#love this map and it's theme and the SONG?? BANGER

[tgslar]

Playing By The Rules - Part 5!

Check out the map here!

[emblemxeno]

Gushing about the song "A Dark Fall" and how the context makes it sound so different! In CQ 22 to 24 it sounds somber and sad, because Corrin is invading their first homeland and fighting their Hoshidan family. But in the context of RV and CQ 26 it instead sounds triumphant! Corrin either gets to finally take out the corrupt henchmen of the fake Garon OR finally has all 8 siblings on their side. I just. Really love that song.

YEEEEEAH!

Beyond just being a banger soundtrack in general, Fates' music is a stellar storytelling tool. Every kind of emotion is conveyed through its tracks, from silly moments, to intrigue, to melancholy recollection, etc.

As you said, the map themes, ughhhhh! They're so fucking good. Past Light and Dark Wastes, for example, are supposed to be equivalent early game route tracks, but they provide different feels; Past Light is almost dance or festival like, it starts unfamiliar but gets comfortable and lively. Dark Wastes meanwhile, is icy and muted, where if you could describe it in a sentence, you'd probably use "we're on a mission today." Both accomplish exactly what you'd expect from the start of Birthright and Conquest. Same with pretty much all of the Valla maps, where they're space like, open, uncertain, but as you get further in the game (past below -> land below -> glory/ruin), they get more melodic and malicious, scary even.

Another clever use I found is that more most of Birthright's mid-game, you hear a Nohrian map theme (No Justice) rather than its Hoshidan equivalent (Justice RIP), and vice versa for Conquest's mid-game. This is done because, well, you're in the opposing country as an invading force and its the start of a big uphill battle. Why play your team's music when your enemy has the homefield advantage? Its only when you make the first stand against a major opponent, like a royal sibling, that you get your side's home-stretch theme (Alight and A Dark Fall).

And the Lost in Thoughts leitmotif in many of the songs is also just great ear candy.

[drones-of-innocence]

I'm currently in the process of publishing a fanfic that is basically a conglomeration of almost every piece of media that has ever influenced me. One of the most prevalent examples is music; I hyperfixate on exactly three bands and occasionally a couple of others. Two of those bands I've literally loved since I was a kid.

Anyway, that's all just to say I noticed a pattern where my characters in the story match up with the vibes of some specific albums that I love from those artists.

Mario aligns closest with Black Holes and Revelations. Every single song on this is a banger, though I'll say that about every one of these probably 😭 I can't explain the degree of nostalgia surrounding me every step of this story. These are songs I have known during my most impressionable years. I remember hearing Starlight live for the first time and how it changed my life. I have associated Starlight specifically with Super Mario Galaxy all this time—I mean, come on. All the space imagery is perfect. And so it only felt right to name the fic with some of the lyrics. "I'll never let you go, if you promise not to fade away..."

This album has songs like Supermassive Black Hole and Map of the Problematique. They are usually intense and with an undertone of sadness and fear. Muse is known to use language implying relationship struggles as metaphors for larger issues, and also the other way around. It's kind of amazing how they draw so many lines stringing the personal and the political together. There are some more morose pieces like Soldier's Poem and Hoodoo that have extraordinary pain behind them. I could go on all day about how every single lyric matches up with some part of Mario's journey in my story, but that would take both an essay and contain spoilers 😆

Luma aligns with Strangeland. I didn't hear about Keane until my first year of college, but this band somehow landed firmly in my heart. I already have tickets to see them on their upcoming tour 🤩 Keane's style is much more mellow, with a piano lead instead of guitar, which sets them apart as a rock band. The contrast between the intensity of Mario's feelings and the calm of Luma’s experience is best exemplified by these albums, I think. The covers even seem to parallel each other, with an orange horizon colliding with the blue sky, and coincidence is one of the themes of the story ✨️

Strangeland is full of songs that contain hard-earned wisdom, like Day Will Come and In Your Own Time. There is an excitement and deep appreciation for lived experience, as well as encouragement such as in You Are Young. There are also some songs about the hardships of relationships that are inevitable with time passing, like Disconnected. But largely, the tone of this album is upbeat. A carefree and thrilled approach to life might be labeled as childish, but it might actually be the wisest approach of all. Luma is excited to travel and see everything, and not necessarily out of naivety.

[new-and-disturbed-theorist]

Songs That I’d Love To See In Just Dance: Hispanic Edition

So, I’ve always wanted to make a post like this just bc I want to share songs that people may not have heard about and my ideas for what their maps could be like.

This list will only touch on Hispanic songs (aka songs in Spanish) but if you’d like a list with songs in other languages (that I know of), let me know. Also, tell me about your favorite Hispanic songs that you’d love to see in Just Dance!

Rosa Pastel by Belanova

I don’t have a clear idea for this song, but this is one of my favorites. Such a bop and the dresses in the music video are amazing.

Me Colé en una Fiesta by Mecano

Honestly, there are so many Mecano songs that have the juice to be in Just Dance. This is only one of the songs I thought of. I imagine a coach with the most saturated, exaggerated 80s look out there.

Another good contender from Mecano? No es Serio este Cementerio. A great song for a silly Halloween themed map.

Torero by Chayanne

Another classic, and sad that this hasn’t been considered. Can you imagine the possibilities for this map? You could go for a hot coach with the classic Chayanne black top and jeans from the original music video, or you could go all out silly and have an actual bullfighter like those at the Carmen Overture.

La dama del mar by Mägo de Oz

LESBIAN PIRATE FALLS FOR SIREN! Need I say more?

Las Divinas from Patito Feo

Listen, if Just Dance can put a Violeta song on their games, they can put this classic of a song as well! A song so iconic, from one of the biggest telenovelas ever made, that it has its own choreography. Put this map on JD High or Woodcrown and have a trio of mean girls give the sassiest moves to ever touch the Danceverses.

Y Yo Sigo Aquí by Paulina Rubio

I feature this song bc Ørion made an amazing fanmade mashup with this song and I think this is such an amazing idea. The beat is high and it gives such Sun Horizon vibes.

Amor Prohibido by Selena

How is the ICON Selena still not in the games? She has such memorable bangers like El Chico del Apartamento 512 and Bim Bim Bom Bom. An unforgettable legend like her should be in these games, especially since I feel like these would fit in a Wasterra setting, a Danceverse that is unfortunately underutilized.

Puntería by Shakira, Karol G

I add this one bc it’s a modern hit by a beloved member of the series that should make her comeback, and I am of the opinion that when she does, she should come back to JD with one of her many Hispanic bangers like this one, Monotonía, Session 53, TQG, and that’s without talking about her many classic hits that haven’t been featured in the games yet. All this to say, please bring her back (I BEG!)

I’ve reached the limit of audios that I can put on this post, so I’m gonna stop right here (I also had to redo half of this post bc it didn’t save properly). If you have any more ideas for songs or if you’d like me to do something like this again, tell me. I’d love to hear y’alls thoughts!

[styrmwb]

Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFXIV - Stormblood)

I don't think the copypasta has reached Stormblood yet BUT ANYWAYS 2ND EXPANSION LET'S DO ITTTTTT! This is when I started playing XIV! Lots of fond memories of TP (0 fond memories of TP). Something Stormbloood does, very similar to XIII, is the main motif. That shit is EVERYWHERE. And luckily, it's Amazing, so I literally am not complaining about hearing it all the time (spot #1 on this list goes to the stormblood quest accepted tune).

Something I will preface with is a lot of the music I love here is in the Omegascape raids but it's all (mostly) remixes! I love all of those songs but it would be doing this soundtrack a disservice to put any of them in this list (That Dancing Mad version is fucking dope though)

5. Crimson Sunrise Easily my second favorite main city theme. I feel like I can't say much about the melody, cause it is The Stormblood Motif and I'm probably gonna say some more about it later down the list, but I will say I love the instruments used here. The flute and plucking (I think it's a shamisen) is really calming, and the slow tempo of the drums (taiko?) add to this, while also giving that grand nature befitting of a huge city.

4. Dangertek Completely different vibe from the last song. This was originally introduced in PvP, but I more commonly experience it in treasure maps. It's an absolutely banger techno remix of Hard to Kill, the FATE Boss theme, and it's my favorite version of the two. The melody is sick, the guitar playing it rocks, and that heavy beat is a bop. I also really love the interlude section that I can only describe with the BADADUNBADADUNBADADUN noise going back into the Hard to Kill riff again but from a distance, it's so coollllllll I love this song

3. Triumph Part 2 of The Stormblood Motif; but I think this version is the most stand out example. This also includes the Ala Mhigo anthem for an epic combination of both sides of the expansion, a lot of eastern instruments included. I love the start of this song with the japanese flute and the more middle eastern sounding guitar (I have learned that this is called an Oud!) again, showing that combination of two ends. The Ala Mhigo anthem played by the brass builds up the intensity of the song, and then The Stormblood Motif rockets it into pure hype. It's so hard not to sing along to it every time it plays! The finale of this song sounds like a spiral wind down while still keeping the energy. It's impossible to hate any dungeons in this expansion when you know you're gonna hear this at the end. (STORM OF BLOOD, BORN FROM BLOOD, OF OUR FALLEN BROTHERRRRRSSSS! BORN UPON OUR HANDS, CRADLED IN OUR ARMS, SWELLING IN OUR HEAAAAAARTS! RAISE YOUR WEARY HEAD, HEED THE CALL TO ARMS, RINGING IN YOUR HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!!!!)

2. Amatsu Kaze Bringing in that classic Primals rock to this list in my favorite way, Amatsu Kaze is a song I literally liked so much I learned to sing to it despite not knowing Japanese (I'm sure my pronunciation is horrible don't worry I keep it private). That fucking bass at the start is legendary, not to mention the electric strumming and the strange vibraphone like pongs creating a super unique sound. It's not a very high speed intense rush song, but that slower deliberate nature is perfect for Byakko being this massive brutal creature. To the main meat of the song, I love how it's the first lyrical song in XIV to be in Japanese! I mean, like, I don't see why they wouldn't cause it literally takes place in the Far East, but I still love it. The verse sounds like he's holding in his anger, the refrain getting more angry, and then finally screaming in the chorus (I looked up music words for this I hope I'm using them right). The very end of the song before the loop sounds like an absolutely mindless rage, looping and spiraling before calming down once more. What else is really cool about the lyrics is it's actually telling Byakko and Tenzen's story (also shoutouts to the XI reference let's goooo), which the next of the Four Lords' song also does. This song is addictive to listen to, only getting more hype as it continues. In the Primals version, it even has Yoshi-P singing it which is fucking outstanding. (KAZE TODOROKE KAZE TODOROKE KAZE TODOROKEEEEEEEEEE)

1. The Worm's Tail COME DON THE MASK OF BLIND BETRAYAL E'ER DOES THE HEAD DEVOUR ITS TAIL AS IRON BENDS TO STEEL O'ER MY RIVALS I PREVAIL! This song has a beginning so fucking epic, they use it twice in the game (granted the second time was a medley BUT UHH SHUT UP). The Worm's Tail is my favorite final boss theme out of all of the XIV expansions. As you can probably tell, I fucking love that intro. The massive choir setting the stage as you fly into the heavens on a giant fucking dragon that you're literally trying to kill, the drums slamming to raise the song further, I hate using this word so much, but it's fuckin epic! The final note brings tears to my eyes. When the song actually starts, it goes into this really really cool melody that's very bouncy and I THINK it's waltz like? please feel free to correct me on this I need to expand my words but I hope you get what I mean. It's a very unique rhythm. I love the middle part between it looping, continuing to raise the song even higher, almost like that audio illusion that keeps going up despite not actually going up? It gives that illusion of height as it should. The entire way through, the orchestra continues to sound heavy and grand even during the "calmer" parts, which for the size of this fight and Shinryu himself, I think is perfect. Finally, we reach The Stormblood Motif Part 3. The finale of this expansion HAS to fucking have it. The melody itself already sounds uplifting, it already stokes the fires in your heart. Combine it with the sound of this song and the context of the fight, and it brings it to the highest level it could possibly go. Last thoughts, cause I couldn't put them anywhere else, but while the base version is mainly gibberish vocals, the official orchestral version actually adds lyrics (same with Ultima and Heroes), and this song is essentially sung By Zenos. It talks of rising above, it talks about being the beginning and the end, and it's even partly sung in latin, befitting the Garlean Empire. The entire song is Zenos's victory chant against you, but you almost combat him equally with Storm of Blood overtaking the entire song. It's fuckin poetic, man.

Honorable mentions are: Prelude - Long March Home, Heroes of Stormblood, Gates of the Moon, Beauty's Wicked Wiles, Answer on High, Wayward Daughter, eScape, Sunset, Sunrise, and From the Dragon's Wake. (and again like every song in Omegascape and Return to Ivalice (those songs are just straight ports but tactics music fucks))

[cyarskaren52]

REGULATORS: THE 25 DOPEST G-FUNK SONGS

By Stereo Williams

Published Mon, February 7, 2022 at 12:00 AM EST

West Coast Hip-Hop was already becoming a force. 

In the late 1980s, artists like Ice-T, Too $hort, King Tee and N.W.A. were putting California on the Hip-Hop map and by the dawn of the 1990s, New York City's grip on the rap industry was no longer a given. Producers like Above The Law's Cold 187Um (aka Big Hutch), DJ Quik and most famously, Dr. Dre, began melding their love of the bass-heavy grooves of Parliament/Funkadelic and other bands like Zapp and the Ohio Players, into Hip-Hop beats. The sound that emerged came to be known as G-Funk, and after 1992, it took over the West Coast.

And, in turn, the West Coast would take over Hip-Hop, commercially. After Dr. Dre took G-funk to the mainstream with the success of his solo debut The Chronic, the sound was virtually everywhere. With the Super Bowl Halftime Show putting everyone in a West Coast spirit, we decided to rank the 25 Dopest G-Funk songs. 

#26

"YOUR LOVE IS A 1.8.7." - THE WHITEHEAD BROS [BONUS SONG]

G-Funk was so big in 1993/1994, that it started to influence R&B. One of the most obvious examples was this single from The Whitehead Bros. With its squealing synths and references to murder and automatic weapons, it's a gangstafied love song. 

#25

"SUMMERTIME IN THE LBC" - THE DOVE SHACK

One of the most criminally overshadowed groups of the era, The Dove Shack came out swinging with this breezy ode to Long Beach in the summer. 

#24

"GETTIN' IT" - TOO $HORT W/PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC

"We gon' do it like this...on the last album," $hort Dog mournfully announced on this Parliament-assisted banger. Of course, we all know Too $hort was far from finished, but he delivered one of the most prominent latter entries in the G-Funk canon. 

#23

"AIN'T NO FUN" SNOOP DOGGY DOGG FEAT. WARREN G, NATE DOGG AND KURUPT

Yes, it's one of the most problematic songs of all time. But what a banger! Daz ghost-produced this G-funk staple. 

DROP YOUR EMAIL

TO STAY IN THE KNOW

SUBMIT

#22

"DEEZ NUUUTZ" - DR. DRE FEAT. DAT NIGGAZ DAZ, NATE DOGG

Another classic from "The Chronic," and a song that spawned 30 years of eighth grader jokes, the Nate Dogg outro is just perfection. 

#21

"ALWAYZ INTO SOMETHIN'" - N.W.A.

Probably the clearest indicator on N.W.A.'s notorious sophomore album "Niggaz4Life" of where Dr. Dre was about to take things with "The Chronic" a year later. 

#20

"REAL MUTHAPHUCKKIN G'S" - EAZY-E FEAT. B.G. KNOCC OUT AND DRESTA

Eazy-E's diss aimed squarely at Dr. Dre and Death Row, this track was one of the best examples of Ruthless Records' brand of G-Funk, a sound the label rarely gets acknowledgment for. 

#19

"INDO SMOKE" - MISTA GRIMM

A weed theme song for stoners circa 1993, this banger from the "Poetic Justice" soundtrack gave an indication of where Warren G was going to go production-wise. It also memorably provided an intro snippet on Snoop's "Doggy Style" a few months later.

#18

"DUSTED 'N' DISGUSTED" - E-40 FEAT. MAC MALL, SPICE 1, ANT BANKS, 2PAC

E-40 pulls together a who's-who of Bay Area legends for one of the most beloved singles in his catalog. 

#17

"BLACK SUPERMAN" - ABOVE THE LAW

ATL's G-Funk legacy has always been overshadowed by the behemoth that is Death Row, but know that Cold 187um got there first and Ruthless sustained the sound alongside more high-profile camps. 

#16

"LET'S PLAY HOUSE" - THA DOGG POUND FEAT. MICHEL'LE AND NATE DOGG

A song that would become a West Coast backyard boogie staple for years to come, it's Daz in top form, production-wise. But everyone brings their A game here. 

#15

"DOLLAZ & SENSE" - DJ QUIK

Quik takes no prisoners on this infamous MC Eiht diss. Their feud would be one of West Coast Hip-Hop's most notorious, and this track is a classic entry. 

#14

"AFRO PUFFS" - LADY OF RAGE FEAT. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

The First Lady of Death Row came with it on this hit single from "Above The Rim," an ode to natural hair, gangsta shit and keepin' it funky. 

#13

"DOGGY DOGG WORLD" - SNOOP DOGGY DOGG FEAT. THA DOGG POUND, THE DRAMATICS AND WARREN G

The pimptastic video is one of the most memorable of the 90s; and the groove is pure 70s funk, highlighting how deeply indebted to that era G-funk had been. 

#12

"YOU KNOW HOW WE DO IT" - ICE CUBE

Cube's first album was Bomb Squad bombast and his second outing was looser, but still hard. After enjoying mainstream success with singles like "It Was A Good Day" and "Check Yo' Self," Cube dropped his most obviously G-Funk-leaning single in this West Coast classic. 

#11

"LET ME RIDE" - DR. DRE FEAT. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG AND JEWELL

Dre's love of P-Funk was never more evident than on this Sunday driving anthem. The flip of "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" is perfect and it gave "The Chronic" another hit single. 

#10

"THIS D.J."

Sure, the Nate Dogg-assisted "Regulate" is way more famous. But this follow-up single best sums up the sunny vibe of Warren G's particular brand of G-Funk. He kept it street, but also gave a more laid-back alternative to what was coming out of Death Row at the time. And this is a great summer song.

#9

"CALIFORNIA LOVE" [REMIX] - 2PAC W/DR. DRE FEAT. ROGER TROUTMAN

The original may be more famous, but it's the remix that's pure G-Funk. From that wobbly bassline to those squealy synths and the presence of an electro-funk legend in Roger Troutman himself. 

#8

"WHO AM I? (WHAT'S MY NAME)" - SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

It's so P-Funk-like, it's like you can hear George Clinton sitting in the room. Nobody would ever have trouble remembering his name again. Shoutout to "Atomic Dog." 

#7

"CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT" - ABOVE THE LAW FEAT. 2PAC AND MONEY B

Big Hutch (Cold 187Um) is one of the most underrated producers of all time. It's so funky and Pac and Money B bring some of that freewheeling D.U. energy to the proceedings. 

#6

"BIG PIMPIN'" - THA DOGG POUND FEAT. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

Daz's spin on G-Funk is so distinct. He goes deep into those bass grooves and this is one of his rubbery best. From the classic "Above The Rim" soundtrack, it helped announce that Tha Dogg Pound was up next. 

#5

"DRE DAY" - DR. DRE W/SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

From that opening thump; you can feel Parliament's influence. This hit from "The Chronic" was the culmination of his sound up that point--and yes, a scorching diss of Dre's former bandmate Eazy-E (and Luke and Tim Dog). 

#4

"REGULATE" - WARREN G FEAT. NATE DOGG

Where the G-Child proved to any late comers that he was more than just Dre's brother. The Long Beach product crafted his own uniquely melodic brand of G-Funk, and this classic epitomized it. 

#3

"TONITE" - DJ QUIK

Another example of G-Funk before Death Row and "The Chronic," DJ Quik's breakout hit wasn't necessarily called "G-Funk" at the time, but when you listen to it now, it's clear that he's pointing towards where so much mainstream West Coast Hip-Hop was headed. 

#2

"GIN AND JUICE" - SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

Another ode to getting drunk as hell, Snoop's second single cemented him as the most unique new voice in the game back in 1994. All these years later, it's a staple of the sound and era, a true G-Funk classic. 

#1

"NUTHIN' BUT A 'G' THANG" DR. DRE FEAT. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

"Deep Cover" obviously came first, but this was Death Row's first smash and the song that pushed G Funk into the mainstream. Snoop and Dre's chemistry was on fire, and the groove launched a thousand imitators.

Sent from my iPhone

[charmingstage]

ranking CHaCK-UP songs

i need to procrastinate (rating based on the song itself + a few of my own biases like oshis and choreography)

Galaxy legend: BOP. its like. fun and cute and captures the alien vibe but like. the mv plays in my head every time and i really want to scrub my mind clean of that (jk but also not jk. youll uindewrstand if youve watched it every irl ive shown dolste mvs to ALWAYS ranks their mv dead last)

ON TOP!: AMAZING. its a) the maru/masao bias but also b) it is just so Protagonist. only thing is i wish it was a little catchier + the choreo was more fun

Hatsukoi Situation Shuttle: BOP. would be higher but thanks to spotify only having this ver i find it SEVERELY overplayed now.

Hatsukoi Situation School: AMAZING. the same song but diff lyrics hits different. maybe bc i barely hear it unless im using AWA or im watching the concerts. need to learn the choreo

Zero Gravity LOVE: COOL. i love yamato furuya but the vocals on spotify are not hitting. wish theyd recorded it a little later bc the etl 214 version of this song was amazing. isnt a BOP js bc i really hate this song's choreo (WHAT ARE THEY DOINGGGG)

Treasure Map: BOP. so so cute + choreo looks SO fun. the WOW-WOWs are really cute but gets a bit repetitive. also not entirely convinced they got everyone in the recording studio i can only hear vee and maybe maru. potentially hearing pommy but idk if they included him in it

Kiseki no Kakera: STRAIGHT BANGER. i LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS not just as a shipper but also bc its so pretty sounding. tbh i hated it when i first listened to it (maybe it was reo's vocals? mimita is strangely high pitched) but now? ugh i start crying whenever it comes on (that acoustic guitar does something to me) DAISUKI DAAAAA

Check in and Go: and another STRAIGHT BANGER. ugh arrival of our saviour pommy. SUCH a groovy song SUCH fun and a lil tricky choreo. I NEED TO LEARN THIS PROPERLY IT IS SO AAAAA. i can see the songwriter's bias.

RAIN DANCE: COOL. will skip it if it comes on and im still energetic, will leave it on if im too lazy to move. its sweet n cute (i start singing the chorus whenever i get bored) but its not super WOWWW

Big Bang: STRAIGHT BANGER. i will never skip big bang. best song + such good idol unit choreo. its so good omg. yes you are the best thing thats happened to me u give me purpose yes i believe <333 i LOVE the little references to their theme songs ughhh its so goodddddd (juju's theme stumped me so bad until someone pointed out it was joker game's chorus -> made me so mad when i realised) wish i could watch the full unit performance :(

RISE-5th Season-: COOL. spotify keeps pushing this one onto me. idk its like RAIN DANCE to me, ill skip unless im lazy. sorry dot ur not my fave (even if his vocals are objectively the best). very nice vibes tho

Joker Game: STRAIGHT BANGER. am constantly haunted by the performances but its fine (its so much fun). i cant help but dance whenever i hear that dramatic ahh supervillain opening. like YES GO on that mission YES find yourself in a love affair GOOD FOR YOU KINGS.

Altair: AMAZING. loving the guitar in this one. plus pommy and maru's voices are really nice together. feels very "reminiscing on a friendship/time spent together" UGH i love them

luckily nothing made it to DELETE <3 :) link to the poll below

[smilesrobotlover]

@majorproblems77

Ok, so Phantom hourglass is the first DS Zelda game, that you can play on the DS lite and the 3DS, there might be others idk bdkdbdkd. It’s a sequel to the wind waker and really utilizes the DS console in the game, it’s actually quite impressive. You control Link by using the stylus, you fight with the stylus, and while it can be difficult to control link at times because of this, it really takes advantage of the touch screen. It uses the crap out of the two screens, let’s you draw on the map, has you blow or yell into the mic (blowing works the best honestly), and even has a moment where you close the DS to transfer something from the top screen to the bottom screen. It utilizes the console its on in such creative ways it really makes it charming.

The overall story is that Tetra and her pirate crew are looking for the ghost ship, they find it and Tetra jumps on, but she screams. Link jumps after her but falls into the sea. He finds himself on Mercay island where he meets Ciela and Oshus, and he travels the sea with my fav Zelda character Linebeck, finds Neri and Leaf who are two fairies, and you uncover secrets about Ciela and Oshus. The main antagonist is a very unique and underrated villain named Bellum that takes the life force from living things, though he doesn’t have a personality, I find him very cool.

This game is very unique in the fact that it is so good but so bad at the same time. The music is nothing special, but it has a few bangers like Linebeck’s theme, Oshus’s theme, island life, the boss themes, sand of hours, magic in the air, and the Bellum songs. It has wonderful characters and character dynamics, but ultimately does Tetra dirty (I feel like every game Tetra is in does her dirty. The only time in Zelda media when she’s not done dirty is the phantom hourglass manga). The dungeons themselves are pretty cool and have awesome puzzles, specifically the dungeons in the second half, but it also has the worst temple in existence, the ocean king temple. It’s basically a big time limit and you have to redo the same puzzles over and over again (you can have shortcuts when you get certain items, but it sucks the life out of you in more ways than one). All the boss fights are fun imo, and it overall it a very flawed but very fun game. I won’t spoil too much about the story, but I really love the ending! Specifically the final boss! It’s soooo good.

Spirit tracks is its successor and it basically fixes all the issues phantom hourglass has. But ultimately, I love PH more. Idk why, it’s super special to me <3

That’s it, I’m tired of trying to have the “correct” Zelda opinion.

My top three favorite games are Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Phantom Hourglass.

[sofibeth]

Frontiers wrap up

Finished the game last night and had time to simmer it for a bit

will still say its first impression so here goes

- Have to debate whether I like the 3rd or 2nd super sonic boss more, they’re both cool set pieces eitherway. I would said I liked how the 3rd ended more.

- 3rd song is the best tho W.

- I’ve been seeing some opinions of how they address Tails’ “inconsistent” behavior its honestly a double edge sword. I don’t like Forces’ direction but I do respect them trying to stick and just grow from it. Its kinda adds to the whole themeing of the game where the main core 3 are reflecting on themselves and what they want to do moving forward. I feel this aspect would be stronger if it this stick so I’m hoping for it.

- I think it also helps when Sonic is moviating Tails they used more a old and modern example (SA1 and Lost World) for his accomplistments so its using the more mixed stuff in a good way.

- Funny since Flynn was known for fixing the pre-reboot Archie direction and here Frontiers its bout refocusing characters to their more well liked portrayals.

- Actually curious since there been IDW mentions in this game meaning their trying to bridge canon between comics and games how its gonna be incorporate here on out.

- You can really tell their were running out of assets by last 2 islands when 4 th island basicially cutscene island. I will say I like the platforming challenge to reach the last towet as well as the buildup to Sonic’s corruption and how he keeps going despite it all. 

- The plot is simple but I do like how it’s show to us, looking back it cool seeing the visions Sonic gets after a titan are the Ancients piloting it u know?

- Frontiers has def been up there for Sonic portrayals for me. Bring back an aspect IDW focus on the least and how he inspires and encourages people around them. Mostly showcase of how Sage is slowly warming up to Sonic and understanding his way of thinking.

- Funny how this consider Eggman’s more interesting portrayals and its mostly through the egg memos. I think Sage brings a dynamic to him we never seen before and lowkey glad it seen they’re keeping Sage for the future. It would be a waste to use it for one game.

- Like I really like the shot at the end of Sonic being around with the friends he been trying to save the whole game and then pans to Eggman being allow and somewhat mourning for the her daughter is sort of accidently created its good stuff.

- But getting ahead of myself I do like how the 5th island been more on level of challenging the player every they know it just collect all the emeralds, its smaller to thank god consider Chaos’ size.

- The final boss.....I liked it bbbuuutt I can understand why some won’t (have some friends or fall on both the pro and con of it) the first half is a cool setup but I feel wasn’t scaled to the appropirate difficultly level as I cheesed it pretty easily. I was also playing Hard Mode so I got the “secret” and I ironicially I think its what saved it for me cause once you figured out the play style its a matter of timing and focus. I felt like I really earned that victory and final cutscene. That said if they wanted this in the end they should have introduced this mechanic sonner and more frequent as its only in 3 minigames. (the minigames were cute btw)

- I love the credit songs but mann why is Vandalize only play in the lower difficulties? The song too much of a banger to cut okay.

- But yea overal I enjoyed my experience with Frontiers, there alot of flaws I can poiint when playing (night challenges, wanting a mini map,some jank, they really need to upgrade the character models now) but overall this game just feels like a love letter to Sonic fans! Your gonna one thing to enjoy about this game and I hope SEGA learns the right lesson going forward.

I feel excited for Sonic games again!

[shinygoku]

In LAL I’ve finally done the 7 chapters, so I feel like Ranking ‘em with short pros and cons that contribute to my placements~

It’ll be in Quality Acending order, so starting with the least and moving up to the Beast! ✨ This post will try to be Spoiler Free!

7th Place - Prehistory: A goofy Flintstones-esque romp, though with less smoking ads and 60′s references. Though honestly, I’d have preferred that type of humour over the Fart and Nudity centred focus that we actually get lmao... but this scenario still made me smile and was overall Fun, just the clear weakest for me. Extremely boppable music and nice simple enjoyment in raw Unga Bunga Power, but I did not want to deal with the Superboss and the secret I did engage in was still cryptic as hell.

6th - Present Day (1994): An interesting spin on the gameplay, but with only 7 battles you don’t have much to dig into... In a Mega Man-esque direction, the order of the fights is yours, but there’s a nice through line if you may your choices in a certain order. The other fighters have some implied depth to them and are good sportsmen, which was a neat surprise. Masaru is also fun to play as, his barren apartment still allowing him to make serious gains lmao. But yeah, very short and pretty same-y, so it’s not The Strongest on the rankings...!

5th - Near Future: This is hard to place, as when it’s good, it is very very good! And when it is bad it is horrid... Hmm. It starts several cool ideas but then fails to properly follow up on them, pretty much every point is left a bit open and hanging at the end, and that’s bothersome on one with a big dark plot! There ain’t many enemy types, one plot-important location is way too big and easy to get lost in while having no way to return in case you missed something. Also, there’s a minigame that you can miss entirely that gives good items. Also also, there’s a big plot turn towards the end that only had slight foreshadowing if you went out of your way to look for it. Yeah, it’s a bit of a mess... AND Akira’s stats are kinda weedy! But I do love Akira himself, the Battle Theme and especially the Kageyama vocal song~

4th - Western: This is a popular chapter, the main fault that people have with it being that it’s very short. And yeah, that’s very agreeable! I also didn’t much care for the battle theme in this one, fortunately you spend way longer hearing Megalomania instead! The main gimmick is a bit hard and/or trial and error, but very satisfying if ya pull it off~

3rd - Imperial China: Good length, good variety of moves and enemies, nice music, a huge gut punch that is impossible to avoid... This is a Solid Chapter. But I’m never that pleased when the Gut Punch actually happens, as I feel guilty too easy anyway! But also, if you get complacent, you may make moves you regret dearly later on. There are a fuckload of fights and I get a bit bored of the Imperial KK sounding first few notes after a few in a row though.

2nd - Distant Future: The most Cerebral of ‘em all, only 1 mandatory fight, and lots and lots and LOTS of Characters Talking. And it’s goooooood!! As much as the plot leans on Famous SciFi, the interactions and character nuances give this a lot of meat, with the side dish of horror and suspence. We Are All Love Cube!!

1st - Edo Japan: I’m gonna admit first that I am biased for this, and if I wasn’t, I mighta put it lower because HOO BOY this one is Hard Mode!! And you can choose to make it even harder, which I did! But see... that’s a strength objectively; it’s a huge, sprawling, maze-like scenario and you have a certain amount of freedom in just how you go about it. The visuals are fantastic, the music is all bangers and the ending even takes into account the choices you made and changes accordingly. This is the Undertale before Undertale, after all, but much more My Style lmao. Just yeah, go in ready to grind, refer to maps and get a bit lost several times... it’s all worth it in the end imo, also fighting as Oboro is really enjoyable and even pretty~

[bisluthq]

YES THANK YOU! Whether or not Taylor and Saoirse are straight they are allowed to love women. They are allowed to say women are amazing, they are allowed to look at another woman and say she looks hot (Nat has called Jack hot many times after all). Being a feminist and loving women has nothing to do with sexuality. Liking gay stuff doesn’t mean you’re gay just like liking straight stuff doesn’t make you straight (again, look at Nat 😭). Stop reading into everything people do!! And who the fuck cares whether or not they like men or women or both or neither?

I just hate it because it’s such a reductive take? And no one EVER applies it to cishet white dudebro stuff. No one ever says “oh you like The Beatles? You like Leonard Cohen? You like Nirvana? Guess you’re a cishet white guy!!! If you’re not you shouldn’t like those things!” - you just… like those things and they’re seen as “universal” tbh. With marginalized artists’ art you’re gonna understand it differently if it maps onto your experience but the thing is good art is universal. Even if the situation doesn’t apply to you, a lot of the emotions and undercurrents will.

A white straight guy jamming to THATS WHAT I WANT doesn’t become a queer Black man. He’s very possibly identifying with themes like: loneliness, the excitement to meet someone new, the desire for something to work out, and the desire for love and affirmation. Is it gonna be a more meaningful song for a queer Black man? Yes obviously based on like… specifics in the lyrics. Are certain themes in the song universal? Also yes. And like it’s a banger so even if the lyrics don’t connect maybe you just enjoy jamming to it and that’s fair enough.

And sometimes it’s even more fucking complicated. The Wachowski sisters made The Matrix about the trans experience - and cishet white dudedbros LOVED it and love it till this day. Does that make them trans? Does it mean they/any cis people watching the film understand that angle beyond cerebrally when it’s explained to us? Of course not. But it’s a cool fucking movie.

I think it’s fucked up to gatekeep gay artists’ shit from straight people who like it or say “well if you like this obviously you’re gay”. If you do find yourself inexplicably and persistently drawn to gay art that’s something you might want to explore right but that’s not for someone else to decide imo. And it might just be that you like that shit, like sometimes people just like shit.

I think we should accept that we might not understand certain aspects of marginalized artists’ experiences and how those show up in their art but we shouldn’t stop watching and listening and reading and we can find stuff we enjoy about it. Boys can like art girls make, cis people can enjoy trans artists’ work, white people can enjoy art by POC, people from the West can enjoy art made in the developing world. That should be something we strive for tbh.

[papenniesandbentoboxes]

Favorite ND Soundtracks

Alright. I am a huge music nerd. For some time, I was a music major at college (I changed majors after having to take nine classes a semester because of all my ensembles). One of my hobbies is listening to movie and game scores. Some of the Nancy Drew games have some pretty great music. I don’t really know how I’d rank my favorites, but I’m going to list them in no particular order.

Shadow at Water’s Edge

Lovely traditional Japanese sound. Very calming yet it just sounds like someone is watching you. 

The scenes in the city have some great music. Honestly? They are bops.

The music fits perfectly with the ambiance and mood. The music at the ryokan is haunting and beautiful and the music in the city is fun and carefree.

“Kasumi” is so wonderfully haunting and beautiful and horrifying at the same time. It’s beautiful and peaceful, and it makes me feel both sad and like I’m gonna die from being attacked by the yurei.

Some of the tracks in this don’t sound like they’re from a Nancy Drew game. They sound like they came straight out of a horror film.

Secret of Shadow Ranch

Western. Soooo western. A stereotypical cowboy movie score. I love it.

It makes me feel like I’m a cowboy in the wild west.

The guitar picking is perfect in “Dirk”. I love it so much that I listened and taught myself on the guitar and I played it too much because my sister was sick of it for a long time.

The ghost town music fits so well. A perfect combination of suspense and yeehaw.

The drums in “Lands”... Perfect. And the trombones in “Danger”... Great.

Curse of Blackmoor Manor

This score. It’s amazing. It makes me feel like I’m in an old English mansion poking around and searching through hidden passages. Oh wait...

This score seems like it should be the background music for a BBC show about royalty.

Some of the music is downright terrifying. Also, the dulcimer?! That instrument is underrated and used amazingly!

The piano and strings parts are just beautiful. “Memoirs” is one of my favorites. The use of dynamics in that piece is lovely.

This is probably the only music where a recorder sounds good.

Brigitte. I still know that song so well.

Legend of the Crystal Skull

Okay. As a jazz singer, this soundtrack spoke to my soul. 

They mix horror and jazz and that makes me love it sooooo much.

I just really like jazz, okay?

“Bruno” hits different. It feels like you just walked into a 1930s New Orleans nightclub holding a cigarette and wearing a fur coat.

“Bayou” give me “Gonna Take You There” vibes.

Haunting of Castle Malloy

Say what you want about the game, but the music is beautiful.

“Nursery” still gives me chills. “Map” makes me feel like I should always be watching my back. “Grand” is rightly named. 

The music in the pub are bangers. 

As a Celtic music fan, this soundtrack is truly wonderful.

Warnings at Waverly Academy

This one fits the environment so well. Both suspenseful and youthful.

The cello. Ooooh, the cello. *chef’s kiss*

The violin solo... It’s so beautifully creepy and unsettling with the resonance and the reverb. 

It just feels like late autumn/early winter. It has that vibe and it’s wonderful.

The Captive Curse

Again, as a musician, I’ve been exposed to lots of music, and some of that is traditional Bavarian music. This one combined the mystery of Nancy Drew games with the traditional music and it was done well.

“Girls” is both beautiful and slightly tragic. The piano, the violin, the cello, the everything. It feels like I should be out there wearing a dirndl with Nancy and remember all the girls before that have died at this castle.

Speaking of castle, “Castle” is so wonderfully mysterious. So is “Mystery”, of course. And the violin in “Legend”? It makes me feel curious.

The choir in “Creature” brings a whole new vibe to the game. Kinda gave me “Duel of Fates” vibes, if you know what I mean.

The Deadly Device

It sounds like it came straight out of a sci-fi film. It also gives me Doctor Who and Thor: Ragnarok vibes.

The repeated motif in “Research” sounds like “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”, don’t hate me.

It fits the techie nerd vibe as well as the “hello, this is murder” vibe.

Ghost of Thornton Hall

This one. Oooh ho ho, this one. It still gives me chills. The music adds so much to the game. It’s creepy enough already, but add this amazing music and you get one of the most creepy Nancy Drew games.

Oh, did I also mention that this music will bring you to tears? Yeah.

That little bit of background choir in some of the tracks?

The brass section in “Dark” has a feel of urgency.

The OPERA in the background. UGH, IT’S AMAZING. This is coming from a person who has sang opera before and DAMN is this stuff beautiful. The vocalese is amazing.

The rhyme... The rhyme.

“Past” is so beautiful and tragic and truly captivates the sadness of the entire situation.

That one time where the drums are pretty much a heartbeat? Freaks me out. Every time. I love it.

The Silent Spy

This one has amazing music and it’s also one of the plot points in the mystery.

The link between Kate and the piano is amazing. Every time I hear the piano, it’s a reminder of Kate and her presence. 

Kate’s Theme is so simple, yet so beautiful. 

The bagpipes in the background add a whole new layer of sadness. I am one of those people who actually loves the bagpipes.

It feels like a FRICKIN SPY/HEIST MOVIE.

At the same time, SCOTLAND.

The use of the electric guitar is very lovely.

Labyrinth of Lies

I love it. I love it. The music belongs there.

The use of traditional Greek inspired music is wonderful and really helps with the entire ambiance. 

“Souls” sounds like it belongs in the underworld.

Sea of Darkness

Hoooooly moly, I love this music. The strings, the choir, the woodwinds, the brass? Everything.

This music makes me want to go sailing.

“The Word I Couldn’t Keep” is still an amazing, beautiful song and no one can tell me otherwise because I am right.

The music in the ice caves, “Waiting” is absolutely amazing. The reverb makes it sound like it’s actually coming from inside the caves.

Midnight in Salem

Again, say what you want about the game, but the music was amazing.

Okay, they had some bops and bangers in this game. I was grooving to these tunes.

It sounds so Halloweeny. It’s so delightfully creepy. It sounds like a Danny Elfman soundtrack and I am HERE for it.

The use of the harp in these tracks is wonderful. It sounds like they also used chimes in here, which fits well.

“Feelings” is so beautiful. Another one of those hauntingly beautiful tracks that hits you in the feels.

“Family” instantly transports me from wherever I am to a small town in the mid-autumn with a little creepy vibe.

I got GTH vibes from some of these. I loved it.

The Phantom of Venice music during Ned’s phone call was superb. I heard it and instantly had flashbacks to Nancy’s not-quite-stripper days.

Seriously. Danny Elfman vibes.

Feel free to add on!! I’d love to hear more about what other people think of the soundtracks. 

[wanderingpeonies]

WOOOOOOOOOO here you go. idk julien baker outside of boygenius so these are all lucy dacus and that. anyways, this is organized by album.

—

from the historian album:

‘body to flame’ was what got me into her music it is so fucking good. amazing metaphor shit oughhh. tears your lungs out of your body and then stomps on them and then shoves them back in upside down

‘next of kin’ has multiple banger i wanna die lines and some cool depersonalization themes ,,,, very good.

‘pillar of truth’ is. ohhhhh my god. sad sad sad metaphors and all that shit. like jesus christ i am falling over into a pit of spikes absolutely amazing .

‘night shift’ is her most popular & i honestly am not a super big fan of most of the song. it’s just the last part that is so gut wrenching,, anyways it’s about an abusive / bad relationship.

from the no burden album:

‘map on a wall’ isn’t super sad but it has great figurative language that’s just like. bittersweet, i think?

‘dream state…’ and ‘…familiar place’ are like. twin songs with similar themes and repeated line between them. it’s not explicitly sad but feels incredibly melancholy and solemn. really really good

from the home video album:

‘please stay’ is wonderful. it’s about a friend being suicidal and like . you get the gist. really fucking sad and that repetitive kind of sadness that makes you want to die violently

‘thumbs’ is on the very specific topic of dacus’s friend having an absent and abusive father and meeting him again. its really good though and sad,, definitely worth considering

‘triple dog dare’ is SO good and definitely very much sad queer ,,, ough. so good. also a specific story, but really good

‘cartwheel’ is ripping my heart and ribs out and leaving me to bleed out on the pavement. soooo many metaphors and horrible sadness and more horrible horrible sadness.

‘VBS’ is also a specific story about like. church summer camp. but its so good and sad and amazing

both songs in the home again / it’s too late album are BANGERS and very sad. yea.

‘my mother and i’ is SO FUCKING GOOD its really really depressing and amazing . cries

—

from boygenius, the band lucy dacus and julien baker are in with phoebe bridges:

from the the record album:

‘without you without them’ is so fucking depressing and it’s not in the same musical style as any other song on this list, but oughhhhhhhh i love it

‘cool about it’ is sad and like. not extremely so, but it’s really good. yes.

‘true blue’ is sad but in a happy way, like. oh my god im so used to bad shit, why is this good??? yea like that

‘we’re in love’ is very melancholy and just. aaughjhhhhh you know. really bittersweet so so so sad,,, metaphors and figurative language everywhere,,,,,, i am on the floor

from the boygenius album:

‘bite the hand’ makes me want to drown in a river its so good auooughhhh indescribable sadness

‘salt in the wound’ is amazing with really good abuse metaphors and just. god. fuck!!!!!!!!!!!

—

hope this was good and helps you!! woo hoo

sad julien baker + lucy dacus songs ? im making a playlist

[jmsa1287]

The 10 Best Films of the 2010s

my 2019 pick has already changed since this published lol oh well! 

Compiling a list and picking just 10 films to represent the 2010s is extremely difficult if not nearly impossible — it's hard enough picking a handful of movies for lists that sum up a single year. Films change as the years pass; something you adored in 2011 may not hold up on a re-watch in 2019. Maybe that's because so much has changed in the world this decade, or you've experienced a personal philosophical shift, or a film is tied to a certain experience and emotion that has since soured. And, of course, the opposite can happen. A film you didn't respond to five years ago may have become a new favorite.

This list is a bit of a cheat — or a break — from the typical best films of the decade lists you may have seen online. It will have 10 films representing the best film from each year this decade (2010 through 2019). Though easier, making this list was still difficult mostly because there were so many brilliant and exciting films that were omitted (masterpieces like "Tree of Life" and "Gravity," for instance). Below, find the films that did make the cut and a brief blurb as to why they belong in the cinema hall of fame.

2010: "Black Swan," directed by Darren Aronofsky

Obsession and perfection are two ideas that were constantly explored this decade, thanks to the rise of social media. (There was even a horror movie released on Netflix this year called "The Perfection," starring Allison Williams.) In Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," a young ballet dancer named Nina Sayers (played by an outstanding Natalie Portman, who won the Best Actress Oscar for the role), slowly detaches from reality as she prepares for the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." The film's sound design is unlike any other film this decade. With each bone crack, nail clip, and flesh wound, Aronofsky makes "Black Swan" a social psycho drama melded with body horror, which also features a wild Winona Ryder performance.

2011: "Drive," directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Nicolas Winding Refn's movies aren't for everyone but his neo-noir hyper-violent "Drive" is an undeniable classic and game-changer. Starring Ryan Gosling as an unnamed stunt driver and for-hire getaway driver, "Drive" sparked a sea change in cinema, spawning an aesthetic that featured synth-pop bangers (glittery songs by Chromatics and a pulsating score from Cliff Martinez) and neon lighting. "Drive" tells an age-old story in a new and fresh way that audiences hadn't seen before, going beyond its ultra-cool style, to show a classic L.A. noir tale of betrayal and heartache. NWR also uses Gosling in the best way; boiled down to a few emotions, putting the handsome Hollywood hunk in a twisted role you'd never expect. Oh and Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks show up!

2012: "Spring Breakers," directed by Harmony Korine

"Spring Breakers" might be the best prank this decade. An arthouse film disguised as a sexy college romp, Harmony Korine's film features young college students — played here by Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson — desperate to venture from their Christian college and indulge their wild side during spring break in St. Petersburg, Fla. There, they meet Alien (James Franco), a local rapper and drug dealer who Korine uses to show the dark side of unbridled partying, sex and excessive drinking. Intense dubstep, closeups of fleshy bodies doused in alcohol and an iconic rendition of Britney Spears' "Everytime," "Spring Breakers" has gone on to become a twisted cautionary tale and also put the indie distributor A24 on the map.

2013: "Her," directed by Spike Jonez

If "Black Mirror" shows us the evils of technology, Spike Jonez's melancholic love story "Her" is the other side of the coin. It's a warm and strange film where Joaquin Phoenix delivers a breathtaking performance. As does Scarlett Johansson, who voices Samantha, an A.I. a la Siri but begins to form a romantic relationship with Phoenix's sad-sack Theodore. "Her" is more than a movie about technology; it's an emotional film about change, loss and what it means to be alive that is tucked inside a fully realized not-too-distant future L.A. with a brilliant aesthetic.

2014: "The Wind Rises," directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki has made some of the most successful and culturally significant films since the 80s, including "Spirited Away" and "My Neighbor Totoro." But his so-called last film "The Wind Rises" is an impeccable emotional epic based in realism that is a gut punch to the soul. It's a devastatingly beautiful movie that is half dreamlike and half haunting. It is undoubtedly the most moving film on this list.

2015: "It Follows," directed by David Robert Mitchell

If Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" started a new wave of cinema, David Robert Mitchell's retro throwback "It Follows" is the epitome of it. With a vibrating score from video game composer Disasterpeace, DRM's film winks at slasher films of the 80s, most notably "Nightmare on Elm Street," but dials the aesthetic up to an 11; it's got nothing on "Stranger Things." In this brooding film, a young woman named Jamie (a wonderful Maika Monroe) is cursed after she has sex with her boyfriend, who ties her to a chair and warns her he's passed "it" on to her. "It" is a sinister force that inches itself closer and closer to Jamie in an attempt to kill her. Many saw "It Follows" an allegory to HIV/AIDs or STIs and a commentary of female characters in 80s horror films. It's the film's open-endedness and reinvention of tropes embedded into American cinema that make "It Follows" one of the most thrilling and fascinating films of the decade.

2016: "La La Land," directed by Damien Chazelle

"La La Land" may forever be tied to one of the Academy Awards' biggest blunders in the institution's history, but Damien Chazelle's love letter to the Hollywood Musical is an impressive feat of filmmaking. A romantic saga with musical numbers that don't shy away from its influences (the MGM musical and the Technicolor delights of yesteryear), "La La Land" is an earnest if not corny film. But its Chazelle's impeccable craftsmanship that makes his movie soar while it tells a modern love story about when two figuring out if their passions are more important to them than a future together.

2017: "The Lost City of Z," directed by James Gray

James Gray's mind-blowing epic "The Lost City of Z" will go down as this decade's most under-appreciated film. Like many of the movies on this list, it is a film about obsession, perfection and family trauma. Based on a true story, "Lost City" follows British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) over several years on his plight to find an alleged hidden city deep in the Amazon jungles. There's a World War I sequence and Tom Holland shows up as Percy's son, who is eager to follow in his father's footsteps and head to South America with him. It's devastating and moving in that Gray way even though it is his first movie not set in New York. "Lost City" perfectly melds the personal with human history, resulting in a film that is technically impressive and emotionally shocking.

2018: "Hereditary," directed by Ari Aster

Somewhere in the late 2010s, the term "elevated horror" became part of Film Twitter's lexicon. It's used to described artful films that are grown from horror tropes, most notably "The Witch," "Get Out" and Ari Aster's masterpiece "Hereditary." And though it is definitely a scary movie, labeling it an "elevated horror" film or a horror film, in general, doesn't feel quite right. It's a family drama about trauma that is demented in the same kind of tone of an Edward Albee play. It's more visceral than the late playwright's work, to be sure, and at the center of "Hereditary" is a career-defining performance from Toni Collette. She plays Annie, a grieving mother who is haunted by deep loss and grapples with keeping her sanity and her family together. Aster's film explores family relations and how tragedy can infiltrate the cracks in relationships unlike any other movie this decade.

2019: "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho

"Parasite" is the summation of Bong Joon-ho's work. The Korean filmmaker has long made movies about marginalized folks navigating their way through certain systems. Unlike some of his movies, "Parasite" is rooted in reality; there's no giant elephant-pig or mutated sea creature here. The evil lurking in "Parasite" is privilege and capitalism and if that's not the biggest theme of the late 2010s I'm not quite sure what is. The film is a genre-shifting story told by an expert, who has made a few near-perfect films ("Memories of Murder," "Mother"). When "Parasite" begins to unfold and show its cards, you know you're in the hands of a master and that it won't go off the rails. Here, Joon-ho successfully tells his story with effortless dynamic filmmaking and ease that is completely hypotonic and engaging while being unnervingly gripping and universal.

[fukasenanairo]

Do you play arknights, what's your thought about it?

Dude, I’m obsessed. This game is fun as hell. As of the time of writing, I am a dolphin who spent upwards of $250 on this game (and to think it was still less than what I spent on Voyager’s rate up in FGO alone), with 17 E2 and 90 rolls saved up for Phantom and Ayerscarpe.

I like this game because of 1. the lore - I freaking love how they just drop one or two sentence of hints in a character profile that come back later in some sort of event to punch you in the gut. The setting allows for moral, societal conflicts - what would you have done, what is the right thing to do, are the villains really wrong, you name it. The story may err on the side of cliche at times, and I prefer reading JP text because EN translation is confusing as hell, but it works well enough.

2. the gameplay - the dopamine hits when you get a map right is amazing. Strategy, timing, positioning are all involved, and if you’re bored of puzzles (like I used to be with FEH’s maps) you can just overlevel the crap out of your OP 6*s. You can just get the map right one time and then let it run in the background while you do whatever. It’s the love child of FGO’s engaged gameplay and GBF’s Full Auto, and I love it. 

3. the music - small point, but AK doesn’t skimp on the music. They have their own image songs, collabs, CC theme songs (Operation Pyrite says hi), and banger boss music. frostnovaevolutionhard is still one of my favorite to this day. 

4. the gacha - the gacha????? But yeah, compared to games like FGO, GBF, FEH, SinoAlice, you name it, there’s a lot more value I could find out of the AK gacha than the rest. Monthly packs (headhunting and card) gives you so much value for your money it’s insane. But GBF is far more generous! - you say, and yeah, but part of the value is the characters I get, which brings me to point 5. 

5. the characters - art, voice, design, skins, relationship lore, you name it. Different artists, so it avoids being stale like GBF art, and quality controlled, so it avoids FGO’s questionable designs. I play this game for the guys, but my first E2 was Skadi, and that goes to show how in love I am with her design, voice, pretty much everything. Don’t even talk to me about Reunion - I want every single one of them. They really make you invested in the characters. 

[im-the-punk-who]

PLAYLIST TAG!

rules: we’re snooping through your playlist, put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 20 songs and then choose some victims

Tagged by @spratwurst god MUSIC YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT MUSIC??????

I’m putting my ‘All Songs’ folder on Spotify on shuffle....strap in y’all this is going to be a wild ride.

1) Of All The Gin Joints in All The World, Fall Out Boy (WOW SPOTIFY JUST CALLING ME OUT WITH THIS ONE. This is my all time favorite song, my theme song, the song i listen to when i wanna rage against every feeling i’ve ever had. So uh. *coughs*)

2) Willow Tree March, The Paper Kites (Continuing with a very James Flint Song, Spotify now is NOT THE TIME)

3) Everything Is Alright, Motion City Soundtrack (Okay at this point I have to concede that Spotify does indeed know me. This is entirely too good a playlist)

4) Famous Last Words, My Chemical Romance (SPOTIFY STOP)

5) I’m Shipping Up To Boston, Dropkick Murphys (Honestly I’m not even going to apologize this song is a FUCKING BANGER)

6) Soldier of Love, Sade (Spotify I beg you to stop dragging me) 

7) Maps, Maroon 5 (Don’t @ me this song is a banger)

8) Basket Case, Green Day (Yes, yes I know i’m 20 early 00′s punk bangers in a trenchcoat don’t @ me I’m aware of my brand)

9) Center of Attention, Guster (Honestly the fact it took halfway through this for Guster to come up is impressive considering how much I listen to them)

10) Cabinet Battle #1, Hamilton (LAUGHING MY FUCKING ASS OFF BUT I DO LISTEN TO THIS A LOT)

11) Istanbul (Not Constantinople), The Four Lads (This song is on a playlist called ‘Songs to get misgendered to’)

12) Eros, Yuuri On Ice (COME AT ME SPOTIFY, COME AT ME)

13) Must Be Dreaming, Frou Frou (YEEEEEEEEEES)

14) GUY.exe, Superfruit (Truth.gif)

15) Sympathy, Goo Goo Dolls (Ah yes, returning to my roots. I listen to this song literally on repeat for weeks at a time and apparently Spotify remembers)

16) Boom, Boom, Boom, Vengaboys (THIS SONG IS MY THOT THEME SONG AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT)

17) Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos, Fall Out Boy (Okay in Spotify’s defense I have their entire catalogue saved)

18) I Want It That Way, Backstreet Boys (SPOTIFY IT WAS FOR A PERFORMANCE, IT WAS PERFORMANCE ART)

19) Unwell, Matchbox 20 (U kno wat Spotify)

20) Underwater Bride, Passenger (I was actually really starting to worry Passenger wouldn’t make it on here so uhhhhh cool cool good choice spotify)

OKAY SINCE SPOTIFY DIDN’T PUT IT ON, 

21) Ass Up, Baracuda (This is my #1 party banger, my feel good song, I put this song on when I clean my house and also it’s my oldest OC’s theme song because I’m a fucking thot)

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh @heytheredeann, @gayjackrackham, @agarlandoffreshlycuttears, literally anyone else who wants to do it please music