#definitely my favorite musical ever

[notcryingtoday]

« if you want all the power you must carry all the BLAME »

i think mutiny is my least favorite song from the thunder saga (because i love the others so fucking much lol) BUT THIS

it was so powerful

(go stream epic: the musical it's so freaking good)

[good-beansdraws]

Massive Milgramsona art/info dump as a treat to myself!! Alas, my fatal flaw is being unable to shut up about anything even while simultaneously embarrassed/nervous to share, so here's literally all the info I have on her 😅

Profile:

Name: For the sake of posting online I’ll call her Rose!

Number: 012

Color: #E7355B

Age: She’d be 20 when Milgram started

Status: Milgram Staff, Machine Technician

Song genre: Pop/theater (a mix of Mahiru and Kazui's vibes)

Backstory: She is studying abroad in Japan to work on technology related to the mv machine when she stumbles into top secret info about the trials. Horrified at the lack of prior testing, she demands to be included in the experiment to make sure the brand new tech runs smoothly and doesn't harm anyone in the process. To prevent her leaking info to the public and deciding an extra participant wouldn't hurt, Milgram agrees.

Role: Rose performs routine maintenance and updates on the extraction machine, and checks in with prisoners' health to make sure it's not having any adverse effects. She listens in on the interrogations, ringing the bell to signal Es when the machine is ready for use (re: my theory on how it works >:3). She then watches the mvs after Es to make sure there are no glitches.

(Though she is a personal milgramsona, her role in the story is supposed to reflect the audience's experience overall when it comes to how much info we know, emotions we experiencing regarding guilt/responsibility, and how much power over events we actually have given the voting system and trial breaks.)

Trial 1

Jackalope's comments during trial commencement: Oh, I almost forgot participant 012, Rose. We've never had more than one staff member before, so we figured that sort of numbering would be fine. Hey, don't look at me, it's not like it was our idea to include her. She's not a prisoner -- the only crime she's committed is sticking her nose where it didn't belong... You can ask her for the details, but she's just here for maintenance on our extraction machine. It's not easy keeping that thing running smoothly, you know? As part of her duties, she'll be privy to all the same information as you, but don't let her be any more of a busybody than she already is -- she has absolutely no authority when it comes to your verdict decisions, got it?

MV: Mic Check - “Can anyone hear me?”

VD: Positive Feedback

Cover: Pathological Facade - Ghost

Her album would release last in line. The VDs aren't interrogations since there's been no crime -- Es asks about her duties and observations of the prison. In them, she admits her predictions that she and Es will eventually be on trial for their involvement in the prisoner's fates.

Thus, her mvs are focused on her emotions towards the prisoners, her pride in helping bring justice, and her guilt at providing Milgram a means to pass judgement on people she cared about. I'm going to Goncharov the actual mvs/songs, but Mic Check is generally an introduction to her job behind the scenes prepping the equipment that will allow the prisoners' songs to be heard, as well kick off symbolism of her as a performer herself. She'll make a comment about how the experiment is leading to tragedy, "as if someone said Macbeth" (then covers her mouth, as she's standing in a theater herself).

I kept getting tripped up looking for Deco*27 songs that worked and weren't already taken, so I decided to go with some favorites and vibe-matching songs from other artists!

Comments during trial closing: It's good to hear you weren't a pushover when Rose gave her thoughts on the verdicts -- you guys disagreed on quite a few of them, eh? Ah... so she's not the type to pick fights, is that it? I guess that explains how she's managed to get along with everyone. (sigh) Even you knew better than to get attached like that. Well, at least she's kept our machine up and running the whole time.

Trial 2

Commencement: Now I need to wake Rose. We're going to need some extra upgrades to our machine if we want to get the most out of this round of extractions. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she and her bleeding heart are going to try and sway you during this trial. Her duty is specifically to look out for the prisoners' safety, but yours is only to judge them. Don't forget that.

MV: Changement - “Don’t say ‘break a leg,’ if it might just break.”

VD: Control Variable

Cover: TOXY - Kujiragi

I did my best to write out the title pronunciation out in katakana since I wanted it as the name of the dance move, not a direct translation of meaning. I went with シャジェモ "sha-je-mo" as the closest I could get to the "shanj-mou" sound, but feel free to correct me if there's a better way to write it. The door is based off of various set designs for Clara's home in The Nutcracker. (There's no deep meaning that this is the only one not opening -- I realized too late all the others are cracked open and my art app doesn't have the tools to easily fix that so I'm sticking with it 😭)

A changement is a small jump in ballet -- I thought it was fun to combine that (which means "to change") with Control Variable (refering to the variable in an experiment that never changes). The video shows conflicting emotions as her decisions/inaction caused so much to happen between trials, yet at the same time she feels like there's so much she'll be unable to change even if she really wants to intervene. Her mvs show the prisoners pretty regularly (since they are her crime, she's realized), and the teaser line is paired with references to Mahiru's broken leg.

The thumbnail combines different areas of study -- mechanical, medical, musical, mathematical (theater spotlight, muscles, Weakness notes, motion formulas). I think it's super cool how many areas of expertise are passed around the fanbase when discussing the characters. I've picked up new facts about plants, food, anatomy, geography, music, animals language, (sigh. color theory.), hobbies, professions, mythology, etc from fans with different fields of knowledge. While that's one of my favorite aspects of the project from the outside, I think it would be super intimidating to someone on the inside trying to tackle so much information at once.

Closing: As for Rose... (laughs) I thought she was dooming herself before--! Not only has she gotten hopelessly attached to everyone over the course of this trial, she's even started a relationship with one of the prisoners! And of all the people she could have chosen... Eh? Oh no, we have no policies against that for our staff. I mean, the whole point of Milgram is to explore human nature, the power of emotions, the complexities of connections, all that crap. I'm just grateful she shows a bit more common sense when she's operating the machine...

Trial 3

MV: Showstopper - “There won’t be applause, but I’ll take a bow, okay?”

VD: Please Exit Left

Cover: Ironina - Nilfruits

I don't know the album theme yet, but this is the tentative sprite and thumbnail design. The T2 sprite was kind of an "innocent" one, since at the beginning she still has faith in her role in the prison, excited to work with everyone there. (Plus, I joined the fandom a little after t2 started so that's peak excitement time lol). The T3 sprite has much more of a "guitly" feel to it because, at the end of T2 and after this hiatus, she'd harbor a lot more guilt about her position and fear about the experiment's conclusion. As a fun little detail, her pencil has been replaced with a more permanent utensil as final verdicts are locked in.

Now listen. My artist brain was constantly fighting my science brain when doing sprite designs -- I know gloves like that and nothing else isn't proper PPE. I know none of those are safety shoes (god forbid wearing just socks??? to the lab???). There should be no jewellery at all. The whole point of a lab coat is that you don't roll up the sleeves and expose your bare skin. However. It's anime character design. There can be compromise.

Referencing Rose's personal life as a performance and comparing Milgram's trials to one, I wanted the mv to play on "showstopper" as both a great show and a literal attempt to stop the project before it reaches its finale. There would be creepy comparisons in the mv between operating stage equipment and prison executions: curtain/set ropes and nooses, heavy duty lightswitches and electric chairs, etc.

Misc.

And lightening things up again -- birthday art and minigrams :3

Birth flower: Camellias. Pink camellias symbolize love but also longing. The fact that they bloom in winter, and have a quick death (the entire flower wilts at once, instead of individual petals falling off), have inspired different meanings in different cultures -- overcoming hard times, facing death in battle, inseparable lovers, and so on

Three minigrams featuring my own annoyance that her design is a bit close to Shidou's coat/gloves look, a mandatory short joke, and a pun that works so perfectly for my Put-In-Situations guy

[betta-phish]

finally listened to epic the musical properly and OMG HERMES LOML

[heir-of-the-chair]

Lowkey hyperfixating now and I’ve come to the devastating conclusion that Jacob the main character of Water For Elephants… doesn’t really have a character arc

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[mellotronmkll]

Needless to say I was sooo in love with that teacher he was soooo gen x man who's pretentious about music / grumpy failed writer who was bitter about having to teach high school to pay the bills he was so annoying he loved the smiths he made us write a blog post once explaining our favorite album and defending why it was our favorite album and I picked Lincoln and he was like good choice oh i died I used to liiterally used to skip lunch to sit in his class for a second period it was so bad

[ofbardsandmen]

greetings fellow genshin enthusiasts and fanatics!! once again, i'm generously presenting and offering my most beloved mondstadt character spotify playlists, free of charge and yours to consume, if you will.

[red-heart-sunglasses]

me now that I've finally listened to great comet all the way through

[ferngle]

5 of your favorite songs, GO!!! Send this to some people after you answer :)

As you can see. This was really hard for me to answer. I tried to narrow it down to 5 favorite bands, and well, you can see how well that went.

So anyway! Favorite song is On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz! Always has been.

The other 4 I'm just gonna put this week's favorites. Home - Resonance, You Wear It Well - DeBarge, Ulterior Motives - missing motives version, Melody - Plustwo, Egg - The Garden, We Are Happy Landfill - Gorillaz. (That was five, woops)

[famewolf]

all my old fav youtubers coming back this fall has gotten me into a mood where I've been diving back into old bands I used to listen to religiously. and i gotta say ... they all still slap

[irlnumbuh3]

wally in canon rhymes a lot and tbh he’s pretty quick with it. like season one in OP.LICE for a 9 year old , he ATE THAT. it wouldn’t surprise me if in his teen years he wrote music. we already know how much that kid loves music. i can see him playing the guitar tbh

[strayloveletter]

i have finally discovered kaavish (besides faasle) and ughh i just love desi angst

[soliusss]

daily listening of hip to be square makes the day a little bit brighter

[dogsyears]

10 years ago bad blood permanently altered 12 year old chloe's brain chemistry and last weekend 22 year old chloe finally got to hear it played live 🤍

[britishchick09]

does rewrite eristine count? ;)

[yoylechess]

alright.. finally, here is my hot freaks forever "review" this is my first i guess "formal" review so BE NICE TO ME. also most of this is just me attempting to make my original notes from my very first listen not completely incoherent, so that incoherent-ness may fade into the current post sitting in front of you.

now, i adore hot freaks. they are one of my top bands NO DOUBT with their debut album being one of my absolutely favorite albums. so you can imagine my pure excitement at a new hot freaks album! well.. i started my listen and... eh.... i dont hate this album, i CANT hate this album... but i dont love it... i suppose i shouldnt have gotten my hopes up for more of their previous music, its been YEARS since theyve released anything for god sakes! and to be completely honest im unsure of what i wanted at all, or at least i couldnt possibly put it into words. despite my disappointment with this album i still have been enjoying it! it has certainly grown on me...

i will be going through each song, briefly talking about what i think, and then giving a rating outta ten as this is the easiest way for me to talk about the album.

starting off with together above, i love the floaty vocals here and this plucky instrument (that i am unsure on the name of) being played after the chorus. i also like the electric guitar here, and the introduction of a violin is a change that surprised me but i welcome wholly! also im not a fan of this twinkling at the end here. im generally not a fan of glitter-esque sounds in music but i really dont like it here.. also music video was released and it.. is a music video! nothing to write home about 6.5/10

lets start a country: inoffensive simple catchy pop song that while doesn't bring too much to the table i still enjoy with funny lyrics and a catchy chorus that makes me want to get up and bounce around. i wish that the lyrics were a tad stronger but otherwise in terms of doing its job of being a good pop song it works very well! also music video is fine i like the tedx stuff and its more interesting than together above's 4/10

end of the night: ...bland its genuinely hard for me to think of anything else to say not bad but not necessarily good no other comments 2.3/10

stuart little vibes: what is happening with the lyrics in this song?? what is going on??? what is that tts voice?? that instrument??? is that a fucking harmonica???????????????? i dont like this song i really dont 1/10 (chorus does trick me for a second into liking this song though) this song makes me want to ram my head through drywall i got angry THINKING about this song the other day i hate this stupid mouse fuck i dont care enough to fix this one up you just get my raw original note. they put the trumpets in to try to appease me but its not working

not concerned with everything: this early instrument feels out of place and the vocals feel offset(?) in the beginning like as if this song was a picture the vocals are slightly off center in certain places. i like the new vibe to this song! was starting to sound a little repetitive the violin really shines in this track it made me really appreciate its presence. the breakdown at the end is just fantastic just great 8.5/10

boyfriend: kicking the dirt at my feet.. i do like the track.... i listened to it a lot before i was able to sit down and listen to the full album. and yes i think its simple and maybe the most boring uninspired song in the album taking in the full picture but im all attached now..... my long time friend.. boyfriend by hot freaks.... my dearly beloved... also what the hell is the ending what was that (/silly) 7/10 🎵oh you are my boyfriend come get me after work~🎵

for nothing: why does it feel like a song from a children's cartoon im forced to sit down to watch with my 3-4 yr old siblings (/neg) i like its bounce and slight new sound for the album. however, they could be doing so much more give me MORE please im on my hands and knees hot freaks im groveling get me out of poorly animated children's cartoon land. violin is of course a highlight of this song 3/10

i want you to be my daddy: strong opening to this track! makes me think of gorillaz, was expecting to hear damon albarn start singing in my ear for a second there tbh. big fan of the vocals here and of course we have to have a horny hot freaks song it is MANDATORY and it is good !!!!!! its so good!!!! makes me pine for hsbf these ending vocals are just a delight i love this track a ton man. horny hot freaks song on top 8.5~9/10

lioness: unfortunately after iwytbmd this track has a lot to live up to for me. but not a bad track at all! reminds me of puppy princess i dont have much to say about this one here 6.3/10

what can i do: just like the end of hot freaks (album) the final song feels entirely disconnected from the rest of the album in topic. hollywood machine may have been attempting to obscure its meaning a bit compared to this straight forward song that doesnt even attempt to hide anything. however, hollywood machine had its distincter sound to hold it up when compered to the rest of the album, while this track seems to sound way too similar to hot freaks forever to stand out in any meaningful way to me. the start's sharp violin sound and harp are unusual and im not all that in love with it. the harp is fine the other times its used i guess but its just not the best. and as usual, (minus the beginning) the violin can not be trumped as it is also pretty good here. 5/10

overall thoughts: of course the vocals preformed by leo vondracek are stunning as is customary for hot freaks but i feel the album leaves a lot to be desired if youre going in expecting something similar to their previously released music. hot freaks forever feels a little lost confused by its own meandering love songs with a bland uninspired beachy vibe. the tracks all feel bouncy which is fine i like bouncy but i would also like it if they mixed it up a little bit more. it feels as if they are desperate to keep inoffensive as to stay in the new spotlight their work has (rightfully) gained as of late. i hope that in the future we can get another album more like their debut, and i dont doubt that we can, i can absolutely see it happening. i just want them to do MORE and give me MORE in terms of sound. i enjoy how they play with their lyrics but i need them to play with the music now please. i do like the new violins though theyre fantastic im a big big fan of the violins. 6/10

my favorite track: i want you to be my daddy (not concerned with everything is a close follow up however!)

my least favorite track: sturat little vibes i hate the song i hate it so much i hate ot oh my god