#its a pretty good soundtrack too but i guess this will do

[tiramegtoons]

[wchswift]

ଓ Soundtrack of Us

Pairing: Dean Winchester x fem!reader

Summary: basically a drabble about you and dean having different tastes in rock but still enjoying it together.

Word count: 778

a/n: I've been a bit inactive and busy because of work and life in general, so I haven't been able to write as much 😭 but I had this self-indulgent idea and I decided to write it :3 (and just a note: I know dean and his "restricted" taste for hair metal is more exclusive to the early seasons and you see his musical taste expand over time, but I wrote this with s1 dean in mind so... sorry if this is kind of out of character)

Dean’s hand rested easy on the steering wheel, his other arm stretched over the back of the seat. His fingers brushed your shoulder now and then, not like he was trying, but like he couldn’t help it. The Impala purred beneath you like a contented lion, the rumble vibrating through the soles of your boots.

Outside, the road stretched long and dark, a canvas painted in streaks of asphalt and moonlight. Inside, the car was alive with the unmistakable riff of AC/DC’s Back in Black.

“You seriously don’t get tired of this song?” you teased, shooting him a side glance.

Dean smirked, his green eyes glinting in the dim light of the dash. “Tired? Sweetheart, this is a classic. It’s practically a religious experience.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at your lips. “It’s good, I’ll give you that. But, you know, there’s more to rock than screaming guitars and pounding drums.”

“Oh, here we go,” Dean groaned playfully, leaning back in his seat. “Let me guess, you’re about to hit me with Livin’ on a Prayer again.”

You laughed, the sound bright and warm in the intimate space of the car. You rummaged through your bag, fishing out your MP3 player. “Don’t knock it! Bon Jovi knew how to tell a story. And don’t even get me started on Queen. Freddie Mercury was a genius.”

Dean grunted, mock-offended. “Yeah, yeah. Freddie was great. I can't exactly disagree... but where’s the grit? The soul? The blood, sweat, and beers?” He gestured to the stereo. “Metallica, Black Sabbath—they’re the heartbeat of rock.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” you said, scrolling through your playlist. “I like some grit. But music doesn’t always have to be about rebellion and rage. Sometimes, it’s about finding beauty in the chaos.”

Dean shot you a look, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Beauty in chaos, huh? That’s pretty deep for a Bon Jovi fan.”

You lightly punched his arm, and he chuckled, the sound low and warm. “Watch it, Winchester,” you warned, but there was no heat in your words.

As the AC/DC track came to an end, you grabbed his box of tapes under the dash rifling through them until you found some of your additions.

The familiar opening chords of Somebody to Love filled the Impala, and you turned the volume up. Dean groaned dramatically.

“Oh, come on,” he protested. “Not this one!”

“Yes, this one!” you countered, swaying in your seat to the rhythm. “Admit it, you love it.”

“Do not.”

“Do too,” you shot back, grinning as you sang along with Freddie’s soaring vocals, tapping his knee in time with the beat. “Just give it a chance.”

Dean’s lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile. He failed miserably. “Fine,” he relented, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in an almost reluctant rhythm. “It’s not the worst.”

You gasped in mock horror. “Not the worst? Dean Winchester, you’re practically a fan.”

“Don’t push your luck,” he said, but the affection in his tone was unmistakable.

The song swelled, filling the car with its operatic grandeur, and for a moment, neither of you spoke. It wasn’t just music anymore; it was a bridge between your two worlds, a shared heartbeat in the quiet night.

As the final notes faded, Dean reached over and took your hand, his thumb brushing against your knuckles.

“You’re annoying, you know that?” he murmured, his voice soft.

You grinned, leaning into him. “And yet, you keep me around.”

Dean’s eyes flicked to yours, warm and unguarded. “Damn right, I do.”

For the rest of the drive, the two of you traded songs—Metallica melting into The Smiths, Bon Jovi tangling with Led Zeppelin. By the time you pulled into the motel parking lot, the playlist had turned into something uniquely yours, a messy, beautiful mashup of everything you both loved.

Dean turned off the engine, and for a moment, the world went quiet. He leaned back in his seat and looked over at you, his face softer than you’d seen it all day.

“Guess it doesn’t matter what we listen to,” he said quietly. “As long as it’s with you.”

You felt something catch in your chest, something warm and good. Leaning across the seat, you kissed him, your hand brushing against the back of his neck. “Same here, Dean. Same here.”

He smiled against your lips, the kind of smile that didn’t need words.

𖤐 reblogs and feedback are appreciated! requests are also welcome, ty!

[theladyheroine]

Team Sonic’s Favorite Disney Movies! ✨👑

❥ Hello everyone! So, I was a little bored so I decided to make this lol, but I hope you enjoy! Thank you & have a good one! 🙌💕

Sonic 💙

Treasure Planet

He thinks Jim Hawkins is the coolest Disney protagonist: loves the action, the pirates, the dramatic flair of the characters, & the board! The solar board tricks are his favorite scenes! He sometimes asks Tails to make him one, but Tom says no. (Lol)

Loves the world building & even thinks about buying the original “Treasure Island,” says he will but completely forgets. Asked if there was a comic ver. or a graphic novel.

Was suspicious of Long John Silver, but adored their relationship at the end. Thinks his cyborg arm is cool!

Cars

Everyone saw this coming (lol) but Sonic adores the Cars franchise! Every single one! But prefers the first since they’re always the best ones, sings “Life is Highway” every time it comes on! Adds it to his running playlist or whenever he needs some good energy. The perfect mix of rock & country!

Wishes cars could talk after first watching this. Will sometimes go all the way to Arizona just to take a crack at running the canyons; Knuckles is the only one that knows…

Loves Cars 2! Thinks it’s hilarious but also pretty epic in its own way. Tow Mater makes him laugh every time.

Tails 💛

Big Hero 6

While the action & vibrant color schemes are amazing, he’s more interested in the advanced technology & world building. Loves Baymax & has even considered building his own version of a medical robot for Maddie’s work. But she claims they’re just fine. Tom has tried asking for a robotic housekeeper though!

Relates to Hiro Hamada a lot about wanting to prove himself as both a good friend & an inventor. Loves the passion Hiro puts into his work, but the big scene with Tadashi is a little too sad for Tails. 🥺

Cheers every time Baymax comes back! Will sometimes play the film as background noise when he’s working, or just the soundtrack.

Luca

The unique art style & colorful landscapes are what catch his eye first, until the whole sea monster bit rolls in. Loved the concept of them becoming human when dry, but sometimes doesn’t understand the science behind it. He might think a little too hard about it… 😅

Luca’s relationship with Alberto reminds Tails of him & Sonic when they met! You can guess who’s who (lol) but their hijinks with the race always make him giggle. It reminds Tails of Sonic’s antics.

Loves Luca’s want to learn & study things about the human world. Will look for a book about old Italian history or even sea creatures after he finished the movie. Every time!

Knuckles ❤️

Beauty & the Beast

Gets super into romance films after hanging out with Wade’s mom, & it’s always his first pick for family movie night! Enjoys the songs after Tom explains musicals, but Knuckles loves Belle’s endless curiosity & fearlessness. Absolutely despises Gaston though, sometimes he can’t sit through his song.

Enjoys the message of “beauty within” & loving someone for who they are, not for their appearance. If Shadow joins the family, they’re both watching this film! 😂

The ending always catches him off guard even though he knows what happens next. But the heartfelt moment between Belle & the Beast always tugs at his heart. Poor guy teared up a little when he first watched it.

Brave

Was immediately intrigued by the warrior princess! So much so he took up archery by carving his own bow & arrows. Until he used all the firewood to do so; he had to help Tom find more after that. But at least he’s a skilled archer now!

Finds the concept of a bear curse interesting, as to him bears are powerful but loving creatures. Honestly thinks it’s cool having a bear mom. He gets real invested once the action starts to kick in, & admires Merida’s valor greatly.

At one point he found a little bear cub out in the woods while training & believed it to be abandoned. Maddie flipped out when she saw it, & made Knuckles take it back home. He did & even became friends with the Mama bear.

Bonus! Shadow 🖤

Robin Hood

I imagine this was Maria’s favorite & she would always have this as an option for Shadow on movie night. A classic Disney film that also has a lot of whimsy & color, which Shadow appreciates since the main cast is so likable. Don’t tell anyone that though. 🤫

Loves romance as well & is not ashamed. Sees Marian & Robin as the perfect Disney couple since their will to be together is so strong. But sometimes wishes Maid Marian would do something other than wait for Robin, but he appreciated that pie toss! 🥧

Decided to take up archery along with Knuckles, but becomes frustrated he can’t get it right away. Eventually he gives up after attempting a trick shot on a smaller target, that being Sonic’s old baseball cap.

Finding Nemo

While Shadow loves his found family tropes, he really likes the film because of Nemo. Finds him & his little fin adorable, but enjoys Nemo’s determination to become better. Also don’t tell anyone. Especially Sonic! 😅

Finds the vibrant ocean images & setting very calming, but loves how educational it can be. With how animals work with their environment & whatnot. Especially the part with the whale, he gets so amazed but also very confused by it (lol).

Another secret is that he finds Dory funny; her little quips & funny moments usually get a small smile or even a chuckle out of him. Even her little noise effects during the jellyfish scene get him smiling! But her behavior reminds him of Maria a little bit, so he enjoys her screen time a little more.

[love-byers]

stancy + mlvn music coding

this is probably gonna be messy but i will try my hardest to keep it comprehensible

okay so recently i was rewatching the robin/vickie/vickie's bf scene in the gun store (4x08) because i felt like i'd heard the song that plays there before. it reminded me of the song that plays during this scene in 2x01

the song that plays in the s4 scene is actually 2 songs back to back, the first called 'Kids Two' (a variation of 'Kids" from the s1 sound track) and the second called 'Choices', originally from the s2 soundtrack. 'Choices' plays in the scene in 2x08 where dustin apologizes to lucas for lying about dart and suggests max take his place in the party and also says he felt the electricity between lucas and max-- and it leads into the scene where max and mike talk about el, and mike reminds max that she's still not in their party. i find that interesting because no one in that scene says choice, and no one in either scene is making a choice. that name does make sense for the s4 scene, because vickie is torn between her boyfriend and robin, clearly implying she must make a choice. 'Choices' is the song that sounded familiar to me.

the songs aren't exactly the same, but they are definitely similar and the one in s4 is likely an edited version of the one from the stancy scene.

those scenes are obviously parallels, steve sneaks up behind nancy and scares her and they kiss, just like vickie and her bf. then nancy/vickie look at jonathan/robin in a seemingly yearning way. love triangle stuff.

i always figured the song in the stancy scene was an original track from season 2. but turns out it isn't from s2, its from s1. its called 'First Kiss', and, you guessed it, it plays during mike and el's first kiss in 1x08.

i am not lying, go and watch the scenes.

after discovering this, i watched some more stancy scenes to listen for more similarities in the music. and i came across this scene from 1x05, where nancy almost hits steve with her bat and he apologizes to her over dismissing her concern over barb, and nancy gives him a kiss.

i went through the s1 tracklist and even tried shazam-ing the scene, but nothing turned up. i thought it sounded like 'First Kiss', but i wasn't sure if it was my own bias feeding into that. so i went to reddit, where all the people with way too much time on their hands hang out, and asked if anyone knew which ost was playing in that scene. this is what i got back

the reddit gurus agree with me.

as they said, first kiss also plays when mike and el make up in the hospital in 3x05. makes sense, since it's supposed to be their song.

i will also add that the stancy scene in 1x05 is immediately followed by the scene of joyce kicking lonnie out. that speaks for itself. AND, the mlvn scene in 3x05 cuts directly from el smiling at mike to a dead body. take that as you will

so lets recap

'First Kiss', or a section/version of it, has played during

1x05 steve apologizes to nancy 1x08 mike and el kiss 2x01 steve scares nancy and stancy kiss, nancy yearns over jonathan 3x05 mike and el make up via m&ms

2 stancy scenes and 2 mlvn scenes.

hm.

and 'Choices', which i strongly believe is derived from 'First Kiss', plays during

2x08 dustin apologizes to lucas and points out the electricity between lucas and max 2x08 mike and max talk about el 4x08 robin watches vickie and her boyfriend kiss

2 references to a love triangle (dustin,lucas,max & robin,vickie,dan)

and a nod towards mlvn involving max, who in the next season will come between mike and el's relationship.

HM.

im not sure if any of these besides 'Choices' play in s4, but once i do a rewatch i will let you guys know. im pretty sure they don't because i have a weirdly good memory when it comes to my hyperfixations so i think i'd remember it. like i knew the music from the stancy scene in 2x01 just from watching it like four different times since 2017.

all of this coupled with the countless times byler has had music parallels with jancy and lumax, i'm pretty sure this means byler endgame.

if anyone tries to say that it doesn't matter that they reused mike and el's first kiss song for a loveless relationship, i wholeheartedly disagree with you. they make songs that are specifically for one scene and are never played again. for example 'The First Lie', the song that played during jonathan and nancy's first kiss has only played during that scene. never again.

so if mlvn is what the fans say it is, the main couple, the epic love story of stranger things, why can't they just have a song to themselves? jonathan and nancy do. im sure they could've found another song that fit for the stancy/jancy scene in 2x01, knowing the implications it would give if they used it. but nope, they had to use 'First Kiss', which takes place an episode before the stancy scene. 1x08 -> 2x01

one more example, 'On The Bus' is from the s2 soundtrack. it plays once during s2, when lucas and max talk on top of the bus. it doesn't play at all in s3, and then randomly in 4x04, it plays during a byler scene. THAT. HAS. IMPLICATIONS.

take this however you'd like

[technicolorfamiliar]

A Woman's Face Dir. George Cukor 1941

Torsten Barring.

That's it, that's the review.

It's taken me a minute to come back to this movie. There's no real reason except for me it's kind of like looking into the sun, something you shouldn't do often. But in my initial epic Veidt Watch, A Woman's Face was the point of no return. Up until this, I'd been watching a lot of Connie's silent film work, which I think you can see trace elements of in his performance here. If I was interested in his work as an actor before seeing A Woman's Face, afterward there was no way I could stop this train even if I wanted to.

The more I rewatch this movie though, the more I'm convinced that the story doesn't really work. If I was a producer in 1941 and this script came across my desk, I would probably throw it in the garbage or pass it along to a lesser studio. But it does work as a challenge for its actors, especially Joan Crawford. And it works because George Cukor clearly had a unique eye and sensibility that translate the weird, melodramatic plot into a relatively layered and complicated film.

I'm even more convinced that the story itself is eye-rollingly obnoxious because of how absurd the two radio play versions are. But in my heart I want to give these recordings a pass because they're basically pure camp in a way the film is not. There's so much nuance and subtlety in the film that could never be captured by a purely audio format like radio, no matter how accomplished and famous your lead actresses are (sorry, Bette Davis and Ida Lupino >.<).

I'd be interested to see the original 1938 version with Ingrid Bergman (on Internet Archive) to see how the Hollywood remake measures up. I'm curious if the Swedish version is also held together by its actors and director the way Cukor's film is.

From reading a few interviews with George Cukor, one gets the impression he didn't really hold this picture in very high regard. It sounds like they had fun making the movie, everyone got along pretty well, but it's not considered a high point in Cukor's filmography by him or by film critics. Which is interesting because the movie is not lazy, it's made extremely well and there are a lot of interesting, careful creative decisions that influence the impact the film has, at least on me. But I guess compared to his other films, of which I have seen embarrassingly few, A Woman's Face isn't considered as high brow or accessible because it's a little too out there for American cinema in the early '40s.

There's a soft gothic look and feel to the way the movie is shot. There are some clever moments with shadows that I really like that feel less like a nod to the graphic high contrast of German Expressionism and more simply about mystery and things that are hidden. It's a brilliant move hiding their lead actress until well into the film, and her eventual reveal, also expertly done without any crazy underscoring, is empathetic rather than shocking. There are a number of moments like that throughout the movie where the lack of an accompanying soundtrack or dialogue add to the tension, like in the scene where Anna and Lars Erik are in the sky car above the waterfall or her unbandaging post-surgery. Dramatic music or narration over these scenes would have cheapened them.

On this watch, a new thought occurred to me. Something about the visuals and themes make this movie feel like a dark and surreal fairytale. I think the fact that they kept the story set in Europe and didn't choose to relocate it adds to this feeling. This is definitely only a half baked idea, but hear me out. There are of course the themes of beauty and goodness, how they are or aren’t connected, but also belonging and love, and maybe most importantly thinking you want one thing at first and realizing you actually wanted something else the whole time. There is this idea of masks, whether it's Anna's scars or the "well-tailored person suit" Torsten wears (yes I am quoting Hannibal, yes it will happen again). There's something about the proximity to and power of nature -- the forest where the story properly begins, the snowy mountains and waterfall near the Barring estate. But the thing that sparked this idea initially was watching Anna arrive at Torsten's apartment for the first time. It's very much the fairytale heroine walking into the monster's castle. Anna has to enter and pass through two iron gates guarded by a crone (has to be intentional, right?, it could have been a doorman but they chose an old woman), then she has to go through the ordeal of facing her own reflection in a long hall of mirrors (so cruel, so messed up) before she reaches his door. Then there's Torsten's apartment itself. It's all gilded opulence, none of the furniture looks particularly comfortable, it's more like a museum than a home. And, maybe I'm wrong, but there aren't any windows?? And if there are, we don't get any sense of the outside world. He's created in his home a seemingly beautiful and well-curated cave or cage where he traps Anna behind closed doors and with his body language. I can’t stress enough how smart and intentional all these decisions feel.

The religious references maybe are a little obvious, but it's fun to throw around devil language about Torsten. And the allusions to saints, whether specific or general, in regards to Anna may be too on the nose, but she knows and the audience knows she's not saint-like, even at her best. The talk about God seems to center around Doctor Segert which really only makes sense because he's a surgeon and what do surgeons do if not play god?

The first time I watched this movie I was surprised by how subversive it felt. My impression of films made at this time was that they were all pretty conservative in order to pass the Hays Code. Of course I know now that wasn't always the case. Directors, actors, and writers were always doing increasingly creative and interesting things to circumvent the Hollywood censors. And A Woman's Face absolutely belongs to that class of surprisingly taboo films for this era. Anna and Torsten's relationship is clearly uhh not vanilla. There are pretty clear indications of sadism and dominance in how he handles and speaks to her, and in the way she reacts and responds to him. They're not exactly hiding it. And of course the only way they were able to get away with any of this was because Anna inexplicably winds up with the doctor in the end.

And on top of that it's a wonderfully queer movie made by a bunch of queer people. The assumptions of traditional American gender roles and expectations were thrown out the window. Anna doesn't neatly fit in any standard film archetype for a female character at the time. And having a queer coded villain wasn't exactly a new thing in filmmaking, but it suits this particular and allowed Connie more room to play with the character. And on top of George Cukor being gay, his two leads were bisexual according to multiple sources. There was no way this movie wasn't going to slay the house down boots.

The only thing about the movie that really bothers me is the casting of Dr Segert. I hate to say it because I feel like a lot of people really love Melvyn Douglas, but he was a weird choice for this film. I hadn't even seen him in anything else before I saw this movie, but something bothered me about him in the role. Now I know it's because they cast him against type, he usually played snarky or annoying or goofy characters. He can’t possibly match Connie and Joan, and I'm not asking him to. But it would have been nice if they had cast someone likeable, then maybe the end of the film would have made more sense. The only other cast member worth shouting out is Osa Massen as Vera Segert, I love her, she's too much.

I haven't seen a lot of Joan Crawford's movies, she had a long career with a lot of ups and downs, but I have seen Mildred Pierce, the film everyone cites as her best work as an actor. And I have to say she's better in A Woman's Face. Anna is a thousand times more interesting and complex a character than Mildred Pierce. I mean, if I had to choose between a bitter, lonely, outcast blackmailer and a tragic, betrayed, single mother, I would pick the hardened criminal every time. I think people point to Mildred Pierce as Joan's best film mainly because they haven't seen A Woman's Face, and maybe because Michael Curtiz gets more accolades as director because of Casablanca where as Cukor just made "women's pictures", I don't know. But Joan Crawford surprised me with this performance, I think it was the first time I saw her and thought, hell yeah, now that's an Actor.

She builds up Anna's defenses so much that when she finally lets her guard down when one person finally really sees her and isn't afraid of or disgusted by her, it's like *chef's kiss* perfect. There's a realness to her vulnerability that simply couldn't be matched by other leading actresses at the time, and I think that has a lot to do with Cukor pushing her beyond her comfort zone. Apparently he made her do the scene where she describes her past and the accident that left her scarred over and over to get just the right amount of detachment, so she wasn't performing the story. But I also think she was pushed to deliver a really excellent performance by her primary costar; I don't know off hand any other instance where Joan had such an accomplished and grounded scene partner as Conrad Veidt. He's so anti-Hollywood in his style and approach that I have to believe some of his work ethic and energy influenced her and helped pull this amazing performance out of her.

Anna is such a great character, she represents the monstrous female, something society tells us to fear. Because she's not just scarred on the outside, but her emotional scars made her self-sufficient and unyielding, traits unacceptable in a woman. People keep calling her heartless, but she had a heart the whole time; she's not a sociopath, she does everything she does because of her wounds, because her heart feels the pain of rejection and loneliness so deeply. Of course she has a heart, she falls in love with Lars Erik after, what, a week?? It's gut-wrenching to be treated and thought of as repulsive and ugly your whole life only to one day meet someone who doesn't look away and who treats you as though maybe you're not repulsive, not ugly, as though maybe you are desirable and worth wanting (and totally not relateable in any way lolololol). So when given the chance, of course she would take any opportunity, no matter how difficult or painful, to change herself if it meant acceptance or even desirability. Her whole concept of love evolves throughout the film, but there's a deep connection for her between love and sacrifice or total surrender. She sacrifices her autonomy and submits to the painful ordeal of intense cosmetic surgery in order to be loved by Torsten. She's willing to sacrifice her very life in order to protect Lars Erik. Anna's guilt and shame drive her to decide to commit suicide by the end, something I feel like is glossed over in the film. And it's even more tragic because she's established as this survivor character pretty early on. That's why the ending of the film is so unsatisfying.

It's funny, I recently also watched Now, Voyager and I can't help comparing the two films. Bette Davis's Charlotte in Now, Voyager is also shunned and mistreated because she's considered ugly, but the damage done to her wasn't an accident, it was intentional abuse. But both Charlotte and Anna were young victims of forces outside of their control that warped them into easy targets for male intervention. Charlotte's trauma made her neurotic and riddled with anxiety; Anna's made her brittle and vengeful. They both had two separate and very different men and someone else's child in their lives. But I prefer Charlotte's ending, her ultimate decision to devote her life to herself and her foster daughter. By the end of A Woman's Face on this rewatch, I was yelling at the screen, "Girl, you don't love that doctor!" She says want she wants: "I want to belong to the human race." And I believe she really cared for Lars Erik, so forcing a last minute love connection with Segert at the end of the film feels like nothing other than a band-aid to make the movie palatable to the censors and average American audiences. And Joan and Melvyn Douglas have like zero chemistry. It's so frustrating, Anna deserves better -- sure she's probably avoiding jail time because the judge will declare Torsten's murder as justifiable homicide, but UGH that doctor does not love her! The whole doctor/patient "I can fix you" thing is just as problematic as her relationship with Torsten to be perfectly honest.

And oh Torsten. That nasty, nasty man. You can just tell Connie had the time of his life getting to be "Lucifer in a tuxedo." And it's so, so good because he refused to make his villains one dimensional. On paper, Torsten is entirely ridiculous. But if a script did not provide enough backstory or motivation, Connie would go above and beyond to craft a whole inner world for these bad men in order to flesh them out. And Torsten is no exception.

Torsten's evil is insidious. To continue to beat the fairytale comparison to death, Torsten is a big bad wolf if I ever saw one. He may not exactly be a wolf in sheep's clothing, but he does wear this "person suit" that continues to slip by degrees through the film so that by the end he can barely contain the slavering, glassy eyed monster underneath. There are moments even early on when you can see through his carefully crafted façade, one so much more nefarious than Anna's. The first time he really looks at her, you can see the wheels turning in his head almost immediately as spots his prey. He even bares his teeth to her, in a diabolical and disarming smile that I love so goddamn much. He knows early on he can use her but isn't sure how much to reveal, how much of himself to let her see. When she returns after her surgery, he greets her with charm tinged with mild annoyance. But when he sees her new face, the mask cracks open and he inspects her like an animal sniffing out a threat. He decides he can take advantage of her new confidence to bind her even closer to him, starting to play the weaving song on the piano, laying the groundwork for the next phase of his plan. When he makes it sound like she's the one suggesting they kill Lars Erik, a previously unseen intensity and fire creep into his eyes. His cruelty and malice are suddenly right under the surface but he doesn’t raise his voice or hand to her.

His whole demeanor and energy is such a wonderful contrast to what Joan is doing as Anna, that I wonder whether he made that decision during filming. I love that Connie chose to keep Torsten's voice silky even when he's being nasty. There's occasionally a slight change in his tone, becoming less seductive when he's actively annoyed. The only time he distinctly changes his vocals is during the attic scene when he finally shows his true face to Anna. That's the first time he raises his voice to her, but only when his back is turned. There are a lot of interesting things happening whenever Torsten turns his back -- when Anna reveals her true "vocation" as a blackmailer, he's facing away from her but we get to see the fraction of a second where he knows everything is falling into place, and that look disappears the instant he turns back to her. It's only then that he carefully and calculatedly reveals his own damaged nature to Anna, saying they're just alike, "both poor, both wretched." And I think he really believes it, too.

I do think in some twisted way Torsten does genuinely like Anna, but because he probably doesn't have a single close relationship that isn't some form of manipulation, he's incapable of truly caring for her. His own interests and desires are his only priority. Torsten's seemingly sudden 180 degree shift into power hungry psycho killer at the end does at first maybe come across as absurd and unrealistic, but as I see more and more men IRL turn out to be absolute fuckbags, I have to think maybe Torsten's not as much of a caricature as people assume. The reveal of his ambiguous plans for some kind of authoritarian power grab doesn’t feel as far fetched. The whole time, he plays Anna like a fiddle to get what he wants: money. And with money comes influence and power, not just to pay off his increasing debts, but money to control and subjugate others. He believes whole heartedly that he was cheated from the family fortune and that belief festered in his mind until it made him sick, sick for any kind of alternate future where he's the one doing the taking instead of being taken from. It's an all too common male power fantasy we still see over and over. The fact that we don't see this side of him right away feels unfortunately prescient.

Let's talk about the attic scene. It's the scene people talk about the most. It's Connie's moment to shine, his monologue is perfectly executed, it's just unhinged enough. Up until and including this point, you don't want to take Torsten seriously, but there are moments here when his eyes glaze over and he's almost literally panting when you realize this guy isn’t fucking around. His utter contempt and superiority and disgust at Anna's decision to be a decent person is a masterclass in classic cinema villainy. And again when he stalks away from her saying "the spirit of love has triumphed, yes; God is in his heaven, yes!", he pauses, turns back to her and reveals another layer, the core of his being. He's no longer charming playboy Torsten Barring, he's the fucking devil, cast out of heaven, steeped in his own bitter rage and resentment, contorted into a hungry, dangerous animal. It's interesting there aren't a lot of cuts in this scene, it's mostly a single shot and we don't get any direct closeups of Anna. She's always in the foreground, but the camera doesn't single her out, it keeps both of them in the shot, eventually pushing in to an uncomfortable closeup of him with his hand around her throat. And she barely speaks, and instead of fighting with him, she shuts down.

Am I the only one who wishes Anna and Torsten got to have more of a final moment together? While the chase scene is exciting, maybe they could have struggled at the waterfall's edge in a final showdown. Something face to face between them would have felt way more satisfying than her shooting him in the back from a distance.

How Connie doesn't have second billing for this film is beyond me. I love this role for him because it's such a departure from his other Hollywood villains in the '40s. He very nearly steals the film from The Joan Motherfucking Pepsi Cola Crawford. It's nearly impossible to take my eyes off him in this film (ok that's been true for all of his films, but with A Woman's Face it's even more of a problem). He looks incredible, his suits are impeccable, his voice is sensually sinister, what more could you want? He has this presence and hypnotic quality especially in this role that audiences ate the fuck up and wouldn't see again in another actor for decades. I'm telling you, there are only a very small handful of other actors who get typecast as villains who could do this kind of delicious dark magic on an audience.

This was the Conrad Veidt film that got me hooked. Torsten sunk his claws into my mind and hasn't let go yet. And as it's still Conrad Veidt's birthday when I'm writing this, I have to give him his flowers. This movie really should be more celebrated if only for the fact that Connie and Joan Crawford and George Cukor absolutely killed it.

Bonus: look how cute his gloves are!

[beanghostprincess]

What are you most controversial/unpopular OP opinions??? Sorry if it was answered before

You want me to get canceled so bad-- If I speak-- But idk, I guess I'll say the controversial opinions I can say publicly without a bunch of people coming at me!

Zo$an is a bit... Overrated? And by overrated I mean extremely/annoyingly overrated. I like the ship and its canon dynamic but I think at least 80% of the fandom portrays them in a very mischaracterized way. Not to say that... The ship is literally everywhere and the shippers always look for every little thing to prove they're canon, even if the "proof" has literally nothing to do with them. It's not that I don't enjoy the ship (although I must admit I prefer other dynamics a lot more) I just can't stand shippers that go to extremes. It's funny because I think Zo$an's dynamic is way more interesting and romantic in canon than it will ever be in the fandom. It's a bit sad, ngl. I liked them a lot at first but it got so tiring and now I am pretty exhausted from seeing it everywhere. The people force it to be more than it is when the canon is already pretty fucking great.

Adding to the Zo$san thing. I think that relationship would only work if Luffy is there somehow but it wouldn't last a day without him in the relationship. Unless there's like, a ton of character development most of these people don't make them go through.

One Piece Film Z is my worst enemy. It's such a boring movie. The only good thing is the soundtrack and maybe the suits but God watching that was torture.

Boa hate is uhhhh weird. I mean, I get why the joke about her being in love with Luffy might be annoying, but I think most of you need to learn to understand that Oda's sense of humor is sometimes a bit too exaggerated (and not funny) and it has basically nothing to do with the actual canon dynamics between characters. Boa likes Luffy because he's one of the first men who has ever treated her right, so of course she confuses that feeling with love. And of course, yeah, it isn't canon. Whatever. Just read between the lines, maybe? And also, stop using words like "pedo" to describe her because using that term so lightly about 1) a fictional character and 2) somebody who's clearly not a pedo is fucked up. Lmao. Do you even know what that word means???

Once again complaining about Pudding hate and saying that it's stupid. I won't overanalyze because I always do it with her, but the only reason people hate her is for misogynistic reasons and because they're babying Sanji. Evil male characters are okay and hot and very traumatized but the second it's a woman she's the most evilest person ever! Because God forbid they make mistakes! Suddenly their character development isn't valid because they hurt their babygirl!

Now that we're talking about my dearest Pudding. Not tagging anybody of course, but I saw this post with so many interactions of people agreeing about Sanji considering violence as a sign of love which??? Doesn't make sense at all?? OP said it was because he couldn't tell the difference between love/abuse because of his family, but that's just... Not accurate. That could only happen if they had manipulated him into thinking abuse is a type of love, but he had healthy love growing up. Even when he was with the Vinsmokes (Sora and Reiju, I love you). And yet OP said Sanji considered Pudding's behavior flirting (wrong) and that's why he let her attack him (nope) and that it was proof of Zo$an. And okay, it's not a hugely popular theory, but a lot of people agreed with it and it bothered me a lot because it's both out of character and also using Pudding (complex female character) once again to try and prove the canon of a ship (that doesn't have anything to do with WCI either???). It just bothers me. People can perceive the story however they want but... Y'know.

OPLA isn't that good. Or good at all? I only like it because I like the cast and it's funny seeing my blorbos irl. But the script is simple and dull and just stupid most of the time. The characters are either simplified, mischaracterized, or forgotten. And tbh most of the shots are very awful and could be a lot better. The directing is also nonexistent. It's 6/10 and 3 of those points are because both the Zolu and the cast.

Apparently this is a very common theory about Nami's origins, but, uh, I don't think we need to know? What else do you need to know about her? People say she's a lost princess or something like that as if we didn't have a lost princess already (Sanji ily). Repeating the same plot would be boring and underwhelming, but also? It'd be extremely useless for the plot and it'd go against everything about Nami's story and the way Luffy reacts to it.

Luffy isn't canon aroace. In fact, the reasoning people use for him being "coded" is the same Oda uses for Zoro too and Zoro is almost never portrayed as the "idiot who doesn't know what sex is" the way Luffy often is. If you're calling Luffy canon aroace for what Oda said about him being focused on adventures, the same goes for Zoro being focused on his dream. They could be coded arospec but there's nothing confirmed and the constant discourse about it is stupid. Attacking others because of their ships just because you don't agree with them and saying it's wrong using our identity to do it is very fucked up. Especially since most of the time people complaining aren't even aroace. The only reason people do it (attacking others saying they can't ship Luffy and that it's "weird" and "wrong") is that they infantilize Luffy/Don't want him getting in between their ships (<- aroace person writing this) (also, it's very ableist since people agree on Luffy also being neurodivergent coded and treating him like a kid bc of that but this isn't about that now).

Somehow this is very common. Some fucking how. I can't believe I have to say this. I'm tired of people blaming Usopp for what happened in Water 7. Or in general hating Usopp. Actually, he's one of the best-written characters in the whole show and he's so underappreciated it's so frustrating.

Sanji's perv jokes are annoying af and we all know that, but people who hate the character and consider him a red flag for that are missing the point completely. The point being "Oda exaggerates jokes to an annoying extent and most of the time they don't even reflect the character". I understand they can make you uncomfortable (same here tbh) but reducing Sanji to only those jokes is a waste of his character. You need to take jokes less seriously.

If I see one of these "red flag OP boys" TikToks adding Law/Ace/Zoro/Sanji next to fucking Doffy I will riot. Also, stop adding Crocodile there. He's a mafioso, there's NO way he won't be a sweetheart to his lover.

Baron Omatsuri's artstyle and animation is amazing and it fits the plot and aesthetic of the movie perfectly and people saying it's ugly will forever bother me.

"Usopp is suddenly hot after timeskip!" He has always been hot what the fuck are you talking about.

People reduce Nami to her "mean"/"sarcastic" personality a lot when she's quite literally one of the most kind-hearted characters of all. That being said, morally speaking she's probably one of the worst. I could explain how that works but I don't want to do it now, the point is-- Let the girl be sweet instead of making her mean all the time. And also, let her be mean and selfish without making it her entire personality. There's something called "balance".

Film Red was kind of bad. Like, the songs are amazing (thanks, Ado) but the ending is awful and the plot is very meh. I'm only here for Uta and Shanks but the rest of the characters are just useless. I do appreciate Sanji's hair in the movie, though.

[basil-does-arttt]

DMC Questions Anon here!

As we all know today is the 23rd anniversary of the first Devil May Cry game, and the series as a whole. So I want to hear you talk about DMC 1, what you love about it, headcanons you have about it, alternate scenarios you want to share, anything DMC 1 you want to talk about.

Hello again! This is gonna be a long post i have a lot to say lol

DMC 1 was my introduction to the series way back when as a little kid, when i watched an older cousin play it and eventually tried it out myself. This was also the PS2 version, and i was gifted the disc + console as well at some point.

The Alastor cutscene stuck in my head for literal years after i first saw it as a kid, that and DMC 3's mission 20 arena. Every so often it'd pop into my head as a memory, untill recently when i decided to get back into DMC fully rather than just occasionally remembering it.

DMC 1 holds a very special place in my heart because of that, its a huge nostalgia thing for me and is my favourite game in the series.

I love the setting and tone of the game, its so unique compared to the others, of course all in thanks to DMC 1 starting out as RE4. That whole gothic castle, almost horror vibe is something you dont really expect from hack&slash games these days, and even though it made for some real clunky and annoying moments in game (cough cough Nelo 2 and Griffon 2 cough cough...) to me, the good far outweighs the bad.

Oh and the soundtrack! Its so good, every theme works so well in the scene it's used for, even the abient tracks. I will say however, the bg music got real messed up on the HD remaster which is very dissapointing. (it sounds flat and doesn't have any echoing anymore, specicially the divinity statue room and Phantom's church arena in the start of mission 3). It may not be noticable to some who have only played the HD release, but i noticed it immediately coming from the PS2 version oof. I guess i have to be greatful that a HD release exists in the first place though, and it is a very old game. Still.

The combat also, (and this might not be an opinion shared by everyone which is fine) i feel is the smoothest out of any Dante in any game. All the attacks are so responsive, and although you're limited, you can still style on enemies pretty easily.

Finally the bosses. Arguably the best lineup of any DMC game, every boss is fun in it's own way and brings something new to the table in terms of mechanics. Phantom is a lot of timing correctly, Nelo pushes your fighting style to be more agressive and direct, Griffon challenges your dodging skills, Nightmare is a puzzle solving boss, and Mundus is all three. The designs are also amazing, and most of the arenas are perfect. Griffon 2 and nelo 2 aren't so great arenas but their 3rd arenas more than make up for it.

Okay enough of me gushing about how much i love the mechanics, some HCs i have for it!!

1/ That motorcycle Trish bust the door down with (and then throws at Dante) wasn't hers, right? We see it in the into cutscene before it cuts to Dante at his desk. Well, its my HC that was Lady's bike (she was not happy).

2/ (aside from gameplay mechanic reasons) The reason Dante cant use DT at the start of the game, despite having awakened it in DMC 3, is because Dante wants to push away from embracing his demonic side even more so now after his brother has been "killed". He always disliked being part demon and preferred not to tap into his demonic abilities because of that, demons are evil creatures after all and Dante is far from that, but that hate is even further exemplified after Vergil fell into hell.

3/ When Trish split off to fly solo as a devil hunter, she kept the name "Devil Never Cry" for her business. People do often confuse her for Dante's "Devil May Cry" especially when the names are abbreviated. Dante finds it mildly annoying, Trish finds it hilarious. (Sometimes she'll direct clients to Dante out of pity too when they call her number asking for Devil May Cry rather than Devil Never Cry, instead of convincing them she's the right person. Dante however always sends them over to Trish if they've called the wrong number.)

4/ Dante probably knew Trish was trying to lure him to his death on Mallet island, but he went anyways to avenge his family's death. We know he'd been searching for Mundus ever since DMC 3 (it says so in DMC 5's "history of DMC" cutscene), and he knows that finding and killing Mundus wouldn't be nearly as easy as Trish made it seem. Wether he came back or not, he was going to kill Mundus, or at least try.

As for alternate scenarios, i dont have much in mind. Maybe it would be interesting to see a scenario where Trish never betrayed Dante, and instead she tried to help him during the nightmare fight. It still would've ended the same way for her, but maybe also Dante wouldn't have gotten so angry with her when he saved her.

Ugh i just love DMC 1 so much, like i said before it holds a special place in my heart. I hope that answers everything :> <3

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 23/09/2024

P-Switch Back

Season 8 Featured on:

Ripped by AdamCrossing

Tentative rip name: Megalo Switch Back

Undertale celebrated its 9th birthday earlier this month, and as you might've guessed I immediately went to thinking if I ought to celebrate that occasion in some way or another. I mean, yeah, the blog has a dire case of Too-Much-Undertale-itus with Locked In The Underground, Determination is Magic, World Out There - hell, Do for LOVE was just three posts ago - but as I've explained many times I find Undertale's impact on SiIvaGunner is plainly too big to be overlooked. Yet I wanted to find some new way to discuss Toby Fox's work, more than just a good Undertale rip: and right as I was pondering that very topic, the SiIvaGunner channel dropped "P-Switch (OST Version) - New Super Mario Bros." into my sub-box. I'm not quite sure what so expect, a pretty standard runtime attached to what's otherwise a pretty one-note jingle from the New Super Mario Bros series - yet mere moments into the rip, I knew P-Switch Back was an instant classic, and EXACTLY what I was looking for.

AdamCrossing is a pretty unique case as a ripper in that my first exposure to him came from seeing his work spread on Twitter, as the guy has a knack for knowing exactly what kind of audio edits and arrangements are able to get a kick out of people. A lot of his work such as his self-produced fusion collab, his arrangement of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii plains theme or the inverse of the same joke hit a lot of similar beats - the main one, of course, being the reoccurring fixation on the New Super Mario Bros. series of games. And maybe this is me speaking as a fellow Wii-generation kid, but I think that fixation matches perfectly with the SiIvaGunner MO, of both catching you off guard and providing something genuniely delightful: And so, as the aforementioned examples show, AdamCrossing's fantastic ear for quality and deep understanding of the New Super Mario Bros series' sound and sample usage leads to rips that know exactly how to strike the funny bone just right due to the sheer contrast in music featured in them: With New Super Mario Bros. as perhaps the most tonally cheerful thing outside of the Kirby series, just about anything from a more grim series mixed together with it is bound to result in something very interesting to listen to. Put succinctly, it's the appeal of If Pazuzu Sneezes Do You Still Say Bless You? applied to the New Super Mario Bros. series.

P-Switch Back is impressive even beyond many of AdamCrossing's other work, however, due to the factor mentioned at the start of this post: P-Switch is less of a "track" in the New Super Mario Bros. soundtrack and more like a glorified jingle, a timer enforcing stress with a tense synthetic melody of noise and a repeating backing of a sound that's best described as "crunchy", rounding itself out through a Shepard tone repeating until the P-Switch timer ends. And so we have a lead and we technically have a backing - but how does one compose an entire rearrangement with just those confines? The solution is, of course, to "cheat": much like Nape Mango did way back on Earth, Wind & Bombs and as dozens of rippers have done since, the trick is to employ usage of other instruments, samples and segments from the same soundtrack as the source track, whilst keeping the source track as the rip's focal point. Through this, every turn that P-Switch Back makes still resoundingly sounds just like the original New Super Mario Bros. on DS, whilst ALSO always sounding exactly the way that the P-Switch theme ought to. The blend was so good that, upon my first listen, I was halfway convinced that they'd changed the P-Switch theme for some of the later New Super Mario Bros. games, due just to how "New Super Mario Bros. DS" P-Switch Back sounds. It approaches Jamangar levels of authenticity in variety within a rip, the kind I gushed oh so much about back on Story of Undertale: yet here, the core P-Switch melody never quite fades away.

Though I talked a lot about contrast betwixt the New Super Mario Bros. series' tone and whatever else may be mashed up with it, the P-Switch theme in particular is able to resonate more closely with the track being arranged through its prominent tension-building - the repeating synthetic notes being a natural fit for the eerie tension-building intro to Megalo Strike Back. For those unaware, a few years before Undertale's release, Toby Fox contributed the aforementioned track to an EarthBound tribute album, the track itself being arranged entirely using EarthBound's soundfont. It's seen, in a sense, as a stepping stone to what would eventually become Undertale's finalized Megalovania theme - an original composition sharing much the same intensity as that of an A-Class final boss theme. Through its rearranging in P-Switch Back, AdamCrossing employs all the tools within New Super Mario Bros.'s toolbox of sounds to preserve that menacing sound: The lead and backing instruments from the game's Castle theme, notably, take center stage and create a suitably dramatic atmosphere through their slight reverb: An atmosphere that's deliciously (and hilariously) enhanced through the NSMB series' iconic "bah-bahs", now feeling almost akin to the chants of a choir of followers.

The entire rip just OOZES the feeling of the original Nintendo DS in a way that's hard to quite put into words, yet immediately recognizable as soon as you hear it. Yet althewhile, as it runs wild with this dramatic boss theme, the crackling backing instrument of the original P-Switch theme lingers throughout, alongside occasional breaks to add the P-Switch theme's main instrument to the mix. Like lots of what Season 8 has presented already in the likes of Barreltr​ü​ckung of Doom and Luna, Mi Amor, P-Switch Back is an incredibly inspired and inventive rip, leveraging a source so seemingly minescule in material in a way that feels completely natural whilst technically not at all adhering to the premise the rip's title would include. As a fellow Wii kid and enjoyer of specifically these kinds of incredibly arrangement rips, AdamCrossing has my deepest regards - and if he continues on this path of quality, he's bound to become an all-time favorite in the future.

[ugotnojamzzz]

Mistake Prequel Pt.1

California

Word Count: 2.3k

Pairing: ex!Jungkook x Reader

Genre: kind of Angst, Hurt, ex!Jungkook

Synopsis: idk at this point, sorry. But here’s the jest of it: Y/N, a very successful singer-songwriter was close friends with the members of BTS for several years. She had a relationship with Jungkook that ended painfully. Now they’re stuck trying to navigate the whole exes-to-friends dance, and somebody is bound to get their toes squashed.

Disclaimer: English isn’t my native language, so I apologize in advance for mistakes and awkward wordings to come.

Chapter soundtrack: California – Lana Del Rey

(By the way, for every ‘Chapter Soundtrack’, basically the idea is that it’s a song that YN eventually wrote with that chapter of her life in mind)

Oh, I'll pick you up, If you come back to America, just hit me up. 'Cause this is crazy love, I'll catch you on the flip side. If you come back to California, you should just hit me up.

________________

YN sat on the sandy shore, her satin robe gently swaying in the breeze as she stared out at the endless expanse of the ocean before her. She was on the set of a fellow artist's music video shoot, patiently waiting for her turn to be on camera.

The rhythmic crash of the waves provided a soothing backdrop to her contemplations. In her hand, she held a Berlin postcard, its surface adorned with her friends' familiar scrawl.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she traced the words with her fingertips, savoring the sense of connection it brought. It had been ages since she'd received one of those.

With a soft exhale, she reached into her purse and retrieved her phone, fingers deftly navigating to dial a familiar number. As the call connected, she brought the device to her ear, anticipation fluttering in her chest.

“Well, well, well,” Jimin’s voice echoed, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hello to you too,” she smiled, “am I interrupting?”

“Not in the slightest” he replied, “we just got back to the hotel.”

“Shit-” she muttered, running a hand through her hair in frustration. Time difference, you idiot. “You must be drained. I can call at another time if y-”

“And wait another two months for a phone call?” her friend interrupted, his laughter cutting through her concerns. “Not a chance.”

There was a beat of silence. She knew she should’ve reached out earlier.

"I got your postcard," she finally said, her tone warm. "How did you even get my new address, Jimin-ssi?"

"You know I don’t kiss and tell," he teased, his voice tinged with amusement. “Why? Don’t fancy mail anymore?

"Oh, you know, I can never be too careful,” she quipped, a playful smirk tugging at her lips, “so many stalkers out there."

"Guess that means you found the strand of pubes I slipped in there," Jimin joked.

"Gross," she groaned, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“Eh, you love it” he replied without missing a beat.

“So, how is Europe treating you?" YN asked.

"Well, we’re in Stockholm right now, you know how it is," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice, “people are very… tall and morally upstanding."

"And how is everyone doing?" she inquired nonchalantly, though her curiosity lingered beneath the surface.

"Good," he replied, but there was a moment of hesitation before he continued, "Jungkookie’s doing okay, I guess." YN almost sighed in relief, grateful that Jimin had spared her the need to ask.

"You guess?" she pressed, sensing his uncertainty.

“Was Hobi unavailable today?” he asked.

YN winced. She had been found out. She usually talked to Hoseok about Jungkook stuff. Of course she did, Hobi was one of her closest friends. Only, after a while, he had called her out on her shit and told her that she should have the balls to ask for news herself. You do know you won’t be friends again if you don’t try and talk to each other from time to time, right? She'd been pretty much in the dark ever since.

A heavy silence lingered between them before the boy broke it, "You saw the articles, didn’t you?"

YN didn’t reply, but her silence spoke volumes. There had been a bunch of articles in the press lately, and a lot of fans on social media expressing concern over the looks and demeanor of BTS’s maknae.

“Well, you know,” Jimin continued, his tone reassuring, “he has been a little more off than usual. Then again, it’s hard to know if it’s the touring schedule that’s getting to him.”

She sighed inwardly, wishing she’d had the courage to pick up the phone and dial Jungkook's number. She had wanted to reach out so many times but was always held back.

Just then, a commotion erupted in the background, the distant sound of voices and laughter coming through in indistinct snippets.

"Hey, I got YN on the phone over here," Jimin declared to whoever was there. YN's heart skipped a beat as she realized that other members had joined, their boisterous greetings suddenly echoing through the phone.

“YN, I HAVE A NEW VIKING HELMET TO SHOW YOU!”  Tae, of course.

“Tae stole my helmet after he lost his, actually.” And there was Joonie.

Suddenly, a voice, rough around the edges yet achingly familiar pierced through the chaotic backdrop of their conversation.

"Hi, superstar."

Her breath caught in her throat at the sound.

"Hey, Jungkook," she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

She heard the click of a door on the other end of the line and quiet finally returned. They were alone. "So, what's the occasion?” Jungkook asked casually, “Don’t tell me you’re missing us already."

Her lips curved into a wistful smile at his playful tone, "Oh, you know, just wondering when I’ll get to see your faces again," she replied, "if you ever come back to America, that is."

His laughter echoed through the phone, a comforting sound that washed over her like a soothing balm. "Yeah, who knows when that’ll happen," he admitted, the weariness of their never-ending tour evident in his tone. "Don’t worry, though," he added, "your favorite band will probably play the city of angels soon enough."

A grin tugged at her lips as she teased, "Are the Beatles planning a reunion?"

Jungkook's laughter filled the air once more. "Oh, come on," he chuckled. "And then they wonder why we’re taking the long way home," he mumbled, his words laced with mock-offence. In that moment, as their laughter mingled, she felt a sense of peace wash over her.

"For real though," she said, her smile softening as she spoke, "you should come by sometime.”

"Meh,” he shrugged, his tone nonchalant, “California weather isn’t really my cup of tea."

Of course, she thought with a hint of amusement. He never liked the dry heat. Always complained about it. The boys used to joke that it was the Busan in him. You can take the man out of the city, but not the city out of the man, right?

Still, YN wasn’t discouraged. They'd always found a way to make the best of it before. They could do whatever they'd want. They could hit up all the old places, reminisce about the good times. Maybe throw a rager of a party, get his favorite liquor off the top shelf and dance 'til dawn. Like old times. LA had many flaws, but it had always been a great time touring there with the boys.

"Come on," she insisted, her voice gentle yet persuasive. "I’ll even pick you guys up from the airport."

"Princess treatment, huh?" he teased, "Tempting."

There was a beat of silence. This was her shot.

"So," she said softly, her voice betraying a hint of apprehension. "Everything's alright with you?"

“Didn’t get the dirt from Hobi, huh?” he taunted.

“Answer the question, punk,” she replied gently.

"Yeah, yeah,” he replied, his tone casual and breezy, “everything's been great."

YN played with the sand absentmindedly. She wished she could tell him that he didn't have to act all strong and cool with her all the time. She wished she could only reassure him that she would always think the world of him, always see him as the brightest of the brightest stars. No matter what.

But instead, she remained silent, her words trapped within the confines of her mind.

"What about you?" Jungkook's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Caught off guard by the sudden shift in focus, she found herself faced with yet another dilemma. There was plenty new with her. Too much, perhaps. Or too much for small talk over the phone, at least.

"Well, you know,” she replied with a forced nonchalance, “same old, same old."

“Oh," he paused, "okay.”

She winced at his noticeable disappointment, knowing she was keeping him at arm's length, too. On top of being a coward she was a hypocrite.

"Hey,” she interjected, changing the topic in an attempt to lighten the mood, “guess where I am right now."

"Oh, I’m not falling for that one" he chuckled, his amusement evident even through the phone. She once had a habit of ending up in the most unexpected of places, much to the group’s amusement and occasional frustration.

"It's nothing like that, Jeon," she reassured him, a small smile playing on her lips as she thought back to their past adventures.

"Well, go on then," he urged, curiosity piqued.

“That little beach in Santa Monica,” she revealed, waiting for his reaction.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and she couldn't help but wonder if he remembered. After all, there had been many beaches over the years, and the beach bars hadn't exactly helped them keep track of them all.

"The one right across from Jack’s," she added, hoping to jog his memory.

“Aw shit,” Jungkook blurted out, “the one where Tae-?”

“That’s the one,” she confirmed with a chuckle.

Yeah, it had been quite a night for them. A soft smile played on her lips as memories flooded back with vivid clarity. Drinking and dancing on the beach, the salt on her skin, and the pink cocktail umbrellas in her hair.

Jungkook had drunkenly written out a love declaration on the wet sand, to which she had responded with a nauseous heave, both from how horribly cheesy the gesture was and from the alcohol churning in her stomach.

Only it was Taehyung who had ended up bearing the brunt of their drunken escapade, his stomach unable to handle the excesses of the night. She remembered the sight of him retching into the sand, the clear water tainted with vibrant hues of Tequila Sunrise.

“Any remains?” Jungkook asked, his tone light but tinged with curiosity. She found herself wondering whether he was referring to the remnants of Tae's unfortunate mishap or to his own words carved in the sand. She shook off the thought.

“No,” she shook her head, “seems the tide took care of it.”

“Lucky for us,” he remarked.

“Yep,” she echoed, “lucky for us.”

There was a brief moment of silence between them.

“So, are you taking a day off to call old friends while you work on your tan?” Jungkook inquired, breaking the silence.

“Uh, well- not really,” YN replied, her voice faltering slightly. “I’m here for, uh, it’s- like- like a work thing.”

“Oh shit,” he began, “well, I don’t want to hold you up-”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she interjected quickly, not wanting to end the conversation just yet, “I’ve got plenty of tim-”

"Y/N, time for your closeup!" a booming voice interrupted her, and YN's head snapped to the side to see the director in the distance, holding a megaphone.

"…You were saying?" she could practically hear Jungkook's smirk, and he could practically see her eyeroll.

"Okay," she mumbled reluctantly. "Rain check?"

"For sure," he agreed, "you haven’t even gotten to tell me what’s new with you."

"Right," she said, waving to the filming crew to signal she’d be there in a moment.

There was another moment of silence. They’d never been any good at saying goodbye.

"I meant it, by the way," she said suddenly, her voice filled with sincerity.

"Huh?" Jungkook replied.

"If you come back to California, you should hit me up," she reiterated.

She heard him sigh gently. "Alright,” he said, his tone soft and warm. “I’ll catch you on the flip side, superstar."

"Catch you on the flip side, playboy," she replied, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips as she hung up the phone.

She got up, brushing the sand off her robe as she made her way towards the set.

As she approached, her heart skipped a beat when she saw pretty-boy hopping towards her, his sparkling green eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

"There you are, love!" he exclaimed, sweeping her off her feet and spinning her around in a whirl of excitement.

"There I am," she replied with a smile, her heart fluttering at the warmth of his embrace.

"Thanks again” he said, “for doing this, I mean," he continued with a radiant smile.

"Are you kidding? You couldn’t keep me away if you tried," she beamed. “And you’re not shooting my face, anyway, right? So, it’s not like anybody will recognize me," she added with a playful wink, slipping off her robe to reveal her bikini and handing it to one of the stylists.

He eyed her with a gentle grin, admiration evident in his gaze."Alright, I'll swing by craft service, and I'll be right back. You do your thing, love," he said, his voice filled with warmth and affection. "I trust you." With a final smile, he headed off, leaving her to prepare for the shoot ahead.

She was quickly ushered to the filming spot, where she was briefed on the various angles the director had in mind as the stylists worked on final touch-ups.

"Not a bad day to be Y/N, huh?" a makeup artist declared with a knowing grin.

Caught off guard by the comment, YN hummed inquisitively, "Uh?"

"Well, it's not every day your boyfriend writes a hit song about you," the makeup artist elaborated with a wink.

“Oh,” YN nodded, "right."

As she looked to the horizon, her mind involuntarily drifted to the countless songs another boy had written and sang about her, what felt like ages ago. Most of them had never seen the light of day, let alone the inside of a recording studio; destined to remain tucked away tenderly in the corners of her memory, along with images of messy sheets and late-night drives. But that soft, gentle voice echoed in her mind, still.

“Totally,” she added with a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

After a moment, the styling team scattered. The music started playing and the cameras finally began to roll.

“Tastes like strawberries, on a summer evening…”

___________

Guess who’s baaaaack???? Hope you all liked it! Please interact lol, I am desperate for any reaction at all. Help a girl out, army. Xxx

[alvin-draper]

Alien: Romulus

spoilers!

let's chat. and also preface with the fact I've only seen alien and Aliens before, both of which I adore and rewatch endlessly.

I've seen some reviewers talk about this, but Andy carried that movie character wise. Everyone else was good - props to the weird cousin guy. He was a dick but he added some much needed internal group conflict.

Andy and Rain - she was weirdly cookie cutter in a very video game protagonist kinda way. She had a goal: get off planet. She had a brother who she viewed both as person and as pet. Something to be loved and coddled. At no point was she ready for him to have more agency. From the minute you knew she'd decided to leave him behind, you could plot the course of her entire arc. Andy was better. I was worried they were doing a weirdly placed take on adults with strong autism to start with, and was kinda relieved to find out he was artificial with a buggy system, and then realised that actually no the comparison still 100% works, but I like how they played it. He gets agency with intelligence, but it's at the cost of losing his human connections. His little sister, and the friends he's an outlier to. He never feels integrated into the group, always slightly on the outside. When he gets his new chip and directive, I read it as equal parts programming and rebellion. It took away some of his desire to do anything for Rain, and replaced it with pragmatism. But you can see its still him in there, and that he's mad about them leaving him behind. He keeps making decisions to keep Rain alive, but he focuses in on her life rather than her emotional needs, and lets other people die. It still reads as love, to me. But instead of her sacrificing him for her better life, he sacrificed her emotional wellbeing for both of them to live. Definitely the character with the most intricacy.

As said, everyone else and everything else felt kind of cookie cutter. The characters don't make interesting decisions. Its still well written and well done: you understand the how'd and whys of every decision they make. But none of them shine enough to keep up with Andy.

Okay, enough character stuff. Let's talk everything else.

The score and sound mixing: incredible. Loved that it started on that deep space silence. The music is good and more than functional, will probably listen to the soundtrack as a background for a while. The best choice sound wise in the whole movie is when she floats out the bottom of the cargo bay in the final act and the sound cuts almost completely. You could've heard a pin drop.

The look of the thing: impeccable. The minute they get onto those prowling H G Geiger ships I was sold on the whole thing. The wires and curves and me grin so hard. Less excellent alien hiding places than I would've liked, but they didn't use that trick too many times so it worked out. The red and orange lighting in the dark rooms gave the movie a very distinct aesthetic, separate from the other Alien movies that I've seen. And of course the shot composition was glorious. One of my favourite visuals was in the water filled cyro fuel room, when Andy freezes and reboots. Hi standing stock still as the camera pans up and we the audience understand: oh shit, that's a lot of facehuggers.

Things they set up and paid off: the pregnancy. Andy slipping a vial of the compound into his pocket. The X Ray scanner. The dropped key. The gravity timer. Just about the security cameras. Things they didn't quite pay off: the temperature sensing device. The facehuggers travelling through the vents. The sharp edges and quick mechanical closing of the vent covers they get into the ship through.

Shit that came out of nowhere: all the goddamn fully grown xenomorphs. That bit was pretty out of left field. I had anticipated there being more Aliens, but they fact they left it so late doesn't really make much internal sense. I guess because they were in the other half of the outpost?

Callbacks I loved: the Nostromo at the start and the vague references to Ripley. Rook being Ash. That was gooooood. Also shows that the companies whole thing in Aliens that synthetics aren't like that anymore is kind of bollocks.

That fucking thing: I'm calling it Romulus for obvious reasons. I thought the design was excellent. So fucking horrifying. I will be having nightmares. Its like they reached into my subconscious and designed it specifically to get to me. Incredible. Didn't like the fact it roared I think if it had made either an Alien hiss or a human noise it would've been way more compelling. Properly horrifying though. Really hit home that it's a horror movie more than anything else. Also. The death scenes in the movie? Incredible. It did those Well. My favourite was absolutely the acid blood literally burning a whole through that guys chest, because it was visceral and brutal and horrifying and so so hell done. You could really feel the panic and tension and still clock him scrabbling at his chest just to melt his fingers and feeling sick all over again. Just brilliant.

Overall: it was good! It sucks that I only really liked Andy, and he only really atarts coming into his own after Rain betrays him. Still fucked she took his autonomy away again at the end, even if their quipping was cute. Loved them raising the temperature of that room as a disguise that was inspired. Loved them turning off the Gravity to shoot the Aliens that also worked great. The elevator was also a good set piece. The biggest let down in this movie is the characters. Andy's great, Rain is alright, and sos the cousin who's only around for the firstish act. Bit the main side character guy, who's sisters pregnant? I don't even remember his name. They kept hinting at there being both backstories for him and for Rain that were more interesting than what he got. For him, some kind of genuine military past. For her: she'd been to Yvaga before. Maybe even grew up there as a little kid. It was an opportunity to add proper dimension to both characters that was squandered in favor of the crazier action scenes, which sucks. This movie was in dire need of clearer and deeper characters, particularly because in my eyes that'd what Alien does best, and Aliens takes a really good stab at considering the larger main cast.

Essentially. It's a good damn horror movie, but I'm not sure it's a great Alien movie, for all the incredible HR Giger and weird sexual violence undertones. I'm just not sure that plot wise it earned its Alien credentials. Like the last few lines. Rain leaves a log, as she's the last survivor of her ship. But there's no passenger log. It was never an authorised mission. Its a pointless message to leave. It gives the audience closure because it flashes us back to the end of Alien, but it makes no sense as closure for Rain. That's where I'm at.

[stuvvshii]

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

listening thoughts forgive me everyone im still not a rock person

Head like a hole - the intro reminds me of molten crater spyro soundtrack...... i cant get it out of my head. lyrics are my dog thoughts when i try to take something he found on the streets from his mouth (i mean it in all the good ways pls dont kill me) 9/10

Terrible lie - BWAM BWAM. the drums send me. 7/10

Down in it - i like the way its structured even tho musically it doesnt exactly bite me in the right spot. spot on lyrics tho 7.5/10

Sanctified - dont glitch in my ear you little shit. i blacked out all i could hear is come inside her. which is... dont. 6/10

Something i can never have - sad times ig. noo mr michael dont do it there are plenty fish in the sea. i have that weird feeling of disconnection between lyrics and music in this one 6/10 for making me think about my ex

Kinda i want to - this sounds gay. dont torture urself with the thoughts just go for it michael. spicy guitar 7 / 10

Sin - why every track feels like he talks about different person each time how many people fucking you up my lil bro. music gets evil in the end. sinful ig. 8 / 10

That's what i get - another song about someone else. thats what he gets i guess. a bit too repetetive for my liking. dundundundundundundudnudndundudndun is fun it deserves another 8/10

The only time - we talked about it come on. the meowing synths. funky. this guy is either drunk or horny or both. 9/10 for bwyau bwyau

Ringfinger - why it has a club vibe and country lyrics. this one comment speaks for me. 9/10

@romysoph2 tagging youu. forgive me for i have sinned

[tiramegtoons]

Okay so last night i finished watching the entirety of Okage Shadow King and-

.... I dont even know where to start. this is unlike any game ive watched or played before. It felt so weird yet so enticing and half of the time i couldn't tell if my brain was rotting or there was just some real deep lore or hidden meaning in here Maybe both??? and it left a strange, creepy, yet longing and nostalgic feeling in the back of my head too.

Let me explain.

spoilers ahead!!!

okay so First of all, the visual style of the game looks awesome I loved the characters and the dynamics going on between the NPC's and especially the main characters. I loved enjoying the witty banter and arguing between Stan and Rosalyn the most. But also, why is Stan insulting and body shaming her so much SHE AINT EVEN FAT??? i LOOK AT HER MODEL AND IM LIKE BRUH

for some odd reason i still found it funny though. Some of the humor might've even been exaggerated to a degree as well(not sure if that was intentional). Even if the writing and dialogue was a bit lost in translation, maybe perhaps, it was still pretty good as a whole and it caught me by surprise.

As for the world and NPC's... something definitely felt off at the beginning and i guess thats what gave me the initial unsettling feeling. Everyone just seemed so bent on doing their own part like dude i couldn't even explain to you Our main protagonist, Ari, is just a wet pathetic little boy who lets everyone step on him/lh Damn, even his own family doesn't seem to care much for him as an individual person and doesn't consider that he has his own ambitions and it rubbed me in a weird way. and yet for some reason i was still hooked. and then came STANLEY HIHAT TRINIDAD THE FOURTEENTH(the 3d challenged flappy shadow)to sweep our poor little boy off his feet and make him his "slave"(adoptive son/j) so he can conquer the world bfhdgsdvhgdfbgdhjg which btw how could anyone take any "evil king" that seriously with a name like that? I LOVE IT. i really enjoyed him getting his ghostly ass handed to him by the NPC's it was hilarious. He was-without a shadow of a doubt(hehehehehe)- the best character. Also it's so funny how he claims to be an evil king but intentionally and unintentionally does good things? I love that trope with villians. Anywho getting off track a little, Another thing that struck out to me was the soundtrack. It's pretty unique, but at times can get pretty repetitive. The ones i enjoy a lot are -Forest of willkur(just really encompasses the feel of the entire game) -Evil King Battle and my favorite- -Addashi Desert(got me in a shimmy FR)

YEAAAAAAAAAA

anywho going back to repetitive things... Eeeeeee... the fighting mechanics are sure something(GOD WHY ARENT THE COMMANDS BEING CARRIED OUT ON TIME WH- IS THE GAME POSSESSED??? DID STAN POSSESS THE GAME???) Also why are there ghosts in broad daylight?? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY GHOSTSSSS) i get it, you do need to grind for items and XP in this game but it looks pretty tedious, especially deep grave pit... oh lordy dude there are literally eight floors in the cave its not a cave its the 7 circles of hell(plus front desk)/j I don't wanna dunk on this game but the fighting could use improvements. Back to the story... i like the melancholy turn it takes when princess Marlene was revealed to be a doll which made total sense when Stan found she had no soul, the reveal of Beiloune's true identity, and when Ari becomes totally ignored and forgotten by just about everyone and from that point going forward the game took a more serious turn... also why does Triste(which means sad in spanish and i see what they did there-)

... why does that remind me of the wasteland from Epic Mickey where other people who've been forgotten reside there... also the dark, odd vibe of both games kinda match too. Another thing, I'm not sure if anyone else had the same thoughts but did anyone else expect a twist where Ari would become the evil king??? i mean, if this was a supposed journey of our main character who is always reminded about how much of a pushover he is would've lead me to think that the buildup would lead to something like Beiloune making him all powerful and force him to fight against his friends. But the last chapter also surprised me with its own twist and im digging that too. but yeah just about everything was coming back together about why the world was and felt as it is. its always the butler isnt it? Also Stan's final form:

I CANT-

im sorry i can't take this seriously when he's just letting them hang out like that(his moobs)

... anywho that happened. As for any hidden meanings and morals I'll have to talk about that later cause my smooth brain still cannot grasp. And its just

SO MUCH

[stoic--rose]

my chemical brothers cds finally came in!!!!! so uuuuh i guess ill do overviews of each album.

Dig Your Own Hole - 1997

almost certainly my favorite chembros album. full of pumpin beats, punchy drums, unique vocal samples, pretty much everything i love from electronic. the eponymous track is very good, but my favorite track has to be Get Up On It Like This. i love the brass sample they use, its just too damn good, i can never get enough of it. Electrobank is another favorite, the vocal tracks at the beginning are pretty fun, and i like what it turns into later. (bonus points for just having explosion samples at the end) Setting Sun is the first song on the album to have full lyrics which is pretty cool, and the way this album ends is just so outta left field but damn its good as hell. Where Do I Begin is such a laidback and chill track that feels very introspective, and The Private Psychedelic Reel is just a journey of a song. also, my favorite part of this album is the middle section, specifically It Doesn't Matter, Don't Stop The Rock, and Get Up On It Like This. each track flows neatly into the next, and theyre all really good tracks. Don't Stop The Rock has this squishy, unorthodox synth in it that i really fuck with. It Doesn't Matter also has this pulsing, harsh bass that i like a lot. overall, a phenomenal album with back to back bangers and a soft side near the end.

Surrender - 1999

this album is actually home to the first chembros song i ever heard, that being Let Forever Be, a personal favorite of mine. Surrender has a lot of good to it, though i dont think it's one of my favorites. Music:Response is a really good opener, Orange Wedge is super funky, i already said my thoughts on Let Forever Be, but other than that there's not too many standout tracks here, at least to me. Under The Influence was on the WipE'out" 3 soundtrack and fits in pretty well there, but listening on its own its nothin to write home about. Hey Boy Hey Girl is weirdly popular, but it just doesn't do anything for me. Out of Control is good, but it drags on a bit too long for me. the eponymous track is good though, i like that one. overall, i think surrender just aint for me mostly. its got some tracks i like, and ill definitely listen to it all, it just isnt gonna be my first pick.

Push The Button - 2004

for this album, the focus on electronic is pushed to the side a bit to make way for a more lyrical, hip hop focused album, and nowhere is that more clear than the opening track, Galvanize, which is chembros' most well known song. and i like it well enough! the wordsmiths here do a great job, and i like the string sample that permeates most of the song. that being said, i think it drags on a bit and is a little too long? you could definitely cut this one down and not lose a whole lot. but it has the catchiness to not make that runtime boring, for sure. after Galvanize comes The Boxer, which is probably my favorite track on the album. by this point the change in style for Push The Button is starting to shine through more, but the chembros know how to make it work, and MAN does it shine in The Boxer. it has this looping, cut up sample of a keyboard that i just cant get enough of, and the vocals here are super great. other tracks of note are Believe, which has a lot of cool noises in it, Shake Break Bounce, which has some cool drums and guitars, and Left Right, a commentary piece on war, which i can always appreciate. (shoutouts to Flobots) Close Your Eyes is a classic chembros move of having a more relaxed, uplifting track near the end of the album, and it does its job super well. overall, while Push The Button is very different from everything chembros had done up to that point, i think they tackle the new style really well and deliver a lot of unique bangers here. really great stuff.

[day-mark]

random question since you have a drusic quote in your profile: what sort of music do you enjoy?

oh thats a tough question tbh 😭 for genre i feel like its mostly pop and then followed by rock?? here i'll give u a small list of the current songs i have on loop/faves .. i feel like that might be more revealing if ur interested in listening!

always, everytime - the wrecks (Obsessed w this song rn, helps that i can relate some of the lyrics to dream lmao)

cheerleader - porter robinson

the adults are talking - the strokes

violet - wild party

dont sleep, repeat - 44phantom ft. mgk (shout out dream for this one LOL, i steal music from him a lot)

strange clouds - ufo ufo (xdnf song to me. if u /like/ that ship -> i like it in the, "their dynamic is so interesting and goes hard" not necessarily a romantic ship kinda way if that makes sense

pick me up - too close to touch (lot of the lyrics remind me of dream too o(-( i wanna make an art piece w some of the lyrics so bad actually )

2 a.m. - the candescents (fun fact, my manhunt fic i was planning out like 4 years ago was named after a lyric in this song)

harms way - stepdad (always wanted to make a manhunt animation to this song!)

ludens - bring me the horizon (u guessed it.. also wanted to make a dsmp/cdream focused-ish animation for this song)

falling - chase atlantic (i remember so vividly.. day of the face reveal.. someone dropped an edit of dream to this song and i associate it with him so hard to this day and im SO SAD i didnt save the edit bc i couldnt find it ever again :(((( )

all over - cruisr (reminds me of dnb but i dont think ur into that haha)

heaven is a place in my head - bad suns

baby blue shades - bad suns (srry got reminded of this song bc of the last one and i think it would sound soo pretty if dream covered it. idk anything about like vocal ranges and stuff tho so idk if itd actually fit, i just think its a pretty sounding song 😭)

figure 8 - peach pit (ALSO a song i think would sound so pretty if dream covered it :3)

bleed magic - idkhbtfm

modern day cain - idkhbtfm

and here are some more out of the box(?) ones

amanita - marmalade butcher

katagiri - buta musou

ENTIRE OKAMI SOUNDTRACK !!! it's so good one of my favorite video game osts of all time

trilogy - carpenter brut (i listen to this when i need to focus lol)

chasing daybreak - fire emblem three houses ost (also a very good soundtrack!! love So many of the songs)

god shattering star - fe soundtrack ^

blue skies and a battle - fe soundtrack ^ (definitely missing a lot of the tracks i also like but i'll just put a few cause this post is already getting so long 😭)

fsdjklfhsdjkf this turned into me just sharing songs bc i associate them w dream in some way 😭 I REALLY LIKE SHARING MUSIC W PEOPLE

also random question if u use spotify/similar app, do u like all the songs you enjoy?? sometimes i see people with liked songs in like. the hundreds including my sister. and i was talking to a coworker about music and she says she rarely likes the song and usually adds it to a playlist or listens by album. meanwhile i have 1.6k 😭

[xxsycamore]

Hello great idea you had for our challenge if I may can I have Comte x Leonardo with the prompt Office AU ?

Thank you have a wonderful day 🙏😊

Glad that you like the idea!! 🥺 You too have a lovely day & enjoy the business daddies~

[ 🌈 part of the character x character or genderbent!character x mc requests🌈 ]

For Different Universe, Same Love content creation challenge, hosted by @queengiuliettafirstlady and me.

𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐔┅┅┅Leonardo x Comte (slightly suggestive)

𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞

"Tsk, Leonardo. Feet off the desk, please."

"You're not my boss."

It's practically true. After the company merged, Germain & Da Vinci's legal CEO is no other than Leonardo himself - for better or for worse. The family-owned business that Leonardo inherited came in a package deal with all its complicated management that dear Comte, the vice-president, was ready to shoulder as a part of his secret deal with Leonardo. The guy is just not fit for a boss; or so he claims.

"I suggest we leave those formalities in the office. You surely know what day today is, signore CEO?"

Leonardo has to briefly spin on his office chair to reach for the small calendar on his desk and move the date to what he assumes it might be, in order to get an idea of what's so special about today. It's a whole miracle on itself that he can find said calendar among the mess that his desk is, seeing that he'd once again dismissed the secretary before she could do her job.

"I saw Dazai by the coffee machine wearing his kimono ... Casual Friday... July 7th." The confident guess is accompanied by a snap of his fingers. "What is July 7th?"

Comte sighs, visibly disappointed by his antics and the fact that he'd forgotten. It's better to show than tell.

Like a magician performing for his one-person public, all it takes is a few ministrations of Comte's capable hands to undo and shrug off both his business suit and diligently ironed black shirt to reveal...another shirt underneath. Short-sleeved. Palm-tree printed. Hawaiian.

"Vacation. That's what it is. Our flight is in 5 hours, I believe you're clueless about this too."

It's good that office chairs are no good for attempting to balance them on two legs. Leonardo would've found himself on the floor. NOONE in team meeting would believe him about this. At least he's able to shake off the surprise pretty fast.

"Well, heh. Guess I need the holiday if my head is such a mess, huh?""

Comte's gaze softens, because, that's actually something he can't argue with. Managing the company aside, Leonardo works hard on the research front to better the formula passed down in his family business. That's always been what the genius wanted to do.

"Nice shirt, by the way. You got one my size?"

Comte's soft chuckles soundtrack his approach to the desk and die down to a small humming noise by the time he arrives at Leonardo's side. A slender finger nudging the first button of his shirt - the first buttoned one, anyway - until it slowly, annoyingly slowly comes undone.

Leonardo moves in for a kiss, but the other party withdraws all too fast.

"I might just have one your size. But I told you. Feet off the desk first."

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[winterdeepelegy]

My Thoughts on Dawntrail

So having finished DT, here are some of my thoughts on the expansion as a whole. Expect spoilers below the cut, do not click if you haven't finished. Again these are entirely my opinions, I don't intend to present this from a perspective of fact.

Hmm. I don't hate DT, but it's not high on my list: 1. Shadowbringers 2. Heavensward 3. Stormblood 4. Endwalker 5. Dawntrail 6. ARR That said, I don't hate any of the installments of this game, but there are some definitely high and low points. Let's rip the bandage off and get the blanks out of the way: 1. DT has a dialogue problem. I don't hate Wuk Lamat as a character, it was kind of refreshing to see a green, earnest character take center stage while our characters stepped aside and provided a guiding hand. The big problem I have with her is her dialogue. She's basically a shounen character, complete with the 'I'm gonna be king of the pirates'/'I'm gonna be hokage!' schtick, and it really wears on me after a while. That's not the character's fault so much as it is the writing team. That being so, this game is best played in short stints, 1-2 hours at a time instead of trying to marathon the whole thing in short order. Any more than that and it really becomes repetitious. If they want to script it to sound like an episodic anime series, it will be best enjoyed in smaller bites. Sphene suffers from the same problem. I wanted to enjoy her more as a character, but the script made that a challenge. 2. Pacing and exposition. God. The first few hours of EW were enough of a slog with its slow pacing before getting to the first dungeon, this felt like an eternity by comparison. Up to about the level 95 content, it is a long span of exposition and lore stuffing (far be it from me to complain about abundant lore!), so much of which could have been covered in less time and with less repetition. They really wanted to hammer the tribes into our heads, and it felt like too much at times. They wanted us to care about the tribes and the people therein, but few things make me care less than overdoing it. Level 95-ish is when things start becoming more interesting, in my opinion. That's a long way to climb to reach the proverbial cookie jar. 3. The music. I'll be honest, soundtrack wise, this is not my favorite. I appreciate all genres of music, but swing jazz doesn't quite fit the feel of Tulliyolal. I would have liked to hear something closer to a cultural aesthetic to match the visuals and themes presented throughout the areas and civilizations therein. We didn't get that, and it's kind of a weird choice. The main themesong, also? Ehh... I didn't care for it in the trailer. This opinion hasn't shifted since my playthrough. I didn't really start finding enjoyable area music until Shaaloani. 4. 'My people are more important than your people'. This plot point has been done. We just dealt with the Ascians and pretty much got the same shpiel from Hades. They made Sphene and her subjects a little more sympathetic, though, so... good, I guess? 5. Erenville deserved better. Fussy Bunbun got done so dirty in this expack, the very least anyone could have done was give him a hug. He didn't even get that from his mother who, frankly, was the worst character out of all of it. He was also deadnamed repeatedly, which could have been a teachable moment. 6. Wuk Lamat and/or Bakool Ja Ja still owes me tacos. ------------ As for the positives? There are some. Thanks for sticking with me so far. 1. Pretty graphics updates - better over all. 2. No weirdly split zones - thank the Twelve for this. StB, ShB, and EW all had zones that you could only cover in part, and couldn't finish until later. The zones in DT flow pretty well for the most part, and the transition between upper and lower areas of Yak'Tel are nothing short of beautiful, especially in flight. 3. More Reflections - I'm glad to see more of these and I hope this trend continues. 4. For once, I'm not luke warm on the bard AF gear. It's actually a fresh look, but haven't found a dye pairing I like yet.