#did you listen to twilight soundtrack?

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 9/17/2024

come take this very very friendly little man out of my bathroom! he is fiv+ and we are in houston tx! i am willing to drive a couple hours for the right home! he is a good boy he's just orange! more details here!

listening

emily jeffri's DENY off my spotify recommended weekly playlist: i can only describe it as "throbbing". immediately attention grabbing lyrics:

What kind of lover does your mother want? I'll do whatever, oh but you could not

very distinctly indie electronica. this would be the song in a cyberpunk/80s hacker movie where the chase takes you through an goth/alt fashion show where the models are actively giving blood as they walk or something.

i love the spotify daily mix for me and my bestie bc there's a guaranteed four bluey songs on it and it's a nice jumpscare. i know my mental health is taking a turn for the worse when a lot of mother mother starts popping up, i know my bestie's is taking a turn for the worse when a lot of girl in red starts popping up. suicide-watch-level sapphic angst singer-songwriter, generally. except for this song! extremely fun! didn't even recognize it as her! DOING IT AGAIN BABY is a more traditional selling-you-a-dodge-charger car commercial song and it's such a startling departure from her usual work that i wonder if it was a commercial commission? hard to immediately find out tho

I'm on a new level Something's got me feelin' like I could be inflammable And I might be I'm gonna light it up Nothing's gonna stop me if I say this is what I want

-

reading

i read twilight (yes that one) at the behest of my bestie and bc my mental health could not have gotten any worse in that moment. it has led to some uncomfortable realizations about my high school experience i will save for a therapist. i am mostly putting it here to remind myself that i read this book this year.

^ this is some silly goofy nonsense. not that i think people shouldn't be recognized at their retirement, but what happened to giving people nice watches instead of a thousand dollars in plaques

Saying that, the records did reveal something actually interesting: although the individual contract I sent a request related to was for a few thousand dollars, an attached blank purchase agreement (BPA) says that “the government estimates, but does not guarantee, that the volume of purchases through this BPA will be $360,000.00 over the term of the BPA.” So, a lot more than a few thousand bucks.

-

watching

Hang 'Em High (1968, dir. Post). certainly not clint's sluttiest role but really up there. i do wish he kept the fucked-out little rasp for the whole movie :(

When an innocent man barely survives a lynching, he returns as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes to justice.

it has a typical bizarre shoehorned romance that (i think) deeply undercuts the theme it wants to explore, but there is no on-screen rape. the bar is on the FLOOR with westerns and yet i DNF so so so many.

hell of a whump film. literally everything happens to jed cooper. i will trumpet this again from the rooftops: that character needs cbt both ways.

-

playing

HIGHWATER, a 2022 adventure/turn based strategy thing from Rogue Games, courtesy of Netflix Games, whose game library is a fucking nightmare to navigate on mobile.

i loooove a water-based postapoc. the boat does in fact handle very poorly and like a horrible inflatable raft on mobile, which is both charming and frustrating.

i do not love a turn-based combat. despite the vibes off the charts, including a very well integrated "pirate radio" station as the game's soundtrack, i am not patient enough to muddle through complex turn-based combat. i'm sure someone had fun fighting off six guys and two bears (who aggro anyone and can one-hit anyone) and then a further three guys who show up for backup but i gave it the good old college try over two days and wasn't able to swing it. it would be nice to have either a difficulty setting or some way to spectate the ideal fight, but alas. a lot of fun environmental stuff in the fights you can use to your advantage, like the bears and these trees you can flatten your opponents with in a much earlier fight. there's a fun mix of different characters with different abilities and different weapons you pick up and keep during fights. i have no specific beef with this game's choice to make this the way you move through the game, it's just not my preferred genre.

a lot of book and newspaper collectibles in this one that i feel of several minds about. it feels less like environmental storytelling through newspapers and just the devs telling me their opinion when they provide little book summaries like this. also i wish The Industry as a whole was more thoughtful about using the word "insurgent".

not a game for me, i have once again confirmed that i cannot tolerate a turn-based combat no matter how much seafaring postapoc you drench it in :(

-

making

got a Phantom Menace era curtain panel for $4 at the thrift, and i was convinced it was fabric someone had made into a curtain panel until i got home and discovered it was an officially licensed product with bafflingly generous seams.

it's about two-ish yards of a 50/50 cotton/poly blend, which i feel like i haven't seen in a while? i think the current fashion leans more 70/30 or 100 poly for curtains i've purchased. after i finish unpicking the seams and pinking it, i am going to throw it in the wash again with some vinegar and see if that softens it up any, or if it makes the transition between the wear lines on the seams and the body of the fabric any nicer.

thinking about what kind of dress to make that 1) shows off this extremely large scale pattern 2) does not look like i am wearing a paper bag, and 3) does not look like the late aughts craft trend of sewing a twin flat Star Wars sheet to a tube top and calling that a dress, bc that's how hard up we were for feminine merch. much to consider. maybe it Will be a maxi skirt with pockets and i can wear one of my seventy black tees on top?

[crazylittlejester]

If Wars did have noise cancelling headphones, would he have music playing on them or just use them for the noise cancelling? If he did have music, what would he be listening to? I like having music on, and I find that I listen to Zelda soundtracks more often than not.

(My favorite one has to be the Lorule Castle Theme.)

Now that I think about it, what type of music would the others listen to? Just on a daily basis or for special occasions

hmmm… I think for him it would depend on the day. I think music could overwhelm him sometimes so he’d just use the headphones to muffle the noise, but other times he’d listen to music

I actually think a lot about what their music tastes would be alskdkkd and most of the playlists I have for them include the type of music I personally think they’d listen to

Time: 70s/80s rock and shit. I’m talkin’ Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Metallica, Bon Jovi, AC/DC, etc.

Warriors: that 2000s-early 2010s pop era. He’d fuck so heavily with Brittney Spears’s music, but I can also see him liking other things like Arctic Monkeys. I just think that 2000s-early 2010s music era he’d enjoy. Plus Queen, Chappell Roan, and David Bowie

Twilight: Do I even have to say it… But also I can see him enjoying 50s music. He just has that vibe to him. and Laufey

Sky: He’s either the motherfucker that listens to exclusively instrumentals or Mitski, or some lethal combination of both. You listen to one of his playlists and it’ll punch you so hard in the feels you WILL cry. God he’d also love Hozier-

Hyrule: He listens to musicians you have never heard of before in your life, but it’s always alternative sounding mysterious and whimsical music. His music taste makes you feel like a little guy going on an adventure. He’s also the one who would have 15 songs on a playlist that are NOT in a language he speaks but not realize he can’t understand what they’re saying until someone listens to said song with him and goes “What language is this??” I also think he’d like TV Girl and The Oh Hellos

Legend: Fall Out Boy, Will Wood (and all the groups Will Wood has worked with), had a P!ATD phase and denies it to this day, MCR, stuff he can scream to in the car. But ALSO: Mitski. And this JUST came to me in a vision but Michael Jackson and ABBA. He definitely has the broadest music taste out of all of em

Wild: He just puts on the fucking radio. He doesn’t like groups/artists specifically, he collects little songs that he likes, or that get stuck in his head

Four: Alternative but like… softer (?) music? The kind of music that’s like calming and soothing but also very layered in the sense that a lot of ‘waves’ of instruments like swoop in. An example would be like, Runaway by Aurora. Stuff like that

Wind: Whatever genre Puppy Princess by Hot Freaks, Everyone Talks by Neon Trees, and Hot To Go by Chappell Roan is, because he’d fuck so heavily with up beat shit like that. Or just songs that have a lot of energy and remind you of driving in the summer heat with the windows down surrounded by friends, that kinda shit

if anyone else has headcanons about what their music tastes would be id absolutely love to hear it alskdmkd

[darlingdekarios]

then I look at you.

rating: e for everyone. length: 1,141 content: Obi-Wan Kenobi x f!reader, fluff, hurt/comfort, ptsd, nightmares, angst

it's easier to chase away the nightmares in his mind when the sunrise is spent with you.

Day-to-day was survival, his mind too busy navigating how to stay alive and honor his duty while being the most sought-after prey in the galaxy. Even through the trepidation he preferred his time awake, for when sleep came to him, as did the nightmares. 

It was a routine now, waking up in the middle of the night in a sweat, his entire body on fire in panic. It had been years since he’d slept an entire night free of the seemingly mandatory pain of waking up gasping for breath, and tonight was no different. His mind was still running, the agonizing soundtrack to his suffering as loud as they’d been when he first heard them.

Three words, ever present, forever haunting his mind on a perpetual loop that offered no reprieve. 

I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.

Each repetition of the phrase was louder in his mind, each accompanying visual of disdainful red and yellow eyes pulling him further beneath the surface. He could still taste the smoke from Mustafar, the air sitting heavy in his lungs, weighing them down, refusing him a decent breath. 

But today you were there – offering him the salvation he didn’t deserve.

“Take a deep breath,” you instructed in a practiced tone, a hand delicately sliding against his chest to give him more to anchor to. “A deep, steady breath.”

He tried. He always tried for you, even against his best judgment. He’d known you before – during the Clone Wars when he was a hero rather than a hollow shell. He finally tore his eyes open to meet yours, the morning just light enough to find comfort in the depths.

He’d never intended to allow you this close – he’d insisted after the reunion that you stay away for your own good. The people around him still seemed to display a penchant for not listening to him, especially you. The comfort of your company was irresistible, the familiarity blanketing him in something almost safe. 

The moment he realized he held you in his grasp now and your worry filled eyes brought him fully to his senses, a steady rhythm began to take control of his breath. His hands grasped at your waist as you began to set a steady pace of breath, encouraging him to replicate you until a semblance of normalcy had returned to him.

“There, Obi-Wan,” you whispered lightly as his body started to relax, his head dropping to rest his forehead against yours as his eyes squeezed shut again. His deepest breath yet covered your lips, causing them to curve upward slightly with relief. “I’m here. You’re with me.”

The sound of the name he so rarely heard now on your lips in the quiet morning, the gentle hues of twilight a stark contrast to the fiery visions that had filled his mind only moments before. With a deep exhale he opened his eyes only briefly to take in the beauty of your face, welcoming the familiarity into his mind eagerly. 

You allowed him his reticent moment, closing what little distance remained to press a gentle kiss to the corner of his lips. Such a simple act shattered his resolve, his arms coming to circle your waist and hold you closer as his eyes fluttered open again. 

“I’m sorry.”

You hated that he started his morning like this – with panic followed instantaneously by apologies he didn’t owe you, always with words so soft they were hardly there. Your hands moved to cup either side of his face, thumbs brushing over his twin sun freckled cheeks, committing all the new specks to memory. You rubbed the tip of your nose against his, soundlessly coaxing the remaining rigidity from his body.

“You’re not the only one in the galaxy that has nightmares, Obi-Wan,” you whispered, voice so naturally imbued with tenderness it was impossible not to relax beside you. “I’m only bothered that you deal with them alone while I’m not here.”

He wouldn’t let you be here all the time – he couldn’t allow you to spend the amount of time you both wanted together for fear of attracting too much attention. Even if he’d offered, you never would have stayed, a calling to do your part in the galaxy as a pilot still searing through your veins as hard as it had in the Clone Wars.

“They’re not your burden to carry.”

“They’re too heavy for you alone.”

He released a deep breath in concession, dipping his head forward to press a gentle kiss to your lips. His beard scratched against your skin, pulling a light smile from you that crinkled your nose. He’d never feel worthy of looking at someone so beautiful, and the easy argumentative streak you displayed was exactly enough to lighten his chest even if only for a moment. “You are impossible.”

“Can’t let you get lazy,” you cooed, sliding your hands to cup his jaw and run your nails into his beard. He released a deep sigh, goosebumps breaking out on his skin despite the warmth that surrounded the two of you. As he relaxed in the moment you softened your voice further. “Was it him again? Anakin?”

His brow pulled together, and you raised your head to press a kiss to the lines. When you pulled away from the lingering contact he met your gaze again, to be met with a depth of understanding and affection he’d not seen in years. It was never easy to hear that name, never easy to talk about the things he’d seen – but you gave him the most welcoming outlet. You never pushed, and never had the wrong thing to say.

“It’s always him,” he replied, leaning his forehead forward again to meet yours. His eyes squeezed shut again, filling his lungs with a deep breath before he shook his head barely, the undeniable defeat deeply ingrained his words. “I am destined to be haunted by my failure.”

“You’re not a failure, Obi-Wan,” you insisted, hands sliding to either side of his neck where you wrapped gentle circles with your fingertips. He could – and would – cling to moments like these with you. “Anakin made his choices. We are all responsible for our own path across the stars.”

You’d have made a great Jedi if you’d been born Force sensitive – wise, compassionate, gentle-hearted. But, then again – you’d also be dead.

“Thank you,” he relented, comforted for the moment that he had someone who could bring him a feeling of peace – even if it was only temporary. Without opening his eyes he leaned forward to press another gentle, appreciative kiss to your lips, quietly sealing away the conversation for the time being. 

It would undoubtedly rear its ugly head again, but for now, he would savor the gentle intimacy of your affection as the rising twin suns brought on a new day.

masterlist. star wars masterlist.

[twig-tea]

Rose's Day of Asks

Top 5 beach day scenes.

Have a great Day💜

Rose ILU this Day of Asks is supercute and also I love how you've tailored this ask to my personal interests and inability to limit myself to five choices!

Beach scenes are all about that transition, from one phase in a relationship (usually not-yet-a-relationship) to another. A good beach scene uses the beach as a metaphor even as it also highlights the beauty (and intensity) of the ocean. The ocean is for contemplating things bigger than we are, and helping us to feel humble. And the beach is a place for raw honesty.

With that in mind, there are so many to choose from because most directors get this instinctively! So I'm going with my heart and the scenes that came to me first (and ngl, that have the best gifs):

His: I Didn't Think I Could Fall in Love

I love this scene so much; the intensity in this hug is everything to me. These two kids are both so terrified of being in love with one another, and both so relieved they don't have to lose this connection they found. The ocean being the thing that first brought them together (via Shun falling in and losing his keys lol) is now looming in front of them as the thing that will separate them for a time (because they met on an island). It's not a typical beach day scene, but it's the first one I think of because of how hard this scene hits me every time. And of course I love thinking about it in the context of the very different rocky lakeside beach in the sequel film.

The Eighth Sense

The ocean was (again) what brought them together, and was also a source of trauma in the past for them both; the exchanges "why did you kiss me?" "to get past your trauma...why did you kiss me?" "to give you trauma" was iconic even before it became Too Real. I love how the ocean is a looming presence in this entire story; the trauma from both of their childhoods looms even on campus, it's there as a soundtrack to their vulnerable conversations, and of course it's in the background of their first sexual encounter. When Ji Hyun acts out the 'two steps forward one step back' with Jae Won before Jae Won finally breaks and admits he wants to be with Ji Hyun, that movement is like a wave relentlessly washing up on shore. Anyway! This entire series is an ocean scene to me.

Blueming

SiWoon's first kiss by the water going so poorly, the brief sulk, and then DaUn initiating this re-do moment?! Whew. In terms of standard "beach scene" fare, this ranks highly at the top for me because of the second take at a first kiss. I love a realistic 'oh wait it's my first time so I'm actually not very good at it' moment. This also comes after the first time they've really talked and listened to one another; plus it comes with a bonus "blinding light of love" visual. Love it.

Until We Meet Again

Is there anything more iconic than this scene? The double confession; the flirting; the lift; playing in the water; the kiss. These two were so desperate for an escape and this scene was real catharsis. And of course this dialogue; Intouch insisting that in order to get through what is to come, they'll need each other. Heartbreaking considering we know what they both do not long after this. It becomes almost a curse for their reincarnated lives--you won't be happy until you have me with you. AND THEN WE GET THE PROPOSAL SCENE that perfectly parallels this one, between Dean and Pharm in Between Us the series. The only thing I love more than a beach scene is a beach parallel. Speaking of which....

Last Twilight in Phuket

How do I choose only one beach scene from this set of shows? There are so many; I love all of them so much. So many from ITSAY: The hammock scene; the scene on Their Beach where Teh and Oh-Aew play the most tension-filled game of chase I've ever seen; the float and underwater kiss; the post-kiss blow-up; the conversation they have when Teh first reappears in Oh's life and Oh says he isn't sure he can be close to Teh again (!)...and then of course in IPYTM the scene where they reunite and agree to try again. But I'm going with LTIP because of all the symbolism they wrapped up in this scene. Teh and Oh-Aew try to go to their beach but it's closed, they need to instead go to the public beach, and so their goodbye is imperfect. We get to see the way they are both so much more comfortable being in pubilc and visibly together than they were in I Told Sunset About You--this is something they both had to work on for different reasons. They're both struggling with having to say goodbye, because they'll be going to different universities. They also know they're leaving Phuket and they talk about how by the time they come back, Phuket will have changed. This moment at the beach bridges their childhood and adulthood, and is so symbolic of life as ever-changing and those changes being impossible to stop.

Gameboys the movie

Speaking of beach scenes that aren't about getting together; this was a particularly good moment because it was not about establishing their relationship it was about reaffirming it/cementing the strength of their bond in the face of separation. I loved that they go out there ostensibly to spend time together and get away from the crowded house but it's also a way for them to have the scary looming conversation about separation. I love so much how good this show is about real conversations, and this one felt so real. The way they talked about not holding one another back, and how they could make it long distance, and what that would look like for them in future...it made me so happy. Gav and Cai looking at the possibility of long distance as doable and not an immediate obvious need to break up was such a breath of fresh air after so many noble idiot plots that all rely on the assumption that long distance is not doable. ANYWAY also this scene is just really pretty.

Life~Love on the Line

This one is so interesting because it was the moment Ito convinced himself he couldn't stay with Nishi. Technically this is the morning-after-the-beach-day but I'm counting it because it's such a unique version of the beach day; in this case, the truth Ito thought he was facing was that he and Nishi had no future--rather than seeing the blinding light of love for what it is facing his own fears head on, he closed his eyes and embraced them, and ruined years of their lives. This scene is an important reminder that the beach is not an infallible relationship panacea! It is your (the character's) responsibility to bring the right energy to it or it may lead you astray.

Bad Buddy

Pat and Pran at the eco-village finally with a moment to themselves, admitting to one another that they feel most free when they're together. This is the first time they acknowledge to one another that the situation they're in is bullshit; that they actually do like one another's company, and that maybe there is a possibility that this thing could actually work between them, if they try for it. I loved this scene so much as a turning point for them, and the way it keeps pulling in and out so we get these close-ups of Pat and Pran, and then the camera pulls away and we see how small they are. The perspective in this moment is so important. As is the hand touch (whew).

Theory of Love

This is one of my favourite twists on the beach scene: Khai goes to the beach alone because he has to figure himself out. He's not at the stage where he's ready to have an honest conversation with Third yet, first he needs to have an honest conversation with himself and realize his own feelings. He has a good, open conversation with someone he hurt in the past in order to figure himself out in the present and pave way for his future with Third. And then we get the bestie trip when all of them go together, which was delightful.

Bonus gif because I don't have enough shots of group friend trips in this list and it's so important to me that after this solo trip Kai comes back with everyone:

Your Name Engraved Herein

This beach scene is crushingly painful. Birdy and Jia Han go as far as they can to scream their frustrations into the sea, have a moment of freedom, but with the knowledge they can't have any more than this and will be saying goodbye afterwards. It's the most devastating truth of all of these faced at the beach: They can't be together in this time and place.

Bed Friend

The silhouettes are iconic; I love the way body language was used for these shots. And the way it felt like King was finally, slowly getting Uea to see him as a dating prospect in these moments? Really beautifully done.

Be My Favorite

Including this scene because it is one of the few beach scenes that leads to a rejection (of course the show then fixes this later with a parallel scene at the end, my beloved). I loved this anti-beach moment; rather than going to the beach to face hard truths, Pisaeng (and then following him, Kawi) went to the beach to hide from the truth. But the beach doesn't work that way and Kawi had to face hard truths after all, including the truth that in this universe he ends up losing Pisaeng from his life entirely because of the way he treated him. The line "you want to get in the water but are afraid of getting wet?" from Pisaeng to Kawi was so heavily loaded with meaning. Perfection.

The Day I Loved You

This was such a beautiful gesture, especially from a high school boy. Including this as an iconic beach scene because it both does what a beach scene should do (get the characters to face hard truths, be honest, and progress in their relationship) and was intentionally meant to invoke a trip to the ocean (they're freediving!) at home for Nikko so I don't even feel like it's cheating.

Night Dream

The show wasn't perfect but the way they paced the reveals about their past with the flashbacks was good storytelling and the tension in this beach scene was palpable over several episodes!

The Eclipse

This conversation between Akk and Ayan made me cry. The entire sequence, driving out with Ayan as an interloper, hiding from the The World Remembers crew and their boyfriends, Ayan being so worried about Akk because he is so on alert for suicidality, and Akk just doesn't know how to face any of it. Ayan telling Akk "you're allowed to be weak" broke me. Luckily the beach is here to help facilitate personal growth. [Also have to shout out again the reciprocal beach scene where Akk then says the same thing back to Ayan, my beloved]

Love Sick

I love them your honour. AUGH. Honestly, the Love Sick scene that always comes to mind is the night before this when Noh is dancing on the stage whipping his hoodie around his head and Pun is watching him fondly, but this moment afterward in the quiet of the morning, when they've agreed to have just this moment of truth by the sea and then go back to their lives, is so beautiful (especially your gif of it Rose!). This is another melancholy one, where they're coming to the sea to admit that they want what they can't have, and giving it to themselves anyway for one night (little did they know, they were going to fail at abstention lol). The longing is so palpable between these two in these scenes, so much good tension.

My School President

Gotta have at least one scene with the whole crew! What i love about this beach outing is that the hard truth they were facing was not about whether or not they cared about one another, but how to tell people and when--and this is one of the reasons why it's important it's a group trip, because that decision affects the whole group. And look at this gif, it is perfection. These kids are puppies! I love them.

3 Will Be Free

Talking about group dynamics reminded me of this iconic moment. It's not quite a beach day trip in the traditional sense because they're on the run etc. and this is night time, but it's very personal to me. The sea said make it poly, so they did.

Never Let Me Go

Can't talk about one of Jojo's series without bringing up this other one. Listen, I know that its placement in the series was...oddly timed [I think my mother might be dead, let's go to the beach and frolic]. But this is one of the most beautifully shot and colour graded sequences, and for aesthetic reasons alone it is on my list! Sometimes I am but a simple bisexual (which is also why I'm using this shot from the BTS rather than one from the show, even though there are so many pretty ones to choose from). Speaking of!

BONUS GL addition:

Lulu

Gotta have at least one song! This entire GL takes place at a beach house so the whole thing is pretty much beach or beach-adjacent scenes but this one where they are flirting and then sing together was a good turning moment for them; and of course it calls back to when they first met (where Abi saves Sophie from drowning) and also parallels the end credits scene. I was so here for how thirsty Sophie was as soon as Abi showed up, and this beach scene is one of the places where this played out most memorably to me.

[ner5y]

Some music idea's for tadc Carnival au

So in each of the guardian's themes from BOTW you can faintly hear the morse code for S.O.S at different points in their songs, right? (along with other morse code messages that I don't know the meaning of)

(It's a lot clearer in the soundtrack, especially for vah ruta but hopefully you can still hear it)

Listen closely, you can hear beeping in the background:

So what if WHAT IF Different songs in the Carnival au game's soundtrack had something like that? Like you open it up and the title screen's song has a catchy beat, but little do you know, IT'S THE GAME CALLING FOR HELP.

That was just a random thought I had, this post is mostly to headcanon what video game osts would fit what character, so here:

Pomni's Room:

Glitzville (Paper Mario: The Thousand year Door)

Does. Does anyone actually remember some of the weird (and sometimes racially insensitive) writing in this game? I still have a pretty fresh memory, because I first played it about two years ago (VERY LEGALLY). But did anyone clock those as a kid, or was it just a normal 2000s thing?

Pomni's Boss Battle

I think the choice is obvious...

THE WORLD REVOLVING (Deltarune)

Ragatha's Room

Petalburg (Paper Mario and the Thousand year Door)

(But if you wanted it to be more elegant, "The Night of The Ball" from Fire Emblem 3 Houses would also fit I think. Oo, OR" Lily's theme" from Pokemon: Sun and Moon might fit better.)

Ragatha's boss Battle

Battle! (Lusamine) (Pokemon Sun and Moon)

(I couldn't really think of a good one for her)

Kinger's Room

Soul Sanctum (Hollow Knight)

(Could also be "Victory Road" from Pokemon: X and Y, Or if you're looking for something more upbeat, Merlee's mansion from Super Paper Mario! that one might sound too evile, though [Fun fact: I was so scared of Mimi's spider form as a kid, that I didn't end up getting past the second door and finishing the game until I was FOURTEEN])

(It could also be a whole host of other Hollow Knight songs)

Kinger's Boss Battle

Mantis Lords (Hollow Knight)

(OR "Twilight of the Gods" from Shadows of Valentia, or maybe even "Time to Fight!" From Xenoblade Chronicles (*cough* Dunban is the goat *cough*))

OKAY, for Jax, since he's so fucked up, I think his themes would be DRASTICLY different when comparing sentitience and none-sentience:

Jax's Room (sentient)

Hellfire Follies (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Jax's Room (Non Sentient)

Inkwell Isle One (Cuphead)

Jax's Boss Battle (Sentient)

Colossal Wonders (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Jax's Boss Battle (Non-sentient)

Fiery Frolic (Cuphead)

Another fun fact, King Dice's song is sung by a woman named Alana Bridgewater!

Gangle's Room

Shopping (Pokemon: X and Y)

Again, struggled with this one. Not sure if it fits too well.

(A general theme for Gangle could be Dimentio, Charming Magician from Super Paper Mario)

Gangle's Boss Battle

I've Had Enough Of You (Billie Bust Up)

And would you look at that, Michael's at it again.

Here's a female cover cus y'know Gangle's a girl

(For ones without vocals, maybe "Battle Team Flare" from Pokemon X and Y, "Fracktail Battle" or "It's Showtime" both from Super Paper Mario)

Zooble's Room

Spirit of Hospitality (Celeste)

(Could also be Crystal Peak from Hollow Knight!)

Zooble Boss Battle

Confronting myself (Celeste)

(I was struggling to decide between Heartache, Metal crusher (Undertale) and Battle Elite Four (Pokemon: Sun and Moon) but as soon I heard this, I KNEW)

Bonus:

Caine Boss Fight

BIG SHOT (Deltarune: Chapter 2)

I think that's all of them!

@sm-baby

[visualtaehyun]

Tagged by @thegalwhorants here, thank you dear ✨ I love musical tag games but this might be the first time I've answered one where the results are extremely telling about me lmao

Shuffle your On Repeat playlist and then list the first ten songs!

Next Love by BADMIXY

P'Mix's MVs are always super fun and unapologetically queer and I love her as a songwriter! This song is actually over two years old but I first listened to it after ฟ้ารักพ่อ (DILF) went viral and she came out with her debut album that included this song. But I'm pretty sure I became properly obsessed with it after hearing the RnB arrangement that (surprise surprise 🤡) ZeeNuNew performed during the DMDLand2 concert. Also wanna shoutout that time New and P'Erk Chrrissa covered it together during a live session because it made me hope P'Mix might one day write a song for New!

ไหล่เธอ (You've Got Ma Back) by Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun, Satang Kittiphop, Winny Thanawin

I love this show and the entire OST! Could I have just linked the official MV? Why yes of course, but that wouldn't showcase the chaotic energy of the MSP gang as well lol (if the video doesn't start at the timestamp, it begins at 8:45!)

Get A Guitar by RIIZE

Now this one's a real wildcard lmao It is literally the only song on my On Repeat that isn't written or performed by a Thai artist! I came across it through a KPop random dance vid so obviously I had to link the Studio Choom performance. The choreo is so fun and, to this day, some of my favorite KPop songs are funky just like this one. I don't know who this group is btw (like I literally only found out through this tag game that they're an SM group lol) since I stopped following KPop artists and trends when I fell into my lil Thai and QL corner here so sorry if I sound like your typical clueless local now 😂

รักแท้ (True Love) by NuNew

He's performed this song countless times by now but I chose this one in particular because it was such a huge stage and opportunity for New 🥹 The official MV currently sits at 68 million views btw

ภาพสุดท้าย (Last Twilight) by William Jakrapatr

Y'all. I was so obsessed with this song. Like I literally know the entire lyrics by heart. Since Pal reminded me of Piano & i, I had to go with this performance! :) I'm really looking forward to William's upcoming series - I love LYKN and Est Supha and am sure the OST is gonna be incredible.

꽃이 피는데 필요한 몇 가지 (Blooming Just For You) by NuNew, Paul Kim

The first time he performed this song live 💕

How You Feel by NuNew

Have I mentioned NuNew is my favorite artist 555 This is the song that did me in - it's the first song by a Thai artist that I added on Spotify after getting into QL via KPop -> DKZ -> Semantic Error -> other KBLs -> "Oh, let's watch another popular BL on Viki"... and now I'm here waffling on about Thai language and music lol

ใจรัก by Zee Pruk

P'Zee recently said he didn't enjoy singing before he met New but that he's found joy in it after singing with him a lot. And he's improved so much! My favorite will always be when he sings ballads and love songs like this one though. (fyi this song is like 40 years old so you might have heard it covered by other artists before)

ประตูวิเศษ (Better Days) by Jimmy Jitaraphol, Sea Tawinan

Aaaand check for another song off the Last Twilight soundtrack that I was obsessed with! What can I say, I'm a P'Amp fangirl lol The lyrics are lovely, it's easy listening, and this show occupied my brain for months.

ก้อนหินกับดวงดาว (Rock & Star) by Fourth Nattawat

Love this scene, love Chinzhilla, love these lyrics, I'm repeating myself lol you get the gist, it's a banger!

___

To sum up- 7/10 are OSTs, 5/10 were written by Amp Achariya, and 3/10 are by NuNew (+2 more made me talk about him). So now that I've been publicly clowned by my own Spotify, I'm tagging (no pressure ofc): @zimmbzon @pharawee @airenyah @telomeke @rocketturtle4 and whoever sees this and goes Oh hell yeh an excuse to talk about my fav music!

[george-harrisons-last-biscuit]

Two Virgins Thoughts

As promised here’s my review of two virgins. I did listen to it in full.

Side one

This sounds like something you’d put on if your were trip sitting for your mortal enemy.

If I had a heroine addiction I’d probably also create this album.

Some of this feels like the soundtrack for the reveals or twist of a twilight zone episode

Side two

It’s definitely noise.

I’m kinda impressed for how long Yoko can hold a single noise.

Though the screaming from both parties is the worst part of this.

I like the noise that’s not made from them. Sometimes you can hear the noise of adds or pre-existing sounds which are interesting I guess

Oh my god why is this still going?

This is a lot of time and noise to say absolutely nothing other than “we have a lot of money and fame to put out whatever we want and people will buy it”

What I do enjoy about it is that it’s an interesting listen if you also have the ability to see music in some form or fashion.

Couldn’t make out anything before hand but I heard John go Aaaaamen

Remember love

I do like this song actually.

Yoko’s voice is actually very pretty here. When Yoko songs in this sort of soft quiet voice I always really enjoy it. I think Yoko would be really good at ASMR

This song kinda reminds me a little bit by Nico.

Honestly if you wanted to listen to anything off this album it should be this song.

[delicatebluebirdruins]

Village complete listen through

30th October 2023 as i said some thoughts that are simply made me curious enough to look at the tracks on my phone

(started scrowling through gallery on the wiki and found this picture and this should have been a cover for the physical release no idea why there is so many things on fire)

Monologue

Summer Twilight: whatever you think of the title it is not what you think

Memory of Mia (mom for short)

a bad feeling: is interesting

pain in the darkness

Luiza's House

Villagers

Off the Hook: I wonder what scene this is paired with

Danse Macarbe

A moments respite 1 and 2: basic soundtrack love it dearly

In the Mist and Stay With Me: really eerie

Music Box: what it says on the tin really

Phantom

Promenous- nous dans les bois: Angie boss really uncomfy to listen too

Beasts

treading water and acid rain (basic soundtrack)

attack from the air: initially i was confused about this and i still am as i am typing this

internet cut out and the music paused so I missed roll out

confrontation

eradicating evil and rose: basic soundtracks i just love them

Take Us Up

I Know: listening to the preview was good full thing is better and it turns fairly sinister around 1:53 (is it when we see the mysterious figure? probably) for a moment then turns nice again

memories

the mercenaries titles (RE4R sounds like it a little)

the mercenaries village

Shadows of Rose

Dive

Just Like Me

They're everywhere (kind of made me jump reminds me of Coraline and has the sound effects of face eaters)

Guardian Angel

Touch My Word

Michael

Tick Tock

Reward

Executioner 2 (sister walked in on this and we were both cringing it is a lot that's the only way i can describe it)

Jump

welcome rose

Playtime: very short

You did it! is when we cut open the teddy bear

Dolls: or as we called it hide and seek if there were any way to download mp3's from youtube this is one of the songs i would have gotten for sure

Malice

No one loves you

that voice

deeper

the purifying crystal: the tale end

Run! Rose!

I've got this

Offer Yourself (other song I love the remix of eradicating evil)

I'm Okay: has the same notes as Rose and it makes me sad

Begining of the End: okay title and sounds a little bit like descent into the village and has vocals at the end

In Life and In Death

Blood and Death: goes silent for the last few seconds and it is effective

Light At the End: might be a trailer song because of the lyrics from Yearning for Dark Shadows (long ago i went searching for berries) but i really like it

The Winter's Legacy: is great and it still sounds like two steps from hell song (i just can't think of which one)

Roll Out is a cool its kinda reminiscent of the first Alice film which is interesting comparison to make

[alasse-earfalas]

Updated Fierce Deity Links Playlist!

I swapped a couple tracks and added a couple Links with their own songs to the list, so I figured it was high time for me to make an update to the original playlist post. This time around I'm going to go into a little more detail as to why I chose each song for each FD Link, rather than just copy/pasting some lyrics like I did last time.

As a reminder: this is following the theory / headcanon that the OG Fierce Deity Mask is a mask of ascended Sky. Thus, this is not a collection of songs describing what each Link would be like under the influence of the OG FD mask; rather, these are songs for what each Link's ascended, FD forms would be like. (Not that it matters all that much, really.)

Track list under the cut. :)

First: Holy Ghost (feat. Andrea Storm Kaden) by Fabvl (Clean Version) This song was written about Adam from the anime Record of Ragnarok (which I still need to watch). Right off the bat there's the obvious correlation between the First Hero & the First Human, but there's also the desperate fight between a mere mortal and a god. The erratic nature of the music and lyrics, and the screaming, lends itself to the desperation First must've felt during that fight. Considering how he died, I thought that his desperate determination would carry over to his FD form after death.

Time: In The Air Tonight by State of Mine Time just wants to rest in piece. I love the observation in LU that he is done with combat. It would take a lot to convince him to go into battle after training Twilight as the Hero's Shade. However, as a Link, he is still very much a force to be reckoned with. Underestimating him would be a death sentence, and heaven help the poor soul of anyone who stupidly incurs his wrath. With all that in mind, I wanted to go with a song that was a little more subdued than the others, but still intimidating and intense. After listening through the previous playlist a few times, I kept feeling like Time's original song just wasn't quite on par with the others. I swapped it with this one both for the up in intensity, and because it really sells the, "I don't want to be here... but you done screwed up, so now I have no choice but to put an end to your miserable life" vibe.

Twilight: POWER by Divide Music The lyrics of this one fit Twilight like a freaking glove. However, I think I may have shied away from using it originally because the type of music doesn't quite fit the edgy goth cowboy we all know and love. But after listening to it again a few times, it occurred to me that FD Twilight would be ascended Twilight; postmortem Twilight; BotW Wolf Link amiibo Twilight. And that annoying little fleabag (affectionate) is a lot more bold and "Have at thee, pathetic monster!" than he was in Twilight Princess—which is exactly the vibe of this song.

Warriors: The Resistance by Skillet Come on. "I am a nation"? "I am a soldier"? Tell me that's not Wars. The lyrics are just too perfect. Even "Love is the answer" makes me think of how he views his Zelda versus how Cia started a whole war over her obsession with him (additionally, "Used to be a slave, but now you are a conquer" makes me think of my personal headcanon of how the Temple of Souls would have realistically gone if Hyrule Warriors wasn't made for kids). Even the guitar solo at the end is reminiscent of the HW soundtrack!

Four: The War Inside (Spotlight Remix) by Switchfoot Mainly it's just the lyrics for this one. This is only remix I could find that was intense enough, and even then, I'd prefer something with a little more oomph to it.

Wind: Ruthlessness from EPIC: The Musical Do I even need to comment on this? It's freaking ticked off Poseidon. Heck, this was actually the song that inspired the whole playlist!

Wild: The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy Oh man. Where to start? The rapid strings, the chaotic yet poetic lyrics, the relentless pace... Yeah, this is FD Wild. I can just see him, lurking in the shadows, going full guerrilla warfare, setting fire to everything while manipulating Sheikah and Zonai tech like frikkin' Emmet from the Lego Movie. If anything, like Four's song, I'd love to see a remix or cover with a touch more oomph to it. But this will do.

Age (AoC Link): You're Going Down (Radio Edit) by Sick Puppies Age strikes me as the kind of guy who never backs down from a fight or a challenge, no matter how petty (see: eating gravel on a dare). He is heck-a confident in his abilities, masterfully using super reckless tactics (health-burning claymore mechanic, anyone?) and unwieldy prototype weapons to great effect. So, yeah. This is absolutely FD Age.

Legend: Legendary by Skillet It's in. The freaking. Name. Grandiose, confident bordering on cocky, a taunt and an anthem rolled into one. Some of the best-fitting lyrics on this dang list. Overall, just, epic.

Hyrule: Feel Invincible by Skillet This has "I've survived the freaking post-apocalypse, witch" vibes to it, plus some somber contemplative moments that I think would fit older Hyrule very well. I can see Hyrule being another Link who, like Time, just wants to be done when he dies. He'll still fight when he's called upon, and he'll be frighteningly effective in combat, but don't expect him to be enthused about it—just impatient to get back to his well-earned afterlife.

Sky: Say My Name by Divide Music This is the OG Fierce Deity. This is Sky ready to roll some heads. He forged the LoZ equivalent of Excalibur so he could kill a god at seventeen/eighteen, he married the powerful protector goddess who's revered and worshiped by his people, and he is done with your crap. This is the jacked-as-fetch protective dad towering over the schoolyard bully. Your only hope of survival is to not be the bully.

[candy8448]

It is done!

I've finally completed many month (maybe even over a year) mission of listening to all the zelda OSTs in release order (now it did take ages cuz i would spend forever between each ost and the longer ones would take so long to get through)

I compiled all my favorite tracks into one massive playlist, as well as covers that i like!

Now i am going to go over each ost and say my thoughts on them! Ill also be mentioning one or two tracks from each game that were really notable for me

(I didn't listen to Twilight princess or Spirit tracks because i dont want spoilers for when i play them)

The legend of Zelda:

The ost for this game is 9 mins long, drastic difference to totk with many MANY hours of music

Obviously a classic, the overworld theme. I really like the "game over" theme, its nice but the ringing of the NES boops hurts my ears so much

Adventure of Link:

I really like the final dungeon theme and the battle theme, so good to just jam to

A Link to the past:

Not much to say here, it set a bunch of classics, dark world theme is super good though and the great fairy fountain theme will always be welcome whenever i hear it, either as the great fairy or as the title screen (tbh i prefer it more as the title screen theme) and the title screen theme! When that bursts out i wanna scream, It fills me with so much nostalgia for this series as a whole

Link's awakening:

Now this one is difficult, because this game is my favorite game out of the games i haven't played just plot wise, but for some reason listening to the music was just super tiring for no reason. Now i was listening to the gameboy version but i tried the swith version and it was also tiring and tedious to listen to?? Im going to go through the switch version ost at some point in time.

You can never go wrong with tal tal hights though, and the ballad of the windfish is just 😭

Ocarina of time:

Im afraid to say anything on it because of the fans of it XD i did play a tiny bit of the game but got to Zora's domain as a child and stopped

Obviously it has a great soundtrack, it has a ton more classics like gerudo valley and such. I like Sheik's theme. The fire temple i am aware is controversial and i think that's the reason it makes me so unnerved when i listen to either version of it

My absolute favorite though is Song of storms (or windmill hut). The first time i heard it, it just stuck with me and i am taken in by it, it luls me, its like magic, im enraptured by it. I don't know what it is about this 20 second theme but i can listen to this on repeat for hours, its one of the first things i learned on piano, when i played the game i just stood in the windmil hut for ages. Such a good track...

Majora's mask:

SUCH an earie ost! I have been wanting to play this game forever. The vibes the ost is just perfect for this game. Clock town is obviously good and its cool how it gets more and more frantic as time goes on, you really feel like time is running out. Overall i think the whole soundtrack does amazingly at embodying this idea.

Oracle of Ages and Seasons:

The two tracks are very similar rhat i can't eeally do these two games separately. For some reason i have a bias towards seasons despite not playing either or really knowing the story??

I love that seasons has song of storms (for some reason), skull pirate's escape is good (oos), ambi's place (ooa) noice, Nayru's song is so nice, and i adore the "Zelda awakens" theme that's in both of them

I love how the tracks for these went back to the boopy style, it makes the themes just has a certain feel that i cannot put words to that feels so right. I have the feeling that when i play these games im going to have a great time with them

Wind waker:

Tbh, not for me, the style of the music is just not the kind of thing i like. Doesnt mean it doesnt have really good tracks though!! Cannot go wrong with dragon roost and i do like a track that i cannot remember the name of (but tbh that is just mostly because i really like the beat) and the Great Sea sailing theme does sound so freeing, you can feel the wind in your hair with that track. Its just that the rest of the music style is just not something i dig so much, its just a personal opinion.

Four swords:

I forgot about this game, and could not recall the ost at all. Had to open sime tracks again to listen to and tbh all i can say is... meh? The ost isn't too great... gotta give it credit for it's version of the overworld theme thoug, possibly one of the better different renditions?

Minish cap:

A cute little game, dont remember much of the soundtrack but i have quite a few saved from it so it must count for something, and i really like the "story" theme whenever i hear it and Mt. Crenel is okay

Phantom hourglass:

Again, it has a similar style to wind waker and i didn't really like it. Linebeck's theme though, what a wonderful character! ("Return of the Ocean King" is also decent)

Spirit tracks:

I did not listen to this soundtrack but the ost is just *chefs kiss* from the ones ive heard. The tracks "the sacred duet" and "battle with king Malladus" are the tracks that made me desperately want to play this game and i am still longing to play it because of these two tracks. I love how throughout the Malladus battle theme there is the constant chugging of the train on the track. I have no doupt that the rest of the ost will be this amazing. (The title theme is perfect, you really feel like you are on a racing train) ive since listened to "in the fields" and ooooooh i love ittttt i so cannot wait to play this game!

Skyward sword:

Man you KNOW i can ramble about this forever. My favorite Zelda game! I cannot put into words how much this game's ost makes me feel all of the emotions in the world, i can only list a few tracks that make me feel so much oooough

Ballad of the goddess (obviously), Romance in the air makes me all fluttery and happy, skyloft theme always feels like home, any version of fi's theme puts me in tears, Groose's theme he is such a silly guy, the loftwing flying theme is so nostalgic, Ghirahim's theme is so menacing, all the Lanayru tracks have such a certain zen feel, silent realm theme's have such a frantic echoey empty perfect feel to them which fit so well, and the guardians awaken theme will make me have a heart attack, and the song of the hero has so many feelings ive talked about before, so much that this track alone made me make a painting for the scene.

This game just stepped into another feel of zelda music with the orchestra, and it captures the grandios of this big, timeline setting adventure so amazingly. I cannot get enough of this game. Arguably one of the best Zelda OSTs in my opinion.

A Link between worlds:

Such a good ost in this game. Dunno what i can say apart for it is one of the better ost's in the series for some tracks alone. Ravio's theme, Hilda's theme, Yuga's theme, Lorule overworld, all the milkbar tracks (the fact that there is also ballad of the godess in there makes me so happy as well), so much of the game's ost is so good!

Triforce heroes:

Such a surprisingly great ost for a game that sounds so much like a fever dream. The main theme?!?!? The woodlands?!?!?!?!? I cannot stop listening to these two such a bop, go listen to them!

Breath of the wild:

Botw has no music???? What the heck???

The tracks are so good! Even all the ambient piano flourishes! It fits the atmosphere so well, but you've probably heared people saying all this before so onto some of my favorite tracks

All the champion's themes fit each one so well, main theme cannot not be good, i lobe how Tarrey Town's theme builds up with each character's home town. The divine beast themes are really cool sounding. Parasailing minigame theme is so fun! Guardian theme will also give me a heart attack, the memory get jingle, i miss Kass and his music so much, Korok forest is so :D, HYRULE CASTLE IS SO GOOD OH MY i love the marching feel. Dark. Beast. Ganon. THIS THEME IS CRAZY BRO that piano!??!!?? All the everything going together?!??!!? This fight may be a victory lap and super easy but it sure as hell has some fire music!!!

Tears of the kingdom:

I finally finished this ost today. It reuses a lot from botw, and tbh it is a little dissapointing how none of the village themes changed even if it does feel safe and familiar, and the surface is largely the exact same even though it is where we spend so much of our time.

There are obviously amazing tracks original to this game though. The main theme was so amazing to hear in full after so long of waiting! So was the prologue theme ("poor Hyrule, for Link has found the body" remember that???) All the dungeon themes have me in awe alongside the sage themes. Each one just fills me with so much ough. The dungeons and their themes were definatly a massive step up from the previous game. I ranked all the sage themes before in another post and go deeper into each one. Link humming while cooking is so cute! The big "BWAAA" when diving into the depths feels so cool and creepy. One of my favorite details is that in the forgotten temple, next to the goddess statue you can hear a broken up version of Fi's theme which im so happy for the sksw ref! It also supports my favorite hc that the forgotten temple is the sealed grounds from sksw! (As well as the reward you get fron that quest but we aren't talking abiut that)

!!!!End spoilers next!!!!!

In the lead up to the final dive into ganondorf's army, the track reminds me of Skyrim and it really does not fit in Zelda. I feel like they shouldn't have used that track. Ganondorf's fight theme is so cool, how at first it is quiet to just hear you two dueling in an echoey room and them builds up. AND HOW CAN YOU FORGET THE FINAL FALL?!?!?!? Such a PERFECT END its amazing how is blends so smoothly to create the perfect scene, all your emotions building up to the end!!! Such a perfect ending to the game. All the music in the end sequence in the Hyrule castle chasm really does do an amazing job of dialing up and down the tension and emotions at the right moments and building up everything until the very end when the credits start rolling.

Overall the ost is great considering all the new tracks!

So that is all the games (other than tp and st)!

Now on to all of the non-cannon games! 🥲

[popculturebuffet]

Phantom of the Paradise Review: Reviewed at last! (Comission for Emma Fici)

Hello all you happy little eddie mitty's born in jersy city and a hearty horrifying mecahnical laugh for all you rest. I know i'm a bit late to the party but we're kicking off this halloween season's reviews with a true classic. After a year of wanting to do this it's finally time to talk about Phantom of the Paradise. I'd like to thank my friend emma for sponsoring this but I assure you this is my utmost pleasure and hers. We both watched the film for the first time last month after a year or two of me listening to the soundtrack constantly but procastinating on the film because my brain does stupid things sometimes.

So we're finally here. For those who haven't heard of this masterpiece, the short version: Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 film from legendary director Brian De Palma, one of his earlier films and only two years before his breakout with Carrie which despite being a horror fan, I have not seen. In fact this is the first film i've seen from DePalma but definitely won't be the last.

The film was a passion project of DePalmas, coming about shortly after his film Sisters. This was thanks to producer Ed Pressman, who in an interview with nerdist explained DePalma came to him shortly after making Get to Know Your Rabbit at Warner Bros.

Just looking on wikipedia alone the experince was a nightmare, with star Tom Smothers being an absolute douchebag, hating Depalma's direction, refusing to shoot at times and outright disappearing. Warner Bros itself was no kinder, cutting the film to all hell in editing. DePalma understandably wanted the hell out of there and begged Pressman, who he was friends with to get him out of there. pressman's exact words.

So Pressman did and DePalma happened to have two films he was optioning. Sisters, a pscylogical drama and Phantom. Both were more eager to do Phantom but did sisters first as it was more commerical and brian happened to be rooming with a bunch of young acresses including Margot Kidder, who they got to star in it.

The film was a hit and thus allowed De Palma and Pressman to go ahead. For music they went to A and M Records, a hot studio at the time that was opening up to movies.. and had under contract one Paul Williams. Yes the future muppet maestro who'd written some hits but was happy to take on the role as it allowed him to stretch his legs a bit and got him into film composing.

Together this dynamic duo crafted a true treat, a tale of love, faustian bargins, rock n roll, metalic screeching, cool as hell masks, industry corruption, printing press accidents, rocking gore effects, BEEF, hauntingly good music, and Paul Williams as a terrifying villian. The film didn't do so hot initially due to a combo of lawsuits (Warner being mad over phantom of the opera despite it being you know, public domain even at the time, Led Zeplin being mad about the swan song productions logo and demanding it was changed. Stupid bullshit) and needed redits, combined with the studio having no idea how the hell to market it. But it was a hit in france, japan and winnepig, securing it's place as a cult classic that's been well loved since. So on this it's 50th anniversary join me under the cut as I break down one of the best horror comedies you'll ever see.

And As I Lived My Roll, I Swore I'd Sell Soul...

We open with a narration from Twilight Zone maestro Rod Sterling. I had to double check the first time I heard it but yup. Sterling introduces us to the world and our main antagonist...

Swan... he has no other name. His past is a mystery, but his work is already a legend. He wrote and produced his first gold record at 14. In the years since then, he’s won so many others that he once tried to deposit them at Fort Knox. He brought the Blues to Britain. He brought Liverpool to America. He brought Folk and Rock together. His band, the Juicy Fruits, singlehandedly gave birth to the nostalgia wave in the 70s. Now he is looking for the new sound of the spheres, to inaugurate his own Xanadu, his own Disneyland: the Paradise, the ultimate Rock Palace. This film is the story of that search... of that sound... of the man who made it... the girl who sang it... and the monster who stole it.

It's a damn good intro that covers 80 pounds of exposition in a way that feels truly epic and warranted. The rest of the films storytelling is more through visuals or maybe a quick spinning paper, but this works well to build up swan as this mysterious musical mastermind.

So we open proper at a gig for the Juicy Fruits

And Winslow Leach at the Piano. The Juicy Fruits are played by Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor, and Harold Oblong. Their a 50's revivial act, which yes was a thing back then see Happy Days, Grease and American Beauty and if anything something Phantom was ahead of the curve. DePalma originally wanted real life 50's revival group Sha Na Na but couldn't get them.. or Williams strongly campaigned to use his backing band instead. It depends on who you ask. Either way Williams got his way and his band does a terrific job. Hahn in paticular gets to since his heart out performing a cheesy 50's style ballad with our opening number "Goodbye Eddie Goodbye"

Goodbye Eddie Goodbye is from a genre i'm only vaugely aware of, 50's tragedy songs where someone horribly dies. I've seen it hinted at in works set there like Grease or Hairspray. The result is a fun song, with Han adapting what can best be described as.. an accent. I THINK he was going for a 70's white guys version of a 50's white guys version of a mexican and possibly got caught in the washer. But it's goofiness fits the genre. Also one of them tries tearing a woman's clothes off because no one batted an eye at that shit in the 70's.

The performance does well and whlie it goes Swan is caked in shadow as he talks to his fixer, Arnold Phillbin played by character actor George Memoli. Sadly memoli passed away in the mid 80's a damn shame given Scorcese loved working with the guy and defintely would've kept him well employed into the present. Philbin is a monster, who casually recaps a tale of wooing a young artist, dating her, and keeping her under a lifetime contract and keeping her doped up to keep performing as "her fault" for wanting to perform for the poor and her fault for him killing her after she won in court.

Swan is unintrested as he's instead caught in what's going on on stage. During the performance a young pianist Winslow Leach was trying to promote himself. Leach is played by William Finely, who previously was one of the stars of Sisters and was a lifelong collaborator of DePalmas till his death in 2012. He does a terrific job here, starting out as the wide eyed gawky long haired winslow. Winslow has plenty of talent but hasn't had his break yet.

So as the crowd empties out between sets, Winslow sings his beautiful masterpiece "Faust", the intended opening of a cantana based on the legend of a scholar who sold his soul to the devil and the origin of the term Faustian Bargin.

Faust is a truly beautiful songs and one of my faviorite numbers, and it's staged gorgeously, a rotating shot of Finely singing his heart out as the crowd peters out.. and he's left alone. In an interview on the film that's included on the Scream Factory! Re-Release of the movie, which I highly recommend, DePalma pointed out some symbolism i'd missed: that this is the purest expresion of his form, his art... and then over the film the song and Leech's work in general get twisted. It's one of only two times his work is expressed not for greed from someone who stole it, but through honest emotion. There's no one listening but us but what we hear is a beautiful melodic cry for love "to dream a little style, to dream a bunch of friends, to dream it never ends". It belies the fact that Winslow.. just wants to be acccepted... to be seen.

Sadly.. this is where it gets stolen in the first place as the person who sees it is swan who sends Philbin to fetch it. Lucky for both of them Leech is a dull dull boy and gladly hands over his music for swan to see without a contract. We also see a nice hint of anger as the meer IDEA the juicy fruits will perform his music has him pin Philbin against a wall. Philbin's able to calm Leech down before he goes through that fuckin wall and succesfully steals his work.

Months later Winslow TRIES to go to Death Records, Swan's HQ to talk to him but gets rebuffed. Annoyed and finding out he's doing auditions to sing his work, Leech continues his string of good decisions by breaking into Swan's manor during a casting call that's really just an excuse to have an orgy. I dont' know why you'd have to lie, i'd go to an orgy with Paul Williams.

There Leech meets Phoenix, played by the incomprable Jessica Harper. She's a rennisance woman having started as an actress in cult classics like Phantom, Shock Treatment (Where I first saw her), Pennies from Heaven and Suspria, before transitoning more into music and then writing a cookbook. She hasn't retired from acting, still doing it on and off but it's not really her main focus anymore. She's lived a truly charmed life and i'm proud of her. She's great her as phoenix giving an era of both toughness and vunerablility, wanting this shot but not willing to screw swan for it and storming out when she finds out this is an orgy. Which is fair, even a paul williams orgy isn't fun if it's a casting couch situation. Nothing about those are fun.

The two hit it off but Leech is escorted out and takes the hired goons as a sign he should try again

This time costs him as he pretends to be a woman and Philbin, getting the sense this isn't going to end, has Winslow framed for drug dealing with some crooked cops and sentenced in.. a court with an american flag drapped over it.

This is where the film goes from zero to fucking insane fast, as soon Winslow is getting his TEETH RIPPED OUT. Thankfully off screen. It's a sad sceen as he meekly asks for it not to happen, but it's no good.

Then... after a time skip things.. escalate quickly. In Sing Sing, sponsored by Death Records, because just like the record industry the prison systems fucked and corrupt, winslow hears Uphostery, by the Juicey Fruits, now the beach bums. I'll unpack the song in a bit for now it just drives Winslow mad... er and he goes on a rampage throwing boxes and screaming in a weird jumpsuit, storming into the printing press trying to break it and then getting caught in the thing as he evades security.

Yeah I got nothing. I can make zingers and analysis all damn day but... I got nothing this time.

So Winslow stumbles out, his face mangled and in a touch I didn't notice DePalma poitned out we don't see his face till the very end. There originally was a shot of it after, but we don't see what the accident did. The horror's still palpable as not only can you imagine just how bad getting smushed into a record press is, but the sheer pain finley conveys. Whatever was left of Winslow Leech is seemingly gone. And.. it's a genuine tragedy. While Winslow's new persona is going to do some awful things and was an impulsive goober, true, it's hard not to think of the wide eyed musical genius who had his life stolen from him. It dosen't help that shit happens a LOT. Just look at Ke$ha who took YEARS to get free of her label after they forced her to keep working with her abuser. And that's not even getting into Swan's inspiration Phil Spector, which we'll get to promise. It's such a realistic horrific thing in a campy musical where a man gets his teeth replaced by metal , his face smushed after a freak out and decides the best revenge is putting on a costume and going a murderin.

And that's where we're at. Winslow sneaks into the paradise and after slinking around finds the costume department and dawns his iconic costume. And that gets thrown around a lot, to the point Smiling Friends takes the piss out of the term every chance they get, but the helmet here truly is iconic, having inspired Daft Punk (who met at a screening of the film), a lupin film, and more.

The long beak, the eyptian style eye designs, the sleek metal. And the rest of the costume isn't too shabby: the dracula collar, all leather outfit for better lurking and dramatic red cape. It's one of the best designs in horror cinema, and it truly rocks. with the metal teeth only adding to it. Winslow Leech is gone. Meet the Phantom of the Paradise.

So Winslow decides to go after the Juicy Fruits first the old fashioned way: Car Bomb. He plants a car in a jeep the juicy fruits are using for a performance of Uphostery. And now we can talk about this song and it's a goofy delight. It took me far too many listens to realize this was faust just rearranged, but it's a testiment to williams talent. It's also a testiment to his talent it both nails being a mockery of the original... while still credibly being a radio bop. Williams deeply loved the beach boys so this assigment was easy for him, as was the 50's beats of goodbye eddie goodbye as he'd grown up on them.

So with a splitzscreen one of the juicy fruits and a bunch of innocent extras blow up real good and Winslow begins his descent. his actions before were over the top but understandable, the choke slam being not wanting his music to be butchered and his freak out also the result of months in prison for something he didn't do. Now he's killed a guy.. because he didnt' like him singing his music and will kill again.

His next intended target DOES deserve it though Swan. And while Williams appeared earlier than the orgy it's here I feel we get Swan's real debut. As I hinted at Swan is played by Paul Williams. DePalma liked Williams enough he wanted him to play the phantom at one point, but Williams declined, citing his short stature and finley simply being a better fit, having the facial acting needed to spend most of the film in a mask. Which was true, Finely is great with wide eyed insanity as the phantom but can still emote pain or tenderness when needed. It's a masterful performance.

So when saying he'd rather be throwing thigns at the phantom, Depalma decided to make him Swan. It's a move that could've backfired: Williams was a clean cut short man with boyish good looks. And yet.. that's exactly why it works. Swan isn't some over the top creepy guy naturally. He has an aura of creep.. but Williams gives him the swagger and charm you'd expect. You see WHY people buy into swan and don't distrust this creep. You see it from whent hey meet: Rather than be.. rattled a man he thought was dead is stalking him in a silver bird mask and just killed a person.. he's not even remotely rattled. He comes to winslow as a friend, apologizes for the mixup.. and offers a deal. It's that cold, easygoing manner that makes him creepy, likening to real abusers like Harvey Weinstein, someone you might KNOW is bad by rep but can still talk someone into something horrifying because you don't know how bad.

Swan seems to be based on music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector. Given his original name was indeed Spectre, I don't doubt it was subtle. Spector was a prominent music producer for decades, who was also known for being drunk and stoned out of his mind and brandishing a gun MULTIPLE times. So even by the time Phantom came out most people in the music biz knew he wasn't a good guy, and that was before he murdered a woman. He thankfully died in jail before he could be parolled which you'd THINK was impossible but well.. OJ died a free man.

While Swan is just as murdery and monsterous, he's not nearly as unstable, calmly taking the phantom in and getting him to sign a contract.. in blood.

Rather than ask any followup questions, the Phantom signs this shady contract. Which while I get Swan not over abusing this, I mean you can't give every third rate act a contract with the devil.. but this is THE music Swan was searching for to open the paradise. You coudl've had bill finely coked up in your walls months ago.

It underlies something I hadn't realized but for a fixer Philbin is .. really bad at his job. He only gets away with Leech's music becuase Leech is a dull dull boy, and roughs the man up TWICE before getting "well he's not going to stop might as well plant drugs on him. " And that STILL goes horribly sideways and leads to a person getting killed. Swan solved their problems, for now with one deal with someone who was stupid and naive enough to deal with the devil in the first place. I get it the other stuff is standard record industry scumbaggery but when just.. talking to the person and getting them to sign a rigged contract, satanic or not would've been easier.. why not lead with that?

So with that the pact is sealed: The Phantom will finish Faust and Swan will let him pick who sings is. This leads to the return of Phoenix and our next number Special To Me. I love Special to me, a nice 70's bop about a woman who worries her partners obession with being somebody and not workin just to survivie will destroy him. Something I love about this musical is EVERY song feeds into the film beautifully despite being digetic (as opposed to the characters just bursting into song their performing in universe when they sign). This summing up just what happened to Winslow, that he put his obessesions over his health.

Well you told me one time That you'd be somebody That you weren't working just to survive But you're working so hard that you don't even know you're alive

Working so hard to be somebody special Not working just to survive Well you're special to me, babe But what I don't see, babe Is where you go once you arrive Where we go once we arrive

Granted I don't get equating working just to survie with being.. good as i'ts okay to work beyond that, but I get it. Your work can eat away at you as it did with Williams. Unsuprisingly writing a films music, producing it AND acting was a lot and Williams credits it to the hubris of youth he was able to do it all, mentoning how he worked all night then went to make up to take off his make up from the previous day which was still on.

Harper also has a great persence, wearing a hat because why not, throwing it off for flair and winning over the crowd and both Swan and The Phantom

So the Phantom gets to work, wtih swan giving him a new voice that's perfect. naturally it's williams who also admitted in the dvd interview, an old one judging by the fact he talks about being called in to work on pans labyrinth at the time, he did all the tracks. It's why the hell of it, which we'll get to much later of it, still has his voice and likely why beauty and beast does. It still works textually as Swan is such a narcsist yet strangely dosen't like being recorded on film, so being able to find a loophole to not being able to record like this pleases the little gremlin.

So weeks pass as the Phantom writes his masterpiece and Swan gives him plenty of drugs to keep him focused while planning to replace Phoenix because "I abbhor perfection in anyone but myself". It's a perfectly sleazy line and Williams deliveries in this film are just perfect: quick, to the point, and with a hint of swans ego and self absorbtion beneath the veneer of charm.

So in his gold record shaped lair somewhere within his lair at the paradise, man's gotta have multiple evil sanctums after all, he interviews various acts trying out the latest part of Faust, beauty and beast eventually settling on glam rock gay icon BEEF.

Gerrit Graham is another DePalma regular, appearing in a few of his films. To my shock I also found out he was Bud the Chud in Chud 2: Bud the Chud which I mostly love for Grahm's performance and that fucking phenominal theme song. He was also another character i've adored for decades at this point, Franklin Sherman on the animated sitcom the critic. He was the best and I did not recognize him.

So it's no suprise with a long history after this of fun small parts Grham would kill it as Beef, a campy man decked in glitter, platform shoes and the ego of a greek god, an over the top cartoon who swan introduces alongside his new backing band the undead, i.e. what's left of the juicy fruits.

The Phantom is unaware of this and Swan has him bricked in now he has what he wants. Phoenix is reduced to a backup singer as Beef butchers Old Souls, a great number we'll get to and falls the fuck over and is encouraged to make it his own. So while a young George Martin cringes somewhere hearing that advice, the Phantom finds out he's been bricked in, and screams. And I love the phantom's screams and crackles, all horribly digitized with tons of feedback. it's so distinct, creepy and awesome. Unfortuantely Swan underestimated his pawn and the Phantom escapes in the usual way

And threatens beef, telling him his song is for phoenix only. Anyone who tries.. dies. After.. doing a great gag subverting psycho only instead of a stabbin in the shower with the spigot on hot, he plungers his mouth shut

Beef being a resonable weirdo tries to flee and Philbin.. threatens him to stay. Despite the fact that in a great line Beef knows what's "drug real and real real". And someone doing a carbomb a month or two ago. And the horrifying shreek the phantom let out as he escaped they both defintely heard.

So Beef is forced to perform. Lucky for us as it's a fucking killer number but before that we have another good number Somebody Super Like You. This is performed by the undead and is a fun prog rock number, mostly livened up by the performance where they yank fake bodyparts off the audeince to create their frankenstein monster. Really fun stuff.

So we get to my faviorite number in this impecible soundtrack, Life at Last. I love this one for the vocals which aren't Grahms but Raymmond Kennedy a seasoned musicain who in addition to several solo albums has done music for Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, and The Beach Boys and was good friends with Otis Redding.

So naturally he sings the hell out of Life at Last, which sounds like an awesome villian song for the Phantom by proxy:

Life at last, salutations from the other side I can see that you're the devil's pride Do you realize that all of you donated Something horrible you hated That was part of you? I'm your nightmares comin' true I am your crime

I'm the evil that you created Gettin' horny and damn frustrated Bored stiff and I want me a woman now

It works for so .. many characters. So many. But in general it's just awesome, a gravely voiced glam rock number about revenge heavy in themeatics for the movie and killer guitar riffs, backed up by Grahm's great strutt and killer outfit. While everyone might hate Beef in unvierse, you can't deny his talent.

Still the Phantom did warn him and decides to stop being subtle and throws a fucking neon lightning bolt at the man electrocuting him and laughing manically.

Philbin realizes he done fucked up and puts Phoenix on stage.. who was on stage before backing up but is , as Williams noted, in a white dress because why not. We then get a very close second for my faviorite song of the musical, Old Souls. Old Souls is a truly impactful number, about a lover who may be dying telling her partner we'll see each other again. It's a greatly staged number as harper stands center, letting the soul sink in, the phantom putting the spotlight on her as for just one breif moment his music is heard as intended. It's reflected in the staging: a once raging crowd now quiet, the light all on her. It's truly beautiful.

Our paths have crossed and parted This love affair was started long, long ago This love survives the ages In its story, lives are pages Fill them up, may ours turn slow, oh

Williams admitted that while a love song, part of his pain from his mother slowly dying leaked into his work. This song is haunting, gorgeous and easily Jessica Harpers best musical performance i've seen. And she's delightful in shock treatment.

Sadly for the Phantom Swan just can't help but be a dick and quickly seduces Phoenix.. while knowing the phantom is watching...

Fun fact I adore: Gideon Graves from scott pilgrim... was based off Swan. He's a bit taller and more traditonally handsome, but he has that same "beloved entertainment guru hiding mass abuse of women and others" vibe, a lair of cool shit and creepy designs on the lead's love intrest. It's diffrent enough to not be plagarisim but once you know the similiatrites it's impossible not to see and cool to see. I wish i'd been more aware of Phantom when I covered volume 6. I might've spotted more.

So the Phantom at his lowest and realizing Swan is just going to keep jerking him around because Swan just.. loves misery. I'ts now why I can see he put winslow through all this shit: it's not that winslow didn't matter.. he just perfers the slow path. Granted he still could've had the guy cooked up in his wall then tortured him but eh he's immortal he's gotta get his laughs somewhere.

Yes immortal... see the PHantom tries to kill himself.. and finds he can't. The Contract links him to swan. As long as swan is alive he can't die.. and when he tries to kill Swan... swan barely reacts and coldly responds "I'm under contract too" wanting the phantom to get back to work and planning to marry phoenix. It's tha tcold unfeeling sociopathy that really defines swan: he loves nothing else, no one else and seems happiest when screwing someone over and despite a mountain of setbacks easily turns them around on his opponent.

So the Phantom heads back to the paradise and while Swan preps for his wedding, with Philbin as occiant because god isn't coming anywhere near this wedding anyway. At least we get to see him in a pope hat. WIth Swan busy , the Phantom sneaks into his room and finds something important.. a video tape. It has not a snuff film as part of an anthology nor a ring girl bu tthe reveal of why swan's immortal.

The scene that follows is mildly trippy and creepy as it's paul williams.. talking to his reflectoin. It's a tape from years ago: Swan was planning to commit suicide as he realized he was getting older, and in his vanity, wanted to die young. Enter his good buddy the Devil, who likes the cut of Swan's gib. I also like the contrast between past swan and the devil in williams performance: the devil is smily and off putting while Swan before his asendence is giggly, offputt and out of it, possibly very high. But the offer is way too good to pass off: eternal youth. In exchange swan can't be recorded, over the film he's had any cameras on him destroyed and plans to use a mask for the ceremony. The tape will age for him and if it dies, he too can die.

The Phantom also finds out from the recordings Swan plans to kill phoenix during the wedding, profiting off her forever and having tricked her into signing her wn contract. The PHantom realizes the only way to free the wwoman he loves is to kill swan. Which is a risk as his deal has kept him alive, it's also most likely why his facial injuries never killed him in my eyes, as he went right from those to stalking swan at the paradise with the deal happening that night.

So our hero.. ish leaps into action. And I like the ballance.. winslow isn't a good person, quick to anger, he's killed multiple people who did nothing to him when Swan's the real bastard. But yet you root for him to at least win this once as after all he's been through.. swan has to go and if swan isn't stopped... Phoenix won't be the last person he hurts or sells to satan.

So after casually killing philbin, the phantom storms on stage during the wedding and stops the sniper, while the crowd and the dancers on stage riot and with his tape destroyed... swan starts to rot.

I love his melty horrifying face towars the end as he strangles phoenix proving in his final acts he's a monster who likes to hurt people and it's all he ever was. No amount of talent could maks the monster he is... The phantom finishes him off.. but starts to die and we get a truly tragic ending. As the crowd tears swan apart. the phantom limps to Phoenix.. and she remembers... and she realizes both who this man whose been creeping around is and what he could've been and weeps as the crowd dosen't notice.. no one notices... the Phantom dies.. winslow dies.. alone.. but maybe nloved. And maybe in a better life... they coudl've been more.

We end the film with credits of all the actors set to the song that let me know this film's soundtrack existed, The Hell of It. It was meant for Beef's funeral, to be sung by the phantom but they ddin't have the money for that scene, and honestly it works way better as both a sendoff to the film and a final fuck you to swan, one of film's greatest monsters now throughly slain.

Love yourself as you loved no other Be no man's fool and be no man's brother We're all born to die alone You know, that's the hell of it Life's a game where they're bound to beat you And time's a trick it can turn to cheat you And we only waste it anyway And that's the hell of it

Good for nothing, bad in bed Nobody likes you and you're better off dead Goodbye (Goodbye) We've all come to say goodbye (Goodbye) Goodbye (Goodbye) Born defeated, died in vain Super-destructive, you were hooked on pain And though your music lingers on All of us are glad you're gone

If I could live my life half as worthlessly as you I'm convinced that I'd wind up burning too

It's a song full of pure contempt.. and i'ts all swan deesrves.

This film deserves all the praise and I highly recommend getting the blu ray if you can swing the money. The film's a faustian tragedy with the astetics of Adam West Batman and it's as hilarious, tragic and horrifying as that sounds. If you love you some weird shit, some great music and some well done character work, you'll love this movie as I now do. Writing it up's only made me love it more . It was an honor to finally do this one, thanks for reading.

[land-of-holly]

Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7 Liveblog

I heard we would have less Numenor in this episode. I feel like they're already doing more characterization spots than actual plot advancement, though that may be because I already know where the plot is going so it doesn't FEEL like advancement

Maybe more Arondir tho? Pls?? I miss him

I think we may be doubling down on the implication that the nine's mithril is actually Sauron's own blood. Isn't visual storytelling fun?

The fall of Ost-in-Edhil, as promised

Poor Tyelpe...

Somebody who knows more about metalcraft tell me how he is doing all of this hilariously wrong

Hello Mr. Mouse! He looks very polite, you should let him stay

THAT'S CREEPY PUT HIS REFLECTION BACK THE WAY IT WAS ANNATAR

Tyelpe unfortunately Annatar is going to have to ask for crunch time from you to cover for his own poor scheduling ability

Always love how media siege weaponry use seems to have no other strategy than modern artillery, ie keep hitting until you obliterate the entire fucking thing

Oh now he's "saving" them from their lord's neglect. Asshole.

DISNEY'S MULAN WAS NOT A TACTICAL MANUAL JFC ROCKS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY

That's the kind of thing you accomplish with WELL PLACED DYNAMITE

Arondir! Where did you come from?

(Seriously this show has no respect for time or distance)

I do appreciate every ring having its proper gem.

Warn him, Mr. Mouse!

T_T he's trying to find reality!

Time is money, Narvi! We need to cook dig!

Yayyyyy! Narvi!

Elf? Elf?

ELROND HOW DID YOU GET HERE

Honestly if he's not also here to defy his king I'm starting to wonder why

Nope it's not my audio, the drumbeats are actually not visually in synch with the soundtrack. What the hell, guys?

Elf! Extras! With bows!

Oh no is the mouse in a time loop?

Is Sauron's reach finally exceeding his grasp?

So it's on to strategy number 2, admit that he did it but pretend like it's all fine

"This is hardly a gift" nnnggggggg

We're in trailer territory fam

Lol it's all falling apart

This is absolutely the kind of thing I would expect to see in a good Silvergifting fic, and I mean that as the highest praise. The manipulation! The betrayal!

It's the black goop!

Noooo RIP Tyelpe

Gotta say, roughed up and bleeding looks reeeeally good on Charles Edwards

Come ON Mirdania, I know he comes off a little weird but you don't trust that fucker either!

Unfortunately Tyelpe is a little too harried to remember that blood color is literally THE easiest tell to hide with illusion magic

ANNATAR WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

wow i'm so glad i'm watching this at 7 am

JUSTICE FOR MIRDANIA

It's threats now

Tyelpe please tell me Feanor taught you about decision theory, you CANNOT respond to threats, that just leads to more threats!

Three armies?

ELF EXTRAS

WAR ELROND

Fine, fine, show off the Orc makeup

Ignore her, Elrond, she brought this on herself

Is Adar actually magicing away the sun and making shade just for his children? They do a lot with light in this show but that was a little heavy handed

STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS BEAUTY LEAVE HIM ALONE

Invoking Melian's wisdom is a really low blow. Everything could have gone so much better if anyone ever listened to her.

Elrond knows how to hit back where it hurts! How much do these guys really matter to you, Adar

ELROND IS A MASTER NEGOTIATOR!

Ew. This is some Twilight shit. He goddamn well better have had that ring in his mouth.

Because you always go into a negotiation with confidence, Vorohil!

That helmet needs like a chin strap, but I know those aren't sexy. Letting him have the helmet on at all is a huge ask for most of Hollywood

Durin Jr is a great leader!

Do not make your horse do that wtf

More surprise sinkholes

See??? He can't steal your helmet and show us all your pretty pretty face if you had it strapped on!

Elrond that was kinda cruel, take a deep breath dude

Battle battle fight fight

Now were seeing some tactical macinery use

You are gunning for a patricide my dude

She cannot be caged!

Time for Galadriel to grow an empathy??

I'm still not sure if Galadriel speaks Black Speech. I would assume so, it's useful

Arondir! Where have you been?

So she does know how to motivate people in a positive way

Narvi!!

Unfortunately Middle-earth works on narrativium, not statistics

Someone take away Sauron's literal Christian bible, please

Always focused on the end. Analysts are gonna have a field day with this

Opening up about the torture? I HAVE READ THIS FANFIC I STG.

THAT IS NOT A COMPLAINT

Literally some DARVO shit

THROW IT INTO THE FIRE

unfortunately I think that will not work

they're not even hot

come on Tyelpe you know there's only one way out of this shackle how many times did you see the aftermath lets go LETS GO

dear movie THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

oh no the artillery just has it out for poor tyelpe

I am Appreciating Galadriel declaring Celebrimbor Lord of Eregion

I can accept replacement of escape with the Three by escape with the Nine. They set it up well enough, and the emotional thrust remains

Of course the difference is this plan is doomed

Okay but have these guys accepted that they are dumb as fuck and eminently susceptible to Sauron's manipulation?

Acceptable last words by poor Tyelpe

Rian MVP!

Damrod? Damrod??

You think a few swords can stop this guy?

See? Dumb as fuck, and very manipulable.

And now the torture, I assume

I never know what language these elves are going to be speaking when they open their mouths, it's great

Killing a hill troll is a group effort

War Gil-galad??

Glug is looking more and more treasony

Dwarves? No dwarves?

AEGLOS LETS GO

arondir no

you can't kill him girl your diversity

don't try to out loremaster elrond that's mean

hey that doesn't belong to you

put that back

WOW I didn't think it was possible for a show so overproduced to simply have a bad first season but they are really showing improvement in the second IMO! Can't wait for the finale!

[iguessitsjustme]

Songs from QL Dramas

I was tagged by @littleragondin and you know I love talking about music so of course I’ll be doing this. I don’t know how many songs I’ll have from this year buuuuut we’ll see.

I need to start with the two currently airing shows that have soundtracks just absolutely blowing it out of the water. I miiiiiight just have to do an analysis of the music in at least one of these shows because I cannot stress how phenomenal they are.

Last Twilight quite possibly has the best soundtrack of the year. I’ll have to go back and re-listen to some things but I think this one will take the cake.

The Sign also has a killer soundtrack. But it’s really the theme song that slaps me in the face each week and I mean that in the best possible way.

Not currently airing but the entire OST for Oh No! Here Comes Trouble is also fantastic.

Now I think I’m just going to need to list individual songs:

My Fault - Sing My Crush

Second Wind - Sing My Crush. This show came out of nowhere, hit me with two of my favorite songs of 2023 and gave me possibly the most darling couple.

Falling Down - All the Liquors. I’m not gonna lie, I did not finish this show and I doubt I will, but this opening song was immediately put into my playlist I love it so much.

The Story - The Eighth Sense. There is something about walking by the lake early in the morning while listening to this song that brings me inner peace unlike anything else. Also if you haven’t seen this show, please go watch it and then come scream at me about it. Also if you've seen the show, go look up more of Conan Gray's music. He's great.

Redo - Be My Favorite. This is just quintessential Thai BL and I love it. I also think Krist has a nice voice and I don’t hate him singing (as long as that singing is not happening in the show).

I also want to just mention the ISBANKY Part of Your World music video. Truly just a pleasure to watch. And I don’t watch a lot of music videos.

I’m sure there are more that I missed but this is all I can think of off the top of my head. I am tagging anyone who hasn’t been tagged yet but wants to do this. Please tag me though so I can listen to more music and also talk to people about music.

[cornflowershade]

Five favorite songs at the moment ✨

thanks for tagging me @distant-screaming ! <3

Okay let's see, what have I been enjoying of late? 🤔 Some picks, in no particular order... :)

ต้องโทษดาว (Blame It on the Stars) - Jimmy Jitaraphol ver.

Alright, where else would I start. I would be AMISS to not mention this because it's been my go-to song ever since I heard it in Last Twilight. This song is so calming to me on a cellular level and just so beautiful!! Literally any time I want to chill or like, calm myself down or be less anxious, I listen to this and it makes me feel so much better. <3 It's just so pretty idk! Makes my mind all dreamy.

Softly - Karan Aujla

This song is just a flowing bop to me. I enjoy the sounds and the beat and the tune and I always have to play it at least twice because it ends too soon! I like how listening to it feels both calm and tilty. (Does tilty make sense as a description lol? It puts you slightly off-kilter but in a fun satisfying way? Y'know that feeling of being out in a chilly rain when the air is all fresh and expansive? Yeah. That's the chorus to me.) I find Indian music is always very nostalgic (even though I was never taught how to understand any of it) so there's a comfort-music vibe infused here, too, that just... takes me back to childhood a little. :)

แค่คืบ (One Palm Distance) - Satang Kittiphop ver.

Again, Last Twilight soundtrack killing it. Lullaby vibes, okay. Satang's voice is lovely as ever here and it's just!! He made a great version of this song. I often listen to this after Jimmy's song and it's also quite tranquil to me. (Though now I do have a tendency to giggle at the "uuhhuhhuhhhuhh" parts because it reminds me of that clip where Satang is trying to sing this but falls apart with laughter because Mark is. Being Mark in the background.)

Sweet Venom - ENHYPEN

Okay time to get a little more upbeat! I don't listen to as much k-pop as I used to, but I heard this recently and it got to meee! It's one of those songs that's just a fun time and great to dance to as well! I got to play this on a speaker at work two days ago and it was very satisfying xD

มาดูแมวดำน้ำทำกับข้าวบ้านเรามั้ย (Saturday Night) - BRIGHT

Ending with another Thai song because yeah that's mostly what I listen to, still! I actually heard this one because I was watching a compilation of FirstKhao stage performances and they did a cover of this which I enjoyed a lot!! Absolutely recommend that version as well, they were great and it's probably my favorite rendition actually xD I like how it's kinda jazzy. I'm not always a fan of that but I quite enjoy it here, it's a vibeee!

Tagging: @celestial-sapphicss @qt-qtoey @khaofirsts @firstkanaphans @lamonnaie ~ no pressure! <3

[sollucets]

2023 bl wrapped GO

tagged by my beloved @raypakorn & @khaotunq x

i have a poorly-maintained mdl if people would like to see it.

so, to be clear, all but three of all the bls ive ever watched i watched in 2023 (and maybe two depending on if you count between us as 2022 or 2023) and as such this sample size is. skewed. but also still somehow less than the other folks who i've been seeing. i tend to go Deep into obsessions instead of wide; i'm aware i havent seen a lot of genre classics but i also have done my best to watch important highlights hehe

Number of BLs this year and hours: 26 completed shows! im also still in the process of watching last twilight. my probably messed-up math on this means that the hours of that is about 226? apparently?

You primarily watched BLs from Thailand. yes ok who's surprised

You spent way too much time thinking about these characters: ayan love of my life star of my heart!! forever!!! always!!

++: akk (uncomfortable beloved mirror), sand (favorite chewtoy), black (i love my bitch wife), charn (cutie little lawyer), jaewon (perhaps the saddest boy ever to do it), & alan (sad wet cat)

Your favorite show was the eclipse, obviously, which it might surprise some of you to know i DID watch in 2023 (barely, i started in early january, but it was this year). only friends if it has to be a 2023 release.

Your overall BL mood was .... chaotic? i think? i'd say chaotic. i don't know what i'm doing and neither do any of these bitches

You read the most fanfiction about: by volume it's probably only friends -- it's not true anymore but for most of the airing period i very much had read or at least tried to read every single fic in the ao3 tag. lmao. eclipse & not me fanfic also beloved to me. return shoutout to you, jay, whose ray sustained me

Another of your favorites from this year was: i LOVE our dining table. so cozy and warm and beloved. my school president, which i did not start watching til 2023, also counts for me. both of those shows are like.... like throwing a cozy blanket over your shoulders

The soundtracks you listened to the most: let's try was my number one on my Actual wrapped, surprising absolutely no one forever. i also listened to the msp soundtrack a lot. another winner for me is the dark blue kiss soundtrack, which is full of incredible bangers

Your favorite acting pair was: hm. i,, i wonder. i wonder who it could possibly be ..................,,, yes of course it's firstkhao. of course. obviously. if i must be predictable i must; you all know this about me

other contenders include bounprem and earthmix, and other actors i like and care for include tay tawan & mark pakin.

thanks for asking me everyone !! it's been a wonderful 2023 of making friends through this lovely hobby and i care you all very much. mwah

[puppy-phum]

5 Songs Tag - QL Shows Edition

tagged by vi @feralmuskyscentedhoepran​​ ♥ thank you once more for thinking of me with these cool tag games ^^ 

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL media that you actually listen to.

🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

all of these will be from thai shows as i mostly pick up songs from those. i've also been watching mainly thai shows lately so i don't have much else to choose from, sorry...

I. ข้างกัน (City) - Fourth Nattawat and Gemini Norawit (Cover) My School President OST / Original by Three Man Down

To be honest, I love both the original version and this cover from MSP. The cover just holds double the meaning. It is both part of TinnGun’s story – their first meeting, their beginning, the reason why Tinn fell for Gun and why they fit together now – and PuenTalay's story in their own universe. It connects these two universes too, and that is why I’m so fond of it. Also, Gemini and Fourth make this song sound even softer than it already is. (My other favorites from MSP ost are Healing, Let Me Tell You, and the cover of Just Being Friendly, tho the whole soundtrack is just phenomenal.)

II. ใครคลั่งรักกว่ากัน (Madly in Love) - Jimmy Jitaraphol and Sea Tawinan Our Skyy 2 x Vice Versa OST

This song is so very PuenTalay but also so JimmySea. It’s extremely soft, romantic, a little playful, cute, and just loving all the way around. It compliments both of their voices and styles, and just makes me super happy. The lyrics are nice too. My favorite part is the one where Jimmy changes the way he sounds in the chorus (Idk what to call it sorry). It’s towards the end of the song. It’s just super cool somehow and very addicting.

III. คลาด (Over the Moon) - Khaotung Thanawat The Eclipse OST

Absolutely obsessed with this song. One of the best theme songs a BL has ever had, hands down. Truly lived up to the hype I got from hearing this song in the mock up trailer. I love Khaotung’s voice, the visuals in the MV, the lyrics, the instrumental. Overall just a perfect song for me specifically. (To be fair, The Eclipse has had two of my favorite soundtracks with this and their Our Skyy 2 song. Instant hits, no question.)

IV. ก่อน - Pchy Dew The Movie OST

I don’t think any other piece of media has ever made me feel the way Dew The Movie does. It was, and still is, simply everything to me. And this song. This song. I cannot put into words how perfect, how wonderful, how special this song is. I cry every time I hear it because it’s just so fully packed with all these feelings I cannot describe. I love it. I love it so much. And for the love of god, if you haven’t watched this movie, go do it right now. 

V. ร้อยล้านวิว (Million views) - Stamp Last Twilight Pilot Trailer 

I don’t know how well this song fits the criteria for this game but I found this lovely thing bc of the Last Twilight trailer and now I cannot get rid of it. It’s been on my playlist ever since this trailer dropped in November and not a day goes by that I don’t listen to it. It’s just so good and always brings me back to these moments. I keep hoping they would keep this song in the show itself or that they will get an OST that sounds similar, instrumental and lyrical wise. Bc my god did this song hit again once I stopped being lazy and looked up a translation for the lyrics. Now I’m crying even more bc of it thanks.

Bonus: พระเอกจำลอง by Getsunova from the Theory of Love OST. One of my eternal favorites. This song just is the show.  Special mentions: These are western songs so I didn’t want to include them to the list itself but I have to mention that Blueming brought me back to sød ven’s music bc they used the song hollow for the show (the beach scenes to be specific). I am forever grateful. Also, I love the songs both Not Me and Never Let Me Go used in their soundtracks, specifically this one and this one (both are instrumental as these shows have made me appreciate instrumentals a lot more too).

Tagging: @dimpledpran​​ @snimeat​​ @wanderlust-in-my-soul​​ @dragonsareawesome123​​ @oswlld​​ @leonpob​​ @stormyoceans​​ @ayan-sukkhapisit​​ @nongnaos​​ ♥