#having the real queen version of the song on their soundtrack

[gothedrals]

What's your opinion of the P!ATD bohemian rhapsody cover?

oh man I wish you’d asked me this question a couple years ago bc I would’ve delivered a full-fledged manifesto against it. and honestly I still could but I’m gonna try not to fly off the handle too much here

basically for as long as I’ve been a queen fan I’ve held the opinion that bohemian rhapsody is one of their songs that should never be covered bc no one can do it justice (the one exception is mcr, who I now consider the only artist I’d trust with any queen song including borhap). I used to rant ENDLESSLY about the moral travesty of some band butchering freddie’s masterpiece that he wrote on scraps of papers and phonebook corners and the piano he used as a headboard. I know freddie wouldn’t have cared about people covering his music but I cared, and as far as I was concerned they were making a mockery out of my favorite singer and my favorite band and one of the most important songs of all time. for the record, panic was only vaguely on my radar at the time so I had no personal grudge against them. I hated this cover, not bc panic did it, but on principle.

it is funny to look back on how passionately I berated it back in the day bc when your favorite band is one of the most popular bands of all time you can’t expect people to not cover their songs, especially a song as popular as bohemian rhapsody. but tbh I’m still a little bitter about it bc I remember all the panic fans back in the day being like “omg it’s soooooo good!!!” or even thinking brendon wrote the damn song, and it took years for people to start saying “how did we ever think this was good?” girl who is “we”??? it has been bad from the start and I have been saying this for half a decade. so yeah, long before brendon urie became a public punching bag I had a personal vendetta against him for this cover and I consider it foreshadowing to his downfall.

if we ignore my personal history and think of just how the cover sounds sonically. well. this ask actually made go back and listen to it again bc I haven’t heard it in years and WOW it is much worse than I remembered. scream.

tldr: it’s an absolute travesty

[vaguely-concerned]

Happy Grace/Pan Vibes For The Soul

"How can I, with you in the way?"/"(Laughs) The floor is yours!"

First of all I'm honestly just so charmed by how genuinely delighted Pan seems to be at watching Grace finding her voice and learning to enjoy using her power, I think that's where I started to take a shine to him. (also seems quite central to his character/romance in general because it's a thing that recurs through their relationship -- he tells her "I'm enjoying it if you're enjoying it" straight out at one point and that's definitely always there in the subtext). He buys a music studio for her just in case she ever wants to return to making music again even when she's not the muse anymore just because he loves her singing and has seen it make her happy before, how is that not the sweetest goddamn thing in the world??? Pan and Oracle in shared first place as stans for Grace musically

For real though, 'I Can Teach You' is sooo... even when you don't join forces with him Pan teaches Grace so many things in that song, it's a thematic tutorial as well as a gameplay one in many ways. For me I think the most impactful subtexts are 'This is a tricky situation, change is here and it's difficult, but you have more control and agency here than you think' ("You're in control!" "It's your song!"), and this sense that, y'know... there can be joy and playfulness and discovery in setting out into the unknown, not just fear and uncertainty.

dude... I wanna be in cahoots with & sing playful duets with you for the rest of my life bro (amorous intent)

Pros: Hell yeah look at her go! 🥰

Cons: Uh-oh look at her go! 😬

I love that Grace can bring Pan's motif into 'Challenging A Queen' and be called the fuck out by Persephone btw. why u keepin' your guard up girl uwu

'you gave up the only thing worth having -- for your little mortal friend' he says, giving up everything for his little once-again-mortal friend literally the next day fhsdkjfhsad who are you fooling buddy? not even yourself at this point surely??? (dialogue for if you save Freddie by giving up the eidolon)

my observations on the grace/pan dynamic across the different personality traits (yes I've done a run of each romancing him I am normal about it):

Clever!Grace: Pan seems to set out to be a trickster mentor of sorts, and Clever!Grace flips the uno reverse card on him and goes ��Not if I trickster mentor you first bitch be honest about your feelings or perish challenge engage’. Probably the most birds of a feather combination (and indeed it’s the Blue version of the soundtrack that shows off his romance — also his tie and glasses are on the cover for that one :) ). 

Charming!Grace: Performative puppy dog eyes-off whenever either of them wants to get their way. 🥺4🥺. Pan is provably a soft touch from the Charming option to find Persephone before Challenging A Queen so I feel he probably tends to buckle faster but it’s a close thing. Local trickster god completely disarmed by someone being nice to him.

Kickass!Grace: “Be real with me or Imma kick your ass”/”Promise? ;)”/"...>:)"

I am always thinking about the way he steps up in The Trial when romanced (and the way it's the only one where Athena is genuinely shocked and appalled fhskadj). there is something about him that's like... he keeps protesting against 'innocent' and he's probably right haha, but there is certainly an almost fundamental lack of any active malice there that he doesn't fully admit to himself or to grace until this moment. he is doing this for grace, but it is also a confession about something really deep in himself that seems to be very vulnerable for him in its sincerity -- that he really doesn't mean to or more importantly want to cause harm (I don't wanna dance/with blood on my hands). admitting to his own basically good heart finally seems to be the bigger, scarier thing for him, more than facing the prospect of dying. he's experiencing the mortifying ordeal of being known and I for one am so proud of him

"I'm just here for the dance"

the way he sings that just to her and completely changes the meaning of it from what he said with it before, from using it to keep her out to inviting her in...

also can you imagine how badly the kill bill sirens must be going off in Grace's head in all variations of this scene no matter who steps up, considering what happened to Freddie just days before....... oof!

*incensed whisper* are you fucking kidding me with this what am I supposed to do with myself here

love these too

I really like the visual repeats of crossing the pond to the tree and back as a metaphor for them getting closer (or rather, him letting her closer, it is very much His Space). he retreats back there towards the end of 'Share This Dance', and that's the point where Grace puts her foot down and essentially says 'no. you come meet me honestly in the middle this time or this isn't happening'. and in 'The Trial' he does and then some!

I meant what I sang. I'm not a good man. If Athena had taken me up on my offer, the Idols would have been better off But I can try to be better. You make me want to try.

fun fact: if you break up with him after The Trial (YEAH you can still break off the romances at that point! it's wild honestly fsjadk), Grace tells him he should try to be better ‘for himself’ not for her... and he calls that (i.e. himself) ‘not much of an incentive’. My guy don’t make me break out the ‘Have you tried therapy’ prompt again. He takes it very calmly and gracefully under the circumstances but he's also like. quietly resigned and subdued. I tried it once for Science and never will again but there you go I bring my knowledge to this altar of sadness lol

you see the thing is I would forgive him for just about anything too I understand why so many of the characters in-game can't stay mad at him for any length of time

he starts the game by asking her to take his hand and he ends it on asking her to take his hand (and she does)...

:') let's share this dance

[asgardian--angels]

I feel like this is a good time to remind my followers of the full-circleness of it all; the 2001 Queen of the Damned film with rockstar Lestat featured songs composed by Jonathan Davis of Korn, my absolute favorite singer throughout my teenage years (and to this day, lbr). Before getting into IWTV I enjoyed those songs on their own, having no real idea of what they were supposed to be about. Now, we're getting actual rockstar Lestat, and looking back relistening to those nu metal rockstar Lestat songs, knowing that the singer that's been absolutely formative for me is singing from the pov of Lestat (and Akasha), a character that's become such a big part of my life as well.

it's just yet another way everything is connected and the world's smaller than you think.

Anyway if you haven't heard his original compositions for QOTD that he himself sings on the soundtrack, they're really, really good- System, Forsaken, Careless, Redeemer, Slept So Long, Not Meant For Me... give 'em a listen! He's done all of them live many years later too, and there's great recordings of those.

(the live version of Careless is truly extraordinary imo...)

[nerdalmighty]

BG3 Tag Game!

I was tagged by @khywren!!! Thank you!!!!!!

I'm going to tag @vanilkaplays @okthisway @maladaptive-menace @riddlerosehearts @starkspi and anyone else who wants to play along!

Favorite romance: It will surprise no one to know that it's Astarion. I find his backstory so incredibly interesting and I love his dumbass personality. At the end of the day, he just wants to do whatever is the most hilarious and I adore that. I especially love how soft he gets when you get together in Act 2. I could go on and on but I'll never be able to fully articulate my love for him.

Favorite class to play: Bard! I love that they're really the jack of all trades and are pretty good at everything, including spells and sword fighting. Persuasion and deception are SO helpful in this game, plus playing music to distract crowds and cause shenanigans in Baldur's Gate is wonderful.

Favorite NPC: I think Raphael. While yeah he absolutely SUCKS, I'm obsessed with his obsession with his own voice. He's a thespian, he's a freak, he's an idiot. I love it. But yes, I did kill his ass.

Favorite song off the soundtrack: Probably the Harpy Song. I listen to it a lot in my spare time, especially when I'm working on a specific fic I'm attempting to write. I'm a big fan of haunting melodies and, unsurprisingly, the concept of hypnotizing music.

Tell us a little about your Tav: I wrote a pretty long post about her here, but my Tav is named Birdie and she's a bard who was born and raised at the Water Queen's House. Previous iterations of her had her as a siren (hence the deep love of the Harpy Song), but I'm still not 100% sure if this version of her is. Basically, she's a mermaid ass goof whose main gang of idiots include Astarion, Gale, and Shadowheart. Chaos often ensues.

Something you wish was in the game: I know this game is huge. I know there's probably stuff people haven't even discovered yet. But god would I love some more camp animations. More interactions between the companions AT camp. Cut scenes where there should probably be cut scenes (The second time Astarion drinks your blood, Wyll celebrating the defeat of Ansur, etc). I really really love this game, but I'd love to hang out with my friends EVEN MORE.

Do you create fanworks? Share something with us: Oh boy I'm TRYING. I've never really written fanfiction before but the stupid vampire has inspired me to do so. I'm in the process of writing two different fics (one multi-chapter, one one-shot on the longer side) and am having a blast but I'm not sure if/when I'll post them. I've noticed my writing style is very similar to the way I write scripts, which is what I went to college for, so they're full of dialogue and quick, dumb banter. It might not be for everyone, but I'm having The Most Fun! Let me know if you'd maybe want to see more? Here's a silly excerpt from the one-shot (she may or may not get smutty later on 👀):

There was no sign of the vampire, save for an open hatch beneath the stone of the tower leading into what you presumed was a cellar of sorts. Off to the side was a discarded set of Thieves’ Tools. Yup, that’ll be him.

Rolling your eyes affectionately, you began to descend into the basement below. 

Before you could even make it to the bottom, however, you heard Astarion’s voice tinged with annoyance. “Don’t bother, darling. I was just coming back up.”

You paused on the ladder and looked down at him. “That bad?”

“Eh, a few coins, some food. Nothing worth risking one’s life over. Foolish gnome.”

“Shame,” you pouted down at him, not an ounce of real sympathy behind the word.

He smirked as he met your eye. “Go,” he said, indicating you should climb back up the ladder. “There was a rather large amount of smoke powder though. That could be fun.”

When you emerged back into the early evening air, you turned to help Astarion out. “Maybe you can blow up a quaint little gnomish village.”

Astarion’s eyes glittered with delight. “Oh, do you think there’s one around here? That would be- Oh. You’re joking.”

You nodded.

“Gods, you’re no fun.” He sighed dramatically and then started back towards the Blighted Village proper. 

You scoffed in mock offense. “I’m a lot of fun!”

Astarion tsked. “If you have to say you’re a lot of fun, odds are, you’re lying to yourself.” He shot a challenging half smile at you from over his shoulder.

“How dare you,” you laughed.

“Such a pity, too,” he went on. “Aren’t bards supposed to be entertaining?”

You made a sound of agony, which had Astarion fully turning back to look at you. You threw a hand to your heart and staggered towards him. “You wound me, Astarion. Look upon me with pity and remember me fondly!” You set an arm on his shoulder and let your body weight go, as if collapsing from a killing blow. 

Astarion was quick to catch you under your arms. He made a show of groaning about how heavy you were now that your body had gone completely limp. After you’d hung loosely from his grip for a few seconds, he finally yielded. “Alright, enough.” 

You resumed control of your body and stood up straight, a smug look on your face. “I’m fun.”

“Dramatic.”

“Theatrical.”

“Annoying.”

“Endearing.”

“Loud.”

“Enthusiastic-”

Just then, a loud howl came from a barn a little ways off. 

You and Astarion eyed each other.

“Was that you?” Astarion asked.

“‘Was that me?!’ I’m not THAT loud.”

“Could have fooled me.”

You rolled your eyes. “Come on.” You started in a light jog towards the barn.

Astarion groaned. “You can’t be serious.” He caught up with you easily. “Haven’t we done enough heroing for today?”

You looked at him thoughtfully. “One more act of heroism probably won’t kill you.”

“It might!”

“Oh, now who’s being dramatic?” You came to a stop at the double doors.

“I-” Astarion floundered, then pursed his lips and crossed his arms.

“That’s what I thought.”

[snowangeldotmp3]

mean girls (2024)

fine. FINE. it is time to discuss mean girls (2024) bc i can't stop thinking about it and i had a severe mean girls the musical phase in 2018 and 2020 two separate times. and also i took notes watching the movie last night. so now you are all subject to hearing them. spoilers, obvi. (under the cut, of course)

i think it should be noted here that i also have Thoughts and Feelings on the bway musical. so if anyone wants to know those... moving on.

it's a movie-musical adapted from the stage musical adapted from the 2004 movie adapted from a BOOK called Queen Bees and Wannabes released in 2002. now that that's out of the way:

the good:

the sets are so much fun in the movie. the musical is like. a few desks and tables and a bed that all move and then. screens. i missed real sets. so much

opening the musical with janis and damien recording the video in the garage and having their narration work like that worked sooooo well. and then of course ending in the garage was very fun.

speaking of janis and damien, these are my favorite versions of janis and damien. auli'i and jaquel KILL IT as janis and damien.

angourie's cady (acting-wise) is really good. really cute and naïve and it feels authentic as a transition from new kid cady to plastic cady.

i also don't mind the changes to apex predator. i think auli'i and jaquel killed it and i think it works! i like the choreo too where everyone is acting animalistic (re: this is Girl World in the og movie) except regina.

avantika and bebe wood are also really great as gretchen and karen. this might be my favorite version of karen. ily karen shetty.

LOVE this version of someone gets hurt. i love regina controlling the atmospehere around her and literally becoming the apex predator. the partygoers don't move unless she allows it, and even planning cady's reaction (which is. gayer than expected) is so good.

CONTROVERSIAL TAKE? i prefer the story behind the pyro-lez thing. i never liked the space dyke story in the musical and i thought it was weird (though i prefer them calling her a space dyke because it's supposed to be mean. ya know)

im saving this for this bullet point bc every other bullet point would've been about but i've been a fan of renee's regina for forever now, so being able to see it outside of broadway and outside of shaky bootlegs is a blessing.

after regina eats shit at the talent show, during the social media montage, you can briefly hear the intrumental version of world burn, and i think thats cool.

SOMEONE GETS HURT (REPRISE) you will always be famous. i am so sorry they didn't put you on the soundtrack

damien on the jazzy will forever be funny. it's better than the og movie. i will stand by this.

also the background/looming beat of world burn like a second after janis gets done singing + the looming threat of regina's revenge is very cool.

OH world burn is very awesome in this bc. duh. of course it is. but what really stands out to me is that it's like apex predator again where everyone is acting like animals and reginas above it all (bc she did this lmao). another thing is the transition between one of the high notes to regina fake crying in mr duvalls office. that was so slay.

the reginald joke is my fave in the whole musical and im so glad they kept it. it makes me giggle every time.

canon lesbian janis imi'ike i love you.

the bad:

i miss all of the songs. give me back It Roars, Where Do You Belong, the entirety of Meet the Plastics, the What's Wrong with Me reprise, FEARLESS! and Whose House is This, More is Better, and Do This Thing!! GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!!! PLEASE!!! OH my god and Stop. jaquel would've blown this out of the water i just know it.

i miss the jokes about mrs george and her boob job. that shit was hilarious.

i don't care for cady's pov in revenge party in this one. those who have seen it Know.

i also miss the "NO! THEY'RE BOTH IN THE COSTUME!" that shit killed me. absolutely hilarious.

the musical (bway edition) actually did cut some of the iconic scenes from the movie, but i think this movie would've benefitted from adding them back in. give me the "we should totally just stab caesar!" line.

i hate Rockin Around The Pole. so fucking much. i hate it in the broadway version and i hated it in this. i hate this song so fucking much.

chris briney. that's all. he's got about as much personality as a wet piece of paper. get a different aaron.

even the broadway musical is like, actually mean. it still pales in comparison to the og movie. this movie could have done a little more to stand out from the actual musical and the og movie. idk. it could've said something. but if you walked into this movie and expected it to say something then that's on you. sorry.

this isn't something that needs to be categorized but i miss cady's inner monologue. it's very obvious in the movie but she's even got these cute little asides in the musical that i WISH they would've kept. like: "it seems kinda bad to spy on someone, but they're the first friends i've got, and i don't want to have none." is so much fun and gives cady so much character and i love it so much. erika henningsen is my favorite variation of cady. she's believable as both nerdy cady and plastic cady. also she's so, so funny. (honestly i think they should've brought her back for cady's songs in this musical. sawry. i don't think they should've replaced angourie bc i really like her cady But.)

another cute and quirky thing that i like from the musical that isn't in the movie (because it would be really hard to pull off) is that mrs heron/mrs george/mrs norbury are all played by the same actress.

anyway that's all i have to say about mean girls (2024). in my (completely unprofessional) opinion, they should've literally just adapted the actual musical script if they wanted to make this so bad. or released a pro-shot with renee as regina and this cast or something. they should've gone all out campy musical with this one instead of trying to market it as a remake bc it's not Really a remake. like it Is but it's Not.

if u read this whole thing thank you. if you saw this post and went "jesus christ" im sorry. i wish i could stop thinking about it, too.

[emmaswanned]

@cleoselene tagged me several days ago to share 9 of my favorite albums! sorry it took me so long to respond but I did still want to make the post!

I've been bad lately about listening to full albums as opposed to individual songs but i'm trying to be better about this because i think listening to full albums is a better way to find new artists. anyway, in no particular order:

matchbox twenty: yourself or someone like you - i think i am perhaps a little young to love matchbox twenty as much as i do (this album came out when i was 4 years old LOL) but they were very much a soundtrack to my growing up. it was actually hard for me to choose between this album and mad season, but ultimately i thought you just can't go wrong with the album that features "real world", "3AM", and "push", just to name a few. (and hey, by the way, not to be that guy, but i loved "push" long before ryan gosling ever touched it!)

taylor swift: red - i chose the original album art to post here rather than the new version because RED has been my favorite album of hers ever since it came out in 2012. i have vivid memories of being a 20-year-old film student listening to the album on the train i took to get to school and thinking wow, this album really tells a story from beginning to end!

sara bareilles: the blessed unrest - this was another hard one because i wanted to choose just one album per artists and it was a tough choice between the blessed unrest and kaleidoscope heart. ultimately went with this one because of songs like "chasing the sun" and "december." sara bareilles has always (at least in her first 3 albums) conveyed a sense of unrest and uncertainty that i've found both relatable and comforting and i think in this album she finds her stability, or at least a hope that she can find it.

maisie peters: the good witch - idk what i can say about this one that others haven't already said - i think it's the newest album on my list, certainly, but it's also just, like, the ultimate breakup album. and the way maisie frames her songwriting as a way for her to take control of her own narrative is very interesting to me and very taylor swiftian.

rob thomas: cradlesong - kind of cheating here to choose a rob thomas album when he's the lead singer of matchbox twenty but i feel i cannot ignore him because he, too, was the soundtrack of my high school years. i had an obsession in 2009 that i cannot explain nor do i apologize for.

halsey: badlands - my least favorite thing about halsey is she put out this, the perfect album, on her first try and everything else has left me disappointed. i'm heading straight for the castle. they wanna make me their queen. it cannot be topped.

fun.: aim and ignite - fun. is just the perfect band for me and every day i am sad that they're not making music anymore

noah kahan: stick season - this album is very sad and heavy, and a lot of the songs sound quite similar, which are two things that are hard for me to get past when listening to music, but ultimately this album is too good to pass up. somehow makes you horribly homesick at the same time it makes you want to run screaming from your hometown and never look back.

of monsters and men: my head is an animal - i think a lot of my taste in music can be traced back to the era of of monsters and men and mumford and sons and the like. it's the thread that leads me to noah kahan now. my head is an animal is almost a no-skip album if we're being honest.

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

There can be only one - Highlander

‘Highlander’ Remake Will Use Queen Songs From the Original Movie, Director Chad Stahelski Says

It’s a kind of magic

Lionsgate

«I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan». Christopher Lambert and Beatie Edney.

Drew Taylor October 31, 2023 @ 2:10 PM

One of the more iconic elements of “Highlander,” the high-concept fantasy adventure from 1986 that went on to spawn a long-running franchise, is the movie’s songs, written and performed by Queen. And Chad Stahelski, who will be directing the remake for Lionsgate, says that those songs will return for the new movie.

“Yes,” Stahelski told TheWrap while talking about the Oscar chances for “John Wick: Chapter 4.” “Probably in a different way than you think, but hardcore yes.”

Queen wrote and recorded songs for the original “Highlander” and released an album, “A Kind of Magic,” in 1986 that served as an official soundtrack to the movie. (Only one song, a Queen recording of “Theme from New York, New York,” didn’t make the cut and has never been officially released)

The songs were perfect for the movie, which depicted a battle between immortal beings known as Highlanders in modern day Manhattan. Instead of Scottish moors, they battle in underground parking garages. That kind of thing. Queen’s songs were wedged in among Michael Kamen’s original score and became part of the tapestry, mixing ancient mythology and high camp, ingeniously designed by Australian filmmaker Russell Mulcahy.

While the movie failed to make money, it was popular enough to justify a bonkers sequel from Mulcahy (1991’s genuinely unhinged “Highlander II: The Quickening”), a long-running syndicated television series and several more sequels of varying quality.

“We’re trying to encapsulate everything you loved about the original with more – meaning we want to ground it, we want it to be a great chance at world-building and mythology. But we still want to keep it fun,” Stahelski said. “It’s like the ‘Wick’ movies. You want to experience this world, you want to believe it’s real. But it’s also five degrees off from reality. This is a movie with immortals running around chopping each others’ heads off. There’s a certain ridiculousness to it. It’s like the ‘Wick’s. We ride the tone. Everybody in the movie thinks its real. But we as an audience can get our heads around it – look, suspend disbelief. We’re trying to get you on board for this amazing journey with people who have lived hundreds of years. It’s a challenge. But I’m very excited.”

Recent reports have suggested that the movie will shoot next year, with Henry Cavill in the role made famous (immortalized, some might say) by a then-largely unknown Christopher Lambert. Who wants to live forever?

Drew Taylor

Drew Taylor is a reporter at TheWrap. Before joining the organization in 2021, Drew was a freelance film journalist with a keen interest in animation and Disney history. Drew has been covering film, television and theme parks for 15 years. He has written for the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Time Out.

THE WRAP

There can be only one - Highlander

The soundtrack should be predominantly Queen songs as they were in the original film, bringing the original lineup of Queen and the original film into this new reimagined version.🎶🎸

[p5x-theories]

P5X: What We Know About The Game

Now that P5X’s beta playtest, which ran from March 29th to 31st, has closed, here’s a summary of what we know about the game itself so far. Hopefully this’ll be useful both for anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with the news about it and for anyone who has been keeping up, but wants the information all in one place.

After this post, I’ll make separate posts going into what we know about each new playable character, as well. I’ve also already made a post summarizing the first Palace’s worth of the story (as that’s what the beta playtest showcased) which can be found in my pinned post once I update it hopefully tomorrow.

I’m keeping this post as succinct as possible, but it’s still enough to belong under a readmore, haha.

Overview

P5X is a turn-based RPG mobile game with gacha elements, developed by Black Wings Game Studio and published by Perfect World Games. While not directly creating it, it is officially licensed by Atlus, and Atlus has apparently been very involved in its production, including Shigenori Soejima designing the protagonist and his Persona.

The game’s text is in Chinese, but all the voice acting, at least in the beta, was in Japanese.

There are specifically two gachas in the game- a character gacha for gaining teammates, and a weapons gacha for gaining better weapons for those teammates.

Right now, we know the game will release on both mobile and PC, but it’s unconfirmed whether it will release anywhere outside of China, and we don’t have a release date for even the original Chinese version of the game.

The Characters

So far there are nine known new Persona users: Wonder (the protagonist), an owl whose name is unofficially translated as Luffy (codename Cattle), a sporty girl named Motoha Arai (codename Closer), three characters that were only obtainable via the gacha in the beta named Seiji Shiratori (Seiji), Kotone Montagne (Mont), and Yukimi Fujikawa (Yuki), and three future teammates identified via datamining: a rules-abiding student named Riko Tanemura, a blue-haired punk student who some files call “Soy”, and a green-haired person of the Star arcana that files refer to as both “Hupo” and “Leo”, with “Leo” being their codename.

The Velvet Room also has a new attendant, named Merope, pronounced like the star.

Also available, only in the character gacha (at least in the beta), are the original P5′s playable characters: Joker, Skull, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, and Crow. In-game they are explained as cognitive beings, rather than the in-game real-world people. Datamining has also found some of Wolf’s battle voice lines from P5S, and an icon from P5S with Sophie, in the files of the beta playtest, suggesting they may later be added as well. No sign of Violet has been found yet.

Munehisa Iwai also returns, running Untouchable and specifically the weapons gacha in P5X. Tae Takemi was able to be talked to in the beta, but had no game role, and Chihaya Mifune also made a cameo. The other original P5 Confidants’ talk portraits have been datamined from the beta, but it’s currently unknown whether they’ll actually return in any capacity.

The Music

Three new songs sung by Lyn were found in the beta: “Last Strike”, “Wake Up Your Hero”, and “Shadow Loop”. In addition, two other new instrumental themes were found: “Elite Battle” and “Fatal Desire”. The rest of the beta’s soundtrack was just songs from P5.

Locations

Many of P5 and P5R’s locations have been confirmed for P5X, including Yongen-Jaya, Kichijoji, and Shibuya, but the protagonist lives in a new location called Zoshigaya, and goes to a new school called Kokatsu Academy.

(Note that while Yongen-Jaya exists, Leblanc has been replaced with a generic coffee shop, run by someone other than Sojiro Sakura. Similarly, the Big Bang Burger in Shibuya is now just called Big Burger, with no apparent traces of the space theming.)

Mementos and the concept of Palaces also return in P5X, though there are some differences. At least in the beta, Mementos operated as a sort of hub, with characters entering the single Palace included in the beta through Mementos, from the entrance to the Palace located within the massive, set (as opposed to randomly generated), singular floor of Mementos available in the beta. Mementos also had three special battle locations apparently similar to “domains” in Genshin Impact, where completing the fight gives special items to strengthen characters and weapons, themed after the first three of P5′s Palaces.

Basic Game Mechanics

For the most part, P5X’s beta operated extremely similarly to P5, both in and out of the Metaverse. One notable difference is that the calendar doesn’t seem to be progressed by anything but the story- other activities, such as working, crafting infiltration tools, and spending time with Confidants, instead cost hourglasses to do (which are replenished daily), without being restricted to a single afternoon and nighttime time slot each day, as was the case in P5.

One interesting and more significant change made in this category is that the Confidants have what appears to be a total of 20 ranks, instead of the series-standard 10.

The UI elements of combat look a little different (as well as all the skill animations), appearing to be more optimized for mobile play, but otherwise seem largely the same to P5, though one notable difference is that it seems Navigator skills can be called in at will, rather than occurring randomly. There is a new kind of special attack called a Highlight Attack, which is similar to P5S’s Showtime attacks where the character executes a special attack with their Persona.

The protagonist can gain Personas by talking to shadows, and fuse them in the Velvet Room. Challenge battles in the Velvet Room, like in P5R, are available to attempt. Palace exploration also seems relatively standard, even if the Palace itself and the method of entering it is different. One major change is that several shadow/Persona designs have been censored- such as Incubus now wearing shorts, Bugs’ stomach is repaired and the bloodstains are gone, and Hell Biker has a helmet covering his flaming skull- but this only seems to be a cosmetic change.

Miscellaneous

It’s worth noting that because the game has yet to be officially translated to English in any capacity, character names can only be absolutely confirmed when they’re either written in Japanese kana (as opposed to the Japanese kanji characters names are typically written) or spoken aloud in official material, to confirm which reading of the names is correct. All the codenames are written in English and thus easily confirmed, but the only teammates’ names confirmed in the beta are Motoha Arai, Yukimi Fujikawa, and Riko Tanemura. Seiji Shiratori and Kotone Montagne’s may have also been confirmed in the beta, but at least as of posting this, I haven’t been able to find proof of it in any gameplay videos available online. Luffy’s name is a particular outlier here, in that it is spoken aloud in the game, but as “Ruferu” instead, and it’s currently unknown whether Luffy will be the official translation of that or not.

And just to close this out, keep in mind that the majority of our information about the gameplay specifically comes from the beta version, and thus things may change in a later beta playtest and/or in the actual release of the game. This post is up to date as of 4/1/23 when it was written, but it won’t necessarily be accurate forever!

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

About Me: Favorite Albums

Music isn't something I talk much about here on my blog, mostly because I don't feel like I'm qualified enough to talk about these sorts of things. I know movies like the back of my hand, but I'm definitely not smart enough to dissect what makes music good beyond "I like how it sounds."

But hey, I'm trying to help you get to know me, so here are thirty albums I like the sound of from a variety of artists. My big rule is I have to like at least five songs on any given album for it to qualify. I've listed my top three from each here, so the other two I'll leave to your imaginations (except for my #1 favorite, for which you'll get all of my top 5).

Honorable mentions: Pinkerton - Weezer, Under the Covers, Vol. II - Ninja Sex Party, Montero - Lil Nas X, Poodle Hat - Weird Al, Bad Hair Day - Weird Al, Master of Puppets - Metallica, License to Ill - Beastie Boys, Thriller - Michael Jackson, Purple Rain - Prince, Teenage Dream - Katy Perry, and the so bad it’s good masterpiece Angelic 2 the Core - Corey Feldman. I also didn't include the soundtracks to stage musicals, but the 90s version of Cats and the 80s version of Starlight Express are also some of my favorites.

30. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists

A tale of a tragic romance told in the form of a concept album, this would almost certainly make the list even if it didn't have some of the best villain songs I've ever heard.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)”

2. “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing”

1. “The Rake’s Song”

29. Youthanasia - Megadeth

Quite simply, a fantastic metal album. Not much more to say than that!

Favorite Songs:

3. “Youthanasia”

2. “A Tout le Monde”

1. “Family Tree”

28. In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson

Even if it was just the semi-title track that I loved, this album would probably make the list. It's prog rock perfection.

Favorite Songs:

3. "Moonchild"

2. "21st Century Schizoid Man"

1. "The Court of the Crimson King"

27. Saturday Night Fever - Various Artists

The Bee Gees obviously are the stars of the show on this soundtrack album, but it also has one of my favorite things: Disco remixes of classical music.

Favorite Songs:

3. “A Fifth of Beethoven”

2. “Night on Disco Mountain”

1. “Stayin’ Alive”

26. The Marshal Mathers LP 2 - Eminem

While the original album is a classic in its own right and nothing on this one is as immediately iconic as "The Real Slim Shady" or "Stan," I do think that this older, more mature Eminem reflecting back on his career and flexing his skills is overall the better package. This was a real comeback for him, after multiple less-than-impressive comebacks, and it is glorious.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Love Game”

2. “The Monster”

1. “So Far…”

25. McCartney II - Paul McCartney

This is what happens when you let a beloved rock star get really weird. It’s so experimental and quirky; only a Beatle could get this bizarre.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Frozen Jap”

2. “Coming Up”

1. “Temporary Secretary”

24. Painkiller - Judas Priest

One of those rare times where the songs on a metal album are actually, genuinely as fucking awesome as the album cover art.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Night Crawler”

2. “Painkiller”

1. “A Touch of Evil”

23. Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age

With the assistance of Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age really put their best foot forward for their breakout album. As hard as most of the tracks go, my absolute favorite is the eerier, slower hidden track about cannibalism.

Favorite Songs:

3. “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire”

2. “First It Giveth”

1. “Mosquito Song”

22. Crash Twinsanity - Spiralmouth

The day I found out this entire soundtrack was a capella, my mind was blown. You mean to tell me this whole album is just mouth noises? It really does have the Crash vibe down.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Worm Chase”

2. “Rusty Walrus Chase”

1. “The Evil Twins”

21. Awesome Mix Vol. 2 - Various Artists

Every Guardians movie soundtrack is great, but out of the three it’s the second movie’s soundtrack that reigns supreme. It kicks off with ELO, scores the climactic final battle with Fleetwood Mac, and features a groovy disco remix of the Guardians theme music with vocals provided by David Hasselhoff over the credits. It’s all killer, no filler.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Guardians Inferno”

2. “Mr. Blue Sky”

1. “The Chain”

20. Mouth Dreams - Neil Cicierega

The way the songs flow into each other, the subtle jokes scattered throughout… Really, the only thing holding this back is some songs are just a bit too weak to justify bumping it above its predecessor.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Closerflies”

2. “Ribs”

1. “Fredhammer”

19. Mouth Moods - Neil Cicierega

From fantastic mashups that combine a dozen songs into one coherent whole to remixes that alter a single song and completely warp the premise to the point of absurdity, this is absolutely the highest point of the Mouth series.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Annoyed Grunt”

2. “Shit”

1. “Wow Wow”

18. Ten - Pearl Jam

Homelessness. Suicide. Incest. Murder. This might be one of the single darkest albums of the grunge era, and it firmly cemented Pearl Jam as a force to be reckoned with. Eddie Vedder’s unique vocals really are what makes these songs stand out from the crowd.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Alive”

2. “Jeremy”

1. “Even Flow”

17. The Symbol Remains - Blue Öyster Cult

You wouldn’t think a 70s rock band that loves singing about weird occult stuff could drop anything good five decades into their career, but BOC ain’t any old rock band. Only they could take a silly, memetic concept like the stereotypical “Florida Man” and turn it into a song that has enough weird and mystic vibes that it can easily sit alongside songs about aliens, eldritch horrors, vampires, and zombie Joan Crawford in their discography.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Tainted Blood”

2. “Florida Man”

1. “Box in My Head”

16. Impera - Ghost

One of Ghost's most solid albums to date. It has a few low points ("Twenties") but the highs are so high they easily eclipse those few lesser tracks.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Spillways”

2. “Hunter’s Moon”

1. “Call Me Little Sunshine”

15. The Presidents of the United States of America – The Presidents of the United States of America

I have very fond memories of listening to this in the car growing up. It’s such a charming piece of 90s rock, with the band foretelling their ultimate fate with the track “We Are Not Going To Make It.” Oh well, they manage to make it onto this list at least.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Kitty”

2. “Lump”

1. “Peaches”

14. Born This Way – Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has fallen from the lofty heights she once stood upon, not quite being as massive as her heyday... But with an album that gets you this high, there's really nowhere to go but down. This album has a song for everyone, and for someone with taste as weird as my own, it had a load of great tracks.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Bad Kids”

2. “Bloody Mary”

1. “Judas”

13. In Utero - Nirvana

You can definitely tell that Nevermind was a more polished, commercial album when you listen to this one. The songs here are so much more raw than on their more famous album, with so much more bite to them. It can be a bit off-putting for sure, but this is definitely the short-lived band's best work (if not my favorite).

Favorite Songs:

3. “Dumb”

2. “Rape Me”

1. “Pennyroyal Tea”

12. Undertale Soundtrack – Toby Fox

Easily my favorite instrumental soundtrack of all time—and considering all the fantastic game soundtracks I’ve heard in my time, this is saying something. Every single track is a fantastic and fitting tune for wherever they’re used in-game, and even if my favorite track is the obvious pick, even I’ll admit that it’s not the best one (that would probably be #2).

Favorite Songs:

3. “Death By Glamour”

2. “Battle Against a True Hero”

1. “Megalovania”

11. Metal Gear Rising Soundtrack – Various artists

A game as insane and metal as Rising needs a soundtrack to match, and to say this one delivered is an understatement. Every song is one of the most badass things you will ever hear, with a good chunk of them elaborating on the motivations and personalities of the bosses. It says a lot that the weakest song is Blade Wolf's, and even that's just "okay" as opposed to "awful."

Favorite Songs:

3. “Red Sun”

2. “A Stranger I Remain”

1. “It Has to be This Way”

10. Seven Inches of Satanic Panic - Ghost

I don’t think this is better than their full albums, but I definitely think this is one of the best musical one-two punches I’ve ever heard. “Mary on a Cross” and “Kiss the Go-Goat” are two of Ghost’s finest songs, and this is where they came from

9. I Get Wet – Andrew W.K.

In the proud tradition of AC/DC, pretty much every song on this album sounds the same—and none of the songs rock any less for it. It’s a collection of awesomely stupid anthems about partying, hot girls, and NYC that goes harder than it has any need to.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Ready to Die”

2. “She is Beautiful”

1. “I Get Wet”

8. Running With Scissors – Weird Al

This was a big turning point in Al’s career—it’s when he debuted his new look, sans glasses and with his hair grown out—and for me at least it’s the album where I feel like he put all the lessons he learned over the 90s to good use. It’s true that there’s a few lines that haven’t aged well but the overall package is strong enough that it overshadows the blemishes. It has his strongest “movie recap” parody song, his best polka medley, and his funniest and most iconic epic-length song; how can it not make my top ten?

Favorite Songs:

3. “The Saga Begins”

2. “Polka Power!”

1. “Albuquerque”

7. Doolittle - Pixies

It’s genuinely tough picking between this and Surfer Rosa, but when it comes right down to it Doolittle is the one that has more tracks I like. I don’t think anything here is quite as good as “Where is My Mind?” from the latter album, but that album doesn’t have “Mr. Grieves” on it.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Here Comes Your Man”

2. “Wave of Mutilation”

1. “Monkey Gone to Heaven”

6. Invisible Touch - Genesis

I think Invisible Touch is Genesis’s undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to “Land of Confusion.” In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. “In Too Deep” is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I’ve heard in rock.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Domino”

2. “Land of Confusion”

1. “Invisible Touch”

5. Mandatory Fun – Weird Al

As of 2023 this is Al’s last album, and if he never makes another it’s hard to argue that he didn’t go out on top. The style parodies are some of his best ever, the polka medley is fantastic, and the parodies here are all leagues better than the songs they’re spoofing. “Foil” in particular is worth singling g out for being a hilarious subversion of the stereotypical food-related parodies Al was known for back in the day.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Foil”

2. “Handy”

1. “Jackson Park Express”

4. ABBA Gold - ABBA

Is it cheating to put a greatest hits compilation on this list? Well, since it's my list, the answer is no! An album like this is all bangers, no filler, every song I love in one place one after the other. The omission of “Tiger” is the only flaw.

3. Nevermind - Nirvana

It's pretty inarguable that this is a more polished and commercial grunge album than In Utero, but no matter what Kurt or the other band members say this is still one of the best albums ever made. My only gripe with it is that the song that gets the most attention, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," overshadows a lot of songs better than it. "In Bloom" is the best track in my opinion, with its lyrics abut fans with zero media literacy still very relevant even to this day.

Favorite Songs:

3. “Polly”

2. “Come as You Are”

1. “In Bloom”

2. The Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden

From the band with the greatest album covers of all time comes a metal album featuring the hard rock version of "Roxanne," an epic seven minute track, and the greatest song condemning the actions of colonizers. Oh, and the title track is pretty awesome too. Considering how lukewarm the first two albums are, this might be one of the greatest glow ups in metal history, going from a decent but not spectacular act to one of the greatest bands of all time.

Favorite Songs:

3. “22 Acacia Avenue”

2. “Hallowed be Thy Name”

1. “Run to the Hills”

1. Spirit Phone – Lemon Demon

Maybe I'm just a basic bitch for calling this my favorite album ever, but the fact of the matter is that this whole album is basically tailor made for my interests. Songs about conspiracy theories? Songs about urban legends like Gef and Polybius? Songs that make fun of Reaganomics? I genuinely could not imagine a better set of songs than this if I tried.

Favorite Songs:

5. “Reaganomics”

4. “Touch-Tone Telephone”

3. “When He Died”

2. “Sweet Bod”

1. “Cabinet Man”

[dollarbin]

Sandy Saturdays #3:

It'll Take A Long Time

Sandy Denny never had a hit record. The only time her voice appeared on the singles chart she was singing in French, turning Dylan's Manfred-Mann-recorded creeper tale from 64 about where Bob's romantic partner is allowed to sleep, If You Gotta Go, Go Now, into an accordion driven novelty track.

I don't know about you but I'd rather have Sandy tell me where to sleep than Bob, especially given what Dylan's been accused of by a woman who was 12 year old at the time (google it if you must; it's the kinda story that makes the Dollar Bin shudder and quake, wondering if I should be writing about Care Bears or something equally benign instead).

Fairport Convention's awww shucks French language version, Si Tu Dois Partir, skyrocketed to #21 before the buying public moved on to everything else that happened in 1969. I don't imagine the single's Magical Mystery Gore cover art contributed much to sales.

Within six months Denny quit Fairport Convention. She'd never make the single chart again.

But she should have! If you want to get depressed, spend a little time researching the hit songs from 1972. Denny's not the only essential musician of the era who did not make it big; Van Morrison made his best (brace yourself, here comes a controversial opinion) record that year, Saint Dominic's Preview; its lead single Jackie Wilson Said topped out at #61 (but it was #1, thank goodness, in Ireland!). I think it's a cause for debate whether or not there are 60 better pop songs in history than that shakedown stomp a song. And Joni Mitchell's You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio barely fared any better that same year. But this piece of sorry shat sat at #1 for 6 weeks:

The song is a fitting soundtrack to every nightmare I've had about dental offices. (It's also kinda good, I guess, especially the part where he worries about his mother; someone outta comb Gilbert's chest hair for him and tell him everything will work out...).

Alone Again (Naturally) did lead to some good in the world, however: Biz Markie took the track and made real art out of it two decades later.

Maybe it's time for me to hunt for Biz in the Dollar Bin. He's on fire here. The poor guy needed a ride and didn't get one. Then it started snowing! Damn, I forgot about Biz Markie. He's awesome. And then there's this song. Biz Markie!!

Where were we? Oh yeah: Sandy Denny, 1972. Seriously, imagine if the graceful opening track from Sandy, her second solo record, entitled It'll Take a Long Time, with its orchestral swells and steady, shimmering glory, had not gone unnoticed that year. Imagine if it had dominated the charts instead of Alone Again.

Biz Markie would have then followed in Denny's footsteps, putting out his own version of her song entitled It'll Take A Long Time (For Biz To Sing This Song) 20 years later. And Sandy's estate would not have attempted to ruin hip hop in response (that's what Gilbert O'Chesthair did: he sued Markie and put the breaks on all the sweet sampling that was going on in early 90's hip hop, thereby shoving great bands like De La Soul into long term creative limbo). Rather, Sandy's estate would have reveled in the attention, spreading her amazing, largely forgotten music far and wide.

Just imagine a world in which everyone grew up knowing It'll Take a Long Time... Donald Trump never would have been our president. Who could like Denny's song and vote for anyone who preaches hate? Biz would have beat the Donald out in 2016, and served as our 2nd Black head of state, bringing peace, stability and voice cracking beats to the world over. Sure, Biz's untimely passing in 2021 would have been cause for global mourning, but his VP, Queen Latifah, would then be our current, first female and first queer, president and, as her first act of office, she would have put statues of Sandy and Biz up in place of some confederate nonsense.

It'll Take a Long, Long Time folks to clean up all the mess we're in. But we can get there.

[glapplebloom]

The new songs I listened to this year...

Song’s Eligable for this...

NOTE: I have decided to disclude Death Battle and Death Battle related songs since I feel those would be too easy to fill up this list since I do tend to listen to those songs. Songs used in fan made Death Battle Trailers on the other hand will be okay.

Shatter by Code Orange (Premiered in 2022, but only heard the full version in 2023)

You've Got a Friend in Me - Disney Friendship Mash-Up presented by Thomas Sanders

Priceless from VHS Christmas Carol Live

Moon Girl Soundtrack

Greedy Greedy by the Kuromis

Big Balls (Cover) by Scratch21

Ayleeyuns by Scratch21

Delivered Us The Moon (Feat. Tony Mac & Sega) by Jakeneutron

Lil Nuggit by Chi-Chi

Ordinary (Cover) by Anna

Jack Hornet Vs Dr. Eggman by Freshy Kanal

Rocket Queen by Team Shachi Featuring MCU

Happy Sounds by Kyle Allen Music

Smell of the Game from Guilty Gear Strive

Just the Two of us by Neco Arc

Look at This from Helluva Boss

Red Flags by Tom Cardy Featuring Montaigne

Song of the Dead by @kana-boon

Kindness by BB-Panzu

Evil As Can be from Broken Karaoke

Nerdy Prudes Must Die from Nerdy Prudes Must Die

Our Love is God from Heathers

Komi-San Vs. Wile E. Coyote from Rabi

A Little Theorizing by the Stupendium

Wah & Only (Waluigi Rap) from Mashed

Sidechain Fever from Scratchin’ Melodii

Voices (2023) by Rev Theory

Unbeatable from Mario’s Madness V2 

#10 - Look at This from Helluva Boss

I enjoy Helluva Boss. It’s crass but there are definitely worse shows out there. And I have no real connection to Fizzarolli’s voice actor, who was apparently Beetlejuice for the Broadway Play. Still, between this song and Two Minute Notice he has proven to be my favorite singer among the cast. Hopefully things turns out well for this series as well as Hazbin Hotel.

#9 - The Beyonder from Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Talk about a Glow up! The Beyonder was pretty meh despite being so powerful in the comics. But Moon Girl really showed just how entertaining he could be with the right people behind it. Laurence Fishburne does a great job with him and honestly the Music Choices throughout the show was great! I got the soundtrack too! So here’s hoping Season 2 continues to bring banger after banger.

#8 - Rocket Queen by Team Shachi Featuring MCU

So I found out this year Capcom did a crossover with some K-Pop Band and they were going to take down the game based on it this year. Never noticing this, I decided to listen to the song and I enjoyed it. It has the energy I really enjoy in songs and even though I don’t know the lyrics it was well performed that I could enjoy it regardless. I also love the Sax part in the song and the music video.

#7 - Red Flags by Tom Cardy Featuring Montaigne

This year, I’ve seen a lot of memes based off one part of this song. The original singers even did an Uno Reverse version of that part so people can have more options. But I wanted to hear the original to see why this was memable. And MAN, I feel like people overlooked the HUMAN CENTIPEDE part to focus on the awkward date part. The song is hilarious and I am glad I gave it a shot to listen to the full version. The Meme is definitely underselling this song.

#6 - Nerdy Prudes Must Die from Nerdy Prudes Must Die

I feel bad for putting Starkid on twice but man, this year showed off their best stuff. Their newest part in the Hatchetfield Series was so fun and the best song in my book is the title song: Nerdy Prudes Must Die. I also like Hatchet Town. But man, the main song is so fun for a villain. And the whole “who will pray for me” bit was definitely selling how much of a threat he is.

#5 - Priceless from VHS Christmas Carol Live

I instantly fell in love with the VHS Christmas Carol Live when I saw it early this year. It is so good, not only did I get the soundtrack I also downloaded the Live Performance so I can listen to it all on my i-Pod. My favorite song from the entire thing is Christmas Day, but it is pretty much combining the best songs from the show into one. So I’m picking Priceless because that part really gets me on Christmas Day. I recommend everyone to watch it.

#4 - Shatter by Code Orange

While he appeared with this song in 2022, I never got the chance to hear the full version until this year. And I love every minute of what I listened to. I was listening to this song so much even before Bray Wyatt’s sad passing. He was taken from us too soon. I hope whoever is close to him is alright. Still, this is a great song and while I don’t think it is great for a tribute to him, it is great to listen to and remember the great stories he given us during the time he was alive.

#3 - Happy Sounds by Kyle Allen Music

I’m not much of a gamer. I’m more interested in the stories of games than playing them. So My Friendly Neighborhood was definitely a story I was interested in since I was curious how they would do this story compared to many other games. To my surprise, as Game Theory suggested, it's not a story about corrupted souls trapped in puppets, it's about the puppets trying to save a world already corrupted. This song captures that story in 3 minutes and I love it for that. I would recommend this song and the game in general.

#2 - Song of the Dead by @kana-boon

I will talk about my experience more in the One Shot next month, but this song is the reason I saw Zom 100. The song is full of life and energy and it's everything I want in a song. And if you want an English version, I think Dangle did a great job transferring it to English. Regardless, this was a song that was instrumental into me trying a series I would have probably passed by. Definitely give it a watch.

#1 - Smell of the Game from Guilty Gear Strive

So how did I find out about this song now of all times? Well, I noticed Evo was actually streaming this year and decided to give it a watch. It was before the Guilty Gear Strive and during the countdown I hear people singing the chorus of this song. That got me interested in hearing the full version and I don’t regret it. The Lyrics may sound random but man, it really gives you the energy to sing it out loud when you do hear it. I get teared up a little bit too. So thank you Evo for letting me get the Smell of the Game.

[mikelogan]

context for each song under the cut and here is a gifset with most of these moments

Overkill by Colin Hay plays during the season 2 cold open and features Colin himself seemingly following JD. Perry later smashes his guitar out on the exit ramp. "I have other songs."

In the Mood & What A Diff'rence play during a montage of Kelso's changing moods. In the first sequence, he parades down the hospital corridor, the epitome of a good mood. In the second, he is seen headbutting and punching various hospital employees.

Giants In My Field plays when Elliot and JD decide to go bungee jumping off a bridge.

Under Pressure plays just after JD finds out Perry was watching over him with a difficult patient and Carla joins Turk in pranking their neighbor with Rowdy.

The original song for JD & Elliot's hook-up sequence was Dreaming of You, but due to licensing issues when the show was added to streaming services, was replaced with Dirty Minds.

The Todd wrestles with an elderly patient to the soundtrack of Eye of the Tiger.

The cast sing a cover version of Waiting For My Real Life to Begin as they are all dealing with difficult situations of their own. They are led by a patient, Elaine (played by the real Jill Tracy).

Question plays when Turk asks Carla to marry him (after several failed proposals) in the park and JD joins them, running around with sparklers.

JD has a couple separate fantasies about how to escape awkward situations or bring people together who seemingly have nothing in common. 99 Luftballons is played to do so.

Don't You (Forget About Me) plays when Ted finds his backbone and stands up to Kelso, ultimately negotiating getting a soda before he works late.

[glasyasbutch]

playlist: hyssop (B-side)

10 years gone, all that's left is the knowledge that he was something great and powerful wielded by the hand of a woman even greater and more powerful

link to playlist on spotify

link to A-side post

1. Real Love Song (Alternative Version) by Nothing But Thieves

This is a dark song, real dark / Feral tear off your skin to the bone dark / I'll drink myself to death dark / Do anything to feel your breath on my neck dark

I wanted this entire playlist to have a sort of otherworldly, not quite right vibe to it, which is why I picked out this alt version with the weird fading instrumentals instead of the original.

As for the song in particular, this was the first one for the Forgotten playlist and I picked out because it has such a sense of desperate devotion. While I don't think that he ever had romantic feelings for Springwane, I like to imagine there was a kind of obsessive fealty. Like he would have done Anything if she asked, he didn't know how to think of himself if it wasn't in relation to her and what she needed from him, and he only wanted for her to recognize how truly committed he was.

2. Carrion Comfort by aeseaes

Bleeding a blundering mess / Beetles and worms in his chest / Sorry seeder, bottom feeder / Nipping at what ankle's left / All you wanted was a little taste / Won't let a single sinew go to waste

I really wanted a song that would get across the violence and destruction of the forest, the way it tears itself apart endlessly even without the Hunt in it. Those qualities have always enthralled and perhaps even inspired Hyssop, and this is a tribute to how the ranger fed the barbarian if you will.

3. Protect and Defend by Stuart Roslyn, Matt Founding, and Audiomachine

Another instrumental piece as a fight scene soundtrack, complement to Nemesis from A-side. While the other one is more cinematic and bold, this one's a bit more creeping and sinister for those good Unseelie vibes. Also the title is a bit of icing on the cake given that it's for his time as a court warrior.

4. The Howling by Within Temptation

We've been searching all night long / But there's no trace to be found / It's like they all have vanished / But I know they're around / I feel they're getting closer / Their howls are sending chills down my spine

Within Temptation sister song for Faster from A-side.

I know y'all really cute-ified the dogs but have you thought about how fucking terrifying it would be to get attacked by a pack of ghost dogs. POV you're getting fucking murdered by the floating top half of a wolf.

5. Wild Hunt by Alexander James Adams

Come, join the hunt for the fox running fast / We will ride in the front, you will take up the last / Through the night and the cold, through the mist without rest / Cursed by magic of old, you will never be blessed / Come and ride!

DM's pick.

6. Midnight by Radical Face

And I sank my teeth into your ribs / And drew out the blood that had turned on you / And left you to find your way back home

The literal meaning of this song is about a forest witch who cures a kid with leukemia and then has to skip town so they don't hunt her down and kill her. But I think maybe it could also be about an Unseelie queen taking in a lost young man desperate to be something and making him anew in her perfect violent image and then abandoning him.

[fvckyouimaprophet]

Music asks! 1, 2, 8, 17, 27, 38, 54, 56, 92, and 106!

Thank you, Ash!! Sorry it’s taken me forever to respond. I’m just very indecisive (despite asking for these questions, ha).

When I’m saying favorite for any of these questions, it can change day to day or even mood to mood, so I’ll just pick two or three that come to mind for most. 😅

1. What is your favorite album?

I will admit that with streaming, I don’t typically listen to most albums in full beyond maybe 3-5 times.

But since I saw them in concert recently, I’ll say, I’ve been listening to The Head on the Door by The Cure.

But the real forever answer is Shrek 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

2. What is your favorite artist?

It may currently be Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten.

8. What is your favorite concept album?

Look, I know it’s a big one, but it’s gotta be Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie. 

17. Favorite song right now?

Favorite might not be right, but ones I’m listening to non-stop lately: Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo, Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher) by Gogol Bordello, and Mermaids by Florence + The Machine

27. What is your favorite album that is not sung in your mother tongue?

Ooh, while I listen to many songs that aren’t in English (especially French and Croatian), I feel like I can almost count the number of full albums on my fingers (that aren’t associated with movie soundtracks).

Un verano sin ti by Bad Bunny G***y Kings by G***y Kings (given the name, I want to add that their parents mostly are Romani from Spain) Tous les garçons et les filles by Françoise Hardy

It has been years since I’ve listened to it, but I’m also going to put Rebecca: The Musical in German (Vienna production). We were robbed of a Broadway production. Hoping the London version this year leads to that.

38. Good song for writing

I admittedly make a lot of playlists for things that I’m writing but mostly play instrumental music while I write because it can be hard to tune it out, and I don’t want to be distracted.

But also things are so dependent on vibe?

Instrumental: Shape of Water by Alexander Desplat, Comptine d’un autre été by Yann Tiersen, and Drive My Car by Eiko Ishibashi

Non-Instrumental: Hounds of Love by Kate Bush, Shadow by Chromatics, and Sorry Not Sorry by Tyler, The Creator

54. Song you recommend

For you specifically (if you don’t know them already): A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley, ale Bien Qui Fait Mal by Mozart l’Opera Rock, and Androgynous by The Replacements

For people who may randomly be reading this whose taste I am less familiar with: Easy On Your Own? by Alvvays, Sun Bleached Flies by Ethel Cain (for the uninitiated), and Hot Knife by Fiona Apple

56. Underrated song

I have a bad sense of how popular things actually are, so I’ll just list songs I wish had more recognition that I’ve been listening to this year:

Body by 070 Shake and Christine and the Queens Young Lover by St. Vincent Leather by Tori Amos

92. Which album(s) would you wish to see performed live front to back?

Not possible but:

Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone Lion and the Cobra by Sinéad O’Connor (😭)

106. Which musicians would you wish to teach you an instrument?

St. Vincent and Mitski can teach me guitar. Kim Deal could teach me bass. They’re all the best at what they do, but also my gay self would thrive.

Send me music asks.

[magatronn]

I was re- listening to six:the musical soundtrack again and started to think about twst with it and that the queen would be dif characters.

originally I considered the six queens being the housewardens and then Malleus wasn’t invited, but I changed my mind on that lol. so lemme cook here-

Catherine of Aragon: Vil

-“No Way” literally screams Vil ngl

-either Vil or Malleus ngl

Anne Boleyn: Riddle

-even tho the “Don’t Lose Your Head” is definitely not Riddle’s personality, I just think it’d be super funny with the “OFF WITH HER HEAD” thing eheh

-Anne Boleyn in history is considered the most educated out of all the King Henry’s wives, which fits with Riddle considering he is one of the most book smart in TWST

-the song is sorta sexual at times and def isn’t riddle, but through a historical lens i think the Anne Boleyn section of six works for him

-also, another historical lens to use for Riddle is Anne’s relationship with her father and how her father used her to gain more control and power over her as well as the King

Jane Seymour: Silver or Idia

-I had to contemplate on this one the most

-still torn

-Seymour’s song isn’t my favorite so im still struggling to figure out which character vibes the best with it.

-Idia works with the context of book 6/ortho

-Silver also works if Lilia’s roles flipped

-OR MAYBE LILIA FITS HERE??? GIVEN BOOK 7???

Anne of Cleves: Azul

-Azul is just so Anne of Cleves (Six the musical version not the real life of Anne of Cleves version bc there’s the character and then there’s the the real woman) coded

-“I’m not fake cause I’ve got acres and acres. paid for with my own riches. Where my hounds (eels hehe) at and release the bitches” iconic

-“hey bestie lemme tell you something, now im not saying im a gold digger, but check my prenup, go figure” AZUL CODED‼️‼️ /j and affectionately

Katherine Howard: Kalim or Jamil

-I would explain it but I don’t have enough room on here to type out an essay for both

-in simple terms, Jamil has been used and abused by the people around him since birth

-and Kalim has the tendency of “you’re being so kind to me, we have a connection” but doesn’t realize he’s being fooled or being used until it’s too late

Catherine Parr: Lilia

-the letter being written to their lover before they are forced to have to be in a different position away from each other🗣️🗣️

I would go deeper on my reasoning, but im really really bad about writing my thoughts. :((

I’m a really really big Tudor history nerd, so six the musical means a lot to me. Is all happen to be extremely obsessed with Disney and have rewatched the Golden Era and Renaissance era of Disney films on repeat. So this is my mix of the two things I’m interested and obsessed with in one unit. :)

Thanks for my hot mess and not fully put together very well thoughts.

If anyone has anything to add or something else, lemme know. >:)

[clickbliss]

Air Twister Review

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Air Twister

Developers - YS Net

Publisher - ININ Games

PC, PS5, PS4, XBOX, Switch

The latest from legendary SEGA arcade creator Yu Suzuki, Air Twister has finally escaped its exclusivity period with Apple Arcade and arrived on other platforms. From a glance it's clear that Suzuki and his team were aiming to create a follow up to Space Harrier, with surreal visuals and saturated colors that'd feel right at home in SEGA's fantasy worlds. Scored by Dutch composer Valensia, doing his best Queen impression, Air Twister makes a splashy first impression despite the clearly limited budget. But as the game continues it's clear that Suzuki's vision lacks any real cohesion, rendered in hasty sketches rather than the efficient and masterful strokes of his work at SEGA.

The longer the game goes the more assets repeat, without concrete themes to tie them together. The dynamic camera evokes the sweeping vistas of Panzer Dragoon and company, but environments come off as more as a set of prefabs that line a rollercoaster ride, without any idle animation, with even the water being static. 

All of this was only obvious to me thanks to the languid pace of the game. Enemies sweep lethargically into the screen, and bullets are so slow enemies have often left before they can hit you. 

The lock on system is translated directly from how it worked on iOS, lacking a targeting cursor, and requiring you to trace enemies with your character before hitting the fire button, which doubles as your rapid fire button. It works counter to genre conventions, removing the tension between rapidly pelting enemies with weaker fire or delaying your shots for a more powerful homing attack.

There's also no cool down between homing shots, so often the best way to deal damage is to slam the attack button, which will launch both rapid and homing shots at the same time. Curiously, you can aim your attacks at an angle with the right stick, but without a cursor it's highly inaccurate, and the tutorial doesn't even bother telling you about it. 

It's all sloppy and ill considered, and the soundtrack follows suit . With a full album worth of new and existing tracks and a level progression completely on rails, Air Twister had everything lined up for a perfectly synced score. Instead it continually repeats songs, despite having enough songs to give each stage its own theme. Songs clash with the visuals instead of complementing them, adding to that sense of an incoherent whole.

If there is a consistent theme to Air Twister, it's that repitition, which ultimately what drags it down. Every run is forced to start from the beginning, keeping the game stuck at that initial sleepy pace before it picks up at the halfway point. 

Variety only comes through navigating the Adventure Map, a convoluted map structured like a skill tree, where each node requires a certain amount of points earned during runs. Most rewards are either a slight boost to your health or the number of enemies you can lock onto, both which start at a beyond generous amount, or slight variations on customization items like makeup or hair styles. It takes nearly an hour to earn meaningful rewards, which is maybe for the best, since the first weapon I unlocked basically gave me unlimited screen clearing bombs.

The PC version has no meaningful interface changes, making basic navigation a pain. To take the aforementioned Adventure Map as an example, unlocking nodes requires you to either hold down a mouse button for an extended time, or tediously hover over and confirm each node with a controller, with no options to simply click a node further down the path and automatically unlock previous points. The navigation language isn't consistent either, with options like costume changes confirming if you simply hover over them. It's a shoddy and confusing mess, optimized for neither controller nor mouse. 

Air Twister, simply put, is kind of a mess. It's not an unlikeable one, and at times it's even fun. But for the most of its runtime the experience is one of humming boredom, punctuated by confusion.