#yes i also have the 06 soundtrack | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

things-about-cars-in-posts · 1 year ago

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Any favorite Car Games™ of yours? Forza, GT, Beam, Automation, etc.?

Auto/Beam are particular favorites of mine and also i have 10,000 hours logged between them

Since I wasn't a spoiled bitch, I can literally just list all the car games I had in my childhood. All for PC that is, because since I wasn't a spoiled bitch I didn't have a console. Okay actually there was NFS Carbon: Own The City and Herbie for DS but that was it. We were saying.

Colin McRae Rally 04 You've no idea what pain I brought to those poor little cars. Frequently I got to the end of one of those 2/4m stages with the car dying every 10/15 seconds. Such a good game. It also ran without having to insert its CD, which was very cool at the time, and very useful when I was gaming on the go on Father's Dell. idk if I also played it on his Toshiba but no such memory surfaces. Man I loved Father's Toshiba. I should try to retrofit it with new internals sometime.

Colin McRae Rally 2005 Liked that one too, but memories are hazier since at one point I was no longer able to play it for reasons I cannot recall so I just moved to 04 instead.

Test Drive Unlimited Got it recommended and didn't like it much. In hindsight it was an absolutely gorgeous game structure, but I just didn't care because I didn't like the way the cars drove. It collected dust.

Race Driver GRID For a long while, by far the latest racing game I ever had. Enjoyed it quite a lot! I even submitted an absolutely incredible gameplay clip to FailRace, though unfortunately it never did get featured. Bullshit, I say. And yes, for the longest time, I think until like 2020?, I had one single game that was younger than '06. See the part about not being a spoiled bitch. <-absolutely green with envy

GT Legends Played it a little during my youth, then tried to reinstall it years later to see if it lived up to my few memories of it and if I could get more out of it then by being less of a stupid baby. It corrupted the entire operating system and made the computer unable to start. A solid "no" to both.

And of course, who could forget, the Need For Speed series! In their chronological order:

Need For Speed Underground In my early childhood I didn't play it much, because I was still using the auto gearbox like a PLEB and you couldn't map controls in that game so when I got to the first drag race I couldn't figure out where the shift up key was nor could find it or remap it in settings and just abandoned the game. It should be noted as a child I was, in absolute, cosmically stupid. Later on I did pick it back up and see it to completion, loving it throughout (except for the part where you unlock the final boss' Civic you were neck and neck with on an R34 Skyline GT-R and they tell you it was stock. Sure honey now if you wait how did this bag of Fuck Off get here?). If only it had free roam, more races, a more varied environment, refillable NOS, the ability to have different cars simultaneously, and you get where I'm going with this don't you.

Need For Speed Underground 2 Man I loved this game since I started playing it at some ridiculously low age and I never stopped loving it and I was right throughout. I love love LOVE this game. I know the map by heart, the soundtrack by heart, the circuits by heart, the upgrades by heart, the starter cars specs by heart, you have no idea. This has been my childhood. This is by far and away the one I played and loved the most, even though due to the needlessly convoluted and completely obscure progression mechanics that childhood never saw me finish it - although I guess that helped me keep playing it, as when I got stuck with no way to progress further I'd just start from scratch again with no clue what to fix. I was able to pick it back up and finish it later on in life, through middle/high school, and later on still through the power of mods I squeezed and crushed and stretched that game like Tumblr did with Danny Phantom episodes. I modded it so much it crashed every ten minutes. I ran it off an iPod Nano. I messed the cars up so bad I'd essentially created new game modes. I managed to make a good desktop computer over a decade younger than the game itself run it at seconds per frame just by editing four wheel coordinates. And now you spoiled bitches can download it for free on somewhere like MyAbandonware (dot com, of course) and give it a try. And I can't recommend it enough. Literally; because if I could, friend of the blog @demoness-one would have done so by now >:(

Need For Speed Most Wanted The best Need For Speed game of all time, according to everyone. Everyone but me. I mean, I did go through it, but it looks bleak, the cars just seem to want to bounce from wall to wall, and I just don't like police chases - it's a game, why would I want a limited number of attempts? Also, they madly stressed me out, so, and here begins a funny story, I abandoned it when unable to rack up enough chase points to challenge the final boss. I picked it back up a while later to find out if it was just me being a baby, and no, I still didn't like it - but luckily I'd learned of the bug where if you park on a certain railing all the cop cars will pile up under you but never bust you, and decided to actually finish what I'd started so long before. Those points racked up, I worked myself through the good hour of bullshit unfairness of the duel with Razor (I have to win every race to win but he can win any race to win? Understandable. hey the bag of Fuck Off's back), even quitting the whole shebang three races in over a wrong input and having to start again, until, after hours of unsaveable progress, I finally was able to win the last race. And did you know that after that, just when you think you're done, you get the biggest, most intense car chase of the whole game? :) Well, I sure didn't, because right after I finished the race the game crashed and I had to do all those five races over again. :) And then I did that and it crashed again and I uninstalled the game and watched the ending on YouTube. :)

Need For Speed Carbon The takes get hotter still: I like this one more than MW. The colors got fixed, I liked the handling better (while obviously not as good as the mighty Underground 2 OF COURSE), drifting, my favorite race mode, replaced drag racing, my least favorite*, and yes, the car chases, and I may even like the soundtrack better? Nah, that's bull, I don't remember much of those two soundtracks at all off the top of my head. But I saw this one to the end and enjoyed it very much. *For the unaware, in every NFS game I played in my childhood, drag races did not give you steering control - to avoid traffic or obstacles, you tapped the arrow keys and the car would switch lanes. So you told the car to move out the way and if it did, good, if it instead took too long and/or had an unappealable loss of control and crashed automatically terminating your race, too bad.

There were also a couple other games there's not much to say about (Ford Streetracing, loved it, V-Rally 3, I think it had some issues and I never did play it, London Racer World Challenge, I recall nothing)... and now we move on to the car games I played since.

Assetto Corsa I've only ever dabbled in it a couple of times, but it's very fun when it works. My hardware is limiting on this front and I think I've some config issues, but when I'll have time to solve those I will be very glad to jump into it - especially because I really love driving simulators. Where with other games you kind of need some external validation of how hard it was to win with the tools the computer gave you -because it's not inherently cool that you beat a game, it was made to be beaten from the start- proper simulators just chuck you into an experience where no accommodation has been made for you (short of the damage level set, that is) and whatever you manage in it is your own accomplishment, not something the game let you accomplish. And on that note...

Richard Burns Rally This game is absolutely fucking incredible. "It's a 2004 game, how engaging a driving experience can it be" enough to make many still call it the best rally simulator out there and one of the best driving simulators period. Enough to motivate thousands of people to keep making a plethora of mods for it every day (which i've never been able to make work lol). Enough to make me seriously recommend buying yourself a wheel with force feedback* just to play this abandonware game (because using anything but a wheel for it is like using anything but a spoon for soup). And to be clear, this game is HARD. It just gives you a brief but extremely good rundown of how to master the driving basics and then have fun around rally stages where, again, the road has not been widened for you, the ditches not been filled, the car has not been programmed not to roll over too easily… essentially, the main way in which they are substantially easier than driving them IRL is the luxury of trial and error. So when, through however many days of trial and error it'll take you, you finally glide through those bumps smoothly enough to wipe the red off that time delta, this commercial flop the dozen-people-team from the Animaniacs GBA game developed when RAM was measured in megabytes becomes the most exhausting, intense, rewarding experience a computer has ever provided me. And a computer has gotten me laid. *I recommend the Logitech G25s, found for well under a dub, and the G27s, a small revision of the G25 with more buttons and a better shifter usually found for not much more (I found mine for 80!). They're from 2004 and 2010 respectively, and the wheel Logitech sells today is just a G27 with more buttons which says it all about how good a budget wheel it is.

TrackMania Nations Forever I hate this game, I fucking despise this game. "Alright, it's the same game we made two years ago with new tracks, and it has no story, opponents, traffic, cutscenes, or really any dynamic beyond checkpoints, a finish and a timer. But even still, there are so many fun mechanics to master anyway, like jump distance control, which you hopefully figure out you have because it's not like there is any tutorial to tell you! Or drifting, which is necessary to beat the best time in one of the last levels - you do it by pressing brake, accelerator and a steering direction simultaneously. Hope you randomly decide to do it autonomously to see what happens and find out that can be faster! And if you don't have a specialized keyboard with more than the normal 2 key rollover, hopefully something possessed you to map one of those controls to a completely different keyboard zone than all the others, or pressing all three will make only two register and you never will find this out! But at least not making any tutorials or the likes and keeping the interface absolute garbage allowed us to have the driving on absolute lock! Well, except for that bug where if you take the fastest line through a corner your car may decide to ragdoll and fuck your run. Oh and also the one where if you land a jump on all four wheels you may randomly lose your speed. Good luck!" I now get why they hate French people. Unfortunately, as for a lot of destructive hatred of mine, it manifests in yet more determination to conquer the little shit. I've gotten author times on every single one of the tracks except the last one, not because it's eight times longer than by far the second longest at an entire goddamn hour but because I wanted an effort that lengthy to be a special occasion and that never manifested. ...Maybe a stream?

Actually, I visited MyAbandonware to check the NFSU2 page and apparently they include a mod that puts the uncensored edits of the songs in the soundtrack and honestly I hella want to play it again just to hear that, so that could also be a cool stream idea if it wasn't a criminal deed to play copyrighted music on stream (I've not kept up with that whole mess, can you do it if you don't keep a VOD?). Or I could stream myself playing Richard Burns Rally and make you go "oh this is HARD hard".

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!

#videogames

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threebooksoneplot · 1 year ago

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Episode 30 - "Team Leatherface" (Show Notes)

listen along here

General New Moon content warning about ongoing discussion of suicide!

[00:00:32] James’s totally real phone number, for all the single moms out there: (248) 434 - 5508

[00:01:40] Disclaimer that G recorded this episode in a larger, more echoey room than usual, with more background noise. Some of the thumping you hear throughout is Beth chopping up peaches to make a delicious peach cobbler. We offer you the recipe for it in penance for making you listen to very faint Peach Cobbler ASMR

[00:01:50] James’s bespoke 15-hour playlist, including such hits as the Benny Hill theme, All I Want For Christmas is You, and some 3B1P episodes (you’re welcome James)

[00:04:43] Listen to Beth's previous episodes, Catgirl and Pigboy and Straight History, on any of our usual platforms!

[00:10:01] The Teen Wolf soundtrack, including "Catherine Beta Jones" and "Dude Dies" as named by James

[00:12:44] Shannon's beloved Locked Tomb audiobooks, narrated by Moira Quirk

[00:12:55] Nickelodeon Guts

[00:17:02] The Nightmare Before Christmas Hot Topic merch [00:17:38]

[00:17:50] "Vampire kickball" as depicted in What We Do in the Shadows (TV)

[00:21:54] Disney Adults don’t @ us. Beth would like the record to show that she is one of you and stands in solidarity. Also, here are some images of G, Shannon, and James having a pretty good time

[00:27:14] James's beautiful illustration

[00:27:53] “Leatherface”

[00:40:04] Live James Reaction

[00:40:11] “The South Park episode where Cartman’s eating Scott’s tears”

[00:44:18] G's research into the origins of “loca” revealed that Taylor Lautner doesn’t even remember saying it. But from some light further research, it does not appear to originate in the screenplay, so it’s likely that it was either improv or Lautner was indeed handed a list of phrases to choose from like rpattz and “spider monkey.” If you know more, drop us a line!

not a "loca" in sight in this draft of the New Moon screenplay

[00:44:46] “Built like an Easter Island statue”

[00:47:10] Wide Grasp Billy, probably

[00:56:42] “You’ve been lying to everyone: Charlie.” (Chronologically, this scene takes place in the equivalent of our future Episode 34.)

[01:02:13] Yes, G is eating (probably a peach that Beth handed her.) Sue her

[01:23:15] Parentification

[01:24:26] “An ancient man”

[01:39:06] Notorious blonde-hater Stephenie Meyer on Lauren’s pixie cut

[01:41:56] G’s "Loose Bear in the Neighborhood" chronicles

[01:42:57]

[02:06:33] Find James @ jbshotthis on IG or venmo him @ brokejb to make him listen to your Teen Wolf grievances

Thanks for sticking with us for our first-ever multi-guest episode, gang!

#show notes #episode 30 #twilight #podcast #twilight podcast #new moon #life and death #midnight sun #the twilight saga #twilight renaissance

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beevean · 11 months ago

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And onto Rush Adventure now:

-Tbh at first i wasnt sold on the materials grinding for ships but later liked how it gives you a reason to improve your scores on the levels so you can get more. Idk i usually dont care abt scores but w the external motivation? Yea

-Same w the misions, good way to have lil extra stuff to do (that said why did they block the sound mode songs behind misions. Game pls my internet makes opening youtube an odyssey and now this too? Cruelty 😔)

-Oh and also the ship minigames! Its fun to have a map you can explore, and the races w Jhonny for the chaos emeralds are way better than the Surely Existing special levels (also srry if i got his name wrong lmao)

-Onto the soundtrack; its more broad compared to rush, and each song does matches well the enviroment. I like the tropical coastal vibes of the main town n training level, and oh man. Sky babylon and deep core my beloveds who literally got engraved in my neurons so hard i was struggling reading hours later bc the darn tunes kept playing in the background of my skull. Well scratch that all the tunes keep playing on the bg of my skull rn, what kind of eldritch curse is this). So yes good ost 👍

-Overall the aesthetic n vibes are also more broad with that tropical relax overtone, its quite nice. The difficulty is also way more forgiving (i mean i played on easy but that's the mode the game came in) and the tutorials with the controls are helpful (yes i struggled with the jump dash in the previous game how can you tell)

- The story is also more calm and silly goofy but in a good way (can def see what ppl mean by the diff eras in sonic writing there). I also liked Whisker being the main but kinda dumb villain for funnies vs the eggmans being a bigger threat)

-I liked the scene in the coral cave where Blaze appears bc my mind was half "haha i knew we were in Blaze's world, neat" and " weeee hi Blaze, game of the year :D"

-Marine was also neat, liked her silly dynamic of cheerful kid who is a bit too full of herself and is kind of a brat abt it, and how she later learns to admit her own limits :) And the koala villagers were neat too i like their designs :)

Overall thank you for letting me ramble into your ask box abt these games, its been fun :D

lmao yeah it's a nice incentive! I think the only other game that gives you a reward with higher ranks is Unwiished (another Dimps game), where the higher the rank the more medals you get.

also sonic 🤝 hector:having to earn their crafting materials

The missions are a good way to extend the gameplay, but IIRC some of the Sol Emerald missions were brutal... I have flashes of the Blizzard Peak mission.

The waterbike was genuinely really fun and I hated that it was considered the "worst" vehicle for travel :( I don't like the submarine, let me travel the world on my tiny waterbike while the best music plays :( also yeah the Special Stages with Johnny are original! Certainly more than Half Pipe 50.0

SRA'S OST was composed by veterans Tomoya Ohtani and Mariko Nanba while trying to recreate Naganuma's style. Definitely unique and underrated. Sky Babylon used to be my favorite too! But there are so many tracks that IMO deserve more love, like Haunted Ship, Blizzard Peaks, the boss theme and Whiskers & Johnny <3

Funny to think SRA came out one year after '06, widely criticized at the time for being too melodramatic :P Whiskers is also a nice case of Eggman being the twist villain for once! Although the credits of the "bad" ending spoil him and Nega, lol. Not that Whiskers looks mysterious himself... eh you get it.

Marine seems to have been reevaluated recently, like many things from the 2000s. I remember that back then no one could stand her and her Aussie accent lmao, precisely because she was an annoying brat. She is still mildly underrated, but I think the modern fandom generally "forgave" her because they understood that she was meant to be a foil for Tails, who is more insecure.

(two fun facts: in some countries, SRA initially got a 12+ rating because Marine says "bugger", which is pretty mild for Aussie slang but is much stronger for American standards. Also, Marine is Australian because in original she speaks in Kansai-ben, and I guess that was a way to recreate the cultural connotations! That and koalas :P)

You're welcome, you're free to rant at any time <3

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic rush adventure

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maxwellpaws · 2 years ago

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Creatures for the PSX OST review

okay so today I'm going to go in a little bit more in depth with this topic because even among fans of this series this seems to be quite obscure.

Creatures is a series of video games of the pet simulator genre were you take care of Norns and makes sure they don't die.

If that description raises your curiosity here's video that goes a bit more depth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swxtKrVb0m0&t=58s

Now at some point in time someone got the bright idea to make a "port" of it that turned into a entirely different game that's weird like the environments are mashup of landscapes from the first three game that range from something that could pass as a mockup for an environment to cursed images, and from what I've seen the game (and it's sequel) looks tedious and unfun.

(here’s a playlist of the console game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swxtKrVb0m0&t=58s)

and because it's a game it has more traditional background music compared to the the other games (technically the first game doesn't really have a sound track)

and that's why were here today: Is the creatures PS/PSX "port" soundtrack good despite the games quality is it just as bad as the game?

Let's find out!

(note because I’m lazy here’s a playlist of the whole OST instead each title having an individual link. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZyFjGv7qIjmll7noNNuAP7hj-gUJch0R)

Track 01:

Yes that's what it's called, none of them have names.

So I'm going to give them one this one's name is Phil, anyways this is the logo song.

It's okay and does it's job.

5.5/10

Track 02: Julie

Okay this is anything personal, but I don't really like Julie, She's kinda tedious.

and it doesn't help that according to the playthourgh I watched this plays 95% of the time!

It's not a bad song I quite like parts of it, like the chimes and it's feeling of finally on a warm summer's evening and I like the strings and chimes, and while writing this I realized this song isn't that bad when you're doing something else so I guess it's not THAT bad but not something I'd return to any time soon.

7.5/10

Track 03: Joey

Joey is great he's peppy, I like the clapping sound and guitars, and while listening to this all I can think of are cowboy norns in the west, and lucky for me songs like this are present throughout the album!

best part about this is the accordion.

7.5/10

Track 04: Jenny

Jenny is like Joey's more somber sibling.

I like the slow plucking of the guitar and the other strings,

it gives off the vibe of a town practically destroyed by a gang an a lone guitarist is free styling alone and is slowing getting into it, as it slowly cuts to a scene of the hero running through the field.

9./10

Track 05: Goober

Okay so I believe this the track for one of the minigames in the game Pac norns

(BTW having a biome dedicated to arcade game parodies feels like something I'd do to poke fun at how creature fans like to mod the games especially the third one in any way they can)

but if that isn't the case than this is the most unfitting track in the game and the person posting all this is probably right about this being stock music.

back on track I like this song especially the main two synths and the chimes and the final boss energy, also it's nice and short but not something that could get annoying on multiple replays.

10/10

Track 06: Timothy

I like Timothy even tough all I can think of while listening to him is maybe the opening of RPG involving dragons he's probably the closet to a creatures song.

(that's not saying much tough)

7/10

Track 07 Nicki

Nicki is very similar to Julie with their feeling of closure and finality but less tedious.

and I really like the recorder used in this.

7.5/10

Track 8: Jeremy

Jeremy is okay it's kinda plain.

It makes me think of that one Nick jr. browser game that was like those old PC games (the playroom types) but it was with Dora.

Hey did you guys know that at some point later on in the show they gave her two younger siblings?

I don't think I ever saw any episodes with them in it, mostly because I didn't watch Dora much my mom didn't like the show.

3/10

Track 09: I'm running out of names, so I'm going to call you Mc fucker.

Mc fucker is a nice song, love the whoop thing.

7/10

Track 10: Milo

Milo is good.

I like the guitar, sounds like a journey is happening and any minute now we'll hear the main character's mother sing hoping for there kid's return.

also I like the flute.

8/10

Track 11: Cofee cup

Coffee cup is one of the songs that is more aligned with what the series has to offer when it comes to OSTs.

(even more so than Timothy)

I quite like it, and the ascension is neat.

7/10

Track 12: Ned

Ned sounds a lot like Jeremy but more fleshed out like the long guitarist really got into it and made it into a son expressing it's sorrow about the destruction of his town.

10/10

Track 13: Suzanne

Suzanne is very skycore, jk jk.

Sounds very uplifting, The synths that accompanied the guitar is nice, and the ending melody is great.

So far this is my favorite track.

9.5/10

Track 14: James

James is some nice stereotypical eastern sounding stuff with a hip-hop beat.

All I can imagine is some norns rapping, and then they get sued because of the sample they used or something.

this is my second favorite.

7/10

track 15: Teddy

Teddy sounds exactly like a mashup of Julie and a minecraft song. which I quite like, honestly I'm quite floored with how this sounds like minecraft music BEFORE minecraft was a thing.

Also cool reverb.

7/10

Track 16: Nemo

Nemo is another single noise song that just plays in a loop for longer than it should...and it's not even as long.

From what I've seen from playthourghs I'd say this sums up the experience.

but hey at least it was only two minutes.

1/10

Track 17: Jake

Jake is very energetic sounding like marching music and it sounds quite nice despite it being a single beat for only a minute.

7.9/10

Track 18: Lou ann

I love this one.

the long synths the choir that just drones on and and the bass

and from the sounds of it I assume it plays during whatever that games has close to a graveyard (if it has one)

I also enjoy how the droning slowly fades away to reveal a guitar that plays along.

and the lone synth at the very end playing a simple melody is the cherry on top.

THIS IS THE BEST SONG THIS GAME HAS TO OFFER.

10/10

Tack 19: South

It's fine.... sounds like a wiggles song.

Can't really say anything about it beyond that.

6/10

Track 20: Leroy

This song is cool. cool riff.

BUT CAN LEROY BEAT THE ROCK SONG FROM THE FIRST GAME?

Track 21: N

N is the intro cut scene song that explains what were supposed to do in game and why, but not why the game is a bizarre mash up of assets of assets from previous games or unique one or if whether or not the unique ones are from a previous build of the PC games.

Or if this is the untold origin story of the creatures adventures feather thing because it's the same character but it looks different.

uh anyways the song exists.

5/10

Track 22: Jean

The beginning is very muffled compared to the rest of the song and I don't know why.

this also feels like something from a DS game but this time a LPS one.

it sounds okay but I feel like it went on longer than it should.

8.5/10

Track 23: Nya

I like Nya?

I think it sounds like something I'd hear in a breakcore so-

OH NO I'M TURNING INTO THAT MEME!

4/10

Track 24: Taffy.

Back to the topic of songs from this game that sound like songs from games that didn't exist till a decade or so later this sounds like the Core from Undertale.

it's okay.

5.5/10

Track 25: Flute

I like flute sounds like a companion piece to hip-hop thing I covered earlier and hey it appears were out of the kinda boring short song slump!

8/10

Track 26: Shitty porno

There's a reason why had this be the title card music for Melvil and Minestro enter the Webtoon boyfreinds omegaverse.

4/10

track 27: Cool villain song

Before the drop it sounds like the song for a villain in one of those animated movies like the "were back dinosaur's tale" were you (at least me) keep thinking it's a Don bluth film but it's not.

but after the drops sounds like DVD menu music for some generic cowboy film from the early 70s.

7/10

Track 28: Fred

Fred I'm pretty sure is Shittporno's brother.

But this time he mostly works as transition music as we go to the house to the beach.

this is slightly better.

8/10

Song 29: Bun

Bun is totally related to Shitty porno and Fred in some way.

but she's a lot more eurodance-y and is a more pleasant experience on the ears.

9/10

Track 30: qwertyyterwwqwertyu

Orchestra. I like it I guess? it exists.

5/10

Track 31: Dingo

HOLY SHITE! WERE AT THE END!!!!

Let's see what masterpiece awaits us at....

*this music plays*

Most of the animals are sooooo stupid.

7/10.

Final thoughts! Even if this is just a collection of stock music I'd say for the most part it's a very good collection of stock music and in fact I quite like it, i totally recommend listening to this at some point.

but for the game itself not sure I might play it (and it's sequel) some day....Probably for some sort of milestone.

Tune in next time were maybe I’ll talk about the OST for the other games maybe.

(spoilers Creatures 2 OST is actually pretty good and Creatures 3 dying music should be a meme)

final score is 8.9/10

#music #music review #creatures #creatures PSX #creatures ps1 #obscure video games #video game ost

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poofi-moved · 4 years ago

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[ID: The 'I've only had Arlo for a day and a half' scene from the show Brooklyn Nine-Nine turned into a meme format. There are two panels, Rosa in both of them labeled as 'Me' with pictures of Sonic, Shadow, and Metal Sonic next to her. The first panel is captioned saying "I've only been delving into the Sonic franchise for the past three days and a half," that continues in the second panel with "but if anything were to happen to them I'd kill everyone in this room and then myself." End ID]

#meme.post #sth #sth memes #is it obvious who my favourite characters are yet #SO I watched the movie a while ago and thought it was great #THEN I RECENTLY DISCOVERED THE SONIC ADVENTURE GAMES #I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS FRANCHISE SINCE #I've basically gone into complete hyperfocus at this point over this series and its characters #The stories- the lore- EVERYTHING #I have so many headcanons already my mind hasn't been able to slow down #THE SOUNDTRACK IS SO FUCKING GOOD???????????#I have no words I'm just. I've been missing out on so much holy shit #Also yes I watched the symphony concert live- all of it. It was so beautiful man #note: I've had this in my drafts since Sonic's birthday (2021-06-23) and forgot to post it oops

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queermetalgremlin · 3 years ago

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A Serbian Film’s soundtrack review

Yes. I’m dead serious.

To be honest, it’s really not bad, regardless of the movie it’s in. It’s got vibes, eerieness and a certain edgy... well, edge. And since i have nothing else to do (aka i’m drained of any energy i had today) i’ve decided to review every track on this godforsaken movie.

01 - The End

The most chipper and upbeat track of the whole soundtrack. The bass sounds like a fart and it can drag a bit, but other than that it’s a pretty catchy tune, that heavily invokes the ‘80s, mindlessness, consumerism and cheap porn. Speaking of which...

02 - Cheaporn

One of my favourites. Haunting, menacing, with an almost obsessive vocal sample, that reminds me of an authoritative figure barking orders to a confused and vulnerable employee, like Milos is, doesn’t overstay its welcome, short and “sweet”. The perfect theme song for a character like our protagonist.

03 - Tone Deaf

Pretty chill track, but boy is it repetitive! It just becomes a drag after a while. Also the random rises in volume are annoying af.

04 - Decollection

Eerie, desperate, hopeless, dark. It has an unreal level of desperation, and the vibes give it all away. Amazing.. but i still like Cheaporn more. Can’t control personal music tastes /lh

05 - Radio Waves

It’s nos as music as it is creepy ambient music. Pretty repetitive, can become boring, but gives off the oppressive atmosphere pretty well.

06 - Fancy Porn

Another ‘80s-sounding bop. Way more mindless than The End, but still retains some shades of dark vibes. Unironically good dance music.

07 - Serbia

Sounds like a track that someone could find in a horror RPG. Captivating and mysterious, it prefectly carries the recurring themes of desolation, with some surprisingly touching and solemn sections.

08- Unsee It

It’s a gut punch. The peak of desperation, despair, hopelessness. Some scattered piano key smashes, very reminiscent of Suicidemouse.avi, and synths that punch your feelings while still being subtle create a very uncomfortable feeling, that stays with you long after the track ends, which is surprisingly soon. It plays in its favour though, it doesn’t overstays its welcome, its looming and despairing welcome.

09 - Rigor Mortis

Harsh yet really damn catchy, with some surprising indian sounding instruments to soothe the mood, before another wave of electronic crudeness hits. Pretty long, but entertains nonetheless.

10 - Le Club Filth

Despite the name, it has little to nothing to do with the feelings associated with clubs. It’s dry, cold yet hard-hitting.

11 - W.F.S.

The most cinematic track by far. Despite this, it’s not music. I mean, it has some musical elements, but this is ambient noise. Still kinda disturbing, though, even if it’s wayyy too long.

12 - Balcan Sex God

The return of the fart bass! Bullshit aside, it’s a pretty solid track overall. It’s catchy, still retains the themes of the album, and it may just be my autistic ass, but it sounds... sarcastic, sardonic. Like “Oh boy, you’re not ready , are ya?” and “Here we go, i hope you enjoy it” while knowing you’ll come out of it horrified. It’s a perfect fit for the credits of this movie. So, that concludes-

13 - Pazi Sta Radis

...Seriously? It’s the same fucking song as Balcan Sex God. I tried to listen to these back to back, and i shit you not, it’s the same song. I’ll never get why it’s listed as a “Bonus track”.

So, that concludes this pointless review of the soundtrack of this damned movie. The conclusion? It’s a pretty intense listen, that tends to get too drawn out at times, but is capable of evoking heavy feelings, with a shit ton of vibes and charm. Underrated soundtrack, if you ask me. Don’t watch the movie if you’re sensitive though, i’m not exaggerating.

#tw #for the love of God if you're sensitive don't look it up /g #music review #soundtrack #extreme cinema #eletronic #review #music

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naktigonis · 3 years ago

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Hi naktigonis! I was wondering if you enjoy using leitmotif in your music? Do you like to put references in your work? Thanks!

yes, actually! i love using musical motifs to establish the presence of themes, places or characters in the soundtrack. much like writing prose, writing music is another method of creating a coherent narrative. the only difference is, you read the musical narrative with your ears! B)

i'm about to launch into a lengthy ramble about the use of motifs in the Deepwoken OST, and also in my other musical work. i'll also ramble about musical-cultural references. buckle the hell up.

there's a TL;DR at the bottom if you're not interested in reading this wall of text >:)

if you listen closely to the currently released Deepwoken OST tracks, you can already hear some hints of musical motifs being offered. the first and most obvious one, of course, is the main theme of Deepwoken. this melody has become so emblematic of the game, that i've basically ended up incorporating it into almost every track within the OST. and although i didn't have a single set meaning for this leitmotif when i started haphazardly slapping it everywhere in the soundtrack, i think the melody symbolises a deep connection to history, a defiant hope (listen to the piano part in Contour 3 - doesn't it sound so hopeful?), and the inevitability of fate. though, i do also like to think that the real meaning of this motif is ultimately up to the player. this motif is Deepwoken. what does Deepwoken mean to you? that's what the melody really means.

but that's just one song. yet, the main theme does feature in many tracks: if you listen closely to Solivagant at the 1:32 timestamp, you can actually hear the main theme of the game slowly play out! it builds up, takes a long contemplative pause (about 20 seconds or so, if i remember correctly!), and then unravels.

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

on the same song, there is another leitmotif directly after the fragment discussed above. at the very end of Solivagant, around the 2:06 timestamp, you can hear this melody play.

that's the Etrean theme! this motif represents the island and kingdom of Etrea, the city of Etris, and the Etreans themselves. essentially, whenever you hear this melody within a song in the soundtrack, you can expect an Etrean presence in that area of the game.

and if you listen closely in other (currently publicly unreleased) tracks, you can hear their motif too - like in this theme for an area next to Etris, or this theme for a certain place directly related to the Kingdom of Etrea.

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

but the Etrean motif isn't all that common outside of areas of Etrean influence. a motif that is a lot more common throughout the game, and is in fact an elaborate reference to something from real life culture, is the motif of death.

this motif features almost everywhere in the Deepwoken OST. it's a melody that originates from a mediaeval Christian religious hymn about the apocalypse, and the Day of Judgement. it has been used since around the mid-19th century by various composers to signify death. if you're a devout Catholic of sorts, a fan of the Youtube channel Sideways, or are generally trained in the history of musical compositions, you may already know what i'm talking about here.

that's right. i'm talking about the Dies Irae. no, not the symphonic rendition by Mozart, nor the symphonic rendition of another part of the same chant by Mozart. i am instead talking about this:

vigilant eyes reading the full lyrics of the hymn may have noticed that the text seems a bit familiar. and if you've listened to Contour 1, you've already seen part of it! there is a part of one of the chant's verses in Contour 1's description: "Lacrimosa dies illa, / Qua resurget ex favílla / Iudicandus homo reus". or, in English, that'd be: "Tearful [will be] that day, / on which from the glowing embers will arise / the guilty man who is to be judged".

unlike what many have theorised, 'lacrimosa' isn't some sort of lore character. it's just a part of a hymn's lyrics, a somewhat esoteric reference to the Day of Judgement and the apocalypse. the Dies Irae hymn has fascinated me for years with its symbolism and meaning, and given those factors, i felt it was only appropriate to incorporate it into the musical narrative of a world such as Deepwoken. B)

i initially wanted to provide more than one example of the Dies Irae motif being used in the soundtrack. unfortunately, i've woven the melody of it so deeply into most of the OST, that it's difficult to extract a clean patch of it from any song! most of the time the motif is either slow and prolonged, or is incorporated into another melody very closely. so, i felt like pulling the motif from such tracks would reveal a bit too much.

so instead, i bring only one example: the motif being played in the general sailing track of the game.

you might expect that hearing the Dies Irae in the game would signify some sort of immediate danger being present. that is sometimes true. however, only sometimes. in truth, the motif is almost always there in the background, perhaps even more often than the main theme of the game. keep an ear out for the Dies Irae in the soundtrack when you play, and unmistakeably, you will almost always find it. it represents death, danger, a looming sense of doom, hanging overhead like a dark cloud. forever, and always.

to wax a bit philosophical, death is a kind of ending, isn't it? i think in some cases in the soundtrack, the Dies Irae also signifies an ending. nothing is infinite - all things must come to pass.

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

...wowee that got sombre fast!

on a much lighter note, although this is not a motif that appears anywhere as frequently as the main motif, or the motif of death, it is still one of my favourites. this right here is the motif of the mysterious 'hive' you may have seen mentioned a few times.

and, just for fun, here's a little instrument demo test i did recently with this motif. here i am testing the Sulphur Wind mixer preset i made myself some time ago. here's before the preset, and here's after the preset. pardon my poor playing!

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

as for my own personal work outside of Deepwoken, i don't use continuous leitmotifs to establish a narrative per se (it wouldn't really make sense in the case of separate albums or tracks), but i do tend to recycle melodies from time to time. more often than not, i do this due to some sort of connection between the track that a melody originated from, and the track a melody is being recycled for.

for example, my old D&D character Sophion F. Umbassa had a character theme, which was basically just an old recycled melody called 'Faustus' Theme'. 'Faustus' here references Goethe's Faust, a 19th century German play where a scholar sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for the knowledge of the world. in parallel, my D&D character Sophion Faustus Umbassa entered the servitude of the archdevil Asmodeus in pursuit of greater power:

or, alternatively, my currently most popular track Ex Nihilo also uses a reused melody! in this case, there is a symbolic, motif-like connection here, in addition to an external reference. the original melody was called 'Lullaby of Chaos', and it was repurposed for a song called 'Ex Nihilo', the ex nihilo here referencing creatio ex nihilo, or the creation of the world from nothingness. in ancient Greek cosmogony, the void from which the universe was born was called chaos. so all in all, it all checks out. B)

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

wow, i really just rambled for ages, huh. whoops!

well, i suppose to give a TL;DR answer to your question: HELL YES i enjoy using leitmotifs in my music, and HELL YES i put references in my work. hope that answers it! B)

#ask box #anon ask #questions #behind the scenes #naktigonis.mp3 #naktigonis.txt #composition

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crusherthedoctor · 4 years ago

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Can we have some unpopular Sonic opinions?

I tried to cram in a lot, so I hope this satisfies you. :P I tried to stick to the ones that I haven't brought up quite as often, since by this point, we all know that I think IDW's storytelling is dire, SA2's story is overrated, X Eggman is an embarrassing portrayal (at least from season 2 onwards), Blaze shouldn't be handcuffed to Silver, Shadow's backstory had issues with or without the Black Arms, Neo Metal Sonic looks silly, etc. But anyway, here we go:

- Knuckles may be tricky to incorporate into plots that don't relate to Angel Island, but making him obsessed with his duties is no better than having him forget about Angel Island entirely.

- I like Marine, and never found her annoying. Oh, I understood what they were trying to do with her, but I honestly wasn't put off by her, and found her Aussie lingo more endearing if anything. Since her debut was during the period in my life where where I couldn't stand Sonic himself, I instead thought he was irritating (and hypocritical) for getting annoyed with her for doing shit he would often be guilty of.

- Silver is just as guilty of being shoehorned into games and plots as the Deadly Six are. Having more fans than the latter is irrelevant, since we're still talking about a character who constantly has to time travel in order to be present.

- Speaking of Silver, if he has to stick around, please do something different with him. They've pulled the doomed future routine multiple times now, and it's been boring every single time. I wasn't interested when it involved Iblis. I wasn't interested when it involved Knuckles drinking the edgy Kool Aid. I wasn't interested when it involved a council of dumbasses... give it a rest already.

- The Tails Doll can work as a mildly creepy thing, with maybe more to it than meets the eye when it's time for a boss fight or what have you. But the memes about him stealing your soul are just dumb, and I thought it was dumb even back in my teenage youth.

- “Eggman is supposed to be clownish!” Yeah, well he's also meant to be a genuine villain with a 300 IQ. These qualities don't have to be mutually exclusive.

- “Sonic is supposed to have attitude!” Yeah, well that's not the same thing as being an absolute cunt. Sonic was only ever meant to come off as having an edge compared to Mario. He was never meant to be a GTA-tier protagonist.

- Rouge is not a villain, and never was a villain. Literally the whole point of her role in SA2 was to reveal that she was working against Eggman and Shadow the whole time, albeit using sneakier tactics to do so. You'd think all those people who exult SA2's story would remember this, but apparently not. She barely even qualifies as an anti-hero, since aside from stealing the Master Emerald, she rarely does anything morally questionable otherwise. She's got a lot more good in her than people give her credit for.

- Captain Whisker is a better Eggman Nega than the actual Eggman Nega. And as far as robot characters in this franchise go, Johnny's design is pretty underrated.

- I don't like Iblis or Mephiles, but I DO like Solaris, and it annoys me that it was out of focus for most of the story due to all the time spent on its less interesting halves. Had they kept the backstory with the Duke and his experiments, and worked from there, I think they could have provided an interesting contrast with Chaos (since Solaris can also qualify as a monster with a sympathetic backstory) instead of recycling the surface level schtick.

- Black Doom may technically be just as bad as Mephiles, Nega, Scourge, Mimic, etc, since he's yet another villain with one-note characterization and fucked over Eggman. But because he never gained a disproportionate fandom, he doesn't annoy me to the same extent. It's easier to ignore him by comparison, and his Dr. Claw voice and face shaped like a lady's delicate part make him enjoyable to mock.

- Likewise, while Lyric is also on the same level as these other villains, it's easier to dismiss him because I was never invested in the Boom games anyway, and being an obvious alternate universe (compared to Sonic X or IDW, which retain the Modern designs and plot elements), it never had an effect on the main series. I also unironically like his design, and if nothing else, at least this snake didn't start a hypnotism fetish across the internet.

- Sally - and the rest of the Freedom Fighters for that matter - have had their importance in the franchise severely inflated. They may have been lucky to be the face of popular media (SatAM and Archie), but they're not these magnificent entities that the game characters are but a speck of dust in comparison to. Having a “legacy” doesn't make them more entitled to shit than any other character, old or new.

- Conceptually, the treasure hunting gameplay is one of the better alternate gameplay styles IMO. But it was let down in SA2 by its one track minded radar (the levels may have been big, but I don't think that would have been an issue on its own if the radar was better). If they brought it back and made it more like SA1's treasure hunting, I'd be all for it, although it would probably be better suited for a spinoff title.

- This goes for a lot of games, but when it comes to 2D, I prefer sprites over models. Not that the Rush models are bad (though the ones in Chronicles sure as fuck are), but the sprites in Mania and the Advance trilogy are just so charming and full of character.

- I actually like Marble Zone. Yeah, the level design is a bit blocky, but I love the concept of an underground temple prison, mixed with lava elements in a zone that otherwise isn't a traditional volcano level.

- I also like Sandopolis Zone. Again, completely understand why it's not the most popular zone around, but I've been a sucker for the Ancient Egyptian aesthetic since childhood (you can thank Crash 3 for that), and Act 1 is visually stunning.

- I prefer the JP soundtrack for Sonic CD over the US version overall... but I also prefer Sonic Boom over You Can Do Anything.

- SA2's soundtrack isn't bad by any means - I love Rouge's tracks, and The Last Scene is one of my favourite pieces of music - but as far as variety goes, it's a step down from SA1's soundtrack.

- If Sonic X-Treme had been released, it probably would have been unenjoyable and confusing. Whatever your thoughts on SA1, it was probably the better option between the two as far as Sonic's first legitimate translation into 3D goes.

- I have no qualms with Modern Sonic and the other Modern designs and characters, but I also fully acknowledge that changing gears from Adventure onwards - and doing it with a great amount of fanfare - was always going to create one of the biggest divides in the fandom, and fans shouldn't act surprised that this happened. The fact that they felt the need to hype up a new design and direction in the first place (compared to Mario, who has mostly been the same since the beginning, with only the occasional minor change with little fanfare) also indicates that they weren't confident enough in Sonic and his universe being the way it was, which often gets ignored by all the “SEGA have no confidence!!!” complaints you see with their recent games.

- Unleashed did not deserve the incredibly harsh reviews it received back in the day... but it doesn't deserve its current sacred cow status either. It had more effort put into it than '06 to be sure, and I can respect that, but much of it was misguided effort, and even if you like the Werehog, you have to admit that the idea came at the absolute worst time. The intro cutscene may be awesome, as is the Egg Dragoon fight, but 2% doesn't make up the entire game. Chip was also quite annoying, and I wasn't particularly sad when he pressed F in the chat at the end.

- On the other hand, while Colours definitely has its shortcomings, and people have every right to criticse those shortcomings, a lot of its most vocal detractors tend to have a stick up their arse about the game because people actually enjoyed it, and it had a gimmick that people actually liked. Yes, it may have been the first game to have those writers everyone hates, but then SA1 was the first game to give the characters alternate gameplay styles and have other villains upstage Eggman, so...

- Forces is absolutely not on the level of '06. It's nowhere close. A game being flawed does not make it the next '06, clickbait YouTubers. Or should I say, the game they want to retroactively apply '06's reception to, since they've been trying hard to magically retcon '06's own quality...

- To echo @beevean, ALL of the 3D stories have their issues. SA1 is probably the most well-rounded of them on the whole, but even that one isn't perfect.

- To echo another opinion, although I do love SA1, I'm not crazy over the idea of a remake, and would prefer them to just take Sonic's gameplay from SA1 and work from there. Because with a remake, you're stuck in a hard spot: Do you keep it the way it is bar the expected graphical upgrades, and risk accusations of not doing anything to actually improve the experience? Or do you try to address past criticisms, and risk the wrath of the fans who will inevitably go on a #NotMyAdventure crusade about it? What people fail to consider is that the Crash and Spyro remakes were accepted gracefully because their original iterations were still unanimously beloved for the most part, whereas SA1 - and especially SA2 - have always been divisive, and have only gotten moreso over the years.

- People take their preferences for the character's voice actors too seriously. I have my own favourites like anyone else, but I don't make a big deal out of it.

- And with fandom voice actors, they usually focus too much on doing a basic impression of their preferred official voice actor, and not enough on the acting. So you end up getting a lot of fan voices who sound like decent impressions of Ryan Drummond or Jason Griffith on the surface, but they sound utterly empty beyond that impression, because there's no oomph or depth to the actual emotions. They think about the actor rather than the character, when it should really be the other way around.

- The thing with Ian Flynn is that he is capable of telling a decent story, and he can portray some characters well. But he's proven time and time again that everything will go off the rails if he's given too much freedom (ironic, given how quick he is to point the finger at mandates when something goes wrong).

- Ian Flynn and Shiro Maekawa are not the only people in the world who are allowed to write for Sonic. I understand that one should be cautious when seeking out new writing talent, but for all the fandom's accusations of playing it safe, they sure aren't in a rush to experiment outside of their own comfort zone.

- And of course, the big one: You don't fix the franchise's current problems by crawling back to its previous problems. It's much more helpful and constructive to discuss the good and bad alike with each of the games. Less “THIS GOOD, MODERN BAD”, and more “This could work, but maybe without that part...”

#Crusher's Asks #Opinion #Sonic the Hedgehog

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nelson-riddle-me-this · 3 years ago

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Film soundtrack: Camelot

I have not seen this film or listened to the album before, so here are my live thoughts as I listen for the 1st time.

01. "Prelude and Overture"

Something about how this begins - it feels like they cut an intro, it just starts and I feel out of the loop. Also, as is usual with Broadway-film adaptations of this era, the orchestrations are larger and a little bite'ier. Pretty strings. Got that 20th Century Fox string sound - but wait, this is a Warners movie -OOOHO WAIT IT'S Alfred Newman conducting [longtime head of the Fox music dept.] heheh so I *am* right. Pretty ballads - "If Ever I Would Leave You". OOH these strings on "If Ever I Would Leave You" are GORGEOUS. And tail out. Beautiful!

02. "I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight?"

Richard Harris is a lot friendlier than Richard Burton was in the role of King Arthur on Broadway - and I'm into it. Also, I dig the brighter tempo here - makes it feel like we are indeed on the eve of a momentous occasion (wedding). Okay I wish they'd play with dyamics more - especially on lines like "he's wishing he were in Scottland fishing tonight" or "he's searching high and low for someplace to hide". Missed opportunities for text-painting.

03. "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood"

I can't help compare Vanessa Redgrave to Julie Andrews. Redgrave doesn't have an unpleasant sound, but she's lacking personality. I dig the 'Bolero'y millitaristic snare drum. Much of the joy in Julie's performance is how she mixes surface-level sweetness, and conniving seduction (think Betty White as 'Sue Ann Nivens' on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW). But Redgrave's performance doesn't seem to be all that thoughtful. Also, not a fan of that ending, it doesn't feel like an ending, "Oh, it's over! That was it?", but perhaps it makes more sense with picture.

04. "Camelot and the Wedding Ceremony"

Nice bassoon. ?harpsichord?? So far this arrangement is the closest to the Broadway. I wish the strings were legato/slurred on "by order Summer lingers through September". Maybe I am too mickey-mouse'y with the text painting I want, but I prefer specificity. I like the pulling back the tempo a bit there. Love these woodwind lines! Oooh love it again, we're pulling the tempo down, dynamics, and slurring. Love it. Build. Build back up! YES! Lovely! OOoh this little Medievel winds passage! And the chorus! Oh those woodwinds are gorgeous. I need to learn more about them - recorders??? At first the singers didn't sound especially English, more American. As I listen more, their pronunciation is pretty English. But perhaps the harmonies are very American - like what you'd hear in a Disney movie or Mancini score of the era - so even sung with appropriate pronunciation they sound American?

05. "C'est Moi"

Frano Nero. Never heard of him. He's fine, but feels like a step-down from Robert Goulet. He lacks that clear strong edge that Goulet has. He's not as commanding. When Goulet praises himself, I buy it. Like he has the confidence and strength to really sell what he's singing. This man isn't selling me. Maybe that's a choice - maybe they want us to see him as a phony who's over-selling himself. But I feel like I still have that with Goulet and it's better because you feel like you're reading beetween the lines a little more - like resisting an extremely good/slick car salesman.

06. "The Lusty Month of May"

Nice opening. Pretty. I love the slower tempo for this - enhances the seductivness. Gorgeous strings. And we accel! Nice! Good ?harpsichord? Now I still don't like her as much as Julie, but Redgrave works better here than in "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood", staightforward lustiness is a little easier. This 3' section is nice, though I wish it were faster - a merry-go-round, but slightly unhinged.

07. "Follow Me and Children's Chorus"

Gorgeous, tinkly. Gorgeous chorus. They're stereo ping-ponging the choirs!!!! It's really effective. Oh and the childrens chorus is so sweet. This is a completely different approach than the OBC, but it works so well. Helps that this is an utterly divine song. Favorite track on the album so far, probably to remain so. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TRACK.

08. "How To Handle A Woman"

Oooh he's upset and we're fast! This works! Even if he's generally warmer than Burton, Harris can still do angry! And pull it back, sweet and intimate. Oooh this whisper'y smolder bit O.o and now we're past the intro. I kind of like Harris better than Burton - his warmth is really an asset for this character. Oh yikes that Merlin line is very sexist :/.

09. "Take Me To The Fair"

The tempo is - not sure if it's even slower, but it's looser, and I don't like that. The precisely on-the-beat phrasing of the OBC (both vocally and instrumentally) communicates that Guenevere has this all planned out, it's an act, it's a trap, she's manipulating these silly men. Oh, the transition from "well, Sir Sagramore" to "you may sit BY me at the ball" is awful - either she just keeps going through it (but in a weird way) or they did a pickup and spliced her in there so she's slightly overlapping. Sorry Alfred Newman, but this is not IT. Who cast Redgrave? Who thought casting a non-singing actress in a role originally played by a remarkably strong actress-singer? I like the little harpsichord section. Worst Redgrave number so far. An insult to the OBC. I promise this is a good song, got listen to the cast album

10. "If Ever I Would Leave You"

Oh, so we're right into it! Nero's lack of boldness as compared to Goulet kind of works here - sweeter and softer for this intimate love song. Lots of this arrangement is just imitative of the vocal - which is nice but can get a little tiresome when it's not really in-the-pocket. Still this man doesn't have the presence that Goulet does. He just doesn't command your attention. Like this string interlude. Different. Flute :) adding ?oboe? under it. Violins. Now violas? I like it. Oh and I think the violins are doing finger tremolos. Great! The new interludes on this album are gorgeous, when the film people really get to go off and do their own thing, it's great. And are we back to the vocal? Yes, this works. Oh these strings are GORGEOUS. I miss the ?timpani? hits of the original, but actually given that Nero is not as powerful a vocalist, letting the strings lead those hits is a good choice.

11. "What Do the Simple Folk Do?"

Oigg Redgrave. Like the harpsichord and very 'royal' woodwinds. And tambourine. Very medieval. Yay, we DO get a whistling section! This is adorable :) I like this. BOOO Vanessa!!! Oh, I like the "their own folk - throne folk" rhyme, don't remember that from the OBC. Oh and Harris can get big and bold too!!! I really love Richard Harris in this. HE HAS THE RANGE. Oh, is that Marni Nixon? Sounds like her. Did you know the film composer Bronislau Kaper gave her her first break? He needed someone to dub ?Virginia O'Brien?'s singing voice for some picture, and looked in vain until some paige at the studio recommended her fellow-paige, Nixon, and the rest is history! I like this ending! Harris really carries this song on his back.

12. "I Loved You Once In Silence"

The guitar is neat, very different from the OBC - though I confess I don't remember this song as much as the others. See this is something Redgrave can do. Her soft kind of weak voice works for something intimate and straightforward like this. Still, I don't like her voice and every once in a while something in her tone feels so amaeturish that it bugs me. Oh dear, only Redgrave and Nero together. :( they just both seem like space-cases. They're not compelling. Perhaps they have screen presence, but they don't have audio presence.

13. "Guenevere"

Oooh love these ?string harmonics?! Eerie. Like this! The studio chorus is great. Some of the strings are too loud - I suspect that's just a mix issue. Oh I love the tambourine on 2 and 4! I love how large this sounds! That ?horn line? kinda steps on the male vocalists there. Oh I really love every spot the tambourine is here, huh! OH YES! BUILD! GLORIOUS!!!! Oh and the bell.... let the bell toll....... yesesssssssssssss........ fade..... Second-favorite track!

14. "Finale Ultimo" [Camelot (Reprise)]

Aww, Dicky Harris is sad :'( but I love the harp here playing the brass/w.w. figures we heard in "Camelot". Nice clarinets. And the guitar. Nice snare rolls. And here's the big finale! Big chorus! Oooh these harmonies have such body. Love hearing them linger. Get soft. BIG AGAIN! BIG DISNEY MOVIE ENDING!!!!!!!!

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

Ultimately it's not as tight or well-cast as the original Broadway cast album. Vanessa Redgrave is not a good Guenevere - she lacks the spark, sacharine underhandedness, deliberateness, and vocal chops that Julie Andrews brought to the role; and she doesn't supply anything meaningful in their place. Franco Nero is a watered-down Lancelot and lacks the commanding presence and powerful voice that made Robert Goulet so effective [I did some research and it seems Lancelot's singing voice was dubbed by Gene Merlino]. -2 for them, but +1 for Richard Harris, who brings a warmth to King Arthur that Richard Burton lacks, and yet he is powerful, commanding, even angry when he needs to be. The studio chorus is GORGEOUS and truly one of this album's great strenths. The arrangements/orchestrations are very pretty, though don't always feel as thought-out as the OBC. It's likely a larger orchestra, so I understand that things might not be as tight and you might want to take tempos down for that reason, but it really waters down a few numbers. Ultimately this is an uneven album, the OBC is far better. But at the very least I recommend this version of "Follow Me".

#camelot #camelot 1967 #film score #alfred newman #my apologies for taking so long to respond to this #i really enjoyed listening to this #thank you Zach <3 :D

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thinkingaboutyoungroyals · 3 years ago

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I posted 648 times in 2021

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#destiel - 7 posts

#young royals fanfic - 4 posts

#wilmon - 4 posts

#supernatural - 3 posts

#thank you for my tears - 3 posts

#pearl next door - 2 posts

#let troye sing on the soundtrack!!! - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 113 characters

#can't believe the thing that gets me writing fanfics again after 2 years of nothing inspiring me was supernatural

My Top Posts in 2021

Me: **rewatches Young Royals for the millionth time**

Netflix: Are you okay? Do you need help? Comfort?

Me: I’d like Season 2 of Young Royals, please.

Netflix: Hmmm... how about the Kissing Booth?

Me: No, I just want Season 2.

Netflix: Why don’t you rewatch Supernatural?

Me: Season. 2. Of. Young. Royals. Netflix.

Netflix:...

Me:...

Netflix: How about He’s All That?

Me: Fu---

83 notes • Posted 2021-08-27 22:31:41 GMT

After Wilhelm finds out that it was August who leaked the video... And after he calls his mom to tell her and finds out that she already knew and wasn’t going to do anything about it... I’ve been thinking about that a lot.

His cousin whom he thought he could trust and thought had his best interest at heart... was the one who ruined his life.

His mother who was supposed to love and support him and defend him... was turning a blind eye and supporting his perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Simon, the only one who stood by him, whose own life was ruined but still continued to be there for him... left because he valued himself and respected Wilhelm’s decision to stay loyal to the crown, to the very end.

Wilhelm hanging up on his mother and then looking around to see himself alone... I think that was the moment that he realized that he may have made a mistake.... He trusted the wrong people but it also wasn’t his fault.

But, he made his bed and he, now, he was gonna lie in it.

I hope in season 2 that he becomes even stronger from this and finally fights for himself and what he wants.

89 notes • Posted 2021-08-03 00:53:06 GMT

Season 2 needs a scene of Wilhelm playing the piano and Simon singing along.

100 notes • Posted 2021-09-04 23:28:39 GMT

I’ve re-watched “Young Royals” so many times and each rewatch just never fails to astound me. This is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever seen in a teen drama. Yes, it’s trope-y, there’s no avoiding that. And it’s not a perfect show. But, it managed one thing that many teen dramas often struggle with: authenticity.

All the characters, yes, including August, are all so well thought out and no one is one-dimensional. They’re all flawed. They have their own morals and beliefs that they either embrace or reject. They have their own background stories and motivations for their actions. Not to mention, the teens? They act like teens! They go to school, hang out with friends, complain about their families, have crushes, and take part in hobbies.

And none of them look like they’re about to walk a runway! They have acne and scars and messy hair.

The costumes, man! The kids wear regular, comfortable clothes that are still fashionable and appropriate for school. Yes, the rich kids are wearing designer names that scream “money!” (I noticed the Calvin Klein logo in one of Wilhelm’s sweatshirts) but that’s the thing — they’re subtle without being in your face. Even the girls’ makeup looks like the actresses themselves did their own makeup!

And don’t get me started on the relationships! All the relationships! Familial! Platonic! Romantic!

Wilhelm clearly loves his parents but he’s the second born. The spare. Most of the attention growing up was most likely on Erik. And Wilhelm most likely felt invisible, which was just fine with him, he doesn’t like the attention… until Erik died and Wilhelm became crown prince. Suddenly, all the attention that their parents gave Erik was given to him and it wasn’t the good kind. They have expectations for him now. Big ones. I don’t think Wilhelm’s parents are homophobic, not at all. His mother seemed sympathetic towards him after the video came out. But, at the end of the day, she was still the Queen and she had to make choices for the good of the Crown. And, unfortunately, that clearly took precedence over her role as a mother.

Simon and Sara’s dad made some wrong choices and lost his family in the process. And although Simon seemed more forgiving, Sara is clearly not. Micke tries to get back in Simon’s good graces by getting him the booze for the party but freaks out when he thought Simon was using drugs. And even Linda, best mom ever, clashes with Sara, who believes that their mother isn’t doing enough for them. We, the audience, sees that she is and Simon does, too, but Sara feels that it’s not enough and Linda doesn’t even try to fight her on it.

And Felice clearly loves her mom and struggles to meet her expectations but is getting choked in the process (’quite literally). It makes me wonder if her initially going after Wilhelm is because her mother is pressuring her to get with the prince. During parents’ day, her mother asked after Wilhelm, not Felice. And Felice realizes pretty quickly how toxic her mother is but, in the beginning, there wasn’t much she could do but go along with it. But, slowly and surely, she starts breaking away, starting with refusing to wear her mother’s dress and refusing to be Lucia and giving it to Sara, who actually wanted it.

And there’s August’s obvious distaste of his mother’s boyfriend and his rocky relationship with her after his father’s suicide. August is still clearly grieving while his mother seemed to have already moved on. And although this doesn’t excuse August’s actions, it shows his motivation and how strongly he’s holding on to whatever sort of control he can get his hands on: the rowing team, his status in school as prefect, and Wilhelm.

(More under the cut cause this was longer than I anticipated.)

I can’t talk about “Young Royals” without talking about Wilhelm and Simon’s relationship. The way it started because Simon spoke up in class about the unfairness of the law when it comes to welfare scams and tax evasions. Wilhelm’s whole life was probably filled with fake friends, people who only wanted him for his connections or to elevate their own status. In a sea of fake people, Simon was authentic. He never pretended to be anything he was not. And I can see why that must be intriguing to Wilhelm and he pursues him without even realizing it. He’s drawn to Simon and not just ‘cause he’s cute and has the voice of an angel.

And they got the actual way teenagers act when confronted by feelings for a crush. They watch and long from a distance. They shyly try to get close but get overwhelmed at any hint of reciprocation. The careful hesitation at that first kiss. The heartbreak of the possibility that you read the signs wrong. The giddiness of that first relationship. Yes, they do have sex from the get-go but the relationship itself was not sexual — it was innocent, sweet, and full of adoration.

They even have a fairly healthy relationship! They communicate and talk about their feelings. They don’t let things fester. When Wilhelm realizes he’s hurt Simon, he apologizes. And Simon, even if he may not understand Wilhelm’s motivations, tries to do so, anyway. They have so much respect for each other. They had a relationship that stemmed from friendship and trust.

That’s what makes the eventual reality setting in hit hard. Because we suddenly remember that Wilhelm is no ordinary boy — he’s a prince. He’s in love with a commoner who also happens to be another boy. I don’t know what it’s like to live under a monarchy but I can imagine that even if the actual people they rule don’t care if their crown prince likes boys, the monarchy is still set in their traditional ways.

And these boys, who are experiencing love and a relationship for the first time had theirs marred by the violation of their first time and the expectations of the crown. Not to mention, they’re teenagers! That’s traumatizing for both of them!

Suffice to say, I’m glad we have this piece of media that, despite it about being about royalty and nobility and rich kids, it’s enjoyable to watch because it’s incredibly relatable and real.

When you see these characters, you see your peers and people you’ve grown up with. You can even see yourself.

And that, my friends, is why we need a season 2.

132 notes • Posted 2021-08-02 21:50:55 GMT

Going into “Young Royals” with Wilhelm being labeled as a party prince who gets in trouble for fighting, I expected him to be somewhat of a cocky bad boy who I’m immediately gonna dislike.

To my surprise, he’s an adorable ball of anxiety who needs all the hugs and, perhaps, some cookies... he must be protected at all costs!

194 notes • Posted 2021-08-10 16:47:39 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #young royals #young royals took over my year in review #am i surprised? no

3 notes · View notes

sinnamonlou · 3 years ago

Text

I posted 2,988 times in 2021

105 posts created (4%)

2883 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 27.5 posts.

I added 2,011 tags in 2021

#!!! - 354 posts

#reeba talks - 307 posts

#911 fox - 302 posts

#words - 167 posts

#about me - 163 posts

#tag yourself - 157 posts

#aesthetic - 143 posts

#evan buckley - 143 posts

#ts - 140 posts

#soft tag - 135 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#i saw some buddie on my dash🤷🏽‍♀️ and it was like. firefighters and like day to day cases/procedural type so i was like maybe this will

My Top Posts in 2021

the (now debatably😝) lovely kay @holyshit tagged me to make some really tough choices 😅

Put in bold your preferred song (live version), and then tag 3 people to play!

Best Cover: Through the Dark - Drag Me Down - 7 - Beautiful War - Little Black Dress

okay definitely beautiful war. he really made it his own. it's gorgeous 🥺

Best Acoustic Song: Only The Brave - Perfect Now - Too Young

I feel like me and perfect now have something going. like it feels a little personal. hits where it hurts and then...heals?

Best Rock Song: Kill My Mind - 7 - Fearless

easiest pick

Best Sad Song: Two of Us - Beautiful War - Change

haven't heard it in forever because I start ugly sobbing and that should tell you all you need to know.

Best "Faith in the Future" Song: We Made It - Just Hold On - Through the Dark - DLIBYH

I have been..in LOVe with her😪 big comfort song

Best Crowd Interaction: Always You - Defenceless - Fearless - Through the Dark

jumping to always you is a dream but I feel like walls is majorly missing??? the for every question why you were my because is also a dream 🥺

Cover/Live Version That Should Get a Studio Version: Beautiful War - Copyx3 - Fearless - Drag Me Down - 7

I want it. so much.

Song That Should Make It Out of the Setlist

no <3

tagging a few people: @sunsmile-lou @sun-lt @adoreinbloom @cowboylarries @whaleharry @zouisgf if you guys want!

10 notes • Posted 2021-09-24 15:55:31 GMT

🎶 expose your music taste tag

I was tagged by @holyshit to do this fun tag, thank you kay <3

rules: we’re snooping in your playlist. put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 10 songs and then choose 10 victims.

unlike kay, I will NOT be doing 15 because I essentially only listen to about 5 artists with a few random miscellaneous songs I've picked up from tv show soundtracks etc. so it would get a bit. repetitive.

habit - louis tomlinson

the last of the real ones - fall out boy

long story short - taylor swift

september - earth, wind & fire

on my own - niall horan

pretender - the maine

iT's YoU - zayn

don't you - taylor swift

pay the man - foster the people

sweetest kill - broken social scene

choosing my victims...@throughthecurtains @thehornoftheunicorn @tanktop-lou @zouis-exes-to-lovers @whaleharry @littlespoongf @farawaytatmybeloved @adoreinbloom @navramanan @sun-lt

you're free to opt out of victimization (?) though!!

11 notes • Posted 2021-08-28 08:01:06 GMT

they need to stop edging us with the story behind chim's nickname already🙄

14 notes • Posted 2021-11-09 21:11:03 GMT

✨BEAUTIFUL PERSON AWARD! Once you are given this award you can paste it in the asks of 8 people who deserve it (if you'd like). If you break the chain nothing happens, but it's sweet to know someone thinks you're beautiful inside and out ✨

reeba! hi! hello! this little award is for you 💫 how are you doing?? i saw you're working on your thesis or some type of research i think? i hope that's going smoothly...when i did mine it was so weirdd because like. half way through, boom! pandemic! now you now you need to analyze all this data from your bedroom! and i was like uhhh how tho? i cannot math 😔 so i hope yours is going better than that ashfsdf!

have a lovely monday or tuesday, whatever is where you are!! <3

essie I am smiling so big it's like my awful seventh grade ID card picture again😅 <333

hi and hello back!! this is so sweet of you really <33 (yes I'm lost for words and have to resort to punctuation mark hearts)

I'm doing well, two of my shows are back, I watched the netflix one over the weekend and then I have the other show to look forward to every week :) besides my thesis work obviously which is starting properly now, the writing bits and the main experiment phase. it's going smoothly I'd say compared to what I've heard of the previous batch 😬 I'm lucky all our educational institutes made vaccinations mandatory so even if we do go on lockdown for a bit, I'll hopefully be able to do my lab work anyway because it's only a few students and there's like 5 labs in my department so it shouldn't be an issue.

how did analyzing data from your bedroom go?? I do not envy you at ALL. I think stats is just. the bane of my existence. like I've studied what's required in my field. but I just. immediately forget after my exams😬😅 I'm really nervous and not trying to think of it and enjoy the writing bit which is more up my street.

if I wasn't already having a good day, I definitely would after this🥺 I hope you do too <3

14 notes • Posted 2021-09-21 03:25:14 GMT

URL Music Challenge

Rules: Spell your url with song titles then tag as many people as there are letters in your url to do the same!

I was tagged by scott @davldrose tysm!!

Now. I think I've done this before...but maybe we've improved you know? Maybe I'm exactly the same and too afraid to check. Anyhow. Welcome to my music taste.

paper house - niall horan

enchanted - taylor swift

reptilia - the strokes

saturn - sleeping at last

out of the woods - taylor swift

never had enough - van williams

peace - taylor swift

eyes closed - halsey

ribcage - andy black

show me the meaning of being lonely - backstreet boys

only the brave - louis tomlinson

northern downpours - panic! at the disco

i lost a friend - finneas

fix you - coldplay

ivy - taylor swift

end of the day - one direction

don't let it break your heart - louis tomlinson

I don't know seventeen people but I will try @zouisbreakup @zouis-exes-to-lovers @whaleharry @louvelylouis @farawaytatmybeloved @coffeehotcoffee

@zouaylorgf @nouisgf @holyshit @sun-lt @sunsmile-lou if you guys want!!

16 notes • Posted 2021-07-27 18:16:19 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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shianhygge-imagines · 4 years ago

Text

Silver Rose [Vergil/Reader] {Devil May Cry} Umbral Angelo

AN: I managed to finish this one in record time, and am already working on the next chapter. I’m intending the next chapter to be a bit of a dive into V and Vergil’s mentality, so it’s going to be a bit tricky to write... and a bit long. (If you take a look into my masterlist, I’ve already titled the next chapter “Bury the Light” so I’m going to try extra hard to make the next chapter worthy of the song.)

On another note: I’m probably going to start using my handwritten banner for this series from now on. I’ve noticed that gifs are rather intense for loading on certain devices/internet speed... and I’m tired of looking for appropriate gifs to use. I may end up changing the banner once I get photoshop or something >.>

If you like the content I create, please consider donating to my Ko-fi! Please help me feed my tea addiction!

|Masterlist Link| |First Chapter| |Prev. Ch.| --- |Next Ch.|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15th June 06:03am

- V’s POV -

V watched as you raced to greet Nero with a flying tackle hug that nearly sent the one armed boy tumbling to the floor from the force of your excitement. The mortal half of Vergil couldn’t help but feel equal parts bitterness, sadness, envy, and longing as he watched you fuss over Nero with worry. As he was, V didn’t feel like he was capable of having a family. Not only was the mysterious man dying the longer he remained separated from his demonic half, but because he felt unworthy after everything that had transpired since the day his family home was burnt down. Although he longed for this, it was probably one of the biggest conflicts within him during the past few weeks with you… and one of the reasons why the days had passed with too much left unsaid.

“Nero! Light of my life! My reckless son!” You continued the embarrassing titles while straightening his jacket and hair, taking care to pat down the spots covered in rubble dust. “I’m so happy to see you! Nico did such a good job with your arm! Oh! But that last one broke-”

The demon hunter’s cheeks pinkened as his mother continued to fuss over him, “Mom,” he whined, embarrassed at the fact that a stranger like V had to bear witness to this. “It’s good to see you, too, but I’m fine. I got a spare arm here-” Nero gestures to the red colored mechanical limb attached to his hip, “-see? I’ll be fine. But enough about me, what are you doing here?”

Like mother, like son, I see. V mused with amusement when the pair of you completely ignored the dying Goliath. Shadow had stalked over to sit at your side with a content flicker of its tail while leaving his weakened master to slowly walk over. “Little wanderer…” V addressed the dying demon, raising his cane to deliver the killing blow, “hie thee home.”

Just as the massive demon faded into burning ashes, you and Nero stopped your fussing to address V’s arrival. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story, Nero.” Your grin is sheepish as you pointed at V with two hands, “Apparently, V’s been living like a hobo before he came to Devil May Cry for the job. Since he didn’t want to leave Red Grave City… and I have a house here, he kinda stayed with me the past few weeks.”

“Uh-huh.” Nero crossed his arms and leaned on one foot, his expression incredulous as blue-green eyes flickered between you and V. “You expect me to believe that your old house is still standing after over two weeks of this.” To V’s amusement, Nero nodded at the rubble and chaos that surrounded them as he finished his sentence.

Kid’s got a point. Griffon communicated telepathically as it circled the sky above their group.

You pouted and slumped over slightly, “… well, it’s not standing anymore.” You looked saddened and bitter at the loss of your home, something that V understood. It had been the home Vergil gifted you, and watching the structure of the building get torn in two had been a devastating loss to you both.

Nero grimaced and uncrossed his arms, pulling you into a comforting hug. “Shit, mom. I’m sorry.”

“It’s uh, one of the reasons why I’m here, actually.” You confessed, hugging your son back. “I’ve got business to settle with Urizen… and I’m sorry to intrude, but would it be okay to stay at the orphanage with you and Kyrie after this is all over?”

“Do you really gotta ask?” Nero smiled gently, pulling away. “Kyrie’s been begging me to ask you to come over. So, just take this as a permanent invitation, okay?” The boy’s attention diverged to V, who had settled to stand off to the side, “By the way, V… Thought I was gonna have to pick you out of his… uh… tummy teeth.”

V didn’t bother hiding the smirk that appeared on his face when you pulled away to look at the fading Goliath and promptly giggled when you realized that the dead demon did indeed have tummy teeth. “Pardon our delay.” The mysterious man holds up the collection of William Blake poems to show Nero, “I was… catching up on some reading.”

Nero’s eyes narrowed at the book, “Yeah… looks like a real page-turner.” The young man remarked dryly. In the background, V and Nero both noticed your renewed laughter at your son’s dry tone while a section of the Qliphoth Tree crumbled. “So uh… you think Dante’s still in there?” Nero asked V, the pair now watching as a path forward was cleared by the falling debris.

“If Urizen defeated him, then I expect he’s not much more than Qliphoth pollen by now.” The somber words from V’s mouth put a stop to your laughing, and while he hated when you were upset, he would rather stay honest when possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Y/N’s POV -

You knew what a Qliphoth tree was, so you didn’t bother paying attention to V’s explanation, preferring to explore the area for anything remotely useful or valuable. Shadow followed after you, its red eyes watching your surroundings in case a demon tried to get a drop on you while away from V and Nero. “V may very well be right about Dante.” You muttered to the demon panther as you nudged a slab of concrete to the side with a foot. “But we’re also talking about Dante, here.” You smirk down at Shadow with hope, “He’s always been the lucky one out of the Sparda twins. Whether it be a winning prize popsicle, or taking on a demon overlord… Dante’s always been able to pull through…”

When you hear the distinct sound of a car smacking against slabs of stone, you turn to walk back towards your son and V, watching with barely concealed amusement at Nico’s antics. “You know, Shadow… Some days I wonder what would have happened to us if Vergil had even half the luck Dante has.” Ignoring Shadow’s questioning gaze, you wave at the trio waiting for you by the van. “Oh well, forget I mentioned.”

Once you were close enough, you plastered a carefree grin on your face, “Hey, Nico! Thanks for looking after my reckless son!”

“Wha-Hey!”

You and the aspiring legendary smith ignored Nero’s indignant cry. “Ah! Don’t mention it, Mrs. S! It’s always mah pleasure!”

“Bullshi, then why do you compl-”

“How much does he owe you for a new arm?”

“Mom! I can pa-”

“Nuh-uh, Mrs. S. Don’t worry about it.”

“D-Don’t worry about it?! What a load of-”

“Aw! You’re sweet as always, Nico!” You grin, walking around to enter the van with V in tow. “I’m looking forward to working with you!”

“Ditto, Mrs. S!”

Poor Nero looks like he’s about to have a fit from his seat inside the van. You feel slightly guilty for teasing your son in such a way, but quite frankly, you and Nico were having too much fun. To rain on your parade, when V climbs up the stairs to stand just behind you, he leans over to whisper in your ear, “Perhaps you shouldn’t tease the boy so much.”

And of course his father would be against my need to tease. You roll your eyes and sigh theatrically, “Alright, fine. I’m sorry, Nero. Please forgive your mother?” You know he already did, but you bat your lashes at him anyways for the fun of it.

Nero just shakes his head and folds his arms, “Just sit down. I don’t wanna risk you two falling and breaking something because of Nico’s shitty driving.”

You and V take a seat to the soundtrack of Nico’s indignant yelling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15th June 06:26am

- Y/N’s POV -

“I think we should split into two groups.” V suggested as the group of you sat in the van while Nico worked in the back.

“… And cover more group. Good idea.” Nero finished, turning to leave the passenger seat.

“Three groups.” You amended, getting up to snatch the Totsuka from where you rested it. “We’re splitting into three groups to get rid of the Qliphoth roots, and I’m leaving no room for arguments.” You shot a challenging look at both Nero and V when they opened their mouths to protest.

“Wait, Mom. Are you sure about this? We could still get this done in two groups.” Nero stood up to stop you from leaving the van.

“Yes, I would rather we all play it safe as well.” V’s green eyes locked with yours, silently worried for your well-being.

Sighing, you lifted a hand to pat your son’s cheek fondly. “I’m touched that you’re both worried about me, but you both said it yourselves. We’re on a time limit if we want to stop Urizen. I have Nico’s number, okay? So if I run into any problems, I’ll make sure to call.” With that, you waved goodbye to Nico, Griffon, Nero, and V before departing from the group, jumping out of the van with a spring to your step.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15th June 08:30am

“Maybe I should have stuck with V.” You muttered out loud, back hand-springing off the wreckage of an industrial building to land on a sturdier platform. A few moments prior, you’d been strolling rather peacefully along the city’s central boulevard… or what was left of it anyways. When you noticed a peculiar figure standing in a dead-end of the collapsed street.

Having just dealt with a few lingering red Empusa stalking the streets and destroyed a few bundles of Qliphoth roots, you were still on high alert. For a moment, you simply stared at the tall imposing figure before it clicked in your mind how familiar the shape was. The last that you had seen that figure was a dark stormy night. “Nelo Angelo?” You whispered in disbelief, yanking the Totsuka from a dying Empusa and taking a step towards the imposing figure.

Of course, the moment you stepped towards Nelo Angelo’s direction, it turned its back on you and jumped atop the rubble blocking the street, only turning to look at you briefly before walking away. You weren’t naive enough to rule out a trap considering how close you were to the main Qliphoth’s structure, but if that phantom was connected to a main root… you would have to deal with him anyways. Sheathing the Totsuka, you followed after the figure, eyes set with flames of determination ablaze.

Which led to your current predicament: scaling collapsed buildings and platforms as you followed the figure of Nelo Angelo. “Honestly, why does every incarnation of Vergil make it their life’s goal to be difficult?” You cursed when your feet made contact with another unstable platform.

The floor gave away just as Nelo Angelo stopped to turn around, your eyes connecting for a moment before you plunged into what seemed to be a tunnel made by the Qliphoth roots. When you failed to grasp ahold of something to stop the fall, you cursed and fixed your position midair. Ah shit. Stick the landing. Stick the landi- You tucked and rolled to absorb the impact from the fall, but instead bounced as you rolled, “Oof!” You grunted when your back collided with a fleshy wall.

“Oooo… ‘A’ for effort.” You huffed, out of breath as you clambered to your feet and strolled over to pick up your Totsuka.

It was… deceptively quiet in the tunnel while you regained your bearings. Red, fleshy, pulsating walls told you that you were definitely somewhere inside the Qliphoth, though probably not in its main structure… maybe you were within one of its main roots? When the walls pulsed rather violently, you grimaced and backed away from the wall, trying not to remember Dante’s comments about demons and vore. “Urgh. Too late.” You groaned, going the slightest bit green as you journeyed deeper into the tunnels.

The further down into the tunnels you went, the less light there was, until you were forced to use a smidge of demonic energy to see in the dark. You’d seen Dante and Vergil use this ability mostly for intimidation purposes, but you found that it was useful for seeing in the dark. With a simple blink, gone were your human eyes, and in their place stood slit pupils, dark sclera, and ethereal glowing light grey irises.

When light was at its minimal, a wail reached your ears from deep within, and suddenly you were sprinting down the tunnel. The closer you came to the wailing, you realized with shock that it was a baby’s cry. What’s a baby doing down here? You wondered, turning as the tunnel drifted left before skidding to a halt at the scene before you.

“That’s not…” your words stopped, caught in your throat as something tight and unpleasant clawed in your chest.

They stood before you, a family. They weren’t much more than shades… shadowy images and illusions… falsehoods… but you knew what you saw. A mother comforting the crying baby boy in her arms while the father stood by his wife’s side, helping her quiet the little one with comforting shushes and whispered words.

“Shhh, shhh, everything’s going to be okay, Nero.” The woman carefully rocked the baby boy in her arms. “Vergil, do you mind humming to him? He always did love it when you sing to him.”

The man nodded and gingerly accepted the baby from his wife’s arms. “Of course, Y/N. You should get some rest, it’s my turn to look after our son tonight.”

The woman yawned and rested her head upon her husband’s arm, watching as he began to hum a familiar lullaby to his baby son. “No, I think I’ll stay right here, Vergil.”

You watched, eyes transfixed with longing and melancholy over the scene. How you wanted this for your family. How you wished that Vergil would have stayed all those years ago. How you wished that Nero was your biological son. How you wished and wished, but your wishes never came true.

The shades before you vanished into wispy shadowy smoke before reforming into two figures and a bed. The tears that had gathered at the corners of your eyes fell as you stared in misery at the scene before you. “No. I don’t want to see this.” You sobbed even when you couldn’t tear your gaze away from the two figures involved in a passionate embrace. Your hands rose to cover your ears, not wanting to listen as a shade of your husband made love with a woman that wasn’t you.

“V-vergil! Ah! Harder!”

“Stop.” You begged, finally closing your eyes, but you could still see and hear the shades.

“Y-you said you had a wife waiting for you at home.”

“Please. Stop!” You cried, shaking your head, not wanting to hear or see any of this.

“Tell me you love me, Vergil. If you don’t care about your wife.”

“… I love you.”

“STOP!” You wailed, throwing a volatile pulse of demonic energy at the shades, banishing the scene completely until you were the only one stood in the middle of a large room filled with rubble. Huddling into a ball of misery, you wept, your hair now a dark silvery white to match the rest of your family.

“Why must you torture me?” you asked the figure stood behind you, though you didn’t rise to confront them face to face, still drowning in your woes. When the figure didn’t answer, you let out a bitter laugh, sniffling, “Figures. You never answer. I don’t even know what I didn’t file for a divorce all those stupid years ago.”

Still crying, you rose to your feet and turned to meet the eyes of Nelo Angelo, though its armor was much different than you realized. Though its eyes glowed red from within its helmet, and its body was solid, you noticed that wisps of shadow and smoke would occasionally fall off it like a fog. This entire time, I was chasing a shade… Umbral Angelo. Probably a pawn of Urizen given life by the Qliphoth. Your grief seemed so intense that it felt like you were choking, but somehow you found it in you to be angry. “Of course Urizen would find it amusing to dance all over my emotions.” You snarled, drawing your blade to point at Umbral Angelo. “So, what! Are you a puppet as well!?” You demanded, taking a menacing step forward. “Are you a puppet to Urizen like Vergil was to Mundus!?”

Umbral Angelo seemed to flinch back, as if struck, but still it didn’t answer you, opting to hold its massive blade at the ready. Gritting your teeth in frustration, you charged forward, swinging the Totsuka in an overhead strike that Umbral Angelo easily parried and countered with a backhand, sending you flying backwards even when you blocked.

“Tsk.” You clicked your tongue in annoyance as you skid backwards upon sticking the landing, “Katana versus broadsword. Really should have taken Dante up on those spars.” You couldn’t get cocky here, you decided, widening your stance and sheathing the katana once more. “I’ll let you come to me, big guy.”

The shade knight raised his broadsword with both hands in a preparation for a lunging motion, the blade glowing and ominous purple before it blinked forwards. You barely had time to switch your footwork and unsheathe the Totsuka to parry the blow to the side before Umbral Angelo was upon you again. Being much smaller than the shade knight, you dodged the incoming elbow thrust by getting in close and under his arm, thrusting the Totsuka into a crack of the armor before pulling away and creating distance.

A growl escaped the shade knight as he too jumped away to create distance. For a moment, the two of you stood at a standstill, simply observing one another from across the room. “I don’t understand you.” The statement falls out of your mouth, eyes narrowing as you run a hand through your silvery hair. “You won’t attack unless I provoke you. You won’t speak. You just stand there!” When Umbral Angelo remained silent, you threw up your arms in exasperation. “Is it the grey eyes? The silver hair? It’s probably a little darker than those of Sparda’s bloodline, but- I’m getting carried away. Answer me!”

The shade remained silent, only changing its position from one ready to attack, to one of rest, stabbing its broadsword into the ground in front of its feet.

“Fine!” The Silver Rose is drawn and its trigger pulled in the blink of an eye, the single bullet hitting the wall just next to the knight’s head.

“…s…r…gi…” Broken sounds echoed from within the confines of the shade knight’s helmet as it shifted its position once more, raising its blade to swing. “…fea…m… w…i…”

Surprised, you could only jump to avoid the wave of energy sent at you from the swing. “Wait. What did you say?”

It didn’t reply, sprinting forward in a violent horizontal swing as you bent backwards to back hand-spring away. The assault of strikes was overwhelming as you were put on the defensive, parrying and dodging while trying to get a few hits in with Totsuka and Silver Rose. There were chinks in its armor, but very little injury to his person. Now that you were closer, however, you could finally hear what Umbral Angelo was muttering.

“…use your gift… defeat me with it…” The shade knight muttered, its voice an echo of something that was once familiar, but long since a memory. “…you must… for your own sake.” It pulled back just enough to throw another downward slash at you. “…please…”

The force of the strike as you block it causes the ground under you to give away. The knight is unrelenting as you struggle to lift the blade or even parry it to the side. You didn’t want to rely on your demonic power so much, but at this rate, you were bound to be defeated by a mere phantom.

A flash of light blankets the room in searing white as you call to your demonic powers. You can feel your body absorb both the Totsuka and Silver Rose as it changes. Before the bright light can disappear, you’d practically teleported to dodge the still descending broadsword.

You grunt in annoyance when you feel your grey hair cascade down your back, having grown longer than it was in your mortal form. Like Dante, your Devil Trigger causes you to take on a draconic appearance, tough silver, grey, and black scales adorning your body in a mimic of a knight’s armor. There’s a ridge around your neck and shoulders that resembles a high collar, protecting your neck from potential damage should the need arise. Your head and face are pulled into what looks like a snout, though your mouth and eyes seem to be stuck in an eternal grin of mischief. Behind you are a set of white leathery wings and a long tail. You have little practice with your wings in tight spaces, so they are currently folded into your spine, keeping them out of the way while you make use of your tail, probably one of the only weapons you have in this form besides your fists and feet. Though describing the appendage as a simple tail would be an understatement, as it is probably more like a stinger, its point, a sharp dagger that can shoot energy beams.

“If you want me to win so badly,” your voice is a hollow echo when you activate your Devil Trigger, “Then, come at me now.”

Umbral Angelo flies at you with another lunge, but this time you dodge and summon white energy copies of the Totsuka to lay into the knight while you throw in a few jabs and kicks, mixing the barrage of attacks up by occasionally backing away so your stinger has enough room to fire a beam of energy or two.

The assault is too much for the shade knight, and it is forced to create as much distance from you as possible. It looks like it can barely lift its sword from the damage you caused. Umbral Angelo drops his broadsword and falls to its knees, weakened and defeated as you approach.

“Now, let me ask again. Why did you show me those things?” You demand, releasing your Devil Trigger to stand as mortal once more.

“To show you the truth. To show you his demons. A part of him regretted. But a part of him did not. Before you face him again, you needed to know.” Umbral Angelo forced himself to reply, though his voice was weak. “There is… one more thing. He-”

Umbral Angelo did not get the chance to finish when a sword cleaved through his chest, killing the shade instantly.

You stood, wide-eyed, your face slightly splattered with dark blood as another figure bearing Nelo Angelo’s semblance stood before you. When it didn’t attack you, you wondered briefly why it had killed its own ally. And then, you heard a distorted demonic cackle behind you.

“A pity it wasn’t even useful to defeat his old whore.”

You had no idea what the hell you were staring at. A three headed woman fused with a giant chicken fetus. Wait… whore?

“WHORE!?” You screeched, immediately activating your Devil Trigger once more to rush the cackling abomination. “I’LL SHOW YOU A WHORE YOU RAGGEDY EXHIBITIONIST!”

“Oooh! I touched a nerve!” The abomination sneered before disappearing into a portal. “Deal with her.”

Just as you’re about to close in on the backend of the retreating abomination, you’re tackled so hard that you get sent through the floor and into open air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, Thank you for reading! :D

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