#bongo ii

[loz-the-noob]

He is literally chilling

[sillybeanies]

[cupidslullaby]

Pt 2 to this post. Bongo II has joined the family, plus a pic of the bongos with the bongo extended family, Congo and Banana.

[beifong-brainrot]

Um. Don't drink while having a migraine

[jazzthatonewriterchick]

A Fool For Love (18+ Fic) 

Pairing: Gangster!Bakugou x Black!Bimbo!Reader

Synopsis: You were just a lowly young woman singing and dancing at your local club to care for your sick mother and a chance at fame. He was just a renowned gangster, building his lonely empire and riches on the bones he broke. And then you two met and suddenly, everything seemed to fit together...until he broke it all apart again. Now, trying to move on, you find affection with another, but your gangster ex doesn't take too kindly to that and will have to find it in himself to make you understand that you're the one for him.

Story Warnings: 18+ (MINORS GTFO); Time Period AU (1930s/40s); Gangster/Thug!Bakugou; Bimbo!Reader; Strangers to Lovers/Exes to Lovers; Opposites Attract Trope; Sunshine x Grumpy Trope; Mild Violence; Some Mentions of Racism & Sexism; Love Triangle; Jealous BF!Bakugou; Possession/Ownership; Bondage; Mild BDSM; Marking; Scent Play; Daddy Kink; Spanking; Spit Play; Cum Play; Public Sex; Dom!Bakugou x sub!Reader; Breeding Kink; Unprotected Sex/Creampies; Fluff & Hurt/Angst

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned in this fic. However, as this is my writing, I do not give permission for my work to be reposted on any other sites that are not from my own accounts. Thank you!

Writer's Note: FIRST CHAPTER IS HERE!! Thank y'all for the love so far! This is gonna be one of them "then and now" fics so there will be a lot of flashback chapters in here. I hope y'all enjoy! 💗💗 -Jazz

Chapters: PREVIEW. I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X.

***********

I: NOW 

Bakugou hates the clubs. 

Even the one you work at, he isn’t particularly fond of. The local Cotton Club is filled with its usual patrons of crime-riddled individuals, boozers, losers, and elite folk looking to steal one of the dancers away for a hot night of sneaky sex before going back home to their wealthy spouses and high class lives. 

But he figures that the drinks are good enough and the vibe is always mellow, so he picked this place for a meeting with a particular partner overseas that has yet to show his face. And it’s starting to piss him off. He hates tardiness. He takes a drag of his cigarette and taps the residue ashes into the ashtray sitting by his shot of whiskey. 

“That fucker is late,” he growls under his breath. “He scheduled the goddamn day and time for this stupid ass meeting and now he flakes?” He huffs to himself. “It’s ‘cause he knows he don’t have the money for us.” He gazes at the stage where two women wearing bead skirts and coconut bras are dancing while the live band plays song fit for a tropical vacation. The audience that is predominantly male hoot and holler all around Bakugou, raising their glasses in the cigarette-scented air. 

Usually, the smoke, the booze, and the dim lighting of the cotton club would ease Bakugou’s nerves enough to relax…but not tonight. Tonight is different. And Kirishima, his best friend and right hand man, is feeling it. He sits next to Bakugou in his club best, his long red locks wildly cascading down his broad shoulders. 

“Chill out, Bakubro,” he whispers, rolling his crimson eyes at him. “Take a load off. And for fuck’s sake, stop sippin’ on the hooch! It’s makin’ ya crazy!” 

Bakugou glares daggers at his friend, taking a sip of his drink just to spite him. “Fuck off,” he snarls. “I don’t need you to tell me shit, shitty hair. You’re lucky I even came out here with you tonight. Why’d you even drag me here?” 

Kiri cocks his head to the side, looking like he wants to reach across the table and smack the blonde across the face with one of his big, tatted hands. “You picked the club!” he argues above the bongos and ukulele playing from the stage. “Besides, you know Mina works here. Anythin’ to get a chance to see my little dancer before she goes on stage.”

He breaks out into a ridiculous, foolish grin at the mention of his girl that Bakugou knows and remembers all too well. It makes him want to crawl into the darkest corner of the club and never come back out. 

Kiri reaches over and picks up his cigar, holding the stick between his sharpened teeth that usually scares the shit out of enemies and clients trying to give Bakugou the runaround. Despite his laidback attitude, Kiri is known for his big, brawny appearance, tattoos, alarming teeth, and brutal fists. Unlike Bakugou, he can keep himself in check and isn’t ready to fly off the handle unless pushed to. That is why he and Bakugou work so well together. 

“It’s better than stewin’ in your mansion by your lonesome, right?” he asks, offering a toothy smile to his platinum blonde friend. “And by meetin’ with your latest partner, you can kill two birds with one stone.” He gives Bakugou a wink as he smokes his cigar. He doesn’t smoke cigarettes because his girlfriend hates getting the stink in her hair. 

Bakugou scoffs to himself, rolling his vermillion eyes as the audience claps for the end of the current show. “Yeah, except you’re way too paranoid that I’m gonna blow a hole in him as soon as I see him.” And he just might. Bakugou is on that type of time tonight. The moon is full, he has brown liquor in him, and he is tempted to kick some ass to pass the time. 

Kiri raises a pierced brow at him, tapping his ashes from his cigar into the tray. “You’re a little wired up than usual,” he claims. Bakugou side eyes him, giving him a confused scowl. “Than usual?” he parrots. “What the hell does that mean?” 

Kiri blatantly ignores the question, immediately moving into friend mode. “What’s gotcha in such a knot, buddy? Have ya been sleepin’?” The blonde stares at him in silence for a moment, wondering what kind of audacity this man has to be asking about his personal life. “What kinda fuckin’ question is that? What are you, my therapist?” 

The redhead shrugs, taking a sip of his drink of aged bourbon. “Well, I only ask ‘cause of those dark circles under your eyes.” Bakugou glares at him, self-consciously rubbing at his right eye. He looks away to the man playing piano on the stage, the tune upbeat and joyful despite the dimly-lit, seductive atmosphere. “Plus it’s been a while since you’ve been at this particular club. You didn’t wanna pick another place?” 

Kiri sounds so concerned that it pisses Bakugou off even more. He turns and stares dead into his friend’s face, jaw tight and eyes hard. “Why would I?” he asks, and that’s the end of the conversation. He knows that Kiri knows the real reason he chose here tonight. 

Admittedly came just to see you. He hasn’t been here in over a month since the last time he saw you, your eyes sad and struggling to hold back your tears. That expression has haunted him since then, filling his nights with endless whiskey shots and boozed-up sleep. He knew it was a bad idea to come here, and so he has been neglecting to visit, avoiding it at all costs. He told himself he would never return. 

And yet he found himself at the club you work at anyway, standing outside the velvet rope as if he were about to enter the gates of Hell earlier tonight. He didn’t know what he would do if he saw you again. Would he say anything? Would he run? Would he act as if you were a stranger? 

Those same damn thoughts come back now, gnawing at him. He hasn’t seen you yet, but he knows he can’t see you now. It’s too raw. “That’s it,” he growls. “If this asshole ain’t comin’, I’m gettin’ more liquor.” He goes to stand up, but Kiri stops him, grabbing the sleeve to his designer sweater. “No, no!” he protests. “I said lay off the hooch! We don’t need you blowin’ up on innocent bystanders.” 

Bakugou snatches his arm out of his friend’s hold, fixing his sleeve to cover his Rolex watch and the tattoos roping down to his wrist, stopping at his fingers adorned with rings, including the one you bought for him. He wears it every day. 

“What’s this about layin’ off the hooch?” a familiar, melodic voice asks. He turns, finding a familiar, hourglass-figured woman with chestnut-colored skin and wild pink hair standing behind him. Her muscles, dusted with body glitter, glow in the dim, purple light under her bodice and nylon stockings. She places a hand on her slim hip, giving Bakugou and Kiri a glossy smile. “If ya ask me, I’d say you can never lay off some good liquor. How’s it hangin’, boys?” 

Kiri is more than happy to see her with her tray full of empty glasses and ashtrays from her busy night on the floor. He immediately scoops her up and puts her in his lap, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I was hopin’ to see you tonight,” he says with a big ass smile stretching across his face. “You didn’t go on yet, baby?” 

Mina giggles as Kiri nuzzles his nose into her wavy locks. “Not yet. Still got some time, so I figured that I’d give you guys a proper hello.” She wraps an arm around Kiri’s thick neck, slinging it over his shoulders as she gives Bakugou a warm smile. “How are ya, Bakugou?” she asks. “Haven’t seen ya around here with your sexy friend in a hot minute.” 

Ever the one for PDA, Kiri once again liplocks his girlfriend of two years, Mina holding his face so she can deepen the kiss. They have been like this ever since Bakugou could remember. Mina has been working at the Cotton Club as a dancer for over four years now, entertaining people under the bright lights and occasionally working as a waitress when she isn’t moving that body. Kiri said that when he met her it was “love at first sight”, introducing Bakugou to her as “the girl of his dreams”. Bakugou didn’t quite understand his friend’s hopeless romantic mindset until Mina introduced you to him at this exact club just a year ago. As soon as he got a look at your brown eyes, smooth skin, and shy smile, then he totally understood. 

He rolls his vermillion eyes at his friend and his girlfriend, taking a drag of his cigarette and puffing it in the direction of the snogging couple. “You two are fuckin’ disgustin’,” he harrumphs. Kiri glares at him, waving the smoke away from Mina. “And I’m only here ‘cause your man dragged me out and I need to meet this extra who hasn’t shown his face yet.” 

Mina and Kiri share a knowing look, unbeknownst to Bakugou. Mina knows all about Bakugou’s breakup with you since she’s your best friend and right hand command. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re here!” Mina giggles, trying to brighten the mood. “It’s much better to be out and about gettin’ some fresh air and hangin’ with your favorite people than bein’ cooped up in that fancy mansion, right?” 

Bakugou can’t even bring himself to agree with the pink-haired dancer just to appease her. Luckily, he doesn’t have to try because someone interrupts them, sauntering up to the table in a way where Bakugou can tell he is drunk. The patron is heavy set and dressed in his finest suit, possibly a broker coming from a shift to enjoy the club. “Minaaaaa, there you are!” he bellows, grinning wildly at the dancer. Kiri instinctively wraps his arm tighter around Mina, holding her closer. 

The patron wrinkles his brows, looking around the table for someone. “Hey, where’s Y/N at? Don’t she perform witcha too?” 

As soon as your name is uttered, it hangs in the air like cigarette smoke, suspended and present. Kiri and Mina look at each other and then at Bakugou, wide-eyed and concerned as if the drunk man just admitted to killing Bakugou’s pet dog Blaze or something. The platinum blonde feels strangely numb at first, as if your name did not quite process, but then when it does, his entire body grows tense as if sensing danger. 

He hasn’t heard your name in over a month. Kiri and Mina had made it their mission to not say it around him (he knows) and because he hasn’t been to the club, he hasn’t heard anyone else say it. He hasn’t even said it himself, even when his hand is wrapped around his aching cock and the dark space behind his eyelids are full of your pretty face. Even just saying your name is like opening up Pandora’s Box for him.

“Uh, she’s on break,” Mina quickly replies, giving the drunkard a plastered smile. “She’ll be with us soon!” The patron takes that and rolls on, humming a tune to himself as he goes to the bar. Mina turns to you, her golden eyes apologetic. “I’m sorry about that,” she apologizes. “The fellas here can become quite friendly.” Her redhead squeezes her tight to his side in an attempt to make her feel better after that awkwardness. “Oh, we know, baby,” Kiri responds. “It’s fine! It ain’t your fault. And Bakugou understands…right, Bakugou?” 

Bakugou once again cannot bring himself to answer. He is too busy looking at the door to where his guest should be arriving…but he can’t decide if he’s waiting for the man who owes him money or for you. Are you here tonight? Was Mina telling the truth about you being on break? Are you somewhere backstage in your dressing room, waiting for him to leave so that you can do your shift and not see him? 

Before his thoughts can grow even wilder, the lights grow dimmer and a spotlight appears on the stage where a busty woman in a feathery dress and boa stands at the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announces amongst the lewd howls and hoots, “please allow me to introduce our next act. They are fairly new, but they are guaranteed to make their place here at the Cotton Club and in your hearts with their pretty faces and dazzlin’ moves. Introducing to you…The Eight-Legged Ladies!” 

The entire club goes dark, the audience applauds, and the music starts. It is upbeat and whimsical, led by fast, tickled ivories from an experienced piano-player. As the lights turn a cobalt blue, eight young women in rows of four enter from either side of the stage sparkling, fringe two-pieces and kitten heels, pearls dripping from their necks. They are all different sizes, heights, and complexions, from ivory white to olive brown to skin kissed by the sun, darkened by the heat. 

They are all beautiful in their own way, but Bakugou’s eyes are attracted to one in the front. She is short like you–just your height, in fact–and on the curvy side. Her creamy thighs, sparkling and gleaming with body glitter under the light, are toned from dancing yet thick and soft from God’s blessing and her mother’s genetics.

Her curvaceous hips trail up to her heart-stopping breasts pushed up by her bra, tantalizing the eye the same as her soft, brown skin and frame of glossy, black curls that bounce and wiggle as she glides across the stage. Bakugou’s heart ceases and then begins beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. Could it be…? 

But it isn’t you. He knows it isn’t as soon as she smiles and comes into the spotlight. Her face is the same shape as yours and she wears the same dimples embedded into her cheeks as you do, but the mole on her chin and the shape of her eyes give her away. Bakugou leans back in his chair, realizing that he was leaning forward in anticipation of you.‘I’m losin’ my mind,’ he thinks. 

Of course it isn’t you. He is so stupid. 

“Aren’t they beautiful?!” Mina yells over the music. “I know the two in the front! They’re absolute dolls!” She points a glossy nail at a slender, swan-necked dancer and at the short cutie he thought was you. The way she smiles and scrunches her nose the same as you are like punches in the gut if not bullets to the chest. He can’t stand this any longer. It is like the universe is laughing at him for his poor decision in letting you go and this is his punishment. 

As Mina claps along to the music, Bakugou motions for Kiri to lean in. “I’m gonna head out,” he murmurs into Kiri’s ear. “These horny fucks are startin’ to bug me.” He shoots a glare at a guy sitting at a nearby table that is a little too excited, screaming his head off at the girls. He figures that doing this will help sway Kiri. “You sure?” he asks, scrunching his brows at Bakugou. “What about the guy?” 

But Bakugou is already rising from his chair and grabbing his trench coat to fend off the chilly spring air. “Just tell him to call me.” Quickly, he shoves his coat and drains the rest of his whiskey before storming away from the table, grabbing Mina’s attention. Kiri tries to stop him, calling out for him. “Wait, Bakugou–” 

But Bakugou is already hurrying towards one of the exits, moving blindly through the dimly-lit club and the cigarette smoke, passing mahogany tables and couples discreetly kissing in the dark corners of the club. He slams a hand against the exit door and pushes it open, immediately smacked in the face by the chilly air of early spring. He walks out into the alley way and presses himself against one of the brick walls, feeling the solid stone against his back. It all grounds him. 

He tilts his head up to stare at the sky. It is a clear, starry night and the moon hangs full in the sky like a wheel of white cheese. You would’ve looked absolutely beautiful on a night like tonight. “Fuck,” he whispers to himself. How can he go on like this? 

Crash! 

Bakugou jumps, instantly reaching for his pistol in his pocket and aiming it down the alleyway where the noise came from. “Da fuck?” he mutters to himself. He squints into the darkness, trying to make out the shadows of dumpsters and trash bags under the fuzzy street lamps. The end of the alleyway where it ends and the streets start is obscured by the dark, making it so hard to make out anything. 

Plus, Bakugou is a little buzzed. It could be just a rat or a dog scurrying around in the trash searching for scraps, but he is never too careful. In his line of business where police sniff around and enemies can disguise themselves as friends, you can never be too careful. He is sure many people that he has broken bread with and broken bones in the bodies of would love to take a bullet to his chest or a fist to his face. “Who’s there?” he demands, glaring down the alley. Silence answers him and he grows irritated. “If it’s someone lookin’ for a fight, you’d better rethink that. I’m not the one to be played with.” 

Click. 

He cocks the gun, letting it speak for itself. Immediately, a trashcan falls over and a man comes scrambling out from behind it. He is dressed in a brown suit and his combover is damn near sweating out all of its gel. After him comes a woman in a slinky dress and a glossy bob, stumbling in her heels and wiping at her mouth coated in her red lipstick. A flapper girl who got lucky with a patron. 

She struts back into the cotton club as if she didn’t just give someone head in an alley and a gun wasn’t just pointed at her. That leaves just Bakugou and the drunk patron who stares at him woozily. He snaps, pointing at her. “Eh, I’ve seen you before!” he hiccups. “Yer that hotshot with that one dancer, right? Boy, she’s a real somethin’. You’ve got your work cut out for ya.” He gives Bakugou a grin, teeth yellowed from alcohol and tobacco. 

Bakugou knows better than to get angry. Plenty of men have said worse things about you when he was with you. Plus, the man is too drunk to be smart. “Whatever,” he grumbles, uncocking his gun and letting it hang limp at his side. “Just watch it, alright? You’ll kill yourself out here.” 

Quickly, he turns around and begins to walk the other way when the patron hollers out for him. “Hey!” he hollers. Against his better judgment, Bakugou turns around. The man is still giving him that grin. That stupid, sloppy grin. “Your girl is a beaut and I’ve had my eye on her too, but ya can’t turn a whore into a housewife, y’know?” 

If there was a record playing, it would have scratched by now. Bakugou stares at the man as if he is deadass serious. “What?” he growls. His grip tightens on his gun, ready to blow. 

The patron shrugs and now his smile is menacing. Mocking. “Ya mean you aren’t datin’ that hot bimbo bitch with the big tits?” he asks, actually sounding surprised. “What, she ain’t know how to suck ya off?” He begins to give a big, barking laugh that has Bakugou’s blood boiling and his head throbbing as the voice of reason tries to fight off a crashout session. 

Just walk away. Just walk away. Just walk away. 

Bakugou blatantly ignores that voice and lets his feet move across the concrete, his boots thudding in the alleyway. Before the man can even wipe the smile off of his face, Bakugou is sharply swinging his pistol and smacking him in the face with it. The satisfying sound of the metal hitting impact on the man’s cheek is all that is heard among the muffled music from the club and the distant sound of honking cars outside the alley. The man lets out an “oof!” and stumbles to his knees from the impact, clutching his bruised cheek. 

Once he is down, Bakugou takes advantage of his vulnerable position and roughly kicks him in the side. “You stupid drunk motherfucker,” he snarls. “Don’t you ever talk about her like that again.”

And as if the man has a death wish, he laughs again, blood billowing from his nostrils and still cupping his swelling cheek. “Ohhh, so she’s gotcha by the balls, huh?!” he cackles. “Y’know she’s been with almost every other guy in that club.” 

Now Bakugou is seeing red. It is as if he has left his body and is watching himself get on top of the man and throw fist after fist at him. He hits whatever he can get: the man’s face, his stomach, his head. Bakugou turns into a violent machine, moving on impact, egged on by the sound of his knuckles connected to skin. It is all one would hear plus the gargled, pained sounds coming from the patron underneath him, if they happened outside. 

Kiri happens to be that someone, coming outside to find Bakugou straddling the bruised man and continuing to assault him. Immediately, he runs to the blonde and grabs him by his coat, pulling him off of the poor, drunk moron. “Whoa, whoa!” he shouts, glaring at Bakugou. “What the hell is goin’ on out here?!” 

Bakugou shoves Kiri off of him, wiping at his coat. “He called Y/N a whore,” he growls, jabbing a finger at the patron. “He disrespected her.” The patron groans in pain, holding his nose that Bakugou is pretty sure is broken. His fingers are stained in blood, droplets falling onto the ground. 

Kiri’s confused expression sharpens into anger now. Not only are you Mini’s friend but you are also Kiri’s, having gotten close once he started dating Mina. He once told Bakugou that you are too good for the Cotton Club with how sweet you are and Bakugou definitely agreed. “Is that true?” the redhead asks the man in a low, dangerous tone that Bakugou has never heard before. 

The patron stares wide-eyed and terrified at the burly redhead. Before he can even speak, Kiri is tossing off his coat and jabbing a foot into the man’s jaw, giving him a sharp kick in the mouth. Bakugou follows suit, kicking him in the stomach, and soon, the two of them are stomping the man out, splattering blood on the brick walls and on the concrete. 

The man puts his shaky hands up in defense, gasping for mercy. “Okay, okay!” he coughs. “I-I’m sorry, okay?! Please don’t kill me!” He covers his head with his arms, shaking like a leaf. Bakugou and Kiri stand over him, both heaving and sweating from the violent movement.

“You’re lucky we don’t kill you,” Bakugou warns, poking at the patron’s elbow, smirking when he flinches, “but if you ever flap your gums about her again, I may just rethink that.” 

The patron whimpers and nods, still shivering and shaking in a fetal position. Bakugou turns to Kiri wiping sweat from his forehead, scowling at him. “I didn’t need your help.”

The redhead rolls his crimson blood eyes, used to his friend’s stubbornness. “Oh, I know, but Y/N is my friend too, and nobody disrespects my friends.” 

Rattle-rattle. 

Bakugou’s head turns in the direction of the sudden sound, down at the alleyway. Another drunk maybe? Or a rat this time? No…he sees someone standing there, short and in a flowing dress with full, bouncy girls. A woman. 

He squints into the darkness, struggling to make out the outline of the woman. Is it you? He takes a step toward you, pure, delusional excitement making his heart skip a beat. “Bakugou?” Kiri asks. “What is it?” 

Bakugou silently blinks and the woman is walking away, probably having not seen him or cared to investigate. He takes a deep breath to calm his stuttering heart despite Kiri’s confused expression. He has to follow. He has to know if it is you. “Nothing,” he immediately replies. “I-I have to go.” 

Quickly, he turns around and runs the other way out of the alley, leaving Kiri with the groaning, bruised patron lying on the ground. “Katsuki, wait!” Kiri shouts, but Bakugou is already running down the alleyway, hurrying after the woman he thinks is you. He runs as if his life depends on it, hot blood pumping so fast in his legs that they hurt. 

When he finally turns the corner from the alley and stands on the street, he sees the woman standing on the corner under a street lamp. That excitement he felt seconds before quickly withers into disappointment when he sees her standing there, the light washing over the stranger with the blue dress and porcelain, white skin. That is definitely not you.  

Bakugou stares up at the sky, wondering why God is punishing him so. “I’m fuckin’ losin’ it,” he murmurs to himself. He doesn’t care who notices, but anyone who would wouldn’t point it out. He is Bakugou Katsuki after all. Anyone who has a problem with him can take it up with his fists or his gun. 

Quickly, he turns around and finally heads home to the beautiful yet lonely tomb that he calls his mansion, hands in his pockets and head down, the liquor finally losing its effect on him.

He is relieved to finally be off the cold streets and in the privacy of his beautiful home located on the richer, upper East side of the city of Musutafu surrounded by trees and the homes being separated by a couple of feet.

Sometimes, being alone is just what he needs. 

But when he enters his mansion after having walked twenty full minutes to it (Kiri picked him up from his home earlier) and decides to make a fire so he can finish off a bottle of Jack before bed, it feels cold and unforgiving. Lonely.

Even the fire blazing in the fireplace is not enough to bring warmth or light into his home. Only you can do that.

[kondraki]

Alright. Cat naming time.

I'm sure you'll all be very thoughtful and normal about this.

[nintendocompositions]

IT'S HERE!! 129 hours of love went into making this megamix party anthology of some of my favorite dance tracks! CapCut is now banned so it might be while til I upload videos as I re-learn.. life comes at you fast but I'm so lucky to have finished rendering this monster beforehand!

🪩 = bootleg by me

JUSTICE - The Party (ft Uffie) Miami Horror - I Look to You (ft Kimbra) Annie - Heartbeat (EarthMoonEarth Remix) Tove Lo - Disco Tits Goldfrapp - Slide In (DFA Remix) Millionaires - Stay the Night Calvin Harris - Merrymaking at My Place (Mr. Oizo Remix) Soulwax - NY Lipps (Kawazaki Dub) 🪩 YELLE - Je Veux Te Voir (BAИSHI Funky Edit) Peaches - Shake Yer Dix (Tiga's Where Were You In '92 Remix) Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning (Alex Metric Remix) Felix Da Housecat - Silver Screen (Shower Scene) Tiga - Shoes Black Strobe - Me & Madonna (The Twelves Remix) The Swiss - Kiss to Kiss SOPHIE - NOTHING MORE TO SAY (DUB) Shinichi Osawa - Detonator (ft Princess Superstar) Boys Noize - & Down Klaxons - As Above So Below (JUSTICE Remix) Sneaky Sound System - When We Were Young (GLOVES Remix) Kylie Minogue - Boombox (LA Riots Remix) 🪩 Madison Avenue x Tkay Maidza - 24k (Don't Call Me) The Ones - Flawless Playgroup - Make It Happen Tove Lo - Pineapple Slice Treasure Fingers - Cross The Dancefloor (Chromeo Remix) Chilly Gonzales - You Can Dance (Fare Soldi Gonzobot Remix) Feist - Sealion (Chromeo Remix) 🪩 Deee-Lite x Zongamin - Groove Is In The Bongos Daft Punk - Around the World Kelis - 4th of July The Count & Sinden - Beeper (ft Kid Sister) Sneaker Pimps - Spin Spin Sugar (Armand’s Dark Garage Mix) Basement Jaxx - Red Alert Mason vs Princess Superstar - Perfect (Exceeder) 🪩 Far East Movement x Megan Thee Stallion - Like a Freak6 Lady Gaga - Donatella Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax Remix) Miss Kittin & The Hacker - Frank Sinatra 2001 Azealia Banks - 1991 Carte Blanche - IN THE MIX Fare Soldi - Tutto Tutti Sempre Subito Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix) Uffie - ADD SUV ft Pharrell (Carte Blanche Remix) YELLE - Que Veux-Tu (Madeon Remix) Azealia Banks - ATM JAM ft Pharrell (The Oddword Remix) 🪩 Benny Benassi x Charli XCX - Guess My Satisfaction (ft Billie Eilish) Daft Punk - Technologic SOPHIE - VYZEE No Mana & SOFI - Digital Friends Mario Più - Communication (Yomanda Remix) 🪩 Proyecto Uno x Yomanda - Tiburón y Strings Basement Jaxx - Bingo Bango Kelela - Sorbet (LSDXOXO Remix) CoastDream - Eivissa

I DON'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO ANYTHING

[cutebutalsostabby]

Any really weird or funny things in the LoZ games you think deserve attention in LU fics?

Oh, a bunch. Where to start?

Firstly: they should play more minigames. Especially dancing. Weird that the Gorons moved on to wrestling as their main sport by Twilight's era; frankly that's a downgrade. Legend and Time should remind them what tradition looks like.

And some minigames are just... ridiculously dangerous? They would make GREAT crack fics. Any myths of Sky being normal and well-adjusted would crack under the weight of that game where you get shot out of a cannon and then skydive down to slam your face into a giant roulette wheel. Or that game from Labrynna (Legend) where this Goron throws a whole heap of bombs at you to see if you can dodge them. Only slightly safer than a similar game involving cuccos.

And on the more serious side of lore that I think is under-explored: the Royal Family has a daaaark side. In a lot of ways, really, which are HINTED at in the games, but rarely actually detailed. For example, it's mentioned in Twilight Princess that the Royal Family have been exploiting the Twilight Realm since LONG before the Twilight Realm started fighting back. And in TotK's ancient Hyrule, we never did find out what happened with the rest of the Zonai, or how exactly Rauru ended up in charge of things.

Ocarina of Time has the darkest portrayal of the Royal Family - even though Zelda is the only member of that family that you ever actually see (the king is somewhere offscreen at the time you meet her). Although everything seems fine and normal at first - notwithstanding the giant war that happened before the start of the game and which left Hyrule Field SWARMING with undead - you eventually come across Bottom of the Well and the Shadow Temple, which uhh... don't paint the Royal Family or Sheikah in a particularly nice light.

And then there's Zelda II's background lore from the game booklet, which says that a king from long ago created the monsters that guard the Palaces:

Are we just going to skip past the fact that the King can create monsters?? That feels important! When and how did he learn to do that? Does that have anything to do with how Dead Hand and Bongo Bongo came into existence? Or anything to do with BotW's Guardians, WW's Tower of the Gods, SS's Lanayru facility or the transformative shadow magic in TP? Possibly not, but it's fun to think about. Teehee conspiracy brain go brr.

There should be more spooky scary horror fics, maybe. Maybe I should write this. (It's vaguely included as a plotpoint in my longfic, but I am SLOW right now.)

[just-a-carrot]

Hi Carrot!! Question, if the main group +Cecil,Hunar and Jerry had pets what would they name them??

Iggy: Melchoir

Genzou: Bongo Bot (this would be veto'd) Pikachu (Peek for short)

Orlam: Archibald II (tho we already see this lol)

Gidget: Oly

Bucks: Smorkus Malorkus (Smork for short)

Hunar: ..........Smorkus Malorkus (he has no choice)

Cecil: Kain

Jerry: George

[loz-the-noob]

Made Satsuma a bracelet!

They all work on a farm together btw vvv

[princesssarisa]

These lesser-known Disney movies were produced during and just after World War II. Due to the war, the company lacked the staff and budget to make their classic full-length animated features, so instead they "packaged" several animated shorts together to form feature-length movies. These sustained the studio until they finally returned to single-story features with Cinderella in 1950.

The general public might not know their names, but some of us have just as many fond childhood memories of these movies as of Disney's best-known classics.

It can be easy to forget which shorts came from which package films, so here's a reminder list:

Saludos Amigos: "Lake Titicaca," "Pedro," "El Gaucho Goofy," "Aquarela do Brasil."

The Three Caballeros: "The Cold-Blooded Penguin," "The Flying Gauchito," "Baía," "Three Caballeros," "Las Posadas," "You Belong to My Heart," "Donald's Surreal Reverie."

Make Mine Music: "The Martins and the Coys," "Blue Bayou," "All the Cats Join In," "Without You," "Casey at the Bat," "Two Silhouettes," "Peter and the Wolf," "After You've Gone," "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet," "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met."

Fun and Fancy Free: "Bongo" and "Mickey and the Beanstalk."

Melody Time: "Once Upon a Wintertime," "Bumble Boogie," "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed," "Little Toot," "Trees," "Blame It on the Samba," "Pecos Bill."

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: "The Wind in the Willows" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

[vinylspinning]

Soulfly: Primitive (2000)

Some albums straddle the fine line between greatness and garbage, qualifying for both categories, depending on who you ask (even depending on WHEN you ask them), and leaving a complicated legacy, oscillating between love and hate.

Some albums also try too hard ...

Max Cavalera was bursting with confidence and creativity when he orchestrated Soulfly's sophomore LP, Primitive, 25 years ago, but above all else, he was high on newfound freedom after acrimoniously breaking with Sepultura and proving himself on Soulfly's debut.

Excited by the prospect of indiscriminately mixing and exploring disparate sounds with some help from the musicians who made them, Cavalera pulled out all the stops for Primitive's eclectic track-listing, backed by enough cameos to fill an Ozzfest line-up.

Well maybe half an Ozzfest line-up if you count the heavy metal celebrities, which included Will Haven's Grady Avenell and the Deftones' Chino Moreno ("Pain"), Slipknot's/Stone Sour's Corey Taylor ("Jumpdafuckup"), and Slayer's Tom Araya ("Terrorist").

But you'd have to find a different festival, or two, or three, to book surprise guests like Sean Lennon ("Son Song"), obscure Phoenix hip hop group Cut Throat Logic ("In Memory Of …"), and the similarly unknown, Valley of the Sun native Asha Rabouin ("Flyhigh").

Their contributions range from exceptional (Araya, Rabouin) to indifferent (Chino and Avenell) to God-awful (Corey, Cut Throat Logic), but my love/hate opinions tend to break down, not according to performer so much as along sub-genre lines.

I'm fine, even thrilled, now and then, when Max essentially recycled the Sepultura Roots formula for the post-death metal, groove-heavy, exotically percussive world metal on "Bring It," "Mulambo," and the irresistible "Back to the Primitive."

Even the bongo-beaten new age atmospherics of "Soulfly II" turned out rather well, I must say.

But when he abused the nu-metal trappings so popular at the time on the likes of "Boom," "The Prophet," and the the aforementioned, comical/horrible "Jumpdafuckup," I can't jump da fuck OUT fast enough.

Independent of the musical backdrops, Max's thoughts were once again dominated by the death of his wife/manager Gloria's son Dana Wells, back in '96, Primitive's "soul" is not only weighed down by the family's enduring rage and grief, but compromised by Max's decision to express it with his remedial understanding of reggae and Rastafarianism.

Call me insensitive, but enough was enough ...

In any case, my larger point is that Primitive didn't convincingly reconcile all of Max's undeniably courageous but uncontrolled stylistic and inspirational extremes, and that was before the record almost suffered a "death by collaboration,'"

All these years later, I still find myself wavering between these love/hate polarities every time I go "back to the Primitive."

More Soulfly: Soulfly; plus Sepultura's Morbid Visions, Schizophrenia, Beneath the Remains, Arise, Chaos A.D., Roots.

[johnkatsmc5]

Amarok "Els Nostres Petits Amics" 1994 + "Canciones de Los Mundos Perdidos" 1995 + "Gibra'ara" 1998 + "Tierra De Especias" 2000 + "Sol De Medianoche" 2007 + "Gouveia 2005" 2012 + "Hayat Yolunda (Path Of Life)" 2015 + "Canciones Para Un Planeta Herido" 2024 double CD Barcelona,Catalunya,Spain,Prog Jazz Folk Rock,Symphonic Rock

full bandcamp

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/canciones-para-un-planeta-herido

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/el-ojo-del-mundo

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/bcn-feb-1996-concierto-presentaci-n-del-cd-canciones-de-los-mundos-perdidos

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/amarok-live-at-baja-prog-2003

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/migracions-1991-cassette

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/els-nostres-petits-amics

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/canciones-de-los-mundos-perdidos

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/gibraara

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/tierra-de-especias

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/retrospectiva-the-bonus-tracks-2004

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/en-concierto-gouveia-2005

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/sol-de-medianoche

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/hayat-yolunda

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/el-ojo-del-mundo

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/amarok-en-el-festival-albarock-2003

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/amarok-el-d-a-que-fuimos-estrellas

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/amarok-en-directo-2024

https://robsant.bandcamp.com/album/amarok-live-at-orion-studios-baltimore-2004

Amarok "Els Nostres Petits Amics" 1994

Line-up / Musicians

- Lidia Cerón / vocals (1,4,6,8-10) - Asy Guerrero / Spanish guitar - Robert Santamaria / keyboards, digital piano (3,5,9), glockenspiel  marimbas (11), bongos (5,11), darbouka (5), percussion (6,7,9-11) - Kerstin Kokocinski / oboe (4,5,10) - Joan Morera / violin (6,10,11) - Manel Sesé / darboukas, talking drums, plates, percussion(1,4,9), chorus vocals (8)

With: - Alfredo Arcusa / drums (2,5,7,10), gong

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Tucans Per Tot (5:03) 2. Amarok Part I (6:01) 3. Okavango (2:06) 4. Migracions (5:42) 5. Somiedo (8:45) : - i. En los Hayedos Milenaños - ii. Tres les Puellas del Lobo - iii. Ciervos - iv. Traversía - v. Lloviana - vi. El Páramo 6. Sols Un Desig (4:32) 7. La Vall De Les Marmotes (2:40) 8. A Gel Blau De La Glacera (3:22) 9. Retorn (3:19) 10. Camaleo I Prisma (6:33) 11. Amarok - Okavango Final (2:27)

Amarok "Canciones de Los Mundos Perdidos" 1995

Line-up / Musicians

- Lidia Cerón / vocals (1,2,6,7,10,11) - Asy Guerrero / Spanish guitar (1,2,8,10,11) - Robert Santamaria / synths, digital piano (1,8,10,11), 12-string guitar (1,2,5,8,9,11), glockenspiel (1,8,11), composer & producer - Manel Sesé / tambourine, djembé, darbouka, dondo, caixixis, plates

With: - Joan Morera / violin (1,2,8,11) - Kerstin Kokocinski / oboe (2,5,7,10,11) - Alfredo Arcusa / drums (3,6)

Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Prólogo (4:24) 2. Canto Celta (8:58) 3. El Vuelo Del Pelícano (2:45) 4. Cuevas Submarinas (1:20) 5. Islas (2:01) 6. Els Darrers Caçadors (4:55) 7. Nàufrags (4:47) 8. Danza Y Lamento (4:51) 9. Bolero (2:40) 10. Homenaje A J.R.R. Tolkien (7:12) 11. El Viejo Lugar Prohibido (6:49)

Amarok "Gibra'ara" 1998

Line-up / Musicians - Lidia Cerón / vocals (1,2,4,6-9) - Víctor Estrada / classical guitar (1-4,6,8,9), bass (1,2,4,6-8) - Robert Santamaria / keyboards, piano, 12-string guitar, percussion, vocals (2) - Manel Mayol / flute (1,2,4,6-8), didgeridoo (2), tin whistle (4), lead (2,4,8) & backing (1) vocals - Juan Alberto Arteche / percussion (1-4,6-9) With: - Magno Maccaferri / violin (1,2,7,8) - Delores Vidal / cello (9) - Kerstin Kokocinski / English horn (4), oboe (2,3,6,8,9) - Jordi Vallverdu / percussion (1,6) - Manel Sesé / percussion (4) - Mauricio Anton / percussion (6) Tracklist 1 Laberintos de piedra 4:36 2 El mestre de la caverna 6:34 3 La danza de los murciélagos 5:31 4 Merla aquàtica 7:16 5 Tormenta 4:35 6 Por la senda de los cerezos en flor 10:37 7 Gibra'ara 4:52 8 Al otro lado 7:13 9 Laberintos de piedra (conclusión) 2:40

Amarok "Tierra De Especias" 2000

Line-up / Musicians - An Marí Morón / vocals - Víctor Estrada / classical guitar - Robert Santamaria / keyboards - Manel Mayol / flute

With: - Mireia Sisquella / soprano saxophone - Carles Gallego / vocals, acoustic & electric guitars - Jose Walero / tabla - Pau Zañartu / drums

Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Dioses (3:27) 2. El Torrent De Colobres (4:12) 3. M'Goun (5:25) 4. Chenini (3:25) 5. El Caramillo Del Alba (3:50) 6. Naki Naki (1:51) 7. Els Millors Bufons (5:01) 8. El Gran Bazar (3:54) 9. Danza De Samotracia (3:29) 10. Azabel Cuentacuentos (18:10)

Amarok "Sol De Medianoche" 2007

Line-up / Musicians

- Marta Segura / lead vocals - Robert Santamaria / keyboards, baglama, 12-string guitar, kanun, dulcimer, autoharp, Iranian santour, accordion, glockenspiel, xylophone, percussion, composer, producer - Mireia Sisquella / alto & soprano saxophones - Manel Mayol / flutes, didgeridoo, backing vocals - Alan Chehab / bass - Renato di Prinzio / drums

With: - Andres Olaegui / elctric guitar (2) - Pablo Tato / electric guitar (8,9) - Victor Estrada / Spanish guitar (9), theremin (4) - Branislav Grbic / violin (3,6-8,11) - Pepe Andreu / trumpet (4,7-9), flugelhorn (7,9,11), piccolo (11) - Marta Riba / backing vocals (6) - Nuri Sabaté / backing vocals - Marie Weckesser / backing vocals - Moi Perez / Tibetan chant (4), harmonica (1,7) - Luis Blanco / vibraslap (7)

Tracklist

 Sephiroth Hermits Initiation Song Of The Ascet Transit The Last Of The Lasts John Roundbeau's Jig Xiongmao I (the cat-bear) Wendigo Duet For Hang And Bass Mama Todorka Ishak The Fisherman The Rebel Genius Half (man half) Stone The Castle Of The One Hundred Maidens The Great Desret Ishak Returns Home Eight Touts Midnight Sun Colourless World The Dance Of The Automations Far Away The Great Deceit Taiga Midday Shade Xiongmao II Abaddon's Bolero

Amarok "Gouveia 2005" 2012

Line-up / Musicians Alain Chehab / bass guitar, oud Mireia Sisquella / soprano and alto saxophone, keyboards Robert Santamaria / keyboards, acoustic 12-string guitar, saz Pablo Tato / electric guitar, backing vocals Marta Segura / vocals, percussion Manel Mayol / flute, pennywhistle, backing vocals, percussion, didgeridoo Renato Di Prinzio / drums, tabla, derbouka

Tracklist

1. M'Goun (5:26) 2. El Mestre De La Caverna (7:39) 3. Quentadharken (14:54) 4. Hsieh (7:23) 5. Mujer Luna (3:44) 6. The Lasts Of The Lasts. De La Suite Ermitanos (5:30) 7. La Espiral (5:56) 8. La Ultima Expedicion (6:39) 9. Laberintos De Piedra (7:54)

Amarok "El Ojo Del Mundo" 2021

Line-up / Musicians

- Marta Segura / vocals - Manel Mayol / transverse flute, didgeridoo - Pau Zañartu / drums, electronic hang - Marc Egea / viola de roda (hurdy-gurdy) - Tarik Smith / trumpet - Miguel Arce / bass - Robert Santamaría / kanun, saz, tar, santur, keyboards, 12-string guitar, autoharp, glockenspiel, accordion, percussion

With: - Víctor Estrada / theremin (6,7) - Coloma Bertran / violin (1) - Núria Martínez / palms (1,2,7)

Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Sota la Pluja (3:52) 2. Saraswati (9:11) : - i. La Diosa del Conocimiento - ii. Khumb Mela - iii. El Río Subterráneo 3. Cançó d'Amor (4:22) 4. El Vals de las Libélulas (2:18) 5. Luna y Sal (6:11) 6. La Sexta Extinción (17:31) : - i. Insectos y Aves - ii. Plantas - iii. Reptiles - iv. Peces y Anfibios - v. Mamíferos - vi. Primates - vii. Homo Sapiens 7. Gibra'ara 2021 (4:58) 8. El Ojo del Mundo (11:38)

Amarok "Hayat Yolunda (Path Of Life)" 2015

Line-up / Musicians

- Marta Segura / vocals - Xavi Saiz / guitar - Robert Santamaria / keyboards, 12-string guitar, kanun, vibraslap, glockenspiel, chimes, bells, composer, producer - Manel Mayol / flute, recorder - Alan Chehab / bass - Pau Zañartu / drums Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Universo (8:06) 2. Revelación (6:02) 3. Gestación (6:00) 4. Despertar (5:04) 5. Incertidumbre (5:22) 6. Rubicón (7:59) 7. Cenit (6:28) 8. Camino De Vida (Hayat Yolunda) (3:36) 9. Principio (8:55) Bonus CD from 2015 SE - Archives 2009/2015 : 1. Imdhalaia (4:47) 2. Trío (2:14) 3. Nannania (5:05) 4. Touts And Frogs (5:26) 5. El Meu Petit Cel (3:25) 6. La Vinyota's Jig (2:00) 7. La Edad Avanzada (7:10) 8. Norwegian Wood (3:09) 9. Semillas (5:04) 10. Goblins' Song (2:41) 11. Stratosfear (11:30)

Amarok "Canciones Para Un Planeta Herido" 2024 double CD

Line-up / Musicians

- Robert Santamaría / Keyboards, Programming, 12-string Guitars, Kanun, Saz, Santur, Melodica, Glockenspiel, Kalimba, Percussions - Marta Segura / Vocals - Manel Mayol / Flute (1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4), Thin Whistle (1.4, 2.7), Recorder (2.7) - Pau Zañartu / Drums (1.1, 1.5, 1.7, 2.1, 2.5) - Renato Di Prinzio / Drums (1.2, 2.2, 2.6, 2.7), Zarb, Riq and Daf (1.5) - Jordi Rallo / Tabla (1.4, 1.6, 2.4, 2.7) - Alan Chehab / Greek Bouzouki (1.5) - Tarik Smith / Trumpet (1.7, 2.2, 2.7) - Berna Jones / Violin (1.4, 1.5, 2.3, 2.4) - Joan Miró / Oud and vocals (2.5), Vocals (1,7) - Víctor Estrada / Theremin (1.6) - Núria Martínez / Clapping (1.7) - Luis Blanco / Vibraslap (1.1, 2.7) Songs / Tracks Listing CD1: Capitulo I 1. I.a (8:46) 2. Permafrost (8:39) 3. 4 Erizos (4:24) 4. Los Secretos Del Rio (8:28) 5. Gunung Padang (8:49) 6. El Imperio Del Plastico (4:16) 7. M'goun 2024 (7:05) CD2: Capitulo II 8. Bosques Silenciosos (10:08) 9. Solastalgia (7:53) 10. El Abrazo Del Arbol (2:57) 11. La Puerta De Hegra (5:28) 12. Mujer Luna 2024 (4:55) 13. Numa (3:06) 14. Madre Agua (15:54)

Amarok "Quentadharken" 2004 Barcelona,Catalunya,Spain,Prog Jazz Folk Rock

https://johnkatsmc5.blogspot.com/2023/01/amarok-quentadharken-2004.html

Amarok"Mujer Luna"  2002 Spain Prog Folk Rock

https://johnkatsmc5.blogspot.com/2021/06/amarokmujer-luna-2002-spain-prog-folk.html

[projectmeiko]

❀*❁MEIKO Song of the Week❁*❀

Last Terrorism

BingoBongoP

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

[ronjacksilver4816]

PVZ1 Day Plants and Headcanons

Plants vs. Zombies' 15th anniversary is around the corner, so I wanna celebrate by showing my artwork of every plant and headcanons of their personalities!

Peashooter

The leader of the group.

Has a crush on Sunflower, the feelings are reciprocated but they have yet to express it to each other.

The middle child in his gigantic family tree

Suddenly exploded in popularity after defeating Zomboss. Isn’t complaining about it

The everyman who likes to take it easy

Sunflower

The medic of the team

Optimistic about life, it takes a lot for her to get sad

Beautiful singing voice

Has a crush on Peashooter, has yet to express those feelings to him

Loves sunbathing

Has her own YouTube channel

It’s called Sunflower Sings

Knows that zombies are evil, yet she treats them as friends

Cherry Bomb

They look threatening, but they’re actually quite mild-mannered and friendly

Sprouted five minutes apart from each other

Sibling rivalry

Keep coming up with new explosion phrases in each game.

“How about… CHAPOWIE?” “No, I prefer POWBOOF!”

Can blow up when very angry

Grapeshot’s rival

Both heads have a crush on Bombegranate.

Wall-nut

Very stupid, yet also very nice

Treats being eaten as getting a message

Close friends with Chomper and Potato Mine

A bowling champion with a lot of experience. 30 strikes in a row!

Nearly indestructible. Don’t believe us? Try throwing a rock at him.

Terrified of nutcrackers

Potato Mine

Short-sighting like a mole, sees better underground

Went on to brand “SPUDOW!” as a catchphrase. No-one is willing to support him on that.

Has a crush on Sweet Potato, she’s too oblivious to see it

The cool, quiet one

Loves surprising zombies when they least expect it

Snow Pea

Peashooter’s cousin who lives at Mt. Brainer

Plays the bongos and tennis in her free time

Has a crush on Fire Peashooter, but worries that she’ll melt by getting too close to her

Dislikes Torchwood because her fire melts her peas

One day wishes to visit the north pole

Once asked Chomper to catch a snowflake to see what it tasted like, and she immediately regretted his decision when he got a face full of Chomper saliva.

Chomper

Looks threatening, but has the mentality of a friendly dog

Has bad zombie breath. No one has the heart to tell him.

Speaks in gibberish and growls

Eats Newspaper Zombies for breakfast, Browncoats and All-Stars for lunch, and Imps for dinner and dessert

Licks others to show affection

A good friend of Audrey II

Repeater

Peashooter’s older brother

Feels the need to repeat himself all the time (“Listen to me! Listen to me!”)

Secretly very insecure and just wants his family’s love

Sleeps in a street alley

There’s a lamp there because he still needs to photosynthesize

A bit of a (platonic) tsundere

His repeating habits came from when he was born by pouring twice the amount of water on his seeds.

Twin Sunflower

Sunflower’s bizarre younger sister

Run a sunglasses shop

Both heads sing karaoke with each other on weekends

Both heads have a mind of their own

Has a crush on Threepeater

Gatling Pea/Mega Gatling Pea

Peashooter and Repeater’s big brother

Retired from fighting zombies to work at a gym, just so he can be his own plant

Claims to have fought in the military, but given how sketchy and crude the scratch marks on his old helmet are, no-one wants to tell him the contrary

Everyone is jealous because he’s too overpowered

[domonicriley]

Using Nostalgia and Self-Reference in Movies

Watching any recent sequel to a legacy franchise can feel like you’re playing nostalgia bongo, with the amount of references and callbacks to previous moments from the franchise’s history. Think the mini Stay Puft marshmallow men in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Frozen Empire, or the reuse of famous quotes in Alien: Romulus, not to mention the fact that Star Wars is now just a big Easter egg hunt that only references itself. But why are they like this?

Well, for a start, it’s partly to do with the way Hollywood likes to play things nowadays. In the past, they would take risks on untested new ideas, allowing talented creators to make some pretty amazing movies. They weren’t always successful, but they managed to find a balance between profit and artistic integrity. Now, they are far more risk-averse. Looking at a release slate for 2024 movies earlier this year, it was nothing but sequels, prequels, and spin-offs: Gladiator II, Deadpool & Wolverine, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Godzilla X Kong. Barely a single original idea was given a real shot.

In contrast, the list of movies released forty years ago, in 1984, was a very different picture. Popular franchises like Terminator, Ghostbusters, and The Karate Kid got their first start in this year, and are still going (for better or worse) four decades later. Has there been a breakout franchise in 2024 that will still be able to boast this? I doubt it.

This reliance on established franchises can be looked at two ways. Cinema doesn’t hold the appeal it once did. Home entertainment’s improved, and the choice of what to watch has expanded, with competition from streaming services, while studios continue to hurt themselves by throwing movies onto their own streaming platforms instead of giving them theatrical releases, or pulling them from cinemas early if they underperform. Why go to the trouble of visiting the cinema when there’s so much on offer in the comfort of your own home?

Then there’s the fact that sequels are a safer bet than starting out with a completely new and original idea, especially as the budgets for large moves have gotten out of control. No one’s willing to risk $200 million on the next Star Wars.

Having a pre-established fanbase ready and waiting to watch your movie is less of a risk than having to get people excited about something new. The problem is that this stops anything fresh coming to the fore and really taking people by surprise. This is further confounded by the way studios approach movie making now, with executives and producers taking a bigger hand in what gets made and how it gets made, stifling creative freedom and leaving little room for the next generation of filmmakers with the same vision as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Hoping to minimize risk, the studio just rolls out another entry from a legacy franchise, but this is not a certain win. Fandoms are quite forgiving, but in the past ten years or so, many have fallen out with the studios that control their favourite franchises, as many poor-quality reboots and sequels have taken apart the things they love. Look at the way Luke Skywalker is treated in The Last Jedi, or Tolkien’s world in The Rings of Power. Such bad faith entries have turned fans away, and made them suspicious of certain studios who want to keep making more out of these IPs.

One response to this by the studios is to try and reach out to fans with movies and TV shows that are as inoffensive as possible. These often lack much originality, relying on established characters, callbacks, and the power of nostalgia to make their audiences happy. Not only are they a symbol of a studio that’s messed up, but also of a franchise that’s running out of ideas. There are two recent movies that can illustrate this for me.

The first is Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released in 2021. The movie is as easy on its audience as possible. It came out a few years after the mess of Ghostbusters 3, which had been a disaster when it came out, almost destroying the franchise. Off the back of this, Sony, decided to take it easy with the next movie in an attempt to win back fans, taking no creative risks, and treating the original characters with respect, especially the death of Harold Ramis who played Egon Spengler.

I liked Afterlife for what it is, but what it is is a nostalgia-heavy film with so many references to the first two movies. What’s more, its sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, continues this trend, failing to cut its own path, and relying entirely upon the fact that it was a Ghostbusters movie to get people watching, rather than also being an entertaining movie in its own right.

The second movie is 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion. After a hugely successful reboot in 2015, and a less-than-great sequel in 2018, the Jurassic franchise was starting to look tired. The idea of dinosaurs running around eating people has been done to death by B-movies, and these films were embracing Monsterverse pseudo-science more and more. What choice was left for them but to go with the nostalgia angle?

Unlike Ghostbusters, there was no need to appeases the fans, who were still invested in this franchise, the decision to bring back Alan Grant, Eliie Sattler and Ian Malcolm was more about giving a generic Jurassic World movie a unique selling point, bringing back characters who hadn’t been seen for decades. Unfortunately, they weren’t the centre of the movie, as they had to compete with the new heroes like Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, but at least they were not deconstructed in any way, by making Alan into a failed alcoholic. It was pure nostalgia for its own sake, and considering that Dominion managed to bring in $1 billion, it seemed to work. The problem is where can the franchise go now? There’s another JW movie scheduled for release next year, but it feels like this property has fired all of its shots long ago, leaving little point in a seventh entry.

As these two examples show, nostalgia can be a good selling point, but it also means that these movies don’t have much to recommend them outside of it. They might be enjoyable enough, and certainly not damaging to the franchise, but they don’t blow you away either.

So, how should franchises use nostalgia and callbacks?

That depends to some extent on why it’s included in the first place. When I see a Terminator movie or show, I want to hear someone say “I’ll be back”. When franchises have been going on for so long, they pick up little things that fans are waiting for, like how Star Wars always includes the line “I’ve got a bad feeling about this”, or the way Lethal Weapon’s Riggs and Murtaugh do their “on three” routine. If they weren’t there, it would be disappointing. The problem is when this is the only thing that a movie can do to get a response from its audience. I can remember several scenes and lines from Frozen Empire, but none of them are original in their own right. The first Ghostbusters movie, on the other hand, has many moments unique to that film.

Often by the fifth or sixth entry, a franchise simply starts to reference (or even parody) itself, hitting all the beats they think fans want, constantly calling back to earlier entries. It’s rather like a Build A Sequel workshop, where pieces from all the other entries are sewn together to make something that’s derivative of everything else. All the pieces are there, but there’s nothing unique about it.

This might seem like it’s only a small concern, but I think it leads to deeper problems. For one, it will relegate these franchise to history at some point in the future, when no one is around who remembers seeing the original when it came out.

These sequels will become irrelevant if no one knows what they are calling back to, and not only that, but where will the new audience come from? Would anyone who didn’t know the original Ghostbusters care about Frozen Empire? Would it inspire them to go check it out? Or is it just something caught in its own franchise loop?

Fan service can make sense, and there’s nothing wrong with it. It would seem the better option rather than a franchise completely ignoring its fanbase to try and find a new audience. But in order to live on, these IPs need to keep bringing in more viewers. They need to do the impossible of pleasing their existing fans while also opening up to new fans.

If that can’t be done, then perhaps it’s time for these franchises to come to an end, to leave the originals unspoilt for fans to enjoy, and for studios to do that thing they have become terrified of, but which they will need to do sooner or later to survive: create something new.