizing that the reason why Tycoons called them their 'Capos' is because of their wish to be engaging with their fandom and that they were forgetful to the meaning of the name in the first place.

7. Losing It - ⏱ 2:04 - Climax

'Losing It' is the very next song and yet again, a continuation of the previous song '만족하니?' but unlike the last one, 'Losing It' is much calmer but at the same time, was just sinister and a little vocal heavy. The song was one of the quieter songs in the album but kept that deep and mysterious aspect about it, which made fans appreciate this track more than the previous one. In this song, Tyke really showed that he can rock to a quicker paced song as well as a slower one, as 'Losing It's melody incorporated a few transitions from a fast paced beat to a slower beat.

The electro synths and more vocally challenging melody and high notes made this song one of the hardest songs to sing in the album, if not the hardest song to sing in the album. It was more of a ballad with the occasional trap build up leading to a softer EDM drop as per usual. The song's varying speeds also made it a challenge to sing as you first go up high, then low, then mid-range before climbing back up again and several different variations of this pattern were incorporated so no verse sounded the same, nor did it have the same lyrics. Speaking of, the lyrics to the song describe the disappointment and shame the characters had to go through when they found out their family member had been kidnapped and it includes a few hints pointing towards Tyke's depression really helping out during this song [even though it was actually written by Carmen since Tyke was depressed when the song was written, so his low mood helped this song convey the sadness and frustration properly]

8. Fire With Fire - ⏱ 2:50 - Vendetta

'Fire With Fire' is the finale of the album, and though it may be only less than 3 minutes, the song holds a deep passionate beat and had probably the most memorable ending drops throughout the whole album. Mirroring 'GSW', 'Fire With Fire' was dance dominated with a few lyrics, but due to its short length, the choreography was more complicated and faster paced, 'ending with a bang' as Tyke would say. And though the choreography wasn't as complicated as 'GSW', and did not need any props, it was definitely just as tiring, according to Carmen.

Capos compare the drop to that of Stray Kids' 'Miroh' for it's electro house instruments but broken down, it doesn't sound too similar, though people managed to merge the two songs together to create a song that even Tycoons listen to and they gave the person that made the first remix a very well deserved shout-out.

9. Outro: The End - ⏱ 1:14 - La fine (per ora)

The outro song wasn't originally needed in the album but Tycoons added it in there to add some hype on the next album coming up as well as a quick sneak peak and Capos and the rest of the world were definitely excited for what's to come

.•♫•♬•Ａｃｃｏｍｐｌｉｓｈｍｅｎｔｓ•♫•♬•.

• 'Tycoons The Album' was nominated for album of the year at the MAMAs 2017 however did not win.

• Tycoons themselves won Best New Artist of the Year at the same event as well as 3 other music show awards; from the MGMAs, AAAs and Soribada;

• 'MAFIA' won Song of the Year at the MGMAs and Tycoons won Rookie of the Year at the AAAs and New Artist of the Year at Soribada.

• 'MAFIA' peaked at #5 place on the MelOn chart, #6 place on the Gaon chart, #8 place on both Soribada and iTunes Top 10 and #39 on the Billboard hot 100.

• '우리는' made it to #18 on the MelOn chart and dropped to #20, #17 on Gaon, and #16 on iTunes Top 20

• 'Hands Up', 'GSW' and 'Heir' made it to #49, #50, and #52 on the Billboard hot 100 charts. But jumped to #35, #38, [surpassing their title track] and #40 and stayed there.

• 'GSW' was actually nominated for Best M/F Dance Performance at MAMAs but unfortunately did not place.

.•♫•♬��Ｅｘｔｒａｓ•♫•♬•.

• Carmen has a painting that eventually became the official cover of the physical album and the company's design team thought 'why not put that design to good use', since Carmen already did the work for them, and she didn't mind them using her design, as she was credited in the back of the album as well as inside the photo book. Where there were photos taken of her actually recreating the cover painting on canvas while wearing her *ⁱᶜᵒⁿⁱᶜ* elbow-length-sleeved shin-length black skintight dress, long cherry red satin gloves, matching-color kitten heels and beret in the 'boudoir' set [also featured in the music video].

#tycoons #tyc.#pinkocnet #tokyokocnet #lofi #lofikocnet #kumokcn #kumokocnet #woopkocnet #kocsociety

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romchomp · 5 years ago

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That One Track from your favorite romance anime

So, I’m a whore for soundtracks. The amount of hours I’ve spent listening to various soundtracks is in the hundreds. Something I’ve noticed in discussions about good anime soundtracks is that romances are often left out, with the exception of Clannad and Your Lie in April. So here I am, ready to take the task nobody requested.

Before I start listing animes and their soundtracks I’d like to first say that the thing about scores in anime, movies, video games, and even tv shows is that they usually have one track that’s easy to identify (ie. a theme song, a track that plays during a progression/training scene or a track that plays during the climax, etc.). Depending on the tone and atmosphere of the series, this track could be sad, fun, a mesh of the two, or something beyond those lines. Regardless it should affect how you feel and be memorable. So in this post, I’m talking about different romance anime and what I think is** that one track** from them.

**Because I’ve had troubles embedding the tracks into this post I’ll just leave a link to a playlist I made with all the tracks used on soundcloud and youtube**

1. Toradora- Lost My Pieces

There are a lot of tracks from Toradora that I adore, including Yuugure No Yakusoku and Ameiro Rondo. What makes Lost My Pieces work out, however, is the fact that it plays at the climax of the series and stands for a mental shift in the main character as well as a tonal shift in the series. What else is interesting is that this is the only time the track is ever played in Toradora. It really shows how effective it was, considering the track's popularity. When most people think of Toradora’s soundtrack they’ll think of Lost My Pieces. This is certainly** that one track** that will make you...feel things.

2. Clannad- Roaring Tides

This one is probably more arguable considering how many tracks in Clannad are severe tear jerkers. Personally, Roaring Tides has always been that one track in Clannad that would without a doubt fuck me up. There’s just something about that piano...and the...everything. It’s a very dramatic piece and man is it good at heightening the drama in Clannad. Of course, Nagisa and SnowFeild are very close seconds and I can’t forget to mention Town, Flow of Time, People; or Existence; or the goddamn ending Dango Daikazoku (why does this show hate us).

3. Fruits Basket (2001)- Secret

Fruits Basket has a generally wacky soundtrack that covers a variety of tones. However, if there is one track that could be associated with the darker moments in the anime, one that always played when one of the characters talked in depth about the zodiac curse, it’s Secret. This track is a little different from the ones in Toradora and Clannad though. This one’s purpose isn’t to make the viewer cry. I think the track only has that effect from a nostalgic standpoint; listening to the track on its own after the fact adds quite a bit of feeling to this one. Secret is more or less, meant to set the atmosphere. That, put together with how often the track was used, makes it one of the more memorable ones. I can't wait to add the reboot to this list.

4. Nana- Akai Ren

Nana’s soundtrack doesn’t get talked about that often even among its fans. I’m not talking about the vocal pieces that were played by Black Stones or Trapnest, but the background osts. The reason for this probably has to do with 1) the songs sung by Black Stones and Trapnest are on a separate CD than the background tracks and 2) there are a whopping 43 tracks on the CD of background tracks. Regardless, there are a number of tracks that stuck with me even after finishing the show and the best example of this would be Akai Ren, which made me cry EVERY SINGLE TIME it played. That piano still haunts me. What also haunts is the second ending, Starless Night. That one’s a close second.

5. Anohana- Secret Base

I’ve been avoiding using the openings and endings on this list, but I’ll make an exception for Secret Base considering it plays like a track in the background for emotional scenes on several occasions. I was considering using Last Train Home instead, but that track just...doesn’t hit the same way and isn't utilized nearly as often as Anohana's ed. Secret Base also has the advantage of not being played in its entirety until the most climatic and emotional part in the series (as if just a few seconds of the song wasn’t already enough).

6. Your Lie in April- My Friend A Will Be My Accompanist

We all know the soundtrack for Your Lie in April is amazing. Whether it be the classical pieces performed by characters or the rest of the soundtrack that’s left for the background, but I think My Friend A is a particular track that’s memorable and easy to listen to on its own. It plays often throughout the show and because of that, I think it’s the most identifiable piece in the series. My Friend A is beautiful. It doesn’t even need the context of the show to make it an emotional listening experience. If anything this gives context to the show.

7. My Little Monster- Tetsukazu no Kanjou

Not as much of a tear jerker as it is just an adorable track that I often come back to. Maybe it’s a more of a track that elicits happy tears? My Little Monster’s soundtrack reminds me of Toradora’s in the sense that they both have fun scores that feature mostly quirky tracks with a few emotional ones sprinkled in. For this series, it’s emotional one is Tetsukazu no Kanjou, which the show utilizes quite well. It often plays when the audience discovers something new about a character or see an emotional shift in them.

8. Snow White with the Red Hair- Reconciliation: The Beginning of Two People

The best word to describe Shirayuki’s soundtrack would be magical; it's a true fantasy romance score. I was hesitant to mention this soundtrack at all because at first I felt that while Reconciliation is a gorgeous piece, it’s not overwhelmingly emotional, but I’m listening to it right now and have realized that uhhh it’s very emotional and I don’t know what I was thinking. And looking back, this track in specific added a lot to scenes and did, in fact, bring up several emotions. While (maybe) not tear-jerking, the track would definitely have you gushing at how sweet and precious the main couple is.

9. Bloom Into You- Earnest Wish

You know, you hear a lot of piano in romance series. A lot of violin. A lot of flute. But clarinet? That's not as common. This track really makes you wish there was more luckily, a lot of the other pieces on Bloom Into You's soundtrack also have clarinet in them. Anyways, any moment Earnest Wish started playing...I knew shit was about to go down. There was usually some dramatic wind (oftentimes blowing Touka’s hair) when it started playing. Something new would be revealed about the character's backstory or their insecurities. Good piece. Very good piece.

10. Kanon- Winter Fireworks

Kanon has the misfortune of forever being compared to Clannad and living in its shadow. Something I think, however, that doesn’t deserve to be compared to Clannad would be Kanon’s soundtrack. Its score is unique and successfully conveys a winter essence. Winter Fireworks is the best example, but there are so many other amazing tracks. I just [making aggressive hand gestures] really love it.

11. Your Name- Sparkle

Your Name is really good at using its score to accelerate emotional scenes and generally flow with the mood of the film. Its best example of this would be Sparkle, which plays at the climax and man does it work. The pace of the track has the perfect amount of energy to go along with a beautiful running sequence that was emotional as all hell.

So far I have only talked about tear-jerker tracks, but romances are also completely capable of having a track memorable by how warm and happy it is.

12. Toradora (again)- Startup

Startup is probably the easiest to remember/call out but I think Happy Monday is a really close second that no one talks about. Startup is used similarly to Lost My Pieces, though more often. Where Lost My Pieces plays at an emotional climax, representing a progression in the characters, Startup always plays when one of the main characters is making a stride to better themselves or their situation (hence, progressing the story). It’s a great track and does its job well.

13. Kaichou wa Maid Sama- Main Theme

Man, I could dance to this track. I remember always feeling giddy when this track started playing. You knew things were about to get exciting. It’s the perfect amount of fun and cheesy for a hilarious and sweet shoujo such as Maid Sama.

14. Princess Jellyfish- Umi to Tsuki no Yume

While it’s hard to stream the entirety of Princess Jellyfish’s soundtrack for free, there are a few tracks that are easily accessible on youtube. Umi to Tsuki no Yume is one of them and lucky for me, it’s one of my favorite tracks as well as one that seemed to stick out to others as well. It’s very befitting of the show’s flamboyant yet down to earth atmosphere.

15. His and Her Circumstances- Peace Reigns in the Land

I love every track from Kare Kano but this one especially left a mark on me. There’s plenty of lovely piano pieces that you could you point to as that one track but I personally find the tracks with trumpet solos and soft drums to be the charming point in its score. Peace Reigns in the Land normally plays sometime during the beginning of episodes and really leaves you feeling like everything is gonna be okay. As for accessibility to the soundtrack, there are a few tracks you can find on Youtube and I managed to find the entirety of the soundtrack here on Soundcloud uploaded only five days ago (so who knows how long it'll be up).

16. Nisekoi- Meirou

Nisekoi’s production value was always too good for its own good and its soundtrack is no exception. I was torn between a number of tracks from Nisekoi to mention. Should I go with the sweet and warm Lost of Words that reminds me of summer? Or the fun and goofy Meirou I can still remember playing at the end of each episode years after watching? Or what if I go with the more bleak Nikuhaku to represent that one track that stuck out in the series? Well. It’s Meirou. Hate to be anticlimactic, but Meirou captures the tone and atmosphere of the series better than any other track in the series. It's sweet but in a ridiculous kind of way.

17. Honey and Clover- Be Careful of Being Tricked!

I absolutely adore Honey and Clover’s soundtrack. It has an interesting range of instruments that gives it a unique charm. Be Careful of Being Tricked is no exception with its use of bongos, the organ, and acoustic guitar along with humming... It’s a good time. Bon Bon Bereppa was another track I thought of using for this list. Both tracks scream "How did I get myself in this situation?". It was really hard to pick one over the other, to be honest. It came down to the organ.

18. Lovely Complex- Orchestra Na Risa

Generally, the score of Lovely Complex is goofy and a riot to listen to on its own. Orchestra Na Risa is one of the slower pieces, and a touching one at that. Somehow it manages to feel sweet and whimsical while still fitting in with all the other ridiculous tracks and antics in the show itself.

Honorable mentions??

Doukyuusei (the whole thing tbh)

From Up on Poppy Hill- Kokurikozaka kara (theme song)

Air TV- Natsukage

Yosuga no Sora- Kioku

Now there are plenty of romance anime I have yet to watch and I hope many of them will make me think to myself "Wow, this would've made a great addition to that blog post I made about romance anime with good soundtracks". There are certain anime I’m even prepared for. But for now, I’m just writing about what I already know [it’s not a lot].

Here is a playlist of the all the tracks I listed in this blog post and here's a playlist I made of all my favorite romance anime tracks that you can check out if you feel inclined.

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i7pinyaapples · 6 years ago

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IDOLiSH7 3rd Anniversary Story Part 1 Translation

Find me on twitter @pinyaapples. Please credit me on any reposts and do not use elsewhere without permission. Video is unlisted for a reason, it’s just for people who don’t play the game but want to hear the voices. Please don’t repost or link elsewhere. Thanks!

Part two Part three Part four

Rinto: Yuki-kun, Momo-kun, congratulations on the third anniversary of your show, “NEXT Re:vale”!

Momo: Thanks Okarin!! But you’re saying that early!

Rinto: It’s still a little bit in the future but our impulsive president said to give this in celebration already...

Yuki: Suddenly, sea bream?

Momo: But Yuki can’t eat fish!

Rinto: I think he got a little over-excited and bought it… I’m so sorry about my brother as always.

Rinto: On the day of I will properly make sure that we celebrate with things you both can eat!

Yuki: Tell Rintarou to get his act together, ok? Momo, you might as well eat the fish since it’s here.

Momo: Really?! But, what about you Yuki?

Yuki: I’ll eat dandelions.

Momo: That’s nostalgic! When we didn’t have any money Yuki used to eat the dandelions from the park all the time.

Momo: At first I didn’t know they were edible so I was shocked thinking that he was so hungry he’d eat weeds…

Yuki: Momo would also often go to the creek and catch small fry[1] to eat.

Yuki: I thought “small fry” was a term solely in shounen manga so when Momo said he “caught some small fry” I thought a battle was about to start or something…

Rinto: Ah… I’m sorry that you two had to go through such hardships.

Rinto: But, that very same Re:vale is now the top idol group celebrating the third anniversary of their named show!!

Momo & Yuki: Whoooo!!

Rinto: The new song is also breaking sales records!!

Momo & Yuki: Whoooo!!

Rinto: We’ll keep bringing our dreams to you guys from now on!!!

Momo & Yuki: Whoooo!!

Rinto: Yes! Thank you so much! Wait, why are you cheering for me?

Yuki: It felt like a live MC. [2]

Momo: It was super cool!! O-ka-rin! O-ka-rin!!!

Rinto: Please…

Momo & Yuki: O-ka-rin!! O-ka-rin!!!

Rinto: Re:vale and Re:vale’s manager are the best!!!!!!

Momo & Yuki: Whoooo!!

Rinto: I’ll never let you guys resort to eating dandelions and small fry every again!!!

Momo & Yuki: Whoooo!!

Yuki: I’ll still eat dandelions though.

Momo: I like small fry! They’re super yummy if you make them into tempura!!

Rinto: Then why did you bother cheering…

Momo & Yuki: Dunno.

Rinto: Ahem… Returning to the topic at hand, the third anniversary edition of NEXT Re:vale is scheduled to be a special episode!

Rinto: The guest lineup is super glamorous! All members of popular idol groups TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7 will be participating!

Yuki: Sounds like fun.

Momo: Let’s make a super fun show together with our adorable kouhai idols! [3]

Rinto: I have high expectation! Re:vale is the top class of idols not only because of their amazing concerts, but also for their ability to make everyone smile during variety shows!

Rinto: With your energetic conversations and the usual married couple act, please brighten and excite all of Japan like the sun itself!

----------

Tsumugi: It’s been decided that you all will be guests on the upcoming third anniversary episode of NEXT Re:vale!!

Mitsuki: A third anniversary! That’s exciting!

Iori: Their stable ratings guarantee that it will be a long running show. As expected of Re:vale.

Riku: Three years is so cool! Why don’t we take the opportunity to pick out some kind of present for them?

Sougo: That sounds nice! I wonder what would make Yuki-san and Momo-san happy.

Yamato: Those two are complete opposites… Yuki-san is an indoors loving vegetarian, while Momo enjoys the outdoors and eating meat…

Tamaki: King Pudding!! King Pudding isn’t meat or plants, and it doesn’t have to be indoors or outdoors!

Nagi: OH! How about character references from Magical★Kokona?! It will definitely get you fired up HOT!

Yamato: Those are just what you guys want… Oh, Banri-san! Wouldn’t he know?

Banri: Hm? What do you need?

Riku: Yuki-san and Momo-san have opposite interests, but do you know anything they both like Banri-san?

Banri: Hm… I wonder…. Maybe…. Me?

Iori: Even for an old friend, I think you’re the only one who could say something so outrageous about the top idols Re:vale....

Tamaki: They’d definitely be happy but I don’t wanna give them Banchan!! He’s MEZZO”s manager after all!

Banri: Are you guys perhaps trying to think of a present for them?

Tsumugi: Yes, to celebrate the third anniversary of NEXT Re:vale.

Banri: In that case, I think the ultimate present would be for you guys to have a good time and liven up the show with them!

Mitsuki: Liven it up huh… Oh, what about something like this?

Yamato: Oh? Did you come up with something good?

Mitsuki: Re:vale’s always doing the married couple comedy act right? But usually me or Yamato-san act as the straight man and cut them off.

Mitsuki: This time, instead of cutting them off, we could try pulling off our own comedy act!

Sougo: A similarly exciting act?

Riku: Oh!! I know this!! It’s “and then”

Mitsuki: “And then”?

Riku: Umm.. Iori, try saying something!

Iori: What do you mean by something?

Riku: Something funny! Like, [iori voice] “I’m known as the perfect highschooler”.

Iori: I’m not really saying that to be funny though…

Tamaki: Hahaha, that’s hilarious

Iori: I said it wasn’t supposed to be funny!

Riku: And then!

Iori: ..?

Riku: Aaaaand then?

Iori: Uh, like I said, it’s not really meant to be a joke…

Riku: Aaaaaaaand then?

Iori: What is this… Nanase-san, can you not try to pressure me with that innocent smile?

Riku: Aaaaaaaaaaand then???

Iori: uh……..Ni….Nii-san….

Mitsuki: It’s ok Iori I’ve got this. Riku, you’re trying to do the thing where you keep prompting “and then” and extend the joke right?

Riku: Yeah!!! That!

Iori: You’re supposed to have a lead in to the act! Your comedic timing is the worst!

Riku: Ok then tell me when to start! I’ll set a timer!

Iori: It’s not something where you can just say “in 5 minutes”... You’re supposed to naturally follow the flow of the conversation.

Riku: And then???

Iori: You know that wasn’t the right time!! You’re doing this on purpose Nanase-san.

Riku: ehehehe.

Yamato: I wonder if Re:vale would go along with that… Momo-san is good at ad lib but I think it’d probably be too much for Yuki-san.

Sougo: Indeed… If you only respond with noncommittal phrases like “right” then the conversation’s atmosphere can get a little weird.

Sougo: It might be safer for us to come up with an act that we can pull off ourselves.

Nagi: Oh!! Then let’s do this! While Re:vale does their married couple act, we’ll add in cheers and calls!

Tamaki: What’s a call?

Yamato: Like the cheering lines you’d do for a champagne call? [4] That might be good for exciting the room.

Nagi: YES! Like a cheerleader or cheering squad [5] let’s pump up Re:vale with calls!

Mitsuki: Then, let’s try practicing it a bit! MEZZO”, you guys be Re:vale.

Sougo: Be Re:vale? What do you mean?

Tamaki: ♪Say it, No Doubt~♫

Riku: Not singing like them, the married couple act! Sougo, you say something cool and then Tamaki can call him handsome!

Sougo: Something cool…

Nagi: OK! And then, we will add special calls in between! LET’S TRY!

Sougo: ……..

Sougo: Ro…..

Sougo: Rock n roll.

Tamaki: ♪Say it, No Doubt~♫

Mitsuki: MEZZO” is a mess!

Riku: Tamaki, why are you singing?!

Tamaki: Cuz Re:vale is really cool when they’re singing! I wanna do it too.

Sougo: If that’s what Tamaki wants, we can go with that?

Iori: Osaka-san, please don’t get swept up by him. I’m fairly certain Re:vale will be taking care of their own singing parts.

Yamato: “Rock n roll” doesn’t really seem to fit the married couple act either… Nagi, give him some lines or advice or something.

Nagi: OK! Sougo, COME ON!

Sougo: Ah, thank you…

Tamaki: They’re whispering over there…

Mitsuki: I wonder what kind of lines he’s gonna give…

Sougo: Eh? Isn’t that embarrassing to say?

Nagi: No, no! It’s the coolest! It fits you perfectly Sougo.

Nagi: OK! LET’S TRY!

Sougo: Tamaki, what’s up with you today, hiding your wings and appearing before me?

Sougo: You’ll get exposed as a naughty angel.

Tamaki: Darling, so handsome!

The rest of i7: ♪Say it, No Doubt~♫

Tamaki: Why are you singing!!!!

The rest of i7: ♪Oh Oh Oh Oh, Oh Oh Oh Oh~♫

Tamaki: You’re doing the oh oh part too!!!

Mitsuki: It’s a cool part!

Yamato: Everyone wants to try singing it once right.

Nagi: Sougo, a very good job!

Sougo: Thanks. It was embarrassing…

Riku: I got pumped! NO DOUBT works great, let’s just use it as our calls.

Iori: “Works great”...Please don’t refer to our important senpai’s hit song’s chorus like you found convenient ingredients in the fridge…

Mitsuki: I think Re:vale would like it but the melody is a little tense for raising excitement.

Nagi: Hm…. Indeed, it does sound like the theme for a suspense drama. Like a crazy criminal will jump out at any moment.

Yamato: Ah, I totally get that, and like the criminal’s public face is an elite doctor or something.

Yamato: Wait, that was me! [6]

Mitsuki: It sure was.

Sougo: Uh.. we knew that.

Yamato: ...ugh… The atmosphere after you straight-man your own joke… I wanna run away so bad…

Iori: Nanase-san, now is the time.

Riku: And then?!?!

Yamato: Riku, stop that. Ichi, you too, stop enabling him.

Mitsuki: Hey, let’s do this seriously! We owe a lot to Re:vale.

Riku: You’re right, let’s think of the best calls and make Re:vale happy!

Tamaki: Yeah! Something that’ll make Yukirin laugh so hard his eyes roll back and he can’t talk for a bit.

Sougo: I think that would be problematic...

Tsumugi: Understood! Banri-san and I will take on the married couple act so that IDOLiSH7 can practice their calls.

Riku: Eh?!

Yamato: What, do you have an objection Riku?

Riku: N-no, but..

Banri: Can you guys give me a second?

Iori: Where are you going Banri-san?

Banri: Well… If we’re going to do the married couple act… I need to make sure the President isn’t anywhere nearby...

Yamato: It’s dangerous having a boss with a daughter of marriageable age around huh.

Tsumugi: I’m sorry about my dad…

Banri: It’s no problem. Ok, let’s do it!

Mitsuki: Ok, let’s do our best! Everyone try to liven it up with ad lib okay?

IDOLiSH7: Yeah!

Banri: Why do you think I made sure to finish up work early today?

Tsumugi: Uh.. why is that?

Banri: Because tonight…

Banri: [bedroom voice] I won’t be letting you escape.

*DOOR OPENS*

Takanashi: What did you say?

Banri: SCREECH

Tsumugi: Banri-san, so handsome~

Mitsuki: LOVE!

IDOLiSH7: YEAH!

Mitsuki: LOVE!

IDOLiSH7: YEAH!

IDOLiSH7: LOVE DOVEY NICE COUPLE!

Takanashi: Cou..ple..?!

Banri: That’s not it!! We’re just!

Mitsuki: LOVE!

IDOLiSH7: YEAH!

Mitsuki: LOVE!

IDOLiSH7: YEAH!

IDOLiSH7: SUPER DARLING! GO! GO! [7]

Banri: Stop! Pause for a bit!!

Takanshi: “GO”? ...Where do you intend on GOing with my daughter?

Mitsuki: LET’S GO! [8]

IDOLiSH7: MARRIAGE INTERVIEW!

Mitsuki: LET’S GO!

IDOLiSH7: LOVEY DOVEY!

IDOLiSH7: LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO MARRIED COUPLE!

Takanashi: M a r r i e d c o u p l e? I don’t recall being formally introduced to the groom though? : )

Banri: No no no please I swear that’s not it.

Takanashi: Speaking to me like equals????

Banri: Everyone please stop for a second!!! This is becoming a great disaster for me, please!!

IDOLiSH7: LOVEY DOVEY ULTRA HAPPY!

Iori: As expected of top idols!

Riku: But we won’t lose either!

Banri: You planned out speaking turns too?!

Tamaki: We wanna be like you!

Sougo: With those feelings incorporated!

Nagi: Here is a special message from us!

Mitsuki: We’re counting on you, leader!

Yamato: Nikaido Yamato, currently recruiting a girlfriend!

IDOLiSH7: Yeah!!

Mitsuki: LOVE!

IDOLiSH7: YEAH!

Mitsuki: LOVE!

IDOLiSH7: YEAH!

IDOLiSH7: LOVE DOVEY NICE COUPLE!

Banri: That’s enough please I’m begging we can stop now thank you.

Takanashi: Banri-kun, I have something to talk to you about, so please come to the president’s office. :)))))

Banri: ..Understood…

Tsumugi: Wait, dad, no! Um, sorry everyone, I have to leave for a bit.

*Door closes*

Sougo: Will Banri-san be okay…

Riku: But it was really funny! We did good!

Mitsuki: Yeah! I think Re:vale will enjoy it!

Tamaki: Yeah!! Yukirin’s gonna die laughing!

Iori: I think Momo-san will find it enjoyable as well.

Nagi: Hm, but I want to end the calls with sweet words as befitting an idol. Right, Yamato?

Yamato: Yeah… But TRIGGER is participating too, so can’t we just leave it to them?

Nagi: Oh! Yamato won’t lose to TRIGGER though!!

Yamato: Nagi… You’re a nice guy… But wait, the ending is still being assigned to me...?

Nagi: OF COURSE~

Riku: Do your best Yamato-san!

Tamaki: Good luck Yama san

Iori: I have no idea how the real thing is going to go...

---[Notes]----

[1] A pun that actually sorta translates, Yuki is punning off of 雑魚, meaning small fish or small fry (fry referring to baby fish), but also is used as in English to refer to random punks i.e. ‘a bunch of small fry attacked me’. Too bad ‘fry’ isnt a more well known term for fish in English, I wouldn’t have to put a note.

[2] The part of the live with the idol speaking directly to the audience, thanking and announcing stuff etc.

[3] opposite of senpai, underclassmen/people who’ve been working the same job for less time

[4] ramuda voice: champagne call

[5] cheering squad - ouendan like with gakuran n stuff

[6] i guess yamato played an evil elite doctor in the drama no doubt was used for www cute

[7] ‘supadari’ is apparently japanese slang for “ideal man” or “eligible bachelor” based on english words super darling

#idolish7 #idolish seven #i7 #third anniversary

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old1ddude · 6 years ago

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Living With Pink

Since @seasurfacefullofclouds did a lovely review on ‘Harry Styles’ (post) after living with it for more than a year - I felt inspired to write up my own observations and opinions.

For the sake of brevity and the fact that it seems to irritate certain haters - I will refer to Harry’s album as “PINK” throughout.

Melody! There are ten good, fully developed melodies in an era where a four note hook combined with a bass loop is thought to constitute a song. Really, there are more than ten, Sign of the Times has three distinct melodies, seamlessly woven together. (On an intellectual level, I understand that some people don’t think melody is the most important element of music. On a gut level, I just don’t get it. Melody is it for me.) I’ve listened to PINK straight through hundreds of times. The beauty and quality present in every song, nearly every moment never fails to impress. I’ve never really been an album guy, because, even among my favorite artists, at least half of the songs seem there just to take up space. (I used to make mix tapes, back in the day.) With PINK, I feel that every song has real merit and is fully worthy of it’s place. Harry’s voice (which I have always really loved - even X-Factor era) and vocal technique have reached a superlative level. I think Harry is at absolutely peak performance, and it’s a beautiful thing to behold. The instrumentation and arrangements are breathtaking. Even the angry Kiwi has deep beauty and avoids shrill, unpleasant sounds, often found in hard rock. For those who are willing to look below the surface, PINK’s honesty, vulnerability and frankness are noteworthy. I feel that Harry is speaking directly to me and the album is providing a window into his soul - into his humanity. PINK grapples with internal conflicts omnipresent in the human condition, good and evil, love and hate, selfishness and sacrifice. I am very confident that PINK will sound just as good 20, or 30 years from now - it won’t ever become stale, or sound dated. Some wished for a more cohesive album, but for me, the variety makes it really hard to grow bored of PINK. I was infatuated with the album from the start. As time goes on, my love for it only deepens.

This ended up getting pretty long - track by track under the cut.

Meet Me in the Hallway was a bit dreary to me at first. Now I find myself absorbed in it. The aching and longing, the vulnerability, the pain - it all feels so close, honest and real. The repetition of “gotta get better” is slightly irritating to my ear - for that reason, I will occasionally skip the track. I do wonder, however, if that irritation was intentional - meant to provoke some unease in the listener. The guitar part on this song is achingly beautiful, as is Harry’s voice.

Sign of the Times is a masterpiece by any measure. Sea pointed out how difficult it is to sing this song in a way to do it any justice. Precious few artists could pull it off. Every time I hear it, the song transports me - it lifts me out of myself. The rich, full sound and deft combination of three distinct melodies is no small feat. Guitar slides, strings, gospel choirs - it could so easily be overblown, or too grandiose, but it strike the perfect balance. The song moves at a stately sixty beats per minute. I would imagine this is very close to Harry’s resting heart rate. There is nothing rushed - every moment is given it’s full due. Also, I am of the old fashioned belief that art should be beautiful. Every second of SotT is achingly beautiful and I love it.

Carolina is great fun and incredibly clever. May artists try to be “edgy,” or “cool” by referencing drugs. Carolina recreates in music what I imagine it would feel like to be high on coke. (I’ve been around people who were jacked up before.) The manic “la la la la la la la la’s,” the fuzzy sensation, “she feels so good!” If you listen carefully, Harry sings it as if he is in a slight haze - king of nuance, as always. The metaphor is nothing short of brilliant - “get’s into parties without invitation” - “she feels so good.” Layers of sound, particularly on the second verse, are extraordinary. This song gives you the same kind of sugar rush a hit pop song can deliver, but backs it up with plenty of vitamins and protein, so you don’t get that “sugar low” and grow tired of it.

Two Ghosts has some of the most compelling word images - “Fridge light washes this room white,” for one. It’s a deceptively simple, easy to sing song, but a lot of artist would turn out a boring rendition. The album version is lovely, but the performance he did, just Harry and his guitar, was breathtaking. Once again, we have deep vulnerability and profound honesty. I do wish he had done the vocal “ooo’s” on the album version. We’ve all seen how hyper aware Harry is of his surroundings. He stared right at the camera trying to snag a sneaky snap. He spots people, way up in the nosebleed seats, trying to leave early and gently chastises them. He’s too finely tuned of an instrument to handle fireworks easily. I believe he is much more aware of all his senses than the average person. Touch, taste, sight, sound - he sculpts and paints with his music.

Sweet Creature is a song I will often skip back and repeat as once through just isn’t enough. It’s not a sugary, or fairy tale version of love, but honest, vulnerable, real. “Runnin through the garden, oh when nothing bothered us,” paints such a beautiful picture. “Sweet Creature” is such and odd phrase and yet conveys such warmth and deep connection for Louis another person. Harry’s voice brings an incredible warmth to this song - a warmth utterly unique to his quite distinctive voice. Again, it takes great artistry to impart such feeling on a relatively simple song, like this. The guitar part is certainly inspired by the Beatles’ Blackbird, but any similarity ends there, in my opinion. For my ear, Sweet Creature is a better song - it moves me in a way Blackbird never could.

Only Angel sets up a beautiful dichotomy. The angelic, SotT inspired, into and outro envelop the hard rock interior. The contrast intentionally reinforces the song’s story. Harry’s voice doesn’t quite have the anger, or hardness one might expect at on a first listen - the warmth in his voice was very intentional. The angel (which is Harry himself) is also a devil between the sheets. Mother (authority figure) doesn’t approve of how the angel presents “herself.” Harry loves attention and the stage, but hates fame. He’s good and kind, but also has a dirty side. (I could go on and on, but I’ve written on my OA interpretation extensively, ages ago.) A plus for using a flawed angel as a metaphor for himself - brilliant. The melody is catchy as hell - it’s a “bop” and great fun to hear, but there’s so much meat it’s almost ridiculous. The sound is rich and beautiful throughout and I love that he brings back the angelic sound to close it out.

Kiwi has so little movement in the melody, yet it works beautifully - somehow, it’s still a great melody and hard to get out of your head. The instrumentation is angry and hard, yet rich, full and pleasant to the ear. Harry’s voice has just the right amount of anger and derision. “She” is Simon Cowell. She tempts the boys with fame and fortune, but she’s hollow inside. It’s an angry song, but it feels so good, joyful even, to hear it. Harry’s stage performance reveals how cathartic it is to finally tell Simon what he thinks of him - in front of a massive audience. I love Kiwi so much, I’ve made the most raucous chorus into a ringtone on my phone. “Oh I think she said, “I’m having your baby” [heyyyy] “it’s none of your business” [hoooo......] Harry has such a great, raspy rock voice - it really isn’t fair.

Ever Since New York sounds like some combination of Bruce Springsteen and the Statler Brothers. The accompaniment is beautiful and rich with a really great, solid melody. Harry’s vocalization suggests someone who is TIRED and DONE with the situation. “Tell me something, tell me something new. Don’t know nothing, just pretend you do...” is sung as a plea - a plea devoid of any hope of being answered. Harry is vulnerable, broken and through putting up a front, or playing games.

Woman has been compared to Elton John’s Bennie and the Jets a lot - way too much, in my opinion. There are similarities in the structure of the song, but Woman has a completely different sound. I like a lot of John’s music, but when he sings “B-B-B-Bennie” he squeaks like a rusty hinge. Harry sings “W-W-W-Woman” in a different key and melody (and with a deep, pleasant vocal.) “Selfish I know...” It’s one of the best jealousy songs I’ve ever heard. He knows he’s selfish - knows it’s wrong, but can’t help his feelings. I love Harry’s unflinching look at the darker side of human nature and wholly realistic view of his own failings. Woman has a very good melody and those little “la-la la-la la-la la-la’s” give it just the zest in needs.

From the Dining Table might just be too honest. While the artistry was immediately apparent, I was a little slow to warm up to this song, because it’s a bit depressing. He sings about masturbating as a distraction to his pain and loneliness (and some said the album wasn’t honest enough!) This song is pure vulnerability. It’s arranged with such simplicity and great restraint. (Harry understands the beauty of restraint, you can hear it in If I Could Fly.) This is another song which must be sung with great artistry, to prevent it being dull. The addition of strings and lovely female harmonies (”maybe one day you’ll call me...”) is a master stroke. I am perplexed as to why he didn’t have Sarah and Clair sing the harmonies on tour. Beautiful, beautiful song, but it is still a bit depressing - as it was meant to be. Harry loves angst and drama.

Speaking of restraint, Harry has a habit of doing just enough, but never too much (nuance again.) He changes vocal inflection and flavor with ease, but never adds gratuitous vocal embellishment. Harry is quite capable of singing runs and all sorts of vocal gymnastics, but chooses a simple, restrained beauty. (Sometimes, less is more.) He maintains this restrained discipline in the accompaniment, as well. PINK is a rock album, but also so much more. In ten, or twenty years it will still sound fresh - and I think more people will realize what a masterpiece it truly is.

#PINK #Harry

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thefirstknife · 2 years ago

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Brookes said that they'll do another round of wallpapers for these characters later!

I love that he also said there's others. I mean, we know there are (Shaxx! Ikora! Calus! (T_T) Possibly Eris and Suraya! And that's just those that have in-game models), but still. It's encouraging.

It'll be really nice to be able to put some of these to rest, because for most we don't really know the specifics. We've only known that Saint and Osiris are gay men, due to the online drama that happened where Brookes had to literally tell people on twitter that these two are in a relationship so he would stop being accused of queerbaiting (as a queer man himself...).

But others, hard to tell. I've always said that Drifter and Shaxx are bi or pan, but Destiny universe doesn't actually use our modern real life terminology so we can't ever get them to tell us which one exactly. This is a neat way to solve some of the confusion. Same with Mara; we knew she's wlw, but which flavour of wlw? Even with Eramis it was unclear; she has a wife, but Eliksni are exceptionally long lived and we can't possibly know if she ever had anyone else before or since and if she's interested in more than women. I like how both Mara and Eramis are known for loving another woman, but one is bi and the other is a lesbian.

Ana is the only one shown to be specifically lesbian by the game itself; she had a girlfriend before being a Guardian and she has one now; I think that's the only example of someone explicitly shown having more than one partner in their life so both of them being women would heavily imply that Ana is meant to be lesbian.

I'd really love for them to add more variety to genders. We definitely need more trans rep. The only known trans man right now is Oryx... And the only trans woman is Micah-10 (who doesn't have an in-game model). It would be nice to get character wallpapers with the trans flag.

Wanna talk a little about the Cloudstrider we got confirmed is nonbinary by today's post (plus NB flag):

This hasn't been specified yet, but the press kit has some information on them and more photos. Important to note is that this is an actual character, not a concept or a representative for all Cloudstriders. Their name is Nimbus!

We don't know what pronouns they'll be using yet, so I'm using they/them here. It would be really cool for them to use some neopronouns. The above image but bigger:

This means that as far as we know, only this specific character is nonbinary, not all Cloudstriders. Obviously this is a subject that can change, but since this is a specific named character, it's safest to assume that only they are NB, and not all Cloudstriders as a rule.

I really liked their design from the start and was intrigued by how Bungie approached to the visual representation of gender. They clearly avoided a lot of traditionally strictly masculine/feminine features. It made me immediately excited about the possibility that Neomuna will feature more characters that are visibly trans.

#destiny 2 #nimbus #lgbt+ rep #long post #bungie please just more trans characters #they were so good with micah. it's not a huge plot point she's just trans #they can do the same with any other character

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crimsonblackrose · 6 years ago

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As part of the week leading up to Chuseok my school was super busy. My students had soccer games in the middle of the day, there were cultural festivities and guests and all sorts of fun things that meant I barely had any classes at all. The only day where I was with my students at my main school for the majority of the day was when we all went on a field trip to Yongin which is an area near Suwon, South of Seoul. We went to a folk village that my coworkers had trouble explaining to me beyond “The vice principal thinks it will be good for you.” It’s been awhile since I’ve been invited to go on one of the field trips so I was excited.

We took three buses to Yongin and as soon as we were there we headed straight to one of the performances. There are about three small performance areas all next to each other that host different shows. I managed to see three throughout the day. The first one we all went to was Equestrian Feats 마상무예 which happens twice daily at 11:30 and 3:00pm. It was really fun to watch the performances and tricks they were able to do.

There was however limited seating and availability to see. By the time we arrived most of it was already taken up by other school groups on field trips.

After the equestrian feats performance we split up for lunch. The students packed picnic lunches and all ate together with their classes and homeroom teachers, except for the older students who were allowed to do what they wanted and their teachers joined the other miscellaneous staff like myself at a restaurant. It was near the entrance where all the other food stands and snack shops were. However it had plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, unlike the stands. The restaurant offered a variety of Korean food and was set up like a Korean food court. You order your food, pay, and then head towards the corresponding counter to give them your receipt and wait for your food. They sold bibimbap and rice dishes, soups and stews, grilled fish and noodle dish, a variety of meat platters like jokbal (a sweet pig feet dish) and snacks. The majority of my coworkers ordered Andong-style wild vegetable bibimbap (8,000 won). I like bibimbap but it usually comes with gochujang already a part of the dish and thus spicy. Even though the menu didn’t make it look spicy what my coworkers ended up with did have that red pepper paste in it. Instead I ordered the Pyongyang-style cold buckwheat noodles or 평양 물냉면 which was refreshing on such a humid hot day and cheaper at 7,000won. Everything like water, chopsticks, scissors, spoons and accoutrements were near the pick up counters.

After some confusion I learned that I didn’t have to stay with anyone and could just wander about at my leisure until we met up later, so I headed off to explore the amusement park and see what it was. It was cute, with interesting looking buildings.

I found some of my students waiting in line for the Viking and buying gelato in some of the shops. There are about 15 rides and it’s a popular spot leading to long waits. My students told me that they didn’t ride a lot of them due to how long some of the lines were or the wait time. They had fun though, a few even went in the Ghost Zone which tells stories about the different types of ghosts found in Korea. It costs 3,000 won per adult and 2,000 for children (2,500 for teens) to visit. This isn’t the only scary ride, there is also one called “Legendary Hometown” which is 500 won more expensive no matter the age then the Horror of the Ghost Zone. I am not sure, since I didn’t go in, how much of these rides would be easy to understand since they seem to be story based.

After bidding my students farewell to wait in lines I headed across the river to visit the folk museum and some of the more historic and cultural buildings.

The first spot I visited was Seowon which was a Confucian Institute. It was also one of the filming sites for Korean dramas. Because of how big the Korean Folk Village is and all of its historical grounds it’s a popular spot for historical Korean dramas to be filmed at, having hosted film crews for various shows since 1983.

Nearby were other experiences like viewing traditional houses and how they vary depending on region, a ferryboat ride experience that was available only in the afternoon and by buying tickets at the nearby convenience store for 2,000 won for children and 3,000 won for adults.

I also visited the folk museum which had some English but not enough for me to fully enjoy it. There were many cartoons about Korean traditions and beliefs but they were in Korean. There was plenty to look at though and I was quite happy to see some old type pieces that made me missing using the printing press at my college.

Throughout the grounds were plenty of places to get snacks or drinks. Including a scholar’s home that had been converted into a traditional cafe with beautiful art.

I didn’t get anything. Instead I pressed on and found a pocket of my students sitting around eating ice cream which seemed like a good idea.

There were also a lot of other traditional buildings including one where a fortune teller stayed.

At this point it was time to head back to where the performances were held and meet up with my coworkers and students. I ended up catching part of the Farmers Music and Dance 농악놀이 performance that happens twice at 10:30 am and at 2:00 pm across from the event we were all meeting up for.

Before going home we watched the Acrobatics on a tightrope 줄타기 which I was able to see once before in Suwon. Like the other performances this occurs twice daily at 11:00 and 2:30pm. At this point I saw all of the large performances except for the traditional wedding which happens at the Nobleman’s mansion at 12 and 4pm. (except during winter from December through February)

We got good seats to see one of the tightropes but were blocked from seeing the other. I’d try to get a seat somewhere where you can see both because we were unlucky and the performer used the rope that was blocked partially from our view. The students greatly enjoyed the show and it was fun. I noticed that the host for the show was the same one who’d hosted the equestrian event and the farmer’s music and dance. From the two tightrope performances I’ve seen it seems that the performer is always accompanied by music (in this case a janggu, traditional drum) and someone else to talk with who adds some sort of comedy to the performance. It’s always fun.

I had a good time walking around the Korean Folk Village on my own. I do wish I’d had time to pop into the information building before going in to get a map with things to do before I’d gone in and been at a loss of where I was or what there was to do. I didn’t even find their website which is available in many languages including English here. My students had a lot of fun during the day, learning and enjoying their time. It seems to be a very popular spot for school trips and I can see why, there’s a little bit of educational, cultural and historical things included with fun performances and a small amusement park. Hours vary by season and weekday versus weekend but it opens daily at 9:30am and tends to close between 5:30pm and 7pm. There was plenty to do and it was very easy to spend the majority of our day there. Ticket prices range from 13,000 won to 27,000 won.

한국민속촌 Korean Folk Village As part of the week leading up to Chuseok my school was super busy. My students had soccer games in the middle of the day, there were cultural festivities and guests and all sorts of fun things that meant I barely had any classes at all.

#culture #folk village #history #한국민속촌 #south korea #things to do in Yongin #things to do with kids #travel

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recentanimenews · 6 years ago

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Find a Fresh Start in Life is Strange 2, Episode One: Roads

There’s a moment towards the end of Life is Strange 2’s first episode that perfectly exemplified the sequel’s direction. After a particularly stressful sequence, one of the few friendly faces I’d found pulled me aside for some encouragement. “The past is the past,” he says, quite literally gesturing toward the remnants of my time spent in the first game. Of course, he doesn’t know what happened in Arcadia Bay, nor does Sean Diaz, Life is Strange’s new protagonist. I know, though, and Dontnod knows too. It’s a clear message both for those who played Life is Strange and those who didn’t. It’s time to leave Arcadia Bay behind. Set your sights on Puerto Lobos.

The first Life is Strange released over the course of 2015 as a five-part episodic adventure series. Set in a coastal town in rural Oregon, it followed a high schooler named Max Caulfield who awakens the ability to rewind time. After using her power to save the life of an old friend, the two begin searching for a missing person. The game made waves for its tackling of heavy issues such as bullying, suicide, coming out, and sexual abuse within its coming-of-age drama framework.

I’m a big fan of the first game, but was apprehensive when a sequel was announced. To me, the first game’s story was already as complete as it needed to be. Luckily, Dontnod felt the same way and promised that Life is Strange 2 would be something completely new. After playing the first episode (simply titled Roads), I can assure you that they’ve kept their promise.

Life is Strange 2 centers around Sean and Daniel Diaz, a pair of brothers whose quiet life at home with their dad is suddenly and violently taken from them. On their own and on the run, they decide to make the long trek from the Seattle suburbs to their father’s childhood home in Puerto Lobos, Mexico. While their journey in Roads has only just begun, their story will supposedly take place over the course of an entire year as they cross the American countryside in search of a new place to call home.

In many ways, it’s the same Life is Strange you already know and love. Aesthetically, it’s identical to the first. Effects such as wind, fire, and running water are once again animated in 2D to charming effect. Character models are rendered in the same plastic-looking style as before,and facial animations are as stiff as ever as a result. Limited facial expressions that couldn’t keep up with the voiceover work undercut more than a few of the episode’s more emotional scenes. It’s the one glaring flaw in the way this game looks, which is normally gorgeous. Much of the episode is spent in a beautiful autumn forest environment that I couldn’t help but take screenshot after screenshot of. Expect to find plenty of opportunities to sit down, listen to the soundtrack, and gaze at shot after shot of all the lovely scenery.

Speaking of the soundtrack, Life is Strange 2 features another well-curated selection of licensed songs. I have this game to blame for me listening to Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” more lately than I have in years. While I do love these licensed soundtracks and believe they add a lot to the Life is Strange experience, they give me concern over the series’s longevity. Recently, Grand Theft Auto IV had to patch out licensed selections of its soundtrack, and the Alan Wake series had to be removed from storefronts altogether due to expiring music licenses. I noticed that Life is Strange 2 has an option to turn off licensed songs, which I hoped meant would replace them with originals. Unfortunately, all it does is mute the music altogether. It’s a good feature for streamers and let’s players who need to avoid copyright takedowns on their videos, but I worry about what happens when the licenses expire. Will anyone who picks up this game a decade from now have to settle with stark silence where a poppy intro used to be? It’s not quite a knock against Life is Strange 2, but it does make me wonder.

The gameplay of Life is Strange 2 is where it begins to diverge from its predecessor. You are still walking around environments in third person picking up and reading as many objects as you can, but the original’s time rewind ability is absent. This is to be expected, of course, but unfortunately there’s no actual replacement for it. This time around the playable character doesn’t have any powers whatsoever. Before, Max’s rewind ability gave her a variety of time manipulation puzzles to play with and the ability to change dialogue choices over the course of the game. Failing puzzles got characters hurt or killed, and I found myself hitting a few game over screens I needed to rewind out of and start over. If the first episode of Life is Strange 2 had any failable moments, I never found them.

While not being able to play with any fun powers is a bit disappointing, Life is Strange 2 does bring something new to the table: your brother Daniel. As Daniel’s caretaker, everything Sean says and does influences him in one way or another. By the end of the episode I had already felt the consequences of some of my decisions, and Dontnod promises that early actions will only continue to influence him as the story progresses. Moral choices are nothing new these days, but what I found interesting is how many of my little choices seemed to affect Daniel. Being a rather energetic child, his curiosity had him drifting around every scene looking for any way to occupy himself. Sean had plenty of opportunities to bond with Daniel in these scenes or to leave him be and attend to chores such as shopping or setting up camp. All of these interactions contributed to Daniel’s hunger, exhaustion, security, dependence, and overall bond with Sean, which further affect his behavior from scene to scene.

I tend to play games like Life is Strange with a compulsive need to see every single thing I can, but Daniel’s inclusion in the game changed all of that. While he never ran off and got into trouble, I was always worried he might and stuck close by. I pestered him to go to the bathroom whenever I found one. I refused to even look at toys for the flavor text because I was strapped for cash and didn’t want Daniel to hope I’[d buy one for him. He whines, but he genuinely wants to help. He complains, but only because he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He lashes out at Sean, but his love for his brother is apparent. His behavior felt believable, and I quickly found myself sinking into my role as his protective older brother.

Finally, Life is Strange 2 diverges from the first game most notably with its story and subject matter. There’s no missing person to find, no bullying ring to take down, and no town to save from disaster. There’s no mystery here, only an adventure. This is a story about a pair of brothers on the run. It’s the relationship between these brothers that drives the story forward this time, rather than the intrigue of a good mystery. The story as a whole is massively elevated by the strength of its dialogue, which is an incredibly funny thing to think for a game called Life is Strange. The first game’s attempt at writing ‘teen’ dialogue was charmingly out-of-touch, so it’s surprising to hear the teens in this game talking like actual teens. Unfortunately, the delivery often leaves something to be desired. Many of the line readings -- particularly from Daniel -- sounded rather stilted compared to the first game’s pretty solid dubbing.

It’s also worth noting that this game is more overtly political than the last. The first moments of the episode are dated October 28, 2016, and why Dontnod set the game in 2016 instead of 2018 is immediately apparent: Sean and Daniel are the sons of a Mexican immigrant. Diving into Sean’s sketchbook reveals a reference to a recent debate on TV. “He’s not actually gonna win, right?” asks a friend of Sean over text message. Multiple references are made to building a wall, for crying out loud. The very incident that puts Sean and Daniel on the run could be ripped straight from the headlines these days. “Everything is political,” declares one character to another. It’s clear that Dontnod believes that, because this game is rife with it.

This is, of course, only a review of Life is Strange 2’s first episode. The story is far from over, so there are plenty of lingering questions. The big one is what role the supernatural will play in the story. While Sean doesn’t have any abilities, someone else does. I won’t spoil who or what kind of powers they are, but they play an important role in episode one - albeit a brief one. Whether or not they will be implemented into gameplay at all remains to be seen. I certainly hope so.

The other big question is how exactly Life is Strange 2 will link up to The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, a free downloadable game meant to act as a prequel to Life is Strange 2. While Chris (aka Captain Spirit) doesn’t show up at all in the first episode, upon going back to his mini-story I found that not only is there a reference to the inciting incident in Life is Strange 2, but the previously unnamed characters Chris meets at the end are in fact Sean and Daniel. How they will link up remains to be seen, but I’m very excited to find out.

Despite all my little quibbles and qualms and comparisons to the first game, after finishing this episode, all I could think of was how good it was. It’s not the same Life is Strange as before, but I never wanted it to be. This story has already both impressed and broken my heart multiple times over. With Life is Strange 2, Dontnod is heading in the fresh direction the series deserves. I can’t wait to see more.

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Gorgeous visuals

+ Story that is as relevant as it is emotionally arresting

+ Accurate teen dialogue

+ Pleasantly curated and orchestrated soundtrack

+ Choices are more active than before

+/- No powers to mess around with, but taking care of Daniel adds an engaging layer to gameplay

- Disappointing absence of facial animation in key moments

- Some stilted line deliveries throughout

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Danni Wilmoth is a Features and Social Videos writer for Crunchyroll and also co-hosts the video game podcast Indiecent. You can find more words from her on Twitter @NanamisEgg.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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