#it just sounds traditional and classy at the same time

[declanlikesmusic]

never got into vaporwave probably, what projects should i listen to for an introduction??

I always love this question. Finding the best primers to the whole of the vaporwave landscape and introducing new people to them is one of the many things with this genre that I just find so fun. I'm going to try to be as succinct as I can, but I am going to shoutout a lot, specifically twelve, so go ahead and take your time with these.

Macintosh Plus – Floral Shoppe (2011)

The biggest vaporwave album of all time. I will tell you now that this album is by no means perfect, it has quite a mixed reputation among fans & outsiders of the genre, but this is the album to single-handedly define the genre's core ethos in such a highly-concentrated way. If nothing else, this should give you a taste of what inspires and influences the genre most.

Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1 (2010)

By all accounts, this is the very first vaporwave album and to this day, nothing sounds quite like it. A classic array of disorienting, hazy & psychedelic loops of old popular songs that still sound fresh and wholly enveloping.

猫 シ Corp. – HIRAETH (2014)

This one here is to help people gain a better understanding of what your typical standard vaporwave album often sounds like. It's quite varied in a number of subtly different styles & approaches to traditional vaporwave with some ambiance sprinkled in as well.

SAINT PEPSI – Hit Vibes (2013)

Now we're getting into the individual subgenres of vaporwave and while there's a few traditional vaporwave tunes sprinkled in here for variety, this album birthed & defined the genre of future funk with some of the best dance bangers you'll find in the scene. Lots of classy tunes on here, it's an absolute jam.

Blank Banshee – Blank Banshee 0 (2012)

Up to this point, every album I've shared has been intensely sample-based. This album still carries some samples, but it has original beats & synths to establish another subgenre known as vaportrap. It's a great beat tape with some classic tunes and I also recommend its sequel too, which is my favourite vapor album of all time.

ESPRIT 空想 – virtua.zip (2014)

Carrying on from the last album, this one almost doesn't use samples at all and when it does, it's usually an extra sound or instrument at most. I'm putting this here to establish that even basic vaporwave can be crafted from original compositions and the results are short but great.

t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 – 現実を超えて (2014)

What makes vaporwave the way it is and not like any other genre adjacent to it is its intensely heavy focuses on atmosphere more than anything else. So naturally, you're going to see a lot of bridges to ambient music. This first example is the subgenre of slushwave, which crafts the same excellent vaporwave tunes, but additionally filters them through such a wash of effects that transform them into psychedelic & blissful dreamscapes.

식료품groceries – 슈퍼마켓Yes! We're Open (2014)

The next subgenre in this vein is mallsoft, which answers the question of vaporwave being set in the tall & wide spaces of shopping centres by placing relaxing tunes in pools of reverb and letting them sprawl from the loudspeakers of the area's corners. This album is the first big one to establish that with a unique setting and gorgeous sample choices.

2814 – 新しい日の誕生 (2015)

The last of these ambient subgenres is dreampunk, which is a lot like vaportrap in that it heavily relies on its own compositions with very few samples while still retaining the genre's focus on nostalgia, this time set in the melancholic & rainy nights of the urban city through what is at least the second biggest album in the entire genre.

death's dynamic shroud – I'll Try Living Like This (2015)

I'm gonna end this list with a few of the genre's weirdest corners. Vaporwave is constantly wide open to new & unique ways of experimentation and this album stands as the best example of that. Wholly unique aesthetic choices, completely innovative sampling techniques and an overall opus of incredibly strange, surreal & psydchedelic soundscapes.

Infinity Frequencies – Computer Death (2013)

After that, I'll close this list with two examples of an abstract subgenre known by two names. They're synonymous to the greater community & world of music, but I see them as two different approaches. They're both defined by the creation of intensely haunting, isolated & eerie loops of mysterious soundbites extracted from the likes of television & radio. Signalwave is what I use to describe the more accessible & musical end of that sound and this start of a trilogy is the best example for it.

░▒▓新しいデラックスライフ▓▒░ – ▣世界から解放���れ▣ (2012)

On the other hand, I will leave you with what I consider to be the most divisive vaporwave record of all time. This album defines what is more commonly known as broken transmission and it is much more obtuse, glitchy, dark & surreal to listen to depending on the album. You're going to listen to this and either love it, hate it or sit inbetween. People have taken it as a joke while others view it as a work of art. Approach this one at your own discretion.

That's it! Those are the first 12 vaporwave albums that I will almost always recommend every single one of you to check out first. The greater landscape of vaporwave doesn't start & end with these albums, but instead, they give you the best surface level primer to help dip your toes in to such an amazing genre of music.

[arokel]

my great grandfather lived during the depression and the war (I knew him till I was 16) and he said they did not say the f work back then. It was a word that was uttered by trashy people only if you know what I mean. He was also a crew chief and said it was rarely if ever uttered in the military too. He said that sh*t, d*mn, h*ll, and b**ch were common but were never uttered where women were present or in earshot. The greatest gen was far different from millennials and genz. Fics and the HBO War dialogue? Kiiiiinda makes for some major inaccuracy. (Mainly looking at tom hanks and steven spielberg)

just thought id throw that out there :) from one history enthusiast to another

I'm fully aware that this is bait, but I'm treating it like a serious ask anyway because now I get to talk about one of my favorite youtubers :)))))

the reason I say swearing was dependent on the individual/situation is that I recently re-watched this video from Simon Roper about the history of swearing! he focuses more on the 1800s and Britain, but I think a lot of what he says does apply to the US as well (except for the stuff about cunt, obviously).

frankly I don't think putting the "greatest generation" on a pedestal of ideological pureness does any of us any good, especially as history buffs - they lived in a turbulent time and many of them made the best choices they could, but it's also worth remembering that in the aftermath of world war two they went about scrubbing the narrative so thoroughly as to position themselves as the squeaky-clean heroes some people see them as today. they swore, and they fucked, and they committed atrocities and petty sins just like every other generation. (in case anyone wants other reading recs, I'd suggest Looking for the Good War by Elizabeth Samet, though parts of it are kind of a slog)

there is a lot to be said for the influence of protestantism on American culture that I think DOES support your argument - many of our less taboo oaths come directly from protestant ethics and censorship from the 1500s onward. zounds (god's wounds), blimey (god blind me) and I'll be darned (I'll be damned) are all part of the same tradition. unfortunately due to obscenity laws it's very difficult to study the evolution of swearing through print sources, so we're left with a very spotty picture based mostly on anecdotal evidence.

it sounds to me like your grandfather was a classy guy, and I don't doubt that in his circles men DIDN'T swear around ladies. but one person's experience does not translate universally, and the historical evidence I've seen points to swearing being much more common throughout our history than costume dramas would have you believe - aka, Spielberg probably got it right! sanitizing the past only ever serves to make our depictions of it less accurate.

(genuinely everyone go check out Simon Roper's stuff if you have even a passing interest in historical linguistics; his stuff is so interesting and well-presented and he really feels like the old youtube before it got terrible)

[anhed-nia]

IN A VIOLENT NATURE

This weekend I managed to catch two movies that are uh, you know, modern deconstructions of old horror tropes, and I found that I liked the cheaper, dirtier, less obviously "classy" one a lot more. Thea Hvistendahl's adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's (LET THE RIGHT ONE IN) novel Handling the Undead leans hard on grief, trauma, and family drama in a story set during a zombie plague; unfortunately the zombie subgenre has been rife with grief, trauma, and family drama since around 1968, and as Hvistendahl's movie seems rather unintrigued with its own outlandish premise, the whole thing feels like a foregone conclusion at best, and a gimmick at worst. (This movie is only just out but I'm bracing myself for the reviews that will call it a fresh and sophisticated take on a lowbrow stereotype, and I am begging the world to stop saying that "elevated horror" is a new and novel phenomena, it is certainly neither of those things. Ahem) Meanwhile Chris Nash, a Canadian FX guy, has made his feature debut using a very gimmicky-sounding premise: IN A VIOLENT NATURE is a FRIDAY THE 13TH clone that follows the perspective of the marauding slasher instead of the final girl and her unfortunate friends. What could easily be a one-note, one trick pony is instead an unusual and oddly beguiling daydream that, in spite of its aesthetic focus, manages to make the primitive films it riffs on feel more plausible than usual.

IN A VIOLENT NATURE concerns "Johnny", a familiar-sounding "slow kid" who was killed during a cruel prank and who now stalks the forest as a vengeful zombie. (It has always felt awkward to call Jason Voorhees a zombie, maybe because "zombie" implies something anonymous and impersonal, but for the sake of conversation...) When a gaggle of horny, drug-doing campers witlessly steal Johnny's beloved mother's sweater locket, he tears them apart one by one in search of the precious artifact. We watch over Johnny's hulking shoulders as he plods from one victim to the next, and the effect is often mesmerizing. The film's lack of a musical score seems like a perverse gesture at first, but it's wiser than it may initially appear. The purpose of slasher movie music is usually to convey unto the viewer the hero's or victims' feelings of terror. FRIDAY THE 13TH is the worst day of Alice's life, and the music tells you this--but the protagonist of IN A VIOLENT NATURE is the killer, and for him it's just Tuesday. It would be too much to say that the film is exactly sympathetic to Johnny, but the naturalistic presentation of his misadventure creates a far different emotional atmosphere than what the viewer is accustomed to.

What's really unusual about this film is not just that it is shot from the reverse angle--identifying us with the killer's experience in an amusing realization of exactly what Mary Whitehouse and Roger Ebert were afraid of--but that it otherwise sticks to the traditional slasher movie tropes so faithfully. One finds no pompous "elevated horror" ambitions here, only the familiar narrative cliches, "bad acting", and absurdly elaborate kills. And this is all a good thing! If the filmmaker had decided to just defy all of the usual expectations...well, let's just say that the approach of "doing the opposite" creates its own kind of predictability, and at worst it can become pointlessly contrary and contemptuous of the material to which a movie is supposedly paying homage. Instead of trying to prove that he is better than his roots, Chris Nash honors the high artificiality of the prototypical slasher film while at the same time injecting it with a disarming naturalness. The result is often fascinating.

With all that said, don't expect perfection. The experiment here is ultimately very simple, and though the film is not long it does tend to overstay its welcome, particularly when it breaks its own rules and follows the final girl's perspective just to get the story across the finish line. However, IN A VIOLENT NATURE is so playful and earnest that it's hard not to like--proving once again that being interesting is often better than being great.

[forensicated]

Woodentop - 16th August 1983.

(Taffy: "Welcome to Sun Hill Looney Bin.")

Woodentop/The Bill started off as the 4th episode in the Storyboard series. It was turned into a series that began airing just over a year later on the 16th October 1984.

The first words were spoken by Jim Carver after his (second) alarm sounded to wake him for his first day as a probationer at Sun Hill. "OK Carver, let's do it." He presents as keen and enthusiastic although obviously naive. He's promising however and came top of the class on his "Human Awareness Training" course at Hendon.

Sgt Jack Wilding (Peter Dean), Inspector Sam Deeping (Jon Croft), PC's Green, Rawlings, Wallace, Reid and Morton and 2 unamed uniform officers played by Chris Jenkinson and Richard Huw do not go onto make it into the series, however Jim, Dave Litten, June Ackland, Taffy and Roy Galloway do. Taffy has a surname change later however to Edwards as he is Dai 'Taffy' Morgan here.

"Galloping" Galloway is played by Robert Pugh, he's later recast as John Salthouse, the [original!] short ginger Jack Russell we all know and love. "Doesn't that man ever go home?" "We're in it, Jack. This is it."

PC Hollis is mentioned and his call sign is given as 375. The S for 'Sierra-Oscar' is missing from their epaulettes and only an O is present. Taffy is 101, June is 643, Jim is 600 and Dave is 201. June is the only female officer seen. Dave shows an interest in her but she isn't interested and literally rolls her eyes at his attempt to eye her up in the briefing. It appears they have had an on again/off again thing that; when off; makes the others rather uncomfortable.

Jim declares allegiance to uniform from the off, "I'm a firm believer in traditional policing methods." He explains that he wants to be on the pre-side of policing rather than the post-side (aka: when the problem has already happened). Deeping warns him he felt the same when he first joined and says he might change his mind a few months in.

Taffy asks about Dave's 'exam results' and then says he has 6 more weeks to go to his own; laughing that Wilding is making Litten sweat. June later explains that Dave has just finished a 2-week attachment to CID and "now CID are his Gods, especially DI Galloway." Dave has been waiting 2 months to see if he's passed an exam to allow him to join CID properly.

June is tasked with puppy walking "Jim-Jim". She reflects on how stupid it is to still have the W in front of her job title (WPC/WDC/WDS etc), pointing out that it doesn't matter if they're male or female - they're still police constables.

Jim is confused when she asks a paperboy his name. June explains that a paperboy would know who is away as he wouldn't have to deliver to them for a specified amount of time. She suggests CID might have overlooked it when investigating a spate of robberies. Jim is amazed and she assures him he'll soon learn and pick up little tricks like that. Soon after they are asked to check in on an elderly lady who hasn't been seen in weeks. Sadly the lady has passed in the bath and the obvious has started to happen to her body. Both are horrified though Jim tries to protect June from seeing it. "Poor old Jim Jim, first time out. First day even!"

During a pep talk, Jack Wilding reminds June to never get emotionally involved with anyone in the job - if only she'd listened…! (cough Dave, Gordon, Jim, Tony, Gabriel and Roger). "You're too classy for the likes of Dave Litten! If I were 10 years younger!"

Dave takes Jim 'walkies' for the afternoon, Dave loves showing off to the newbie and claims he'll soon be out of uniform and with CID.

In the briefing, Jim and the others were told to get to know the youths who are upsetting locals by hanging around in groups. He was encouraged to keep a professional distance as an officer, to earn respect and to remain firm but fair. During their walkabout, Jim dishes out a slap round the back of the head to a youth who tries to escape him and Dave. Dave immediately pulls him aside and tells him that he shouldn't have done that and they're pulled in to see Wilding. Wilding warns Jim that he could be suspended on his first day if the boy's family takes it further and sends him and Dave home early.

Wilding has to ask Galloway to help him as the lad Jim assaulted is Galloway's big robbery suspect's son. After butting heads, Roy reluctantly agrees and takes Jack to see his suspect, making it clear that Jack owes him one and that he's only doing it for Dave who he sees real CID potential in.

Jack buys the drinks and explains to Mr Taylor about his new PC collaring his son and friend for 'scrumping. Taylor jumps to the conclusion that Jim would have wanted to get his first arrest under his belt and claims he should have just given him a thick ear and sent him home like the good old days. Jack explains that that is exactly what Jim did, making Taylor laugh. "There's hope for your lot yet."

Jim lives to see another day and we end back in bed with Jim (ooh er!) setting his alarm for the morning.

[i-plague-eater]

OK! It's time for real odd fan theories!

It's a widespread fandom headcanon that Cedric is a naga. Which is a quite obvious thing to assume considering that nagas are basically snakes with a human torso. Many fans are giving his folk an Indian vibe and I really like such diversity.

Since small Cedric in my comic book is fond of folklore and especially everything including dragons, I started collecting mythology as well. There are four legged classy dragons, wyverns with two legs/hands but there are also wyrms who sound like worms. So I was like: who the heck are wyrms? From "The Lair Of The White Worm" movie I knew that it's an old tradition of calling dragons "worms". It seemed at first that a wyrm is a dragon that misses legs and only has snake-like body and wings. Also, breaths acid. I dug deeper and found out that according to the one of theories a word wyrm comes from Lindworm or Lindwurm.

Who are the lindworms then?

Lindworms are long, snake-like mythical creatures living deep in the forest that traditionally has the shape of a giant serpent monster. Legend tells of two kinds of lindworm, a good one associated with luck, often a cursed prince who has been transformed into another beast, and a bad one, a dangerous man-eater which will attack humans on sight. Sometimes Lindworms has legs and/or wings, sometimes they don't. It really depends on the myth. I do like a variation saying that they has two limbs but they move like snakes and use these limbs as hands.

Here the fun begins.

As you might know, the Escanors came from Britain, like, Arthurian Britain. Lindworms along with wyverns are a part of northern folklore, like, Scotland for example. Or we might remember The Lair Of the White Worm again where Bram Stocker is referencing a legend of the Lambton Worm.

Here's something to spice up things even more:

In the 19th-century tale of "Prince Lindworm" (also "King Lindworm") from Scandinavian folklore, a "half-man half-snake" lindworm is born, as one of twins, to a queen, who, in an effort to overcome her childlessness, followed the advice of an old crone who instructed her to eat two onions. As she did not peel the first onion, the first twin was born a lindworm. The second twin is perfect in every way. When he grows up and sets off to find a bride, the lindworm insists that a bride be found for him before his younger brother can marry. Because none of the chosen maidens are pleased by him, he eats each one until a shepherd's daughter who spoke to the same crone, is brought to marry him, wearing every dress she owns. The lindworm tells her to take off her dress, but she insists that he shed a skin for each dress she removes. Eventually his human form is revealed beneath the last skin. Some versions of the story omit the lindworm's twin, and the gender of the soothsayer varies. A similar tale occurs in the 1952 novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis. (source)

The most insane idea is to make Cedric a Phobos and Elyon brother, but a bastard. Like, a bastard who is a bastard due to his lindworm nature? Or just a aristocrat with the same background, also related to the Escanor clan. I mean, he's been called "a Lord" right?

I don't think I can use the first idea, although might use the second one for an adult cartoon Cedric. Anyway, I do like the idea of using ancient Northern mythology and English folklore. I'll keep digging and bring you interesting pieces once I'll find them.

[spardhaschool]

is classical music still relevant in modern times? | Spardha School Of Music

Rooted in rich history, classical music continues to inspire modern sounds. Its therapeutic and intellectual benefits make it invaluable in today’s fast-paced world. Spardha School of Music fosters a deeper appreciation for this art form, blending classical mastery with modern innovation https://www.spardhaschoolofmusic.com/blog/is-classical-music-still-relevant-in-modern-times

Modern music genres are continuously evolving and catering to the latest trends. But classical music remains an influential pillar of music history and continues to offer unbeatable value in wonderful ways. 

This blog will explore classical music's superpower and how it still dominates other music styles. 

1. Rich legacy

Classical music is a genre that has existed since the medieval period.

Its compositions have left an excellent mark on the music and the wide culture of dance, art, and cinema. 

But have you ever considered why classical music stays unbeatable while other music styles come and go? 

The simple answer is in the depth and complexity of the classical music. 

It mostly tells stories without words and delivers a beautiful exploration of human feelings and events all through melody and harmony. 

Though it is a mix of rising triumphs of a symphony order, classical music captures human emotions excellently while making it relevant today.

To make your classical music journey more intriguing, join the expert professionals of the Spardha School of Music now!

2. Integration and influence in the modern age

You may be surprised to know that classical music greatly influences modern genres. 

The structures and styles of classical compositions inspire many rock, pop, and film beats. 

Classical music is felt in the highly sweeping orchestras of famous films like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings. 

These soundtracks evoke the same intensity as well as emotion that showed the work of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. 

3. Enhancing Cognitive Abilities

Besides its cultural impact, classical music can be scientifically proven to have several cognitive benefits. 

Some studies show that just listening to classical music may develop concentration and memory and can even help reduce stress. 

That’s why many people still listen to it while studying or working. 

One example is the so-called ‘Mozart Effect,’ which implies that listening to Mozart's compositions can improve intellectual performance, especially in spatial reasoning tasks.

In a world full of distractions, classical music today provides an environment for focused studying. 

No wonder many people find peace in the music pieces of famous composers while they work!

4. A Tool for Emotional Healing

In today’s time, mental health has become one of the most critical issues. 

Music therapy with classical music boosts emotional healing. 

With its slow tempos and calming rhythms, classical music reduces anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and provides ease and comfort to people in emotional turmoil.

The therapeutic value of classical music makes it a relevant remedy for stress, mental well-being, and overall emotional balance challenges.

5. Keeping the Tradition Alive

Classical music may not be popular on the charts today, but that doesn’t mean it’s become an outdated art form. 

Professional musicians and casual listeners alike still enjoy classical music through digital media in orchestral halls or within academic settings. 

The digital world has made it easier to access this music than ever before. 

Today, streaming services provide millions of classical tracks at your fingertips. 

Moreover, online music lessons allow anyone, regardless of age, to learn about and appreciate this genre from home.

But, do you know? Classical music never stops developing. 

Current composers mix classics with modern technology and develop new music pieces that can touch the souls of modern people and honor the richness of classical elements.

6. Conclusion

So, classical music continues to influence modern music, helping our brains function better. It is also supposed to have the potential to promote emotional healing. 

As we continue trying to look deeper into things with more insight and feelings, probably in art, the impact of classical music would be felt even more. 

So, add some classical music to your playlist the next time you listen. 

Who knows? 

The music from a few centuries ago still speaks to you in a way that modern music never can.

Join an engaging world of classical music at the Spardha School of Music Now! 

[wowimprints]

Guide to Choosing a Good Logo Tablecloth

A logo tablecloth can do so much more than just acting as a beautiful piece of fabric; it is actually an integral branding tool that will make perfect whatever the event, conference, trade show, or even in-store display will see your business does, because, first and foremost, this is what can get your business noticed. Sounds terribly obvious, but in today's marketplace, having a custom logo tablecloth that actually represents your brand's identity may just be the difference between mediocre performance and best.

This all-inclusive guide will give you everything you will know about choosing the right tablecloth with your brand's logo-from what kind of fabrics to use, through the different techniques of printing, to design tips. Thoughtful consideration of these aspects ensures that your tablecloth proudly stands for your brand and will attract exposure, ultimately giving them a permanent impression.

Why a Custom Logo Tablecloth Matters Let me tell you, whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, a logo tablecloth can actually make a big difference in your brand visibility. A customized logo tablecloth is like a billboard for your company, grabbing the attention of the attendees of your event and potential clients. Plus, it speaks of professionalism, establishment of brand recognition, and consistency in marketing and promotional materials.

Brand Recognition It is the face of the company; therefore, displaying it elaborately on a tablecloth at events will ensure it keeps coming up and restores brand consciousness. The more often they view your logotype, the more they are familiar with your venture that might make them believe in you and become interested.

Create a Professional Look It presents a classy and well-arranged tablecloth on a booth or presentation that makes it look professional. This shows the public that you take your brand seriously and put attention to little details. Such can thus increase your reputation, as you are likely to be different from others who have low standards by taking little attention to presentation and its importance.

Consistent Branding This means that having a logo tablecloth for all events can be sure of uniform branding. Your business will gain the trust and credibility of the audience if you have a consistent brand image, especially at a trade show or corporate event.

Choosing the Fabric for Your Logo Tablecloth The fabric is going to be one of the most important things to consider when selecting a logo tablecloth. Depending on the fabric, the tablecloth may be durable, aesthetically pleasing, or how well your logo is displayed. Some common options include: Polyester Polyester is actually the most commonly used material for custom logo tablecloths since it is versatile, affordable, resistant to wrinkles and stains, and thus ideal for events where you know you're going to reuse the same tablecloth several times. Polyester also seems to maintain color and images well with digital printing.

Cotton Cotton tablecloths are even more classic and elegant in appearance. It has a softer touch and may also make your booth look classier. However, it wrinkles and stains faster. Screen printing is most suitable for this kind of tablecloth because the image produced will be very sharp and clear.

Vinyl This type of tablecloth is best used for outdoor events or settings that are most likely to spill. It is water-resistant and can be cleaned easily, making it suitable for food fairs or outdoor campaigns. However, vinyl may look less formal, so keep in mind the kind of event you will be having when you choose this material.

Print Quality Option for Logo Tablecloths Just as important as the material is how you apply your logo onto the tablecloth. There are many printing methods-you get to pick which one best fits your needs and your budget.

Screen Printing The traditional method where ink is pushed through a stencil onto fabric, an excellent method for simple, bold logo designs with a one or two color effect. It really does give great, long-lasting prints but does not really suit some detailed designs or variations in print color.

Dye Sublimation Dye sublimation is among the best options if indeed you want truly full-color designs or logos with details. Applying heat, through direct dye transfer, into the fabric provides very long-lasting colors. Polyester fabrics work marvelously well with dye sublimation, and it produces smooth, crack-free, and peel-free images.

Heat Transfer In heat transfer printing, the image is transferred onto the tablecloth by application of heat and pressure. It is effective where lesser quantity or one-time order prints are required because it allows for a high definition image with a wide scope of colors. However, the results tend not to last as long as those from screen printing or dye sublimation.

Design Tips for an Effective Logo Tablecloth With regard to the logo in tablecloth designing for you, it should be simple. Do ensure that the tablecloth is attractive but not crowded. You can apply these strategies to guide you in effective design making:

Keep the Logo Front and Center Your tablecloth should focus on a main theme of your logo, preferably at the center front or at the area where it would most be seen by people walking by. Avoid a crowded design with too much text and perhaps other graphics, which defeats the purpose of branding.

High Contrasting Colors Consider using high contrast colors for your tablecloth and logo so that your design is easily readable from far away. If your tablecloth has dark colors, use dark for your light and vice versa for a logo. This not only makes visibility good, but your booth can stand out against the sea of other exhibitors.

Consider Your Exhibit Space Before finalizing the design, reflect on the kind of event and the space where you will be assigned. If it's an outdoor event, your tablecloth should be of good quality, possibly of vinyl material. For formal indoor events, you may require a glossy, silky polyester or cotton tablecloth.

[foldingbedme]

Explore The Types Of Convertible Sofa Beds Before You Get One!

Have you been looking to Buy convertible sofa beds? come on! Let's unfold this journey. There are things you should need to know before purchasing your very first one. You need to know about the features such as storage, and pulling setup along with the amount of versatility and comfort it provides. Before making your first important purchase, knowing about those things can help you in many ways. So let’s explore some types and important information regarding this.

Types of sofa cum bed.

There is a wide variety of sofa cum beds in the market according to the demand of the customers. Some sofa cum beds are traditional having an extra puff in them which provides more comfort but on the other hand, some come with a storage facility. Some are very subtle and minimalistic but at the same time will provide your home with a classy appearance and that’s why people love to Buy convertible sofa beds.

1.  Fold Out Sofa Cum Bed

Yes! The most important part of your living room these days is a fold-out sofa cum bed, the mattress of this type of sofa is designed in such a way that when it gets folded it becomes a proper sofa and when it opens up it becomes a proper bed. It comes with a single, two-seater, three sitter according to the requirement of customers.

2. Pull Out Sofa Cum Bed

This type of Convertible sofa is popular for its easy-to-change mattress system. You can remove the mattress when you want it as a single bed. Only in this variety the cushions you use for sitting and resting can also serve as a mattress for sleeping. You can vertically shift this mattress inside the sofa frame also.

3. Storage Sofa Cum Bed

People found this variety value for money and his additional storage features just blow your mind. The drawers inside this variety can store your blankets, books and many more living room stuff. Having storage options in this variety makes this a bit more durable than others.

4. Click Clack Sofa Cum Bed

Converting this variety into bed is slightly easier as compared to others you have to just push the back and it will be converted. It comes with a clicking and clacking sound when you try to convert this, thanks to his simple mechanism. It will provide you with a year's long durability if you maintain this in a very specific manner. This variety is extremely compact.

6. Conclusion

Before purchasing your very first one one should always go through all the varieties and all the features associated with it. Buy Convertible Sofa Beds after exploring varieties. You can find pocket-friendly varieties too that will provide an elegant appearance to your home.

[kandui]

Perfect Escape from Everyday Life

For surfers, the Kandui villas is the perfect place to escape from the humdrum of everyday life in most urban centers of the world. This is the one place where you could stop time and just enjoy basking in the warm sun while listening to the mesmerizing sound of the cool waters around you.

To be fair, couples and families with kids and other non-surfers will enjoy their holidays at Kandui villas Mentawai islands as much as the surfers do.

Luxury living

From one of the most remote places in the world, Kandui villas brings in a total surprise when it comes to luxury and function for the residents. An added bonus to its classy high lifestyle is the fact that one is surrounded by the sea and the whole tropical paradise.

For the surfers who chose to stay, the villas are intersecting point where functionality and luxury come together. The ambience of sophisticated luxury is right at the Kandui villas which an be be said as simply the next level of luxury surf travel.

The Úmas”

The ‘umas’ are the twelve private bungalows specifically put up for the guests. Following the unique culture and tradition of the place, all of the buildings are made from the finest local hardwood.

With their standout looks and beauty coupled with the right elegant functions, the ‘umas’ are exceptional standouts to have the guests feel (and live) like royalty. The bonus is that guests will still be able to appreciate the stunning view of the oceans and take in the breeze whipped up by the sea.

Unique traditional craftsmanship

The villas had been praised and admired for incorporating the traditional Mentawai craftsmanship. At the same they were lauded for the inclusion of modern amenities into the classic structures made especially for the ones who chose to stay in them.

The crafted art and theme of the structures of the villas are directly inspired by their surroundings. Every piece had been lovingly handcrafted using the services of local hand-carving artisans.

Like most exquisite ethnic work, the inspiration for these villas simply comes from being provided a place on the edge of the jungle and the sea. These Kandui villas are rightly considered the jewel of luxury surf travel.

These villas are on the Karangmajet island, which is  in front of the Kandui left and Baby Kandui in the middle of the surf mecca called “The Playgrounds”. 

The features

Kandui Villas is one outstanding complex of nine luxury ‘umas’ and one triple ‘uma’ – which is three regular-sized luxury ‘umas’ connected together, for a total of 12 ‘umas’.

Each of these are very large (7.5 meters wide and 10.5 meters long) with two king-sized beds downstairs and one or two single size beds in the second-story loft. Every room has two air conditioning units.

The villas have its restaurant located directly next to the swimming pool, and connected by a wooden deck that wraps around the pool, and leads into the game room, bar, and palapa.

The game room has both a billiard and ping pong table.

[doesmichelinevenknowfood]

All I do is eat oysters

I feel like a lot of people my age somehow don't like oysters, which to me is just embarrassing and childish if I'm being honest. We live in New England, delicious seafood is all we really have.

New Haven specifically has historically been known for it's oyster industry. It's important. Go to the beach it's like 99% oyster shells and 1% discarded drug paraphernalia. We're famous for our rich history with oysters. We're also famous for our rich history with ghosts apparently. Google the ghost ship. We have an entire boat ghost. The vessel itself haunts our waters. There's a beautiful painting of the ghost ship somewhere that I've seen when I was like 8 but I still remember it vividly because a ghost ship in the sky is crazy.

That's a long winded way for me to say that if you are really from New Haven, you need to refine your palette to enjoy the traditional foods of our people. Get in touch with your roots.

Maybe my favorite oyster spot in the whole state is actually in west Hartford though. Despite west Hartford being quite possibly the most boring city on earth, Max's oyster bar knows how to shuck a mean one. I don't know really what that even means but it sounds like something an out of touch food blogger would say on daytime television so I'm sticking with it.

Max's is maybe the most pretentious place I've ever eaten, which makes it a great date spot. It's got like 50 different wines. It's got rich people to make fun of right in front of their faces. Most importantly though, it has EIGHT different oyster varieties on the menu. I remember the first time I went there I ordered two of each oyster, and then another round of the same thing. I'm going to be honest the waitress was appalled at a second round of 16 oysters. I guess that wasn't very classy of us. We also got octopus and lobster. I'm going to be honest it was an all around fly dinner. All of it was phenomenal. Too bad there's literally nothing else to do in that area of the world. No bars. No crackheads to dance battle. West Hartford really sucks but the oysters go nuts.

Lenny's in branford also has great locally grown oysters. maybe the best I've ever had but I appreciate the variety of Max's.

in spite of what I said about New Haven before, I have yet to find a good oyster spot down here. Shell and bones is supposed to be good but I don't know it gives a weird vibe. It gives the vibe that like 40+ year old beer enthusiasts eat there. Yuck.

I honestly don't know what a blog is. I haven't heard mention of one since 2014 I swear to god.

Short story long, oysters are out of control and if you don't like them, grow up. Perfect food. Jesus would have never let himself get crucified if he knew about oysters man I'm telling you. I think there just wasn't much to live for back then. Oysters would have changed the course of history for sure. I bet romans ate oysters and let's keep it real they were living the most lavish of anyone ever. Walking around butt naked in the streets drunk, going to parades and whatnot.

Max's gets no Michelin stars though because I don't like the location or rich people.

This is funny to me but I bet it reads so deranged lol.

[cinemaocd]

For @dweemeister

Group A Rankings:

#1 Barsaat Mein #2 That Darn Cat #3 Miss Carlie's Blues #4: I know why (and so do you) #5 Pink #6 Jean #7 This World is Mine

Notes

1: Tar : As a song unlistenable outside context of fillm. Finding out the context helped. I believed this performance was genuine because it was so obnoxious and bad. :D

2: Barsaat Mein: I liked the song but what happened on screen disturbed me and the tone at the end, seemed hopeful and upbeat but the film made me feel angry and sad. Understanding the context made it worse! But I loved the spectacle and performance esp. in the festival scene. The dancing was excellent, especially the sliding/gliding motion that was used. Really cool. Combined traditional dancing with Busby Berklee camera moves. Extra points for that.

3) Ciao Papa: Found the song kind of tedious. Not a fan of children singing in films, I think. The animation that accompanied it was very evocative and I found the story and animation that unfolded very compelling and moving. It matched the sentimental tone of the music, but with that dark Del Toro vibe.

4: This World is Mine: I liked the song. It's unfortunate that we can't see the actual performance in the film. I find it difficult to judge, just from the few seconds shown in the video of the film. But it's cool to see that there was a moment of progress associated with it and it must be significant for it to become it's own thing in Brazil and Brazillian music.

5: Hold My Hand, Oh God, really hate Tom Cruise and these movies. Also hate that a performer I respect, like Lady Gaga is associated with it. All the electronic filters on her voice annoying too. I mean her performance in the video is more compelling than the movie, (I'm so bi, send help...) but that's it...

6: I know why: I've never heard of Sun Valley Serenade before this and don't know Sonia Heney outside of Col. Potter on MASH's exclamation of disbelief: Sonia Heney's Tutu! Having said, Glen Miller is definitely familiar and I have a lot of association with it from interning at an "oldies" radio station in the 90s. The staging in the film is kind of predictable but the costumes and the whole vibe are pretty smooth and classy. Also I love ski resorts in classic films. Always some great Hollywood imagination nonsense happening.

7. Jean: I remember the first time I saw this movie, I thought it would be a Too Sir with Love, kind of feelgood thing and it was. not. OH DEAR. Maggie Smith is so great and I do love the aesthetics of the film, that 1960s technicolor, I'm imagining it as I listened to this nice vocal performance. Love the irony of the song and how it changes as we become less enamored of "Jean" in the film.

8. Miss Carlie's Blues: Great song, great performance, and Whoopi's reactions make it. Somewhat marred by the dubbing which isn't convincing. (Not the fault of the acting, just the sound doesn't "match" with the environment of the small club, which wouldn't have microphones etc)

9. Pink: I've seen the film, so I could fill in the way the film opens with the intro of the Dream House and Barbie going through her day. Lizzo is very distinctive in her voice and love the way the song has kind of saucy lyrics but they are sung in the same smooth "movie theme" way. Also love the reprise in the film, and the change of tone. Kind of wish we could have the actual scenes in front of us to see.

10) That Darn Cat: I never saw this film, but I'm pretty familiar with the Live Action Disney films of this era. The song is cute and the music swings. One of the few songs on here I can imagine listening to outside the context of the film/this context.

11) Troi Sang Roi...: Lovely song and performance. Love that it turned into a duet. Sounds like an interesting movie that I would like to see. :D

12) When I grow up: What did I say about not liking kids singing in films? Well ok, not totally. I mean Shirley Temple is classic. I'm not an ogre. I have seen Curly Top and it's entertaining because Shirley carries it. Though, It never fails to kill me how comfortable they were with putting her in adult situations and sexualizing her. Yikes...

2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (preliminary round)

Tumblr’s new post editor has disabled completely the ability to make indented bullet points. I apologize in advance for how ugly most of this post looks.

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OPEN invites to (or at least people who are committed to the final, but would like access to the prelim): @birdsongvelvet, @derricklogan2, @dog-of-ulthar, @inmyworldblr, @machpowervisions, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @myluckyerror, @noelevangilinecarson, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @qteeclown, @shadesofhappy, and @the-lilac-grove. Some of you have participated in past MOABOS editions, some of you are longtime followers I've not really spoken to, but have interacted with quite a few of my posts... if you are interested, please let me know. I'll assign you a group or I'll put you into the final.

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Hello everybody,

If you were tagged here, that is because you graciously accepted my invitation to help out with this year's edition of the Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS). I welcome you to the eleventh edition of MOABOS (MOABOS XI) and the tenth edition with outside help from family, friends, and followers on tumblr. When I first opened this up to other folks in 2014 (MOABOS II), I believed that this would last but only a few years, at most. And every time the year is new, I have no clue whether or not there will be another edition of MOABOS.

But here we are yet again. The Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song is not possible without all of your help.

For newcomers near and far: This is a classic film blog (concentration: pre-1980s Hollywood, but I have various specialties outside of that and watch plenty of newer films). That blog's primary purpose is to host my nearly 800 film write-ups tagged "My Movie Odyssey" (an index can be found here). MOABOS is one of my blog's year-end traditions, and just a smaller part of a larger one. On my blog, the Movie Odyssey Awards honor some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time this calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey") with an Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category, save one: Best Original Song. It is the only category that does not require you to watch several movies in their entirety. MOABOS is my way to say thank you for your friendship and moral support no matter how long I've known you. It is, sneakily so, a way to introduce all of you to music and movies I enjoyed this past year. And you might learn a snippet of film history through this!

INTRODUCTION

An unspecified number of songs have already advanced to the final round. 24 songs will contest this preliminary round in two groups - Group A and Group B. After three years of pandemic disruptions, the 2020s are finally making a significant mark on MOABOS, perhaps with a vengeance. Some of the highest-grossing films of both 2023 and 2022 are here to contend, as is a movie newly-minted as one of the highest-grossing anime films ever. But the defending decade, the 1980s (through Dolly Parton's title song for 1980's 9 to 5), has plenty of entries this year. It is the decade of pop culture I like least, but the 1980s have a decent shot at being the first decade to defend a MOABOS title.

Last year was regrettably a monolingual field of songs. Folks, multilingual MOABOS is back. This year, across both groups, English, French, Hindi (returning for the first time since 2020, or MOABOS VIII), Japanese (also returning after a three-year absence), Brazilian Portuguese, and Vietnamese will be represented. For their respective movies, they capture just a part of a nation's soul and filmmaking culture at a certain time. MOABOS, too, is its own sort of time capsule.

After a few years of slight decline, the preliminary round of MOABOS drew a record 36 people casting rankings. Might that record fall this year? That same preliminary saw a resounding rejection of American folk music (or spoofs of American folk, at least) and a decidedly mixed opinion of the style of Golden Age 20th Century Fox musicals (their plots might be silly and nonsensical, but at least they have no pretensions of being anything more than that!). No American folk this year, but 20th Century Fox has a few contenders this year.

1980s and contemporary pop have historically performed well in the preliminaries. With some formidable entries this year that receive regular radio play, does that hold up or are there upsets in the cards?

2019's MOABOS (MOABOS VII) preliminary remains the gold standard for sheer chaos. The miraculous comeback of "I Dug a Ditch" from Thousands Cheer (1943) in the prelim's final hour brought a song that seemed dead as a doorknob back to life. A song about digging a hole got out of its hole, if you will. No group since has ever matched that drama. Might this be a nailbiter of a result?

INSTRUCTIONS

Please rank (#1-11) at least seven of your group's songs. Please consider to the best of your ability (these are only suggestions, not strict guidelines): 

How musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to musical phrasing and orchestration);

Its lyrics (incl. and not limited to lyrical invention and lyrical flow); 

Context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films);

Choreography/dance direction (if applicable; I know that almost none of us have a dancing background, but let's not discount this aspect entirely);

The song's cultural/sociopolitical impact and legacy/listenability outside the film's context (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor)

A notice on audio/video quality and colorization of black-and-white film: Because it is sometimes difficult to find clean recordings of much of this music, imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song while you are drawing up your rankings - you're on the honor system on this one. In addition, in respect to personal and blog policy, I will not provide colorized videos of films that were originally in black-and-white. You can call this snobby all you want. But to yours truly, film colorization of B&W is disrespectful to the artisans who plied their craft and made decisions based on the fact the film was shot in black-and-white. It is essentially redirecting a movie without consent.

You are encouraged to send in comments and reactions with your rankings - it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The top six songs in each group automatically advance to the final round. Unlike previous years, no at-large wild card picks outside the top six will advance to the final.

The deadline for submission is Wednesday, December 13 at 11 PM Pacific Time. That is 9 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time. That deadline is also Thursday, December 14 at 1 AM Central Time / 2 AM Eastern Time / 7 AM GMT / 8 AM CET / 9 AM EET. This deadline - and some of you have joked with me that this is inevitable - will be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time. However, I very much do not wish to extend the deadline because the final round is more intensive and usually involves more participants. A small group of longtime MOABOS veterans will be asked to do both groups, if possible (but they are required to complete their assigned group first before moving on) - they are generally selected for their longevity of MOABOS participation and promptness. Tabulation details are under the "read more".

Please pay attention to the groups you have been sorted into, and please only submit rankings for the group you have been assigned. For your convenience, the YouTube playlists for both groups follow:

PLAYLISTS: (GROUP A) / (GROUP B)

Group A: be warned, I am somewhat trolling you on one of these songs. At least it comes early!

Feel free to listen as many times as you need, and I hope you discover music and movies that strike your interest. With the deepest appreciation from this grateful classic film fan, here are your group's songs. The following is formatted... ("Song title", composer and lyricist, film title):

GROUP A

“Apartment for Sale”, music and lyrics by Cate Blanchett and Todd Field, Tár (2022)

Performed by Cate Blanchett

After her cross-hall apartment neighbor dies, composer/conductor Lydia Tár (Blanchett; whose character is the first female music director of the Berlin Philharmonic) learns from the deceased's family that they think the classical music emanating from Tár's apartment is an unlistenable racket. They bluntly request Tár to stop playing music entirely when they meet with potential buyers. Moments after that encounter, this is her response. By this point in the film, Tár's rationality is very much in question. This is a drama about the hubris and manipulative ways for a person in power.

This is the shortest song ever to qualify for a MOABOS preliminary round.

“Barsaat mein hamse mile tum sajan (In the Rainy Season, We Met One Another)”, music by Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, lyrics by Shailendra, Barsaat (1949)

(initial version) / (end-of-film reprise)

Performed by Nimmi (singing voice dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar)

Lyrics in Hindi (translations in the CC's in provided videos)

Raj Kapoor was a major director/actor in the early decades of Bollywood. In one of his first directed movies, shortly after the Partition of India, we find Barsaat. This romance tells of two love stories of city men meeting women who live in Kashmir (a disputed region between India, Pakistan, and China). Later in the films, we will find Pran (Raj Kapoor) and Reshma (Nargis) quickly falling in love. But this song surrounds the womanizing Gopal (Prem Nath) and Neela (Nimmi), whose faithful love for Gopal goes largely unrequited. After much convincing from Neela, Gopal attends a local festival – and doesn't pay much attention to this Neela-led song-and-dance number.

In the reprise, Neela has died near the end of the film. Reformed, realizing too late how horrible he has been to Neela, Gopal carries her body to her funeral pyre as the monsoon rains – as hinted in this film's very title – finally arrive.

“Ciao Papa”, music by Alexandre Desplat, lyrics by Roeban Katz and Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

Performed by Gregory Mann

In this stop-motion animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, director Guillermo del Toro injects the tale with his signature gothic touch – moving the narrative up in time to Fascist Italy and not shying away from the original book's grotesqueness and the title character's sociopathy. This song appears as part of a montage where Geppetto (David Bradley) goes in search of Pinocchio (Mann) after Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) abducts the wooden son.

“Esse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine)”, music by Sérgio Ricardo, lyrics by Sérgio Ricardo and Ruy Guerra, Esse Mundo é Meu (1964, Brazil)

Originally performed a cappella by Antônio Pitanga; provided version performed by Marina Lutfi and Adriana Lutfi (lead vocals), Sérgio Ricardo (vocals), João Gurgel (vocal/guitar), Alexandre Caldi (winds), Marcelo Caldi (piano/accordion), Lui Coimbra (cello), Giordano Gasperin (bass), and Diego Zangado (percussion)

Lyrics in Portuguese (extremely rough translated lyrics... "Saravá ogum" is an Afro-Brazilian exclamation; I'm not sure what "Mandinga" means in the song's context, but it's an Afro-Brazilian word that either refers to an ethnic group or "magic")

In this film almost never screened outside Brazil, two separate romantic storylines – a white couple and a black couple – play out in a Rio de Janeiro favela. In the latter storyline, Antônio Pitanga plays a shoeshiner. One day, while setting up his shoeshining equipment along the beach, he sings this song – an optimistic number in hopes for a better tomorrow. Black Brazilian romance was and is rare in Brazilian cinema, and the inclusion of such a romance so prominently featured in this film makes it a landmark of the nation's film history.

From the song's humble origins and use in the film, Sérgio Ricardo turned it into bossa nova. That's the late composer/film director himself in the provided video (the older man furthest to the left). The lead singers are his daughters.

“Hold My Hand” , music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Performed by Lady Gaga

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

This song, with touches of '80s arena rock and torch songs, appears at the top of the end credits. It is not quoted in the film's score at any point in this equally jingoistic sequel to the original Top Gun.

“I Know Why (And So Do You)”, music by Mack Gordon, lyrics by Harry Warren, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

(initial version) / (reprise)

Performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Lynn Bari (dubbed by Pat Friday), The Modernaires, and John Payne; reprise by Payne and Sonja Henie

This song's melody forms the backbone of the film's score throughout. In the opening minutes of this musical, we find the Phil Corey Orchestra (Glenn Miller and His Orchestra) rehearsing in preparation for a Christmas concert they will be headlining in the mountainous resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. The first 48 seconds of the first video are an instrumental version of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade".

The reprise occurs near the end of the film as Norwegian refugee/figure skating extraordinaire Karen Benson (Sonja Henie, a 3x Olympic gold medalist in figure skating) and pianist Ted Scott (John Payne) find themselves stuck in a mountainside cabin. Karen, who has fled Norway due to the Nazi takeover there, has been pursuing Ted for almost all of the film, and Ted finally succumbs to her charms here - to the outrage of his girlfriend (Lynn Bari). Suffice it to say nobody should watch 20th Century Fox musicals for the plot (but refreshingly, they're not pretending to be any more than what they are).

“Jean”, music and lyrics by Rod McKuen, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

Performed by Rod McKuen

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Adapted from Muriel Spark's novel of the same name and set in 1930s Edinburgh, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie stars Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie, a teacher at an all-girls school. Brodie, a woman with unorthodox teaching methods, has a cadre of favorite students nicknamed the "Brodie Set": Sandy (Pamela Franklin), Monica (Shirley Steedman), Jenny (Diane Grayson), and Mary (Jane Carr). Each of them are around twelve years old when the film begins. This film, an atypical "teacher movie", is about a breakdown of professionalism, betrayal of trust, loss of innocence, and hubris.

The melodic structure is inspired by the style of Scottish folk songs, and it forms the central spine of the film's score and plays throughout. The song itself is not performed with lyrics until the end credits. Due to the events in the film's closing act, the tone, placement, and lyrics of "Jean" become ironic. The lyrics are decidedly romantic but, in context, it's anything but.

“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”, music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, lyrics by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Lionel Richie, The Color Purple (1985)

Performed by Margaret Avery (singing voice dubbed by Táta Vega)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Based on the book of the same name by Alice Walker, The Color Purple stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris in her breakthrough role. Celie, forcibly married off to Albert "Mister" Johnson (Donald Glover) as a teenager, has grown resigned after a lifetime of parental and spousal abuse. Mister has a mistress named Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), who works as a showgirl in Memphis. After one stormy evening, a sickly Shug appears at Mister's homestead for the first time and, over a few weeks, Celie nurses her back to health. The two grow attached and, as tribute, Shug performs this song at the local riverside juke joint.

In the book, the romantic relationship between Celie and Shug after this moment is more explicit. Director Steven Spielberg's greatest regret over this film was not making more of this romantic relationship. Given that the movie was released at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis and in an environment where LGBTQ+ themes were verboten to the major movie studios, I don't believe much more could've been done in 1985.

“Pink”, music and lyrics by Lizzo, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, and Ricky Reed, Barbie (2023)

(initial version) / (reprise)

Performed by Lizzo

After narrator Helen Mirren describes to the audience Barbieland, we are introduced to Barbie (Margot Robbie), just awakening from a good night's sleep, with the initial version of "Pink". At the end of that day at the nightly dance party, Barbie asks her fellow Barbies if they ever think about death – a Barbie faux pas. Barbie corrects herself, but remains haunted by her question when she goes to bed that evening. We hear the reprise as Barbie awakens the next morning after barely sleeping, and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

“That Darn Cat!”, composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, That Darn Cat! (1965)

Performed by Bobby Darin

Appears in the opening credits and final minutes of this comedy. That Darn Cat! marked the end of an era and the start of another. This was Hayley Mills' final of six films for Disney (a run that included the title character in 1960's Pollyanna and in her dual role in the original Parent Trap) and Dean Jones' first for Disney. The provided version includes audio from the opening credits, extracted directly from the film itself (a stipulation in Darin's contract means that the original soundtrack version is nowhere to be found online).

“Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night)”, music by Phạm Hải Âu, lyrics by Phạm Hải Âu and Chung Chí Công, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

Performed by Hà Quốc Hoàng and Trần Lê Thúy Vy

Lyrics in Vietnamese (translation in provided video)

In this romantic musical influenced heavily by Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, indie musician Tâm (Hà Quốc Hoàng) unexpectedly forms a deep connection with Thanh (Trần Lê Thúy Vy), a rideshare driver who challenges his view of life, love, and art. This song appears at the top of the end credits. Most of the numbers in this film are composed in a style suited to Vietnamese indie music.

“When I Grow Up”, music by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Ted Koehler and Irving Caesar, Curly Top (1935)

Performed by Shirley Temple; first reprise (not provided) by Billy Gilbert and Arthur Treacher; second reprise (not provided) by Esther Dale

Orphan Elizabeth Blair (Temple) performs this at a charity show meant to raise funds for the orphanage she is staying at. At certain points in this song, she dresses up in a wedding gown and dons "old" makeup in respect to the lyrics.

Where Alice Faye and Betty Grable may have been the two primary musical adult actresses at 20th Century Fox, Shirley Temple eclipsed both. Her modestly-budgeted movies showcased her childhood innocence and spunk, endearing her to a moviegoing public faced with the dire straits of the Great Depression. She was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood from 1934-1938, and moviegoers of the Lost, Greatest, and early Silent Generations credit Temple's movies as needed morale boosters.

The folks assigned to GROUP A include: @cinemaocd, @cokwong, @emilylime5, @exlibrisneh, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @maximiliani, @shootingstarvenator, and @stephdgray. You are also being joined by 15 others including myself and my sister.

GROUP B

��Animal Crackers in My Soup”, music by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Ted Koehler and Irving Caesar, Curly Top (1935)

Performed by Shirley Temple

Young Elizabeth Blair (Temple) and her elder sister, Mary (Rochelle Hudson) are living in an orphanage and are the primary entertainers for their fellow orphan girls. This number occurs early in the film and is quoted multiple times in the film's score. For those of you who despised this song's placement in those Shirley Temple DVD infomercials, I have no apologies to offer you.

Where Alice Faye (MOABOS X's "A Journey to a Star" from 1943's The Gang's All Here) and Betty Grable may have been the two primary musical adult actresses at 20th Century Fox, Shirley Temple eclipsed both. Her modestly-budgeted movies showcased her childhood innocence and spunk, endearing her to a moviegoing public faced with the dire straits of the Great Depression. She was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood from 1934-1938, and moviegoers of the Lost, Greatest, and early Silent Generations credit Temple's movies as needed morale boosters.

“Barbarella”, music and lyrics by Bob Crewe and Charles Fox, Barbarella (1968)

Performed by The Glitterhouse

Played over the opening credits (not provided, because they are extremely NSFW) in which the title character (Jane Fonda) slowly undresses herself in zero gravity. Based on a controversially racy and heavily sexualized comic book series in France (even for the French!), Barbarella is a campy sci-fi movie that obliterated Fonda's homespun image in cinema. The movie was and is far more popular in Europe than it was in the U.S. (where it never became anything more than a cult classic).

In the years since, Fonda, a noted liberal activist, has essentially pleaded no contest to accusations that the film was anything but feminist.

“Captain Crow”, music by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe, The Sea Beast (2022)

Performed by chorus

Appears in part during a celebratory night at a pub in the film's opening act. Full appearance at the top of the end credits. This is a sea shanty celebrating the legendary monster hunter Captain Crow (Jared Harris). The melody is seldom quoted in the film's score. In The Sea Beast, an unnamed country has waged a centuries-long campaign to kill sea beasts, in defense of humanity. Similar to American Westerns, the film and this song plays with ideas of how popular narratives or mythoi are spun.

(Instrumental-only version for those interested... many versions in different languages are available on YouTube, including French, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and more – some lyrically clunkier than others)

“I’m Just Ken”, music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie (2023)

Performed by Ryan Gosling and company

The Kens of Barbieland have just taken over power from the Barbies. In response, the Barbies, Allan, and Mattel employee Gloria and her daughter Sasha have manipulated the Kens into fighting each other while they attempt to reestablish control. According to director Greta Gerwig, the dance segment seen here was influenced by "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935; see the warm-up playlist I sent to many of you) and "The Broadway Melody" from Singin' in the Rain (1952).

“Mujhe Kisi se Pyaar Ho Gaya (I’ve Fallen in Love with Someone)”, music by Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, lyrics by Shailendra, Barsaat (1949, India)

Performed by Nargis (singing voice dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar)

Lyrics in Hindi (translations in the CC's in provided videos)

Raj Kapoor was a major director/actor in the early decades of Bollywood. In one of his first directed movies, shortly after the Partition of India, we find Barsaat. This romance tells of two love stories of vacationing city men meeting women who live in Kashmir (a disputed region between India, Pakistan, and China). This film juxtaposes the story of the womanizing Gopal (Prem Nath) and Neela (Nimmi), with that of Pran (Raj Kapoor) and Reshma (Nargis). It is the beginning of Pran and Reshma's romance that we see here, after she has been rowing Gopal and Pran around for the last few days.

“Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour? (What Do We Do with Love?)”, music and lyrics by Vincent Courtois, Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (2022, France)

Performed by Pomme

Lyrics in French (rough translation)

This song appears at the top of the end credits of this sequel to 2012's Ernest & Celestine, which was nominated (against the odds) for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The original was, as I wrote back in 2014, "cinematic friendship at its most rewarding and profoundly beautiful." In this sequel for our dynamic mouse and bear duo, Celestine (the mouse) accidentally breaks Ernest's (the bear) precious Stradibearius violin. It leads the unlikely friends to search for an old violin maker acquaintance of Ernest's back in his homeland of Gibberitia ("Charabïe" in the original title, a name derived from "charabia", the French word for "gibberish").

A further shameless plug for all of you reading this to seek out animation that is not from the major American and Japanese studios.

“Return to Sender”, music and lyrics by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

Performed by Elvis Presley

The eleventh of Elvis' 31 movies (if MOABOS returns for future editions, let's just say there's a lot more Elvis to come) and the second shot in Hawai'i after 1961's Blue Hawaii, Girls! Girls! Girls! is a misnomer as there are only two girls vying for Elvis' affections (it would be an appropriate title for many other Elvis movies). My sister thinks this film should've been titled Girls? Girls. Girls!

Here, Ross Carpenter (Elvis) is a fisherman who spends his evenings as a nightclub singer. Fellow nightclub singer Robin Gantner (Stella Stevens) and the secretly wealthy Laurel Dodge (Laurel Goodwin) are very much attracted to him. This number occurs after Ross starts seeing Laurel, inflaming Robin's suspicions, and resulting in a spat at the bar that immediately preceded the song.

“Something He Can Feel”, music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle (1976)

Performed by Lonette McKee, Irene Cara, and Dwan Smith

(use in film) / (soundtrack version with Aretha Franklin)

Loosely based on the history of the Supremes, the musical Sparkle is the story of the three Williams sisters (the late Cara as lead singer Sparkle, McKee as Sister, and Smith as Dolores). They decide, along with two of their boyfriends, to take their church singing experience and turn into a semi-professional group called the Hearts.

This song appears midway through the film, as the boys have dropped out to become the group's managers. The Williams sisters have renamed the group Sister and the Sisters (I would've kept the original name). The performance of this number is intercut with glimpses of Sister's troubled personal life – the film's Rubicon crossing, setting up the conclusion of her storyline.

The film's original soundtrack does not contain any of the original performances. Instead, Aretha Franklin sings all the songs from the film in the soundtrack.

“Suzume”, music and lyrics by RADWIMPS, Suzume (2022, Japan)

Performed by RADWIMPS and Toaka

Lyrics in Japanese (extremely rough translation)

This song's melody (especially the eighteen-note vocalized motif) appears throughout the film. But this version, with lyrics, only appears as the second song in the end credits. In this film, 17-year-old Suzume and a young man named Souta must journey across Japan to close a series of mystical doors. Mysterious phenomena are passing through these once-locked into our world, and are causing natural disasters.

Makoto Shinkai's latest, unadjusted for inflation, is the fourth-highest grossing Japanese film of all time. MOABOS regulars will recall previous entries from Your Name (2016) and Weathering with You (2019) – all RADWIMPS compositions. Suzume directly addresses a trauma that Your Name and Weathering with You danced around: the 3/11/11 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

“Take My Breath Away”, music and lyrics by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, Top Gun (1986)

Performed by Berlin

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song

This song plays during romantic dialogue between Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). Top Gun never plays the entire song. In its inexplicable four appearances in the film in a 20-minute span, the song itself is played muted underneath the dialogue, its lyrics barely discernible in those respective scenes.

“Tiền”, music and lyrics by Trần Khắc Trí, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

Performed by Trần Lê Thúy Vy, Hà Quốc Hoàng, and company

In this romantic musical influenced heavily by Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, indie musician Tâm (Hà Quốc Hoàng) unexpectedly forms a deep connection with Thanh (Trần Lê Thúy Vy), a rideshare driver who challenges his view of life, love, and art over a full day. This song appears about a third of the way through, after a conversation about money ("tiền" means "money" in Vietnamese). Most of the numbers in this film are composed in a style suited to Vietnamese indie music.

“We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)”, music and lyrics by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Performed by Tina Turner

This song plays at the top of the end credits of the Mad Max series' third entry. In this movie, the late Tina Turner herself plays the antagonist (but neither true villain or antihero) Aunty Entity - who leads a post-apocalyptic trading post called Bartertown. "Thunderdome" refers to a gladiatorial arena in Bartertown in which conflicts are settled in a battle to the death (an aside: awkward as "Thunderdome" sounds as a lyric, it makes more sense than "Thunderball" from the 007 movie of the same name).

The folks assigned to GROUP B include: @addaellis, @halfwaythruthedark, @rawberry101, @rosymeraki-blog, @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, @underblackwings, and @yellanimal. You are also being joined by 14 others including myself and my sister.

Would you like to know something more about a song or a movie featured above? Do you have a question or comment about MOABOS's processes? Feel free to ask me! If you are having difficulty accessing any of the songs (especially if region-locked) or if there are any errors in the links above or the playlist, please let me know as soon as possible.

You will be contacted for the final round regardless of your participation or non-participation in the preliminary. If turnout in one group is lagging behind compared to another, I will ask some of the more senior participants to participate in the other group, too. Do not worry too much about this if you cannot participate, although I will be checking in as the deadlines near.

Once more to all of you here, my thanks for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally over however long I've known you. It's a privilege and a pleasure to share all these movies (well, excerpts of them) and musical numbers with you. It's my hope that you not only learn something new about film and/or music, but that you also find this very fun to do!

Happy listening, all. And thank you again!

TABULATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY ROUND

This preliminary round uses a points-based, ranked choice method which has been in use since MOABOS II (2014). A respondent’s first choice receives 10 points, the second choice receives 9, the third choice receives 8, etc. The winner is the song that ends up with the most total points. The tabulation method described here for the preliminary round is used only as a tiebreaker in the final round (more on how the final is tabulated when we get there). 

The tiebreakers for the preliminary are:

total points earned;

total #1 votes;

song(s) which is/are ranked higher on more ballots than the other(s);

average placement on my and my sister's ballots;

tie declared

[asitrita]

Benidorm fest 2023 is comming, and although I haven’t decided yet which song I like the best for Eurovision, I certainly have my personal favourite I will be listening a lot in the following days. Very Spanish, very traditional, very sweet, and very elegant and warm. I just sounds so proffesional and classy, and it has a traditional vibe from Castilla la Mancha I love. 

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Followup from my other one. This time, I’d like to plug nine more obscure or underappreciated series that I very much enjoy. Some of these are only in manga form, and some might require one to sail the high seas so to speak. But like...this is a niche Tumblr blog and I feel like my vibe was pretty indie already so have fun with it!

TOP LEFT - Attack no.1: This one is probably the hardest sell which is a damn shame. It’s a series from the 60s, there are pretty good fansubs out there but the manga has never been translated to my knowledge. Attack no.1 is one of the most important anime of all time, a volleyball shoujo made in the wake of the Japan Women’s team bringing home the gold in the 1964 Olympics. That sounds pretty mundane now, and a lot of it would feel that way on casual glance today too. But...it was the first. First shoujo sports series and really one of the earliest that wasn’t a kiddie magical girl show. Big, big deal that aired in primetime. Completely unafraid to touch on misogyny, racism, cold war tensions, and being one of the only anime I have ever seen call out Japan’s erasure of the disabled point blank. You’d also see the birth of so many sports anime tropes, but they make perfect sense couched in this epic that ties Kozue’s journey from middle school superstar to Olympian together with this saga of Japan undergoing massive social change. Can’t say enough good things about this one, it’s dated but still amazing. It also has this like, oddly hardcore edge to it. Kozue ain’t called “oyabun” for nothing.

TOP MIDDLE - Glass Mask: One of the bestselling shoujo series of all time. Still need to finish this one but as a former theatre kid I love it. Same format as so many others, rivals and challenges and meeting true companions...but the theatrical nature makes it feel so classy. Melodrama in the best way possible.

TOP RIGHT - Rose of Versailles: Yeah, it’s another one of the most legendary shoujo of all time. Lady Oscar, raised as a man and this captain of the guard added into the backdrop of the French Revolution. Is it entirely historically accurate? No, but still uses enough legit detail you’ll walk away with something. Beautiful, timeless. Oddly enough one of the first anime I got into outside of what I could find on TV. The one that kicked off a fascination with the history of anime and manga. A lot like Glass Mask, you’re getting a big, sweeping romantic epic. Both in the lovey-dovey and literary sense. Bara wa bara wa...

MIDDLE LEFT - Kanojo ni, Naru Hi: Or literally “The Day He Became She.” Figured fans of a blog that ostensibly started about Okiku might like some other good stories that use trans themes. Short but has good scans for it and the sequel series. Starts off a little weird but opens up a few chapters in and makes sense. Set in a world where physically transitioning can just...happen to some boys in order to keep balance. That’s just an excuse to handwave away the stupid points people get hung up on, which leads to the real strength of the series. Said this about Kiku, this is one of the few times I’ve seen a trans narrative that deals with “what comes next” so to speak. Also an amazing romance story in its own right that follows the Kare Kano tradition of getting the couple together early and letting them face hurdles as a pair.

CENTER - Kyou Kara Yonshimai: “Four Sisters, Starting Today.” Short series that executes a simple premise. Starts off as a family of three sisters buzzing with excitement to see their sole brother for the first time in two years. You can guess from the title what change makes for the inciting incident. What I like about this one is how well it executes; all four sisters shift believably around this new revelation. While it doesn’t sugarcoat friction it may cause in families, it’s always from a place of love. At the start, they’re all in proper “roles” for their family order. By the end, they’ve all followed their new sister’s example and ended up finding out where they fit in the best.

MIDDLE RIGHT - Full Moon wo Sagashite: This was like, the seasonal flash in the pan of 2004. Almost immediately forgotten when it ended but well liked at the time. It was the first series I pirated off of BitTorrent...over dialup internet. Patient process of letting it run overnight, took about two weeks for a 4 episode batch. Worth it, cute magical girl idol series. Not an uncommon blend. Centered around the hook of its young protagonist Mitsuki having cancer. Not afraid to be tragic underneath the sugary exterior. Songs are fun too. 

BOTTOM LEFT - You’re Under Arrest!: This one is deceptively good, think of it as a precursor to the “cute girls doing cute things” genre from the early 90s. But it’s about adults which is incredibly refreshing. Focuses on a pair of traffic cops, so its like a really petty police procedural. One of the major supporting characters Aoi happens to be that classy trans girl archetype a certain samurai we like here fits to boot! Comfy hand-drawn animation that sticks to the episodic format. A fluffy sitcom that can spruce it up with a little action when it wants to. 

BOTTOM MIDDLE - Paradise Kiss: Kinda forgot until I was writing this that it’s another one with a good incidental trans character in the main group. Unique series about haute coture fashion design. Ended up doing the same thing as Yu Yu Hakusho where it trying to be modern when it came out ended up making it a great period piece for the 00s. Fun cast, lots of pretty visuals, the fashion world is enough to keep things interesting given it’s a short series. Love the ending theme for the anime, funky animatic to a Franz Ferdinand song.

BOTTOM RIGHT - Lupin III: Does this count as obscure in the West? Even when it was on Adult Swim it was always late in the block. Never hear people talk about it but I’ve always loved the tales of the gentleman thief. Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata. You only need five main characters for such a massive franchise. The James Bond parody Austin Powers wishes it could be. Funny as hell and has delivered so many good emotional stories hidden in there to boot. A true classic. “Rose & Pistol,” or “Shot Through the Heart” in the English dub, is absolutely burned into my brain.

[barnesbabee]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴ - ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ

WONDERLAND MASTERLIST

⇜ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ - ᴛᴇɴ-  ɴᴇxᴛ ⟿

CHARACTER LIST:

White Rabbit - Choi Jongho Absolem (Blue Catterpilar) - Kang Yeosang Cheshire Cat - Kim Hongjoong Mad Hatter - Choi San Haigha (March Hare) - Jung Wooyoung Tweedle Dee - Song Mingi Tweedle Dum - Jeong Yunho Bloody Red King - Park Seonghwa

ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ: @myunvillage @mirror-juliet @jess-1404 @earth-to-leiki @miraculoustaytiny [Send me a DM, an ask or comment to be added to the tag list]

The King wasted no time. After getting you back, he immediately scheduled the coronation, as he couldn't wait to call you his Queen. The Castle was in a frenzy, the sound little frog feet slapping against the marble floors echoed in every division. Seonghwa refused to have the coronation in the same room where he got married, he didn't want to re-live the awful moment when his wife got stolen from him... So the maids and butlers found new decorations, moved the paintings and transformed another one of the King's dark and cold rooms into a place worthy of a welcoming party.

"Let's do it in the throne room. Place her throne by my right." He had said.

The tradition was for the throne to be moved in front of everyone present, so they could witness the changes and their new reality first hand, but Seonghwa was a little tired of following tradition.

You and him stood in the middle of the throne room, with every single maid and butler running around frantically, trying to get everything done on time. You looked on proudly, enjoying the way it was all coming along.

The excess of red and black was gone, it was now balanced with white and gold, and with the new paintings and lights giving the room a new life it looked like a completely new place. The blinds behind the throne were finally opened, revealing the most beautiful stained glass images. There were four people, who you assumed were Seonghwa's family.

You reminisced the first time you had come to that room, panting and confused, standing in the dark, cold room being judged by the merciless man Seonghwa once was. The contrast was almost unbelievable, but you were glad you had gotten this far.

You felt a pair of arms wrap around your figure and a chin on your shoulder.

"I'll have it replaced. First, just the two of us, and then, once we have our little prince, or princess," he paused, caressing your stomach, where you'd carry your future child "I'll have it replaced once more, with a full picture of our family."

He kissed your cheek and you smiled.

"But Seonghwa, are you sure you wanna take down the picture of your family?" You questioned, feeling honoured yet a little wrong, replacing the original King and Queen.

He stood straight, and his cheerful expression was immediately replaced by one of pain and confusion, remembering all of the memories alongside those people.

"Why not? They have given me nothing but a lifetime of suffering, you have given me nothing but happiness and a chance of redemption. You deserve to be up there, immortalized, as a part of the new Royal family."

"Thank you..."

That was all you could say, as there were no words that could possibly describe how you felt.

One of the maids stole you away from your husband for a second, so you could change from the dirty, ripped-up wedding dress for the new ceremony. She helped you switch to a princess-style dress, all in red silk. The revealing heart-shaped neckline was covered with black lace, that extended all the way to your hands and wrapped around your index finger.

"You look lovely, Miss." The maid said as she fixed your hair.

You thanked her with a small smile and headed towards the throne room. Usually, it would be packed with people, but due to the previous altercation, the only people attending the coronation would be the castle staff, aside from the knights who were assigned to protect the castle during the event.

You carefully sat on the throne, feeling Seonghwa's eyes (or... eye) inspecting you. He leaned over, so he could whisper in your ear.

"You look marvelous in red."

He sat back straight in his throne and smiled at your shy expression. A tall man soon entered the room holding two boxes. He opened one of the boxes and slowly (and carefully) placed the crown on the King's head. It was exaggerated, yet classy and sophisticated like Seonghwa. You could tell it had been specially done for him.

"We shall now begin the coronation of Miss Y/N." The man announced.

He opened the box in front of you, revealing the most beautiful, victorian crown. It was made up of white gold and adorned with the most beautiful red and white stones.

"I hereby declare, by the powers given to me by His majesty Park Seonghwa, the new Queen of Wonderland, Queen Y/N."

The man slowly placed the crown on your head, and it was a perfect fit. He stepped away so the painter could see your smiling faces, as he immortalized the moment on a canvas.

The castle staff smiled and cheered for you, their new Queen.

"Bring her!" The King shouted, and the whole room froze.

The thought on everyone's mind was 'Who's her'.

The heavy doors to the room opened, and a chained woman, dressed in a black cape with her white, disheveled hair showing stepped in, with the help of two guards.

"Unchain her."

The guards obeyed the King, and unchained the woman, who rotated her wrists with a sigh of contentment.

"Finally, what do I owe the honour, Sir?"

The crowd in front of you looked on, petrified. Who the fuck was she?

"Undo the room." Seonghwa commanded.

"Hm there have been some changes, I see." The woman said, her voice cracking mid-sentence.

She looked at you, with her bright purple eyes, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Yes, there have. Now please do as I asked."

"Very well Sir."

The woman removed her black cape, revealing a small, crooked young-looking woman. She lifted her hands in the air, creating a small green fog in her hands, that she aimed at all beings in the room. The people, who were previously humanoid frogs, were turned back into their original form. Tears of happiness formed in everyone's eyes and cries of thankfulness echoed in the room. One maid approached you and knelt by your feet.

"Thank you... Thank you so much!"

You recognized the voice, it was the maid that had thanked you the other day for staying with Seonghwa, and the one that usually helped you dress. You smiled and held her hands.

"No need to kneel around me Miss, thank you for your hard work."

She bowed to you as she walked back to cheer with her peers.

Seonghwa stood up and held out his hand for you to take, and so you followed.

"Iracebeth, follow us. You two," the King said, looking at the two guards who had brought the witch "make sure everyone is gathered at the town center by the time we arrive."

The guards nodded and immediately headed out. Seonghwa took your arm and started walking with you, headed to the town center, you guessed.

You looked behind you to look at the witch, that stared at you with a sinister expression.

"Are you sure it's safe to bring her along, won't she like... curse you? You know, for keeping her locked up?" You whispered.

"Oh, no that won't be an issue."

You tilted your head to the side.

"How come?"

Seonghwa blushed, embarrassed to recall what he had done.

"Well, I tricked her into falling in love with me so I could get her to cast a spell on herself that would only allow her to cast the spells I request her to. I then locked her in the dungeon because I didn't want to deal with her constant crying and blabbering about how I tricked her, that's probably why she's looking at you like..." He glanced over at the witch "... like that."

You hit his arm.

"Park Seonghwa!"

"Ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I regret doing it but if I undo it now it could have severe consequences, not only for me but for you too. And we can't have that."

You sighed and nodded. It's true that it was cruel, but you didn't want any consequences headed your way, you'd had enough.

You stopped in front of a black and gold carriage, the one that would take you into town. Seonghwa helped you get on and then sat beside you. The witch rode in front of you, her creepy smile and envious eyes staring into your soul the whole ride. Seonghwa held your hand tightly, also feeling uneasy by her presence.

"We're here, Sir."

Seonghwa took a deep breath. You could tell he was nervous, as all of the people from the Kingdom looked at the carriage, expectantly. You kissed his cheek and held his hand tighter.

"It will be okay." You assured him.

Seonghwa smiled softly and exited the carriage, alongside you and the witch. The expressions of the people once they saw the witch were the same as back in the castle, and they braced for the worst.

The King said nothing, he only turned to the witch and said 'do it'.

Once more, she cast the spell, that supposedly returned them to what they once were, but it didn't go as planned. Some people returned to their original state, but the ones who had turned from animals to humans, not so much... Some had the luck of being completely turned back to who they were, others were left hybrids, mixes of animals and humans. You found Cheshire, still as a human, happily playing with his ears and tail, and Haiga, the Hare, jumping about with his hare feet about the return of his long ears. It didn't take much for those two to be happy. There was a mix of emotions among the crowd, however, some people that had married into families who were previously human, were happy they got some of their old life back and they would still be able to maintain their relationship, others were sad (and mad) that they would never be able to return to whom they once were.

"What happened!?" Seonghwa whisper-yelled to the witch.

"The curse has been cast for far too long, I wasn't able to undo it completely." She explained, ashamed of her own skills.

"People, I apologize," as soon as he spoke those words the commotion calmed down, and everyone seemed shocked. The King? Apologizing? "it seems the curse has gone on for too long and is irreversible in some cases. I ask that whoever has been affected attends the castle tomorrow so I can offer a proper compensation for all of the damages caused, that would be all."

[prvtocol]

mercysought​ ( V. ) —

Sounded far too rich for her blood, if she was, to be honest. Too rich (or not rich enough?) for a lot of folk in NC. She didn’t know much about the upper crust of the city spent their days but she doubted any of them had ever seen a horse in their lives unless they left the city proper which many didn’t. Then again, it wasn’t like it came up in conversation often.

   “What? We callin’ bettin’ a sport now?” she snorts, watching as a security detail starts slowly moving from one of the corners of the house to the next. It wasn’t Clarence, so her attention turns once more to Vezely with a grin “Or did you actually ride? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never even seen a horse in real life.”

Again, like she said, rich people’s sport. Vivian was rich, but not in that kinda capital as her mom usually said.

   “Yeah, I don’t know ‘bout that, if I had somethin’ to say about the richest of fuckers around they wouldn’t spend their time doin’ that.” like she knew what she was talkin’ about but talkin’ about something she knew very little about with undue confidence was almost her middle name at that point. In any case, most of the houses she broke into said at least something about people’s interests and hats usually wasn’t in the menu “Maybe pickin’ poor fuckers off the street and throwing them in a ring to watch them fight for half an ennie, but horses?” maybe if they were rich, rich enough to fly away from this place? But if they were why would they choose to live in NC full-time?

Perhaps even rich fucks could have the same bug that Viv did and made her return: NC made her feel like she was someone, even if it meant being someone in a gutter “That’s too classy, too rich for this city, I think.”

Sight shifts to where this V’s eyes divert. A roaming security detail making her skittish, she wonders. “Last I checked, poker’s considered a sport and that includes betting on both sides. ‘Ganic horses just switched for cards. One’s a bit more exciting to watch in my opinion.” Shoulders half-shrug, a frown pursing her lip before it’s chased away with another hit off her French brand cigarette.

“But nah, didn’t race the gates. We owned a few horses, or sponsored more like it.” Talk about a child’s treat, going to the stables to pet their long noses and feed them apples while dad chatted with the jockeys. Never gave it much thought as anything out of the ordinary but she knows it is. Never saw a horse, the merc confirms. Yeah, this shit hole city probably doesn’t have much more than sewer rats and mangy street cats. 

“You talkin’ about ancient Romans now? Now they knew entertainment. Used to throw animals in the ring to fight their slaves. Savage fuckers.” She smirks, vapid gray eyes turning to stare across the deck. Probably best to neglect mentioning gramps was knighted by the queen less she really twists this one’s image of the illustrious Landry clan.

“Yeah, it’s all that old world, new world, old rich, new rich shit. Night City is a little too new to get it. Tradition, that’s also what it is.” Another shrug. “Your head swimming? You gotta see all this wealth,” cigarette is held out to point at the lush grounds that surround them, “And you must think, where the hell am I?”

[cateyemoons]

play nice. (a little blurb)

pairing: nate jacobs x oc

warnings: a little smutty

note: first time publishing anything that i’ve written so i’m nervous af. this little blurb came from a little fic that i’ve been fiddling with. hope you enjoy.

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

They say that Chris McKay’s parties were always the biggest and baddest parties, especially the one signalling the end of summer. 

They also say that it was tradition for everyone to attend.

Well, she didn’t want to start off her first year at the new school by breaking tradition.

She had her reservations about having to start over in senior year but what could she do? She was still under her parents’s control but she swore to herself that once she was finished with school, she’d pack up her things and head back to the city, back to everything that she knew and loved. 

For now, she decided to have some fun and this party seemed to be the first step.

The rumors were true-- this party was massive and wild, just as wild as the parties she attended in her old hometown. As soon as she entered the place, she was ushered into the kitchen by a bunch of strangers-- just kids who wanted everyone to have a good time. She downed the shots that were handed to her. Some of the guys tried to coax her into hanging out with them but she brushed them off with a laugh. One in particular, named Daniel would not stop. His hands were all over her. 

“C’mon, don’t leave me hanging with blue balls.”

She smirked at him, grabbing the bottle from the table. She was ready to move on from him-- what a drip. 

“At least you got your right hand to keep you company.”

She slipped away from him, taking a swig of vodka. She observed her new surroundings, the new people that she would soon attend classes with. No one noticed her. They were too involved in their own little world of drugs, alcohol and sex. Already she could see a number of hands down pants, tongues in each other’s mouths only to take a break to consume some more alcohol. She saw a number of people hand in hand and going upstairs, downstairs, outside and into other rooms. 

It was like she never left home.

She turned a corner, bumping into people as she tried to squeeze through. Going down this route led her to another guy practically devouring another girl’s face. He was a massively tall guy-- was he part tree or something? Chiseled jawline, muscles in all the right places. His hands were all over the girl, sliding down to her ass as she finally pried her lips off his and started to kiss his neck. 

She caught his eyes on her, a smirk on his face. He winked.

She felt a little bit of heat forming in the pit of her stomach. He was definitely attractive and she could tell with the look on his face that he knew that about himself. She liked confidence in a guy. She wouldn’t mind having him in her bed for a night. 

She winked back with a smirk of her own. But she went outside, not really wanting to have a reputation of a pervert that likes watching other people get down and dirty.

Another swig of her bottle and her vision was starting to blur. But she managed to make out the big swimming pool, the pool lights lighting up the water and in the pool were a blonde guy and a girl that they were calling Maddy. And by the looks and sounds of it, they were having the greatest time in the pool.

“Ohhhh man, Nate’s not going to be happy about this.”

“Didn’t they JUST break up?”

“It’s like the millionth time.”

Smells toxic to me, she thought to herself.

“Jesus, she’s so fucking hot, Tyler is so fucking lucky to be fucking her like this.”

“Lucky?? Nate’s gonna murder him.”

“At least he’d die a happy man.”

She snorted, watching Maddy fuck the guy in the pool before averting her eyes. She didn’t know Maddy, this Nate guy and their relationship but it was clear that they were not good for each other. It was also clear that they broke up and made up quite often. But she had to hand it to Maddy- she knew exactly how to mess with a guy and fuck with his head. 

Fucking another guy in the pool at the same party that her ex-boyfriend was attending would do exactly that.

There was a low rumble from the crowd and she looked towards the direction with a bit of an amused grin on her face. The guy that she had thought to have some tree DNA had come outside to bear witness to his ex-girlfriend’s antics. She could see the rage slowly building up from within, his brows furrowed deeply and the jealousy in his eyes. His hand held his cup tight while the other turned into a fist.

She guessed that this was Nate Jacobs. 

“Yeah, that’s real classy, you fucking whore,” he spat out maliciously.

Maddy and the guy stopped their pool sex session and Maddy had a shitfaced grin on her face. Her eyes cried out, “WINNER!” as she looked up at her angry ex-boyfriend. 

“Suck my DICK.”

With a snarl, Nate threw down his cup and turned back around. She tried to get out of his way but he ended up shoulder-checking her as he made his way back inside. He didn’t even bother to look at who he had knocked into. He kept walking, his temper rising with every step he took.

Any sort of attraction she had towards him disappeared. “Prick,” she muttered.

Her stomach decided to grumble. She knew the alcohol was doing its work when she had the munchies. She decided to head back inside and maybe find something to snack on. The kitchen wasn’t too crowded this time and that guy Daniel was nowhere to be seen. She poked and peeked into each cabinet and drawer, in hopes to find something to eat, even something small. What kind of party didn’t have anything to munch on?

There was a loud crash and the sounds of glass shattering right behind her and she almost shit herself. Turning around, she found Nate in a fit of fury, slamming down the bottle and pushing off all the shot glasses and beer cans from the kitchen counter. He turned around to punch the cabinet door, screaming at everyone to get out.

“Get out! GET THE FUCK OUT!” he snarled.

She remained where she was. He hadn’t seen her and maybe she would go unnoticed. In the bright light of the kitchen, she realized exactly how tall he was and how red his face had gotten due to his fit of rage. His chest was heaving hard. She could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. He leaned back against the counter, closing his eyes to get himself back under control.

She turned back around, quietly rummaging through the cabinet. She spotted a bag of chips in the far back and grabbed it. She opened it up and started munching. God, the potato chips tasted so good in her mouth.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

She nearly jumped at the low growl in her ear and she turned around to find herself face to face with Nate Jacobs.

So much for going unnoticed.

“I’m eating,” she answered nonchalantly. She held the bag up to him. “Want some?”

She knew she shouldn’t poke at the bear like this but she couldn’t help it. She wasn’t afraid of confrontation. Even if it was against someone as tall and muscular as Nate Jacobs.

She watched his eyes darken. She knew what was going on in his head. Even without knowing him, she knew who he was. Judging by the whispers and comments that the others had made about him, Nate Jacobs was The Guy of this town. He was the popular, big time, and she assumed by his build, jock king of East Highland. Therefore, everyone else were his peasants. He was used to this social hierarchy. Everyone should be bowing down to him, including her.

But she wasn’t going to do that for him, even if she found him to be insanely attractive.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get the fuck out,” he repeated.

“Yeah well, I’m hungry and it’s pretty loud out there. So I think I’ll hang out in the kitchen for a little bit longer, thanks.”

Nate’s face contorted just a little, in a bit of surprise. “You’re not scared of me?”

She laughed in his face. “Why should I be? I’ve seen and met a lot worse.”

She took a step back, her lower back hitting the counter top edge when Nate stepped forward, closing the space between them. He bent over just a little, his eyes roaming over her body and then her face. They seemed to be searching for something, probably searching for the reason why she was not scared of him, like the rest of them.

“You’re the new girl that people have been talking about at this party,” he simply stated, with no anger or annoyance in his voice this time.

“That’d be me,” She said, continuing to munch on chips.

She watched his tongue slip out from his mouth, licking his bottom lip. “How about you and I get to know each other? It’s tough starting over in a new place. You’re going to need a new friend. I can be that for you, you know,” he murmured, his face inching closer to hers.

“Is that right?” she asked, amused by his sudden change in mood.

The way guys changed tactics and moods when their dicks were hard. Amazing, really.

She tossed the bag of chips aside, making a big show of licking her fingers clean in front of him. She licked her fingers slowly, never breaking eye contact with him. His face was so close to hers that she could see his eyes grow wide with pleasure. She couldn’t help but smirk when she slid her finger in deeper, when she could hear him panting at the sight of it. She knew he was just picturing her pretty red lips wrapped around his cock.

She loved fucking with men like this. It was their one true weakness.

She was going to take full advantage of that.

“Yeah.. yeah, that’s right, baby,” he said softly, his lips curling upwards.

“Oh… I don’t know, Nate,” she said with a loud sigh. “All boys say that, you know? But they’re all bark and no bite.”

“You just haven’t met me yet, I’m not just any guy.” He dipped his face into the crook of her neck and she let him. She tilted her head back just a little bit, why not have a little pleasure for herself? Besides, he was very good at this. Her body was naturally heating up at his touch, especially right between her legs. His lips trailed up to her earlobe, nibbling her earlobe before speaking again. “Oh I’ll bite.”

“I bite too,” she said, pushing his face away with a laugh. “I don’t think you’d be able to handle it.”

“I think it might be the other way around,” he fired back, taking her hand and placing it right at his crotch. 

If this was the reason why Maddy kept going back to him, well she wasn’t going to judge her too quick. He was a big boy in more ways than one.

She hadn’t expected that. Nor did she expect her underwear to become soaked.

When she looked back up at Nate, she saw the triumphant smile on his face. He knew the effect that he had on him. 

Well, two can play that game.

“I think it’s you that won’t be able to handle me, baby,” he whispered, bringing his face close to hers once more, trying to kiss her but she pulled her head back.

She bit her bottom lip, looking up at him with very round and innocent eyes. “Oh, is that right?” Her lips turned into a sexy smirk when his eyelids fluttered and his jaw dropped open as she cupped him tight through his jeans.

“Oh fuck-,” he gasped.

She watched his eyes close tight, enjoying the feel of her warm hand rubbing and squeezing him. He had both hands on either side of her, gripping the counter top. She knew every drop of blood was flooding to his dick right now. His cock was rock hard for her. He wasn’t going to be able to form a complete sentence.

“You still sure I won’t be able to handle you? Or are you gonna change your mind?” she asked as she moved her hand faster.

Nate groaned louder at the sudden change in speed. He leaned forward and she pressed her forehead against his, watching all the pleasure wash over his face. “Fuck, I-I… I change my mind, fuck baby…” He managed to open his eyes, panting hard. “There’s a room upstairs, come with me.”

“Come with you? Upstairs? So I can get down on my knees and suck your fat cock?” she teased, squeezing him a little harder. His big body shuddered and she decided to keep putting these images into his mind. “Bet you’d like that, hm? You’d like watching your cock disappear in my mouth, hm?” A chill went down her spine at the thought of looking up at this guy while she was on her knees. It probably wouldn’t be a bad sight to see.

“FUCK YES, oh baby, please,” he begged with a growl, his entire body trembling. His hands gripped her hips tight, pulling her closer but she wouldn’t let him kiss her. Not yet. “God, I need to fuck you so bad.”

She had him by the balls now. Literally.

“Let’s go then,” she whispered into his ear, letting out a breathy moan to tantalize him even more, giving him a preview of what was to come.

In an instant, he took her by the hand and all but dragged her out of the kitchen. The sea of people parted for him and everyone whispered and pointed their fingers. She smiled at everyone and when they made it to the stairs, she pulled her hand away and headed towards the front door.

“HEY!” Nate grabbed her hand again. “Where are you going?”

“Home. Where are you going?” she feigned confusion.

“But you said-,”

She laughed, pulling her hand out of his grip once more. “Did you really think I’d fuck you?”

“Y-you-,”

“Enjoy the rest of the party, baby!”

Slamming the door on his shocked face, she laughed and started running. The adrenaline from teasing the shit out of Nate had her sprinting down the street. She could probably do a full marathon tonight if she wanted to.

She loved teasing guys like him. Teasing and riling them, playing around with them. Getting their hopes and dicks up, making them think that they were going to get it in with her. Acting like she wanted them to pound her straight into the bed, only to pull back and deny them. Leaving them with only their right hand to keep them company. Making them realize that they weren’t shit, that they were losers, that they were nothing. Doing this got her more horny than an actual guy ever could.

It’s a shame that he was such a prick. She wouldn’t have mind having him pound the shit out of her with that big dick of his. She bet that he was all kinds of fun in the bedroom. But now he was going to be left alone with blue balls and his right hand, just like that other kid Daniel.

And that’s what you get for being an asshole, she thought with a proud grin.