#streaming will never beat cds

[wyllathepeach]

I'm BACK !! but just to share the really sad news that my CD players are not working and I think I don't wanna live anymore

Anyways I should come back to Tumblr fr

[tariah23]

“Piracy is still good too” Anyway, we are not paying for anime in 2024, fellas 🗣️.

[crudely-drawn-ben]

Introducing Trilogy

Yesterday I released Trilogy, a new tabletop RPG crafted to support you in having grand adventures in worlds of your own making.

There are several reasons I started writing Trilogy, but the biggest one is that I ran a Dungeon World podcast called Crudely Drawn Swords for seven years and that was a lot of time to think about what we were playing. To a degree Trilogy is the game I wish that we could have had to run the podcast.

Starting from the question "what would a purely PbtA game for epic fantasy look like?" I started thinking more widely - what do I want from a fantasy game? And the truth is that I want a game that supports the structure of characters and their interactions but doesn't tie itself to a specific setting.

Trilogy begins with The Appendices - conventionally in epic fantasy these are at the end and document information about the wider world that might not have made it into the story, but here it is where you sit down as a group and decide what tone you want your game to have, and your world looks like. What kind of place is it? What magic is there? What is religion like? What are the major cultures where the story begins? How would it feel to be in this world? Trilogy doesn't tell you any of these things, it gives you the tools to think through how you want your world to look.

This creates a secondary challenge - without knowing what the world looks like, how could I design character classes for this type of game? Trilogy answers this by going back to the fundamentals - instead of a conventional character class, the playbooks in Trilogy represent a narrative arc. Some of them, like The Fighter, The Priest, or The Magus, look like familiar classes. Others, such as The Volunteer, The Mentor, The Weapon, or The Defeated, are a little different. Character arcs have a set of turning points, story beats that allow you to advance along your arc after you have collected a certain amount of experience. Some are positive and others negative, you choose which ones you want to hit and when, but every character's story has its highs and lows and to get the most from the game you need to lean into both. A character can pass through three arcs as they grow and change, like the three volumes of a trilogy.

The aim of the game is to create a slower but satisfying sense of progression - instead of hit points characters take Stress and Harm like in other Powered by the Apocalypse games that can have both mechanical and narrative effects. That makes combat feel dangerous, but the game also offers more ways to solve problems without getting into combat - I have played games where the player characters never got into a fight, instead resolving confrontations through an ingenious selection of alternative strategies including "lying" and "vomiting magic ink all over the floor." I'm genuinely enthusiastic about this game - I think I would be as excited about it if somebody else had written it. It leans hard into the joy of discovery and the excitement of adventure - you can play it as spooky and whimsical or gritty and hard-edged and anywhere in between.

Because I was writing it I even got to make most of the examples of play roll out as the story of someone's game, something I always appreciate when I read it. It also contains every technique I use as a GM in the hope that even before people get the chance to play it (heaven forbid any TTRPG afficionado have books we haven't got around to playing yet!) people who read it will still be able to use that advice in their other games. So that's Trilogy, the game I've been working on for the last few years. I think it's pretty great and I hope you will too:

Obviously it's a full-priced game and that's a big gamble from an unfamiliar creator - if you want an idea of what it's like in practice we've got the CDS team back together and we're starting a streamed campaign so you have a chance to see it in action. You can find that over on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxpXacko9Nc

The first episode includes me notably failing to use OBS at both the beginning and end, and I can't make any promises things will improve in that regard, but it should be a good opportunity to see how the game shapes up from this start and with this crew I know it's going to be funny and take some wild swings. If you're interested in reviewing Trilogy or you really want to give it a try but you can't afford it, drop me a message

[amongemeraldclouds]

the perfect playlist (modern, magical au)

Summary: Mattheo Riddle takes you on a date at a rare record store that plays The Perfect Playlist, a set of songs that lets you relive highlights of your life.

In the intersection where angels last laughed and where a powerful witch dropped her earring, stood The Perfect Playlist. Many brushed it off to be a myth. It seemed too good to be true that an establishment could conjure up the perfect set of songs to match the highlights of your life.

What’s more is that the songs were not just curated but rather created for you. These were lyrics and melodies you couldn’t go out and stream on music platforms nor buy CDs for.

And yet for something that seemed so legendary, it looked just like any record store. The storefront was made with oak once bold and dark, now faded with time. And yet it gleamed where the sun hit it just so, showing off its carefully applied polish.

Past the large window, rows upon rows of vinyls were stacked neatly on shelves. Each album cover had an intriguing design. Different art styles fought for your attention, each with a story to tell.

Beyond the shelves stood cozy listening booths with dark leather seats, still proud and elegant as they had been in their early days. No less worn by the thousands of souls that have sat and listened to their perfect playlist.

The establishment had been so hard to find that most of its customers are those who stumble upon it by accident. Even rarer are those who managed to find its location in the intersection where angels last laughed and where a powerful witch dropped her earring. For it was never in the same place.

And somehow, you and Mattheo Riddle were standing right in front of it. “Surprise!” Mattheo said, motioning to the store. A sophisticated script spelled The Perfect Playlist on the door. You could hardly believe it.

“Who did you have to torture this information from?” You asked, eyeing your boyfriend suspiciously.

“This was through honest research this time,” he smiled proudly.

“You researched it?” You quirked an eyebrow.

“The important thing is we’re here now,” he said, deflecting. “Aren’t I the best?” He took your hand and started walking to the entrance. “You sure are something,” you grinned excitedly as you let him lead the way.

“Now let’s enjoy this once in a lifetime experience!” He said. And it was quite literal for you could only visit once, but it was all you’ll ever need.

The attendant greeted you brightly and he seemed to already know your names. He too, seemed quite ordinary in a shirt and trousers. But that was the last thing that would underwhelm you about this place, for it was never about the store or the beings inside it. It was all about The Perfect Playlist.

He beamed, “The love birds, your booth is ready. Right this way.” He led you to one of the listening booths with its wooden door leading to the cozy leather seat that sunk low when you sat. “Simply put on your headphones, press play when you’re ready, and let the music carry you away. It’s The Perfect Playlist for your relationship.”

He smiled brightly as he closed the door and returned to the counter. Mattheo tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear and placed the headphones on you. You watched his long lashes flutter and still blushed at his proximity even after all this time.

He then put on his headphones and looked at you to confirm you were ready. You smiled and held a thumbs up and so he pressed play.

A faint rhythm started in your ears, a beat that seemed to grow louder by the second. You closed your eyes to listen more carefully until a bright light took over the darkness, the upbeat music now loud enough for you to feel the bass in your headphones until you found your head bopping to the beat.

You may have never heard the song The Perfect Playlist created for you, but you felt the rush of excitement. It was like hearing a great song you haven’t heard in ages, both new and familiar at the same time.

As the beat picked up, bright colors danced along with its rhythm, swirling together until it formed shapes that resembled a music festival. Ahead of you, a DJ onstage hyped up the crowd with the song you were listening to.

Your friends were laughing around you and you were dancing with them, having the time of your life. Of course, this was where you first met Mattheo all those years ago.

Even in a crowded place where people danced and sang their hearts out, you stood out to him. To him, you were sunshine personified. He pretended to bump into you that day, knocking your drink out of your hand so he could buy you one.

You could almost laugh at how the world went in slow motion, the perfect soundtrack softening to something romantic as you introduced yourselves and the sparks flew instantly. It didn’t take long until you were dancing the night away, the playlist back to an upbeat song you could dance to forever.

Then there were long drives and motorcycle rides when you both wanted more speed and danger. Late night talks under the stars, huddled beneath blankets that always led to something more.

That was only the beginning. The Perfect Playlist still had albums worth of songs to play as you relived all your wonderful memories with Mattheo Riddle.

✿ For this request | Follower celebration | Event masterlist

[samcarpentersgirlfriend]

Headcanons for wes as a boyfriend?

ofc!! also got a request asking for the same thing with gender neutral reader so I’m just combining them together :)

these aren’t the best but I tried lol

|| WES HICKS AS YOUR BOYFRIEND 𖤐₊˚.

warnings: none, just fluff

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹

- you probably had to make the first real move - wes liked you too much and didn’t want to screw up his chance with you.

- definitely a horrible flirt but honestly? you kind of love that about him. sometimes his flirting or corny pick up lines are so bad that they’re kinda good, which you find super endearing

- his mother taught him from a very young age that the world can be dangerous which means he’s very protective of you

- like he reminds you to lock your back door before you hang up after an evening call just so you don’t forget, because if not he’ll worry about you and your safety

- again, will make you call him when you get home or insist on dropping you himself even if he lives in the complete opposite direction to you

- wes doesn’t mind going out for dinner for a date but I think he would prefer something more intimate and low-key - maybe watching a movie huddles together on the sofa or maybe going to a small, cosy diner compared to a high-end restaurant

- he would come back with gifts for you that he knows that you’ll love more often that not. he tries to play it off and say that he was in the store anyway and just happened to walk by the gift and thought of you, but he definitely went out of his way to get it because he thought it would make you happy

- he’s an overthinker. sometimes you might send a text and sound slightly off or slightly mad and he’ll stay up thinking about it and if he’s done anything wrong

- he takes a lot of pictures of you. whether you’re just sitting, completely engrossed in whatever it is that you’re doing or whether you’re mid-laugh because of some stupid joke he told you, he can’t help himself because he thinks you look so cute!! one of them is definitely his home screen

- he’s watched his mom cook a bunch of times but that doesn’t mean he’s any good at making food himself </3 he’ll try and make you dinner and desert occasionally but one time he messed up so badly he had to cave and order take out instead. you never let him forget it and lovingly tease him about it whenever you got the chance

- when you hang out with your group of friends, you’ll often catch him staring at you like you’re the most beautiful constellation in the sky. when you first started dating he tried to be smooth about it, but after a while he stopped caring and didn’t care if you saw

- very proud to be with you and actively wants everybody to know that you’re his girlfriend - probably talks about you a lot too

- likes psychical touch - especially when you initiate it. if you’re walking together and you grab his hand in a busy crowd, it never fails to make his heart skip a beat - no matter how long you’ve been together. he isn’t really big on extreme pda but loves to be as close to you as possible when it’s just the two of you.

- he’ll also let you borrow or steal his clothes constantly. you’re cold? here, take his hoodie, he’s sweating anyway. you like his shirt? he never liked it anyway and it looks better on you than it ever did on him. he finds it super attractive when you walk into school wearing one of his tops or go to sleep in a pair of his sweatpants

- he loves to share his interests with you - he’ll try and get you to listen to his favourite band or watch his all - time favourite movie so he can talk about it with you (but he would definitely quote all the iconic lines the whole way through or occasionally recreate full on scenes)

- strangely into vinyls and CDs. he has a bunch of them in his room and anytime anybody asks him why he doesn’t just stream music she’ll just send them a death glare and go on a rant about how playing it traditionally is better. he 100% stocked up on records from your favourite artist after you started dating and plays it when he’s sad - it makes him think of you.

- he’s honestly just a huge closeted nerd tbh

- can also play an instrument- he learned when he was a kid and when you found out, you essentially forced him to play for you. he’s not a professional or anything, but he’ll play you songs because he knows you love it

- isn’t a very confrontational person so he tries to ignore arguments altogether. he knows when he messes up and even if it hurts his pride, he’ll apologise because the last thing he wants is to loose you

- if his mom didn’t accept you at first (due to her thinking nobody was truly good enough for her son), he would stand by you and not budge until she realised she was wrong and that wes was happier than ever

- “wes, I don’t want to get between you and your mom, I-“

“no! I’m dating you and she’s gonna get over it whether she likes it or not. I’m not leaving you to make her happy, okay?”

- it honestly warms your heart that he’ll stand up for you like that tbh

- lets you dye his hair if he needs a touch up, even if he’ll be talking the whole time and checking you out in the mirror to make sure you’re doing it right

- honestly just the best bf in general <33



[jujutsukgojo]

Boy on the throne

gangster sukuna x reader

Chapter One

Summary:

I told you before, didn’t I?” An intense feeling of dread enters the room. Your heart is beating furiously. All you wanted was to watch Shrek, not see this. Not see this dim room with a weeping man on the floor and two of Sukuna’s men behind him.

“I don’t give second chances.”

a/n: A oneshot follow up! btw, what would you do or think? Do you agree with the MC? tw: death, torture (?), fear, depression (?), if anything else let me know!

 

 You do one last swipe of the red polish on your toe. Lately, you’ve been trying to perfect your nail polish skills. It's not like you have much to do lately anyways. You groan as a little bit gets past your nail and onto your skin. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door of your bedroom.  

  “Come in!”  

Your little sister enters with stride. There’s a big smile on her dimpled face. She sports the new colorful dress she just got and has been showing it off. Ever since you’ve been under Sukuna’s protection, the two of you have been lavished with gifts and luxury. Clothes that are the latest trend, jewelry that fits your tastes and then some, and of course, all of the art supplies that you can think of. The only problem? No one is biting for your art. 

  Once again, you’ve been completely blacklisted. Not only that, but you rarely see Sukuna anyway. He always sends his lackeys to get you things or watch you. How many times did you suddenly turn around and see some guy making extreme eye contact with you. It’s unnerving and just…you can’t put your finger on it. What was the point of all of this? 

  You care about Sukuna; you appreciate what he’s done and continues to do. But this feeling won’t go away. Are you unhappy and are missing the boy in your art? You hope it’s not you believing that Sukuna, the boy that graced your canvas at any given moment, is gone. He’s not! You wake up and see him sometimes. His kisses are gentle and passionate. A testament of love that is still so foreign.

  “I want a movie.”  

You sigh and get off the bed awkwardly. Walking, you have your toes lifted up so nothing smudges. “Go to the room, I'll be there in a second.” 

“You don’t know what I want to watch!” You turn around to see the little hands on her hips.  

  “Yes I do, trust me.” She looks at you suspiciously. “Alright...”  

She squints their eyes and walks away slowly. You push her along. “Goofy.” 

You sigh and look around for Shrek. It seems to be the current favorite in the house. Opening the case, you don’t find the disc. Well, you’re sure it’s streaming somewhere. 

“Crap…” Now you remember why you bought a CD. It’s because you couldn’t find it anywhere, surprisingly. “That’s fine, I’ll just ask him.” 

If anyone can find anything, it’s Sukuna. He’s got the nose of a bloodhound. 

  You sneak past your sibling who has their arms crossed, impatiently waiting. If you don’t hurry, you’ll never hear the end of it. You exit and go to the floor that you could have sworn you heard Sukuna mention today. It’s that floor. The floor you’re not allowed in at all. It’s his workspace, his domain, he says. It’s not something for you to worry about. Well, surely he can stop doing some papers or something for a second to help you. 

  You don’t see anyone in the hallway. As you approach the door, you get a heavy feeling. Like something trying to weigh your feet down so you don’t move another inch. You want to turn away and run like a rabbit before it’s too late. To run for your life and pretend you were never there, just like he said to. 

  No, it’s fine. It’s just paperwork, you repeat. 

Without knocking, you open the door slightly to see someone on their knees in front of your boy. The guy looks so familiar to you. He has grey hair that is sectioned with rubber bands at the end. You spot the faint scars and what looks like staples on his wrists. 

Sukuna sits on a chair that can’t be called anything less than a throne. It’s antique looking, grim and built with stones. He has his head in his hand and a devilish smirk on his face. One that you haven’t witnessed before. 

  “I told you before, didn’t I?” An intense feeling of dread enters the room. Your heart is beating furiously. All you wanted was to watch Shrek, not see this. Not see this dim room with a weeping man on the floor and two of Sukuna’s men behind him. 

“I don’t give second chances.” The man is dragged closer to him. No longer around the two other men, he desperately looks around and avoids Sukuna’s stare. The knife Sukuna was playing with slices the man’s chest so hard, he flies back. Blood pours out of the wound. You’ve never seen Sukuna’s strength like this. He’s lifted things for you but to be able to send a man flying with a flick of his wrist is crazy. 

  “Know your place, fool.”

 Sukuna waves two fingers and the other men pounce on the injured. You hear screams that will never leave your ears. 

I don’t give second chances. 

I don’t give second chances.

Which one are you on now? Everything in you is telling you to run. But, if it were you, wouldn’t you want someone to save you? To at least attempt to? Shit, you don’t know what to do. How to even save this person. Call out Sukuna’s name and pray he’d tell everyone to stop isn’t possible. Since he doesn’t give second chances. 

 Suddenly, there’s a face in front of you. At the sudden appearance, you shriek and run. The elevator can’t come soon enough. Literally. Because right before it opens, you are dragged back to the room. 

  “Boss, look.” You are brought before Sukuna. He rubs his face with his hand. His very, very, scary hand. “What are you doing, (Y/n).”

You force yourself to look up. “I-I-I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know?”

The man stops screaming. You aren’t facing him, just Sukuna who sees your horrified expression. 

“Do you want me to take care of her like the rest?” The man who caught you asks. The rest?!

“No. I don’t care what happens to them, only her. Take her back. She better not have a scratch.”

  When you enter the house and see your little sibling with their hands on her hips, looking at you accusingly. “Tsk, tsk, tsk! You left without me and didn’t bring Barbie as Rapunzel!” 

  That was the other movie you had in your hand. You could have avoided all of this if you picked Barbie as Rapunzel or with Rapunzel, whatever. 

“Yeah, hold on.” You quickly get Shrek and place it in the player. She begins to protest at the movie. “Wrong one!”

You leave the room and don’t answer her questions. You shut your art room door and look around for any blank canvas. Tears stream down your face as you mix the paints. A dirty red, a fake white, and the darkest black spread along the canvas. You don’t know what it is yet. You’ll find out when you're done. 

  “What are you doing?” The voice cuts in. The brush stops mid stroke, not knowing where to go. You turn around to see Sukuna. 

“Painting.” You whisper. You should’ve never left your sister! What’d he do? You didn’t hear anything at all, not even him coming in. You start to heave at the thought. Why couldn’t you have stayed with her? Better yet, grabbed her and got the hell out of here? 

  “Everything’s fine, don’t worry.” Ha! Easy for him to say. After what you witnessed, you’re scared. The danger that Sukuna held wasn’t new to you. You remember the store, the deal that occurred right in front of you the day you first met. 

You remember perfectly. So, you’ve always known. But seeing it firsthand is a new beast. You can’t stop hearing the man’s screams. Or the violence that was right outside the store on that fateful day. 

  Sukuna’s hands are over your ears and cover the sides of your face. He looks down at you softly. “Trust in me, sweets.”

  “I’m scared.” He coos and brings you into his chest. He’s warm and broad. Welcoming, strong, and you want to believe this, safe. He smells like something warm and a little like his cologne. 

“You’re safe with me, remember?” He lifts your chin and stares in your eyes. “Sweets-”

“You don’t give second chances,” He pauses. “How many chances have I used up?”

Much to your confusion, he laughs. “Oh love,”  He places a chaste kiss on your lips. “Never change.” Sukuna shows you Barbie as Rapunzel and walks out the room. “I got the movie!” 

Your little sister laughs so cutely at Sukuna’s find. You follow and see your little sister snuggled up to him. He beckons you over with his fingers. Nervously, you sit next to him. 

Sukuna sighs and places your head on his chest. “Never worry when it comes to me, understand?”

“Even at the doctors?” The little one pops her head up and looks so worried. “Okay, at the doctor’s yeah. But everything else, don’t worry. Capisce?”

“Yep!” She goes back to her spot. He wraps his arm around you. “You?” 

  You nod. Still, he looks concerned. “You know you’re my girl, right?” You begin to soften at the words he’s spoken to you before.  Much to Sukuna’s liking, you cuddle up to him, relaxing in his embrace. “I know.”

 “Ahem!” The two of you look at your little sister whose arms are crossed. “Shush!”

He puts his hands up in surrender. “So-rry, sheesh.” 

  You smile at the sight before you. He’s so kind to her. She adores him too, always has. He kisses the top of your head. There’s a deep fluttery feeling in you, it happened before. When he’d let you put him on your canvas. Despite him being uncomfortable at times, he trusted you. 

You take a deep breath and release it slowly. Yeah, you’ll be okay for now.

[dustedmagazine]

Ka — The Thief Next to Jesus (self-released)

The Thief Next to Jesus is a return to form for the Brownsville’s firefighter/MC after a few misses.

Ka’s music has always been low key, but his last double album Languish Arts / Woeful Studies (2022) was so low key it went under radars. He caught heat for his drumless beats. He was castigated as too elitist and too far from modern trends. He pursued an unusual business model, selling music only from his website (the hell with the streaming platforms). Still, he has never been a cult priest pandering only to his followers.

As with his all previous CDs, The Thief Next to Jesus is heavy on the Bible references but it is as far from Christian rap as possible. Poets have long used Bible references, even if few of them lived Christian lives. What makes The Thief Next to Jesus so bold (despite that the production here is still low key) is how Ka mixes together two recurring themes in his lyrics.

He sums up the first one on his song “Such Devotion”:

When you're broke crushing coke don't take much coaxing Cooking the raw is a foot in the door, tryna bust it open

His verdict is “How they dealing? Killing us always been the true agenda.” Turning to a life of crime is the easiest way out but also the only one if you’re stuck with “guns and drugs” already in the 1980s Ice Cube warned us of.

Is this the only way of life you’re supposed to write music about? Ka disagrees (and this is his second theme). That social justice rap is dead is evident to everybody, except for those who’s never known it existed in the first place. “What started as empowerment, I'm feeling now it's past that”, Ka sadly admits on “Bread, Wine, Body, Blood.” Those who were making social justice rap in the early 1990s had different lives. Some are now making millions, like Ice Cube, from the people they hated; some ended up on the streets, panhandling. Now, Ka angrily spits, all rap is “it's pussy this, ass that, all that shit's trash rap.” Bewildered, he asks: “You sure you selling me melody, you keep telling me your ass fat?”

It is self-evident that there is a sickness spreading around in rap music, yet nobody, except Ka, even asks questions like that. He demands answers but nobody will reply: “FBI and Klan killed your leaders, when y'all gone pay 'em back?”

At his best here, Ka is like angry Jesus trying to drive out all the peddlers rappers in the temple. Sadly, he’s preaching to the wrong crowd. They won’t understand.

Ray Garraty

[libras-interactives]

If your ocs were in the modern era, what would there favorite musicians be?

So im terrible at naming musicians and such, so ill go for genre and general taste!

Marius: "whatever's on the radio", and old French music his parents would listen to. He probably likes any music that gets him pumped and has a hard beat. Willing to listen to any genre and is terrible at describing what he likes! Doesn't have a spotify or itunes, just types the song into youtube and blasts that from his cracked phone. Loves a handful of French radio stations he streams on his phone; the quality is fucked and it drains his battery but he doesnt care.

Jack: Exclusively oldies bluegrass and gospel bc thats all his parents would play. Modern pop country and christian rock confounds him. He could swear his pa said something about drums being the devil's instrument. Metal is scary until he reads the lyrics and has a small mental shutdown. Just like him fr fr... thinks Marius' French stations are incomprehensible but he says nothing bc he doesnt have a better suggestion.

Lottie: A huuuge pop girlie, as well as jazz and 90s r&b. Yes jazz is a very broad genre, but she'd like so much of it, especially more unique or weird sounds. Doesnt "get" hyperpop or tiktok music and worries she's getting old bc of that. LOVES musicals and would likely be a professional in the modern times, and if not that, she'd be in local theaters.

Eveline: Still uses cassettes and CDs, and theyre all classical, opera recordings and vocalists, mostly European. Enjoys some musicals. She thinks she's kinda up to date on modern pop music, but when you ask her what's the last pop album she listened to, she'll say Celine Dion's Falling Into You. She'd start sobbing if she got to see Natalie Dessay.

Máire: Huge punk and rock girlie, especially the Irish scene. Probably exclusively listens to punk tbh. She'd frequent the clubs and smoke too much in the corner while appearing disinterested but is actually vibing so hard w the music. Really loves making mixtapes and recordings, never got into vinyls or cds. Wants spotify to burn and die.

Malwina: LOOOVES pop and is a massive Britney Spears, Selena, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson fan. 90s-2000s pop is her favorite by far and those are the only CDs she owns. Probs has a beatup little red Ipod she's had since middle school; it was a hand me down from her oldest cousin and she treasures it even if it's "old". Queen of pirating and burning music but by god she paid for her Mariah Carey and Britney Spears cds. She wanted the pretty inserts and lyric booklets.

Slyvester: Loves a lot of swing and oldies from his parent's day, and Italian vocalists his wife adores. They played Andrea Bocelli almost exclusively at the wedding. Finds the music his sons listen to bizarre but doesn't mind the rock and alt rock too much.

[archoneddzs15]

Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony (2021) - My reaction 3 years later

I am going to admit one thing. I am a Sonic fan, and it has always been this way since 2006 when I got my hands on Sonic Advance 3 for my Game Boy Advance SP. At the time I was one year away from starting elementary school and my family was not well off at the time, so I had to make do with what I could play. Little did I know that my first encounter with the blue hedgehog would change my life forever as I know it today.

Then as I grew older I was able to get some extra games for the systems I did own, such as my childhood 32 bit console, the Sega Saturn. I got Sonic Jam which was my first gateway drug to the classic 16-bit Sonic games, and I even got to roam around in the Sonic World for a bit, doing tasks like collecting rings and such. The Sonic series has its ups and downs, sure, but there is one thing that the Sonic series never fails on, and it became even more apparent when I saw this comment on one particular live-stream where a music teacher was gob-smacked by how fuckin' awesome the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack was!

Anyway, this little long-winded intro out of the way, though it still rings true as the picture says. Let's get right into it. As a 30th anniversary birthday present to Sega's premier franchise Sonic the Hedgehog in 2021, Sega decided "Why not make it bigger and better?" They got some Czech Republic philharmonic orchestra to do the orchestrated medleys for many a Sonic game under the sun, all of which remain one of my favorites. Keep in mind, this Symphony came out before Sonic Frontiers and Superstars. Also, I am not the best in terms of being a music critic unlike the Anthony Fantano types so my reviews of them are going to be relatively brief.

Part 1: Countdown

The music playing during the first 15 minutes of countdown is nothing short of spectacular. The track list is as follows:

A New Journey - Sonic Unleashed

Comfort Zone (Main Menu) - Sonic Mania/Plus

It Doesn't Matter (Instrumental) - Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Goes U.G. Mix - Sonic Gems Collection

Fist Bump (Piano Version - Theater Room) - Sonic Forces

Mission (theme of Sonic 3D Blast) - Sonic Generations

Tropical Resort (Area Theme) - Sonic Colours

Part 2: The Orchestra

The Philarmonic Orchestra masterfully conducted a beautiful rearrangement of almost every Sonic game's soundtrack out there. I say "almost every" because for the Orchestra portion it's missing Sonic CD, the GBA and DS Sonic games and Sonic Boom. But that's minor substitutions in favor of something a lot grander, and I appreciate it. I mean, they even represented games like Sonic Drift 2 and Tails Adventures! Even NiGHTS got a shoutout. How about that for cool?

Part 3: Tomoya Ohtani

Tomoya Ohtani Band. Oh man, what can I say? Well, they played three songs, so let's get right to it.

Reach for the Stars (Re-Colors)

The Re-Colors version of Reach for the Stars as found in Sonic Colours Ultimate, the remaster of the Nintendo Wii game now available on PS4/5, XBOX, Switch and PC. This song absolutely rocked the socks off when I first played the original game on the Wii, and this arrangement is even better still.

Speak with Your Heart (Original + Rainbow Mix)

Things go normal for the first few minutes of this song, which I like, and then Tomoya Ohtani drops a bombshell when it turns into the "Rainbow Mix" which has a trap beat type vibe to it. I love it!

Endless Possibility from Sonic Unleashed (vocals: Nathan Sharp)

Nathan Sharp is the guy who sings covers of Sonic songs under the best name you could ever give, "NateWantsToBattle" under his record label "Give Heart Records". Endless Possibility is a song that people have loved for years and years and years. It's a song which was originally performed by the same people that did the vocal intro for Phineas and Ferb. Nathan Sharp swoops in and delivers the BEST version of the song yet!

Part 4: Crush 40 (Jun Senoue & Johnny Gioeli)

Crush 40 is also a staple among Sonic fans. From hit songs like Open Your Heart, Live and Learn, Sonic Heroes, I Am... All of Me, and so on, their music has touched lives everywhere around the world. Fun fact, they used to be known as Sons of Angels for a short period of time, where some of their Sons of Angels-era songs were used in the Sega arcade game NASCAR Arcade. The songs in NASCAR Arcade would be released in the only music album to bear the Sons of Angels artist name, "Thrill of the Feel". Speaking of which, they sang six songs before adding two more after fans (this was in 2021 and we were still in lockdown so....) "demanded" more from them. Fun fact: Jun Senoue also did some songs for the Game no Kanzume "Sega Games Can" discs for the Sega Mega CD. Johnny Gioeli also provided vocals for another band under his wing called Hardline. The six initial songs are as follows, which all really will rock your sound system off.

Open Your Heart (Sonic Adventure)

Sonic Heroes

Green Light Ride (Team Sonic Racing)

Sonic Boom (Sonic CD USA edition) (Crush 40 VS Cash Cash version)

I Am... All of Me (Shadow the Hedgehog)

Knight of the Wind (Sonic and the Black Knight)

Part 5: The Grand Finale Songs

Whooo~!!! Here comes the big ones. Two legendary songs all from one game. All before ending it off with an orchestrated mix of "Friends" by Hyper Potions.

These two songs are all from one of the best Sonic games of all time, Sonic Adventure 2.

Escape from the City (vocals: Nathan Sharp)

No one in their right mind would want to tell you that this song from after Sonic jumps off the helicopter in a bid to escape GUN forces is not legendary.

Yet here is Escape from the City, one of the BEST Sonic songs. And, of course, another spotlight by the King of Sonic song covers, Nathan Sharp. The Philarmonic Orchestra also added to the grand vibe of the song by making it even better still.

Live and Learn

There's nothing I can say. One of the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Sonic songs just got a whole lot better.

[pizzopaps]

harding's spotify wrapped has taylor swift in her most played artists for the 3rd year in a row. taash's spotify is some of the most unlistenable dubstep and speed metal. neve's is half fiona apple and half chet baker. davrin mainly has rihanna and house music on his workout playlist but he also has a playlist of sad country music when he gets nostalgic for his clan. bellara uses youtube music and alternates between lofi beats to study to and mid 2000s nightcore. emmrich has never used a streaming service in his life and has instead spent agonizing hours ripping every CD he has ever owned and categorizing them with the correct album covers and data. lucanis' is also fiona apple.

[triskhellion]

Awoo for You

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Rated T | ~1k | Teen Wolf | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | Eurodance

@hargrove-taylorsversion and @dear-massacre are to blame for this. Inspired by this post and various groups from the 90s and early aughts.

Derek was walking down Galvanic Ave when an all too familiar beat tugged at the edge of his awareness. His fingers tapped against the side of his thigh before he realized what he was doing, the sound of synthesizers growing steadily louder. Clearer.

Wait, is that...?

A white car turned the corner several blocks away and was now coming towards him. He groaned. 

Derek tried to tune it out, but the closer it got the more impossible it became to ignore his cousin’s voice coming out of its crackling speakers.

My heart is rabbit for your fang My feelings sparkle boomerang I chase you in my head at night Your voice a music dynamite

He cringed waiting for what came next, his own gravely voice snarling through the open windows. 

Boom! Want run with me? Woods! So wild and free

Howl! I jump for you Awoo! Big fool at zoo

Kiss! No need to flee Gingivitis? Not with me!

Growl! Free me my dove Cuz grr Ulv equals luv!

Luv luv luv luv Dance dance dance dance Run run run run RAAAWWRRR!

Ten years later and that damn song still followed him everywhere. Online. In stores. His teasing packmates. It haunted his very dreams. Nowhere was safe it seemed.

The chorus trailed after the ancient Yugo as it finally passed by, Malia’s howling interspersed with more of what was once described as his “horny wolf pseudo-rapping.”

Awoooo! I do for you Awoooo! Special and true

Awoooo! Want to make sex? Awoooo! I bite you next

(Necks necks necks necks) Everybody full shift!

———

It was 1997 and the Hales were in Burgdorf, Idaho for that year’s gathering of the packs west of the Rocky Mountains. While the adults were hammering out alliances, mediating conflicts, and commenting on the weather or swapping venison recipes or whatever, he and half a dozen other teen wolves (and one 10 year old little sister) were goofing around with some audio equipment they found in one of the unoccupied cabins. 

First came make-shift karaoke and then they started coming up with their own songs. Derek had beta-shifted and was growling nonsense into the microphone over some instrumental Eurodance single out of a huge cd case. Cora was literally rolling on the floor and laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face as the rest of the group busted exaggerated dance moves. Then all of a sudden the others grew quiet and stilled, standing up straight.

When he looked behind him his uncle Peter was leaning in the doorway with a calculating expression on his face.

A few months later Derek’s hair was styled into thick blue spikes and he had a Danish persona: Anders GRR. Malia, or Meta Clawz, had the misfortune of being able to sing and got roped into it too, sporting natural brown pigtails in back, but bright red and platinum blonde bangs in front. Together they were Beast of Beats. 

They never actually toured and only released the one self-titled album with 9 tracks — Best Beta, Another Moon, Blue Eyed Joe, Be My Mate, ‘Mega Girl, Better Off a Lone, Super-Louper-Man, Rhythm Is an Alpha, and the inescapable Awoo for You — but the music video of the latter was a hit on MTV. Then came the flash animation that some fan made a few years after, which became one of the first viral clips. There were T-shirts and covers by award-winning musicians. Memes and references in popular tv shows over the years and…It. Just. Never. Went. Away. 

Thankfully, both he and Malia had their faces obscured by masks, swirls of paint, or “special effects” in the video so they weren’t recognizable by the general public. There was that much at least.

———

Derek trudged into the apartment and grabbed some water from the fridge, snorting at a note asking him to circle which movie he wanted to see that weekend: Hot Rod, Sunshine or The Bourne Ultimatum. He circled #2, but had a feeling he’d end up watching number #1 anyway.

He sank down onto the ugly orange couch with a sigh. Footsteps soon approached from the bedroom.

“Hey babe, how was—hey, what’s wrong?”

Derek shook his head, not sure how to start or if he even wanted to. He'd never mentioned the whole Beast of Beats thing to his boyfriend and as much as he wanted to vent he also liked having one person in his life that didn’t know, for however long that could last. It was only a matter of time before Stiles was fully introduced to his pack and then someone would let it slip.

The human walked over and flopped down sideways beside him, stretching his legs over Derek’s thighs and taking his right hand, caressing the back with his thumb. Warm, dark caramel eyes watched him closely.

“Hmm…you’re wearing your grumpy Anders face.”

Derek froze and then turned slowly to stare at him. 

“You know?”

Stiles raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Dude, I’d recognize that growl anywhere.”

He blushed and looked away, mortified.

“Derek, it’s okay. You know how much I like it. I like the song too, but I noticed that it bothered you about the same time I figured out who you were so I left it alone. I want you to be able to talk to me about stuff, though.”

He smiled at and squeezed Stiles’ hand. “Thanks.”

“But now that the wolf’s out of the bag…”

Derek narrowed his eyes as the grinning young man leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

“Want to make sex?” 

He groaned and knocked his head against the back of the couch. Kisses peppered his face between peals of laughter.

“Sorry, I'm sorry babe. I’ve been holding that in for so long, you have no idea.”

Shaking his head, he pulled Stiles into his lap and kissed him back, nipping at his bottom lip. Grasping under a thigh and putting an arm around his back he then stood up, the human flailing briefly before wrapping legs around his waist and holding onto his shoulders. 

Nuzzling into that lovely dotted throat, Derek inhaled the increasing earthy-sweetness of arousal. 

“I bite you next,” he muttered against soft, flushed skin. 

“Necks necks necks necks!” chanted Stiles.

“Everybody full shift!” he growled, setting his beautiful, happy and amused boyfriend down on the bed and climbing on top of him.

Well, maybe the song wasn’t completely terrible after all. 

[project-sekai-facts]

is it possible the situation with aun no beats/shanti is a retailer-exclusive thing? it seems weird they'd announce aun no beats as part of the tracklist and then completely replace it on the actual final tracklist. i dont know if they've done retailer-exclusive tracks with prsk stuff before but to my knowledge it isn't entirely uncommon, generally.

ah. they never actually announced aun no beats on the tracklist. they never announced any of the tracklists on the stream, I just put the 12 cover songs every unit got after the ones in the previous albums (i knew ray and hello world were taken off the L/n album bc bushiroad uploaded it to their site a few hours before the stream lol). amazon is currently the only site that actually has the track listings. i'm assuming the reason Aun no Beats is off is because of copyright issues, but ones that won't let it be released at all, unlike what happened with WxS 1st cover album where some tracks were physical CD only

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Clicks & Cuts 2 2001 Glitch / Experimental / Minimal Techno / IDM

I really should've known what I was getting myself into when I started reading the liner notes of this triple-disc from German experimental label Mille Plateaux. The first installment in their critically acclaimed Clicks & Cuts series from 2000 had made some noise among the stuffy indie critics who kept tabs on these sorts of scenes, but this follow-up volume, as demonstrated by its *tripling* in size as compared to the first one, was just way too overly self-indulgent. And the eyeroll-inducing and alienatingly academic way in which they wrote essays that took up *multiple* CD booklet pages, long-windedly pontificating about things as simple as the sounds of 'clicks' and 'cuts' and the truly deep meaning behind them, really just tells you all you need to know about an album like this one: this shit is so fucking insufferable 😒.

And I'm not trying to cast aspersions upon the genre of glitch as a whole here, because some of the stuff from that IDM successor genre that rhythmically employs the resultant sounds of digital-technological failure like CD skips has yielded some very cool music. But this album in particular really seems to be far more concerned with being experimentally weird than anything else. It sort of feels like that well-worn, musically equivalent trope of going to one of those expensive Michelin restaurants whose creative courses can be consumed in just two small bites; both extremely pretentious and off-putting to a vast majority of folks who happen to find the whole premise to be patently absurd on its face!

And there is a broad range of music that encompassed Mille Plateaux's expanding vision for their Clicks & Cuts philosophy in 2001 on this album—from exercises in combinations of discordant and arrhythmic noises to abstract techno minimalism—but almost all of it's coated in this high-falutin sheen of deliberate, beard-scratching smugness. It's bad to give any genre of music the 'intelligent' label, because when taken to its logical conclusion, it ends up breeding 35 out of this album's 36 songs. And still, it's fine for this stuff to exist in its own quiet, secluded, and tiny, self-sustaining corners of the music world where most people will never know about it, but when it somehow manages to leak out onto the pages of AllMusic and Pitchfork, that's when I really feel like I gotta start beating it back with my broomstick, because these publications are helping to make charitable mountains out of what should remain mole hills. And on top of all of that, and perhaps most importantly, the music's also excruciatingly, soullessly boring! 😴

The only song on here that I think's well worth a listen comes courtesy of the underground electronic king of California abstract himself, Kid606, who supplies "While You Were Sleeping," a song that I unfortunately can't find available to stream anywhere at the moment—so you'll have to just take my word for it—does a pretty neat job of building itself up from scratch, with a beginning that's filled with absolute silence, to a full-on viscously glitchy, needly, clicky, and cutty dance beat that even ends up incorporating a little vocal sample from the likes of Guru, of legendary rap duo GangStarr fame.

Lyrics.

Other than that, though, I really wouldn't recommend a single song from this exceedingly lengthy album to anyone. On one end of the electronic music spectrum, there's unlistenably stupid and goofy commercial shit like The Chainsmokers, and on the other opposite end, there's the type of music that takes up most of this Mille Plateaux album here. And I think I dislike both of them pretty equally 🚫.

Highlights:

CD2:

KID606 - "While You Were Sleeping"

[sonarryx]

chappell roan – the rise and fall of a midwest princess (review)

it took me forever to get a copy of this on cd. the record store had it on backorder for months. i assume this is because chappell roan blew up so quickly and unexpectedly that they weren't ready for the sudden increase in demand.

i'm trying something new this time around by listening to the album in full as i write the review, so it's all fresh in my mind. already i'm three songs in (i'm switching between like three different tabs, the adhd is chronic) so i'm just gonna get going.

going into this album, i was already very familiar with quite a few of these tracks. of the tracks i hadn't heard enough times to remember, my favorite by far is "after midnight." the bass is excellent, and it's just a very well-put together song. the momentum doesn't stop for a second.

overall, my favorite song has to be "super graphic ultra modern girl." it's got the highest highs of the whole album, and it's got the same message as "femininomenon" but with a much better beat and fewer bad lyrics.

speaking of which��i think this is something people are afraid to say about chappell roan (unless they don't like her, which i do)—her lyrics are wildly inconsistent. she has some great lyrical hooks, but her verses range from pretty good to clearly just there to fill space, to being difficult to listen to without wincing. femininomenon is a prime example of this, in my opinion. i love the concept, but that bridge...

i think "good luck, babe!" is a step in the right direction for her in terms of lyrics, and hopefully a sign of better things to come. it's pretty airtight. the verses elaborate on the premise and aren't bad, even if they're not all that interesting. the chorus has that undeniable lyric, "you'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling," which single-handedly got me into the artist back when she was starting to climb the charts.

for me, though, outside of a few notable exceptions, the appeal of chappell roan is not particularly tied to her lyrics, outside of the general subject matter. it's the music, the spectacle, the drag element, the cultural context. it's a big fucking deal to me and to a lot of people that she's as popular as she is. i know the whole "queer as in fuck you" thing has been done to death, but she's the perfect embodiment of that ideal. it's just really great to see all the fanart of her in amazing ridiculous outfits, to hear her on the radio constantly like any other pop star, and to witness the really interesting conversations she's been starting just by existing and defying people's expectations of a pop star.

most of the deep cuts on this album are pretty good songs, but i don't have a lot to say about them. they did successfully win me over from my initial reaction of disinterest, but i'm probably not going to spend much time with any of them outside of the context of the album.

final thoughts: something really important that chappell roan did for me this year was to finally get me to enjoy pop music like i would any other genre. ever since high school, i've made a point of avoiding the kind of resentment i held for pop music in my teenage years, but until this year i never actually found myself enjoying it without some sort of caveat. i might hear a song i liked on the radio, but i wouldn't stream it on my own time, and i definitely wouldn't buy the cd. but this year, pop music is a huge part of my life. i'm having a great time with it, and it's all thanks to her.

[jennsterjay]

No one's awake so I'm going to start posting like an old person for a second

Man I love physical media and how simple life's little moments of happiness are. Like yes I could stream 5 bajillion songs from my phone, but nothing beats popping in a cd or vinyl and listening to that pure unbitcrushed sound quality man- like today I went to the thrift store, bought a few books and cds (all for 7 bucks), went home, and just played the music straight up

Best feeling ever putting the disc in and connecting my cd player to my amp and just playing it man. I've been building a cd collection for a while btw. Rock, RnB, Hip Hop, Blues, Alternative, you name it. Best part is getting a CD for 99c from an artist you've never heard before and it's like a surprise when you load up the disc and hear the music for the first time. It's like an event, my own private symphony. Nothing beats it. And the best part is? If the internet is down or I have a headache or god what have you- I can just pop in the disc again and play it no strings attached!

Anyway I love CDs, DVDs, Physical Books, and physical media, and nothing beats having the things you love and just owning it to enjoy over and over, anytime you want

[rantingravingliving]

A Hell of a Good Ride

My favorite album of all time is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I remember buying the CD from Tower Records (!) with my paycheck from my first job and listening to it with the volume turned all the way flooding my shoebox apartment with all the achingly beautiful voice of Ms. Lauryn Hill. Her album is just packed full of emotion, and listening to her sing and rap was just mesmerizing. Every time I listened to her album, it felt like Ms. Hill was beside me, revealing her innermost thoughts, fears, and dreams. And to this day, whenever I stream her songs, that feeling never fades. It is even more emotional because I can relate more than ever to what she was singing back then.

Twenty-five years later, the same feelings came back, courtesy of Jimin's FACE.

This album will go down as one of the best releases this year as well as from BTS.

The first time I listened to FACE in its entirety, from the first to the last track, I had to get up from my chair and take a deep breath. It felt dreamlike, and I don't have any idea if it was because I was finally hearing Jimin's debut album or that I had expectations of what I thought his album would sound like. It was a surreal moment, and I am pretty sure I had my hand covering my mouth as I was processing what I had just heard.

Listening to FACE felt like an assault to the ears in the most pleasurable way. You know that feeling when you are having sex, the moment after your climax? When you are still high on pleasure? Listening to FACE in its entirety felt like that for me.

Look, I don't know the correct musical terms, but as someone who enjoys listening to music, all I know is when a song makes you automatically close your eyes and sway your body and just feel it, then I know it is fucking good. That is me, by the way, whenever Like Crazy plays, regardless of what version it is. And Spotify is so right to add it to the Make Out playlist because that song sets the mood right, no doubt!

Who wouldn't make out with him in the club? Even just eye-fucking him would be an experience.

Sitting on the washroom floor of a club might be a health hazard, but I'd risk it just to straddle that Jimin. That mullet. That eye makeup. That fit. Gods, he was so fucking hot. One of my fave looks ever.

And what about the rest of the album? Well, Set Me Fre Pt. 2 feels like a big "Fuck you!" to all your haters and naysayers. Heck! Even to your doubting self. The addition of the choir is just majestic. The chants haunt you and command you to fucking listen, Jimin has something to say.

Go ahead, mess with him. He knows how to fight back.

Face-Off is that song you'll blast when you are with your friends, and you talk about the people who fucked you over. It is that cathartic release you need in song form. And you just can't help but growl with Jimin when he sings, "Tonight I don't wanna be sober, Pour it up, it's all fucking over."

Interlude: Dive meanwhile is totally eargasmic. I mean, I would play it nonstop just to hear Jimin panting because that's the closest thing I can have Jimin near me bwahahaha.

Alone is that song that sneaks up on you. When I first heard it, I was like, "Oh, Jimin. This is just criminal. You fucking know how sexy your low register is." Then there's a part of the song that sounds garbled? And I wondered what part was that. (BTW, I checked the translated lyrics after a day. I was too immersed in all the melodies, beats, rhythms, and whatever crack FACE was throwing at me.) Then I stumbled upon this tweet:

For that part, the lyrics were, "Day and night, the repeated fall."

So fucking genius, don't you agree? Also, as I listen more to Alone, the more it captivates me. Jimin sings with so much heartache that you can't help but feel his pain, and you just want to hug him and cry with him and hold his hand all throughout the night. The song stills your heart because it is drenched with despair.

And it is just fitting that FACE ends with Set Me Free Pt.2. It is a liberation song with a message that whatever hurt or betrayal that has paralyzed you in the past, you can rise above it on your own, and that is the sweetest form of revenge and freedom.

Who are you again? This is fiercer and freer Jimin speaking.

As for the hidden track, Letter. Well, let's just say when I first heard it, Serendipity must be quaking. Hehe. Seriously. Jimin bares his heart on this track. This is the rawest Jimin I have heard. He just presented his heart and was happy to do so, if I may add. If FACE chronicles what he went through during the pandemic, as he told us in multiple interviews, I felt Letter is for the one who was with him throughout those turbulent times. The one who never wavered, who held his hand and kept their promise. Letter is a thank you song, I guess, to that person. It is also a song of promise. And to whom Jimin dedicates Letter? Your guess is as good as mine.

Continue streaming FACE. It is a hell of a ride. Thank you, Jimin, for this masterpiece. You are beyond amazing.

Celestial beauty.