#ESPECIALLY with the music score playing in the background for this moment

[idontknowreallywhy]

1 - Presence

I’m pretty sure that the more determined I am to sit and write something fluffy in a spare moment, the more angsty it comes out. This morning I was going to write some nice earth and sky but smashed the Virg instead…

And so we have some Virgil post Scott’s going MIA because that’s clearly where the fluff lies. It’s a slightly weird idea and I maybe have fallen off the mixed metaphor cliffedge here, but sensory stuff fascinates me so…

Err… I’m sorry?

In mitigation I might have an idea for a follow up scene when Scott is finally back…

(Not well proofed, thrown down in a coffee break)

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

It was an unexpected thing that finally broke Virgil:

The smell of washing powder.

An odour none of them ever noticed, because it was everywhere. A background chord running through all the linen in the place, over which all the other scents of the household were layered like a complex symphony. Until some of those more discordant scents became too loud and overpowering at which point the item was laundered, and a new score was opened beginning only with that familiar chord as a canvas.

By unspoken agreement, his room remained as he’d left it. Perhaps none of them had truly accepted he wouldn’t return to fill it with life again. Perhaps it just wasn’t necessary to thrust the knives of practicality into that particular wound yet… they weren’t short of space at the ranch.

Virgil would visit, once or twice a week, usually late at night when the effort of holding everything and everyone together had drained the last drop of his resolve and he needed to renew his vow to his big brother.

It required preparation though. He would shower, thoroughly, using a fragrance free soap he had ordered especially. Only when he was positive that all traces of his own cologne, hair products, coffee, his own smell were washed away would he open the door. He didn’t want to add anything to the faint music that persisted inside.

The bed had only been slept in three nights, on that brief visit home before he was deployed for the last time and so nobody had thought it worth stripping the sheets and laundering them. There was a light gloss of super-shiny gel on the pillow and the quiet but unmistakeable melody of his brother lingered.

The blue fluffy dressing gown on the back of the door had been worn longer and played the more powerful tune of his cologne, with a harmony of pancake batter, coffee and, on one cuff, a hint of whisky from the evening he and Virgil had sat on the back porch exchanging dad jokes and Scott had laughed so hard he’d sloshed his drink all over his hand.

He would check everyone else was asleep, then slip to his brother’s door, enter quietly and reverently remove the robe from its hook to wrap around his shoulders, lifting the outsized hood to cover his head. The intense familiarity was always a shock and so he’d stand there for a moment, surrounded by his brother’s song to catch his breath. Then, slowly he would kneel by the side of the bed, his face resting on the edge of the pillow and he would rest for a while and imagine his big brother’s arms around him. He could almost feel Scott’s forehead pressed against his own, or maybe his cheek resting on the top of his head. He’d promise again that he would look after the others. He’d be big brother as long as he had strength left in his body. And somehow, some strength would return. He’d made it through nearly three months now. He could keep going. He could do it for Scott.

He couldn’t linger there for too long. He couldn’t fall asleep here, couldn’t risk a sweaty nightmare eradicating all he had left.

He’d replace the robe and close the door, sneak back down the hallway and return to his own room. Then, and only then, could he allow the tears to fall.

One night he missed a step.

He didn’t check on the others. Maybe he also messed up the stealth part as he was jolted out of his bedside reverie by his youngest brother’s gasp:

“Scotty??!!”

He spun to face the doorway and was able to see Alan’s heart break all over again as the wrong brother looked out from under the hood.

That had been a long night. He’d done his best to explain what he’d been doing and held back his tears as he confessed he didn’t think Scott would come back as a ghost to visit them. He held the devastated child as they both wept and lay awake until the birds signalled another day to survive through was moments away from dawning.

He’d thought little more of it until one evening, well after the kid’s bedtime, Alan burst into the kitchen in a terrible panic and seized grandma by the hand, dragging her upstairs. Curious, Virgil followed and paused at the top of the stairs as he heard Grandma’s low comforting voice interspersed with hiccuppy sobs. They were coming from Scott’s room.

Virgil peered around the half open door to see his grandmother and brother crouched together on the floor, Alan clutching his empty hot chocolate mug and sobbing his heart out. He caught grandma’s eye and she indicated with a look that she had things under control. She’d handle this. He wasn’t needed this time. Virgil nodded and was about to back out when his gaze fell on the bed. And Scott’s robe in a heap by the pillows. And the marshmallows on that robe, surrounded by a spreading brown stain.

Virgil lied and said he had a migraine the following day. He shouldn’t be angry with an 8 year old for wanting to drink his bedtime cocoa with the ghost of his big brother. But he was. Because he, Virgil, was a terrible big brother. Scott wouldn’t have been angry. He’d have laughed and said it was cute and ruffled Allie’s hair and that was why Scott should still be here and Virgil couldn’t do this. They left his food outside the door, with a little get well soon card drawn in a rare fit of cooperation by Gordon and Alan. Alan had surrounded his name in hearts and kisses. He didn’t deserve it.

Late that night, after his usual shower he crept back along the corridor to Scott’s room, quietly opened the door and shut himself inside. Grandma had, indeed, handled it. The bed was neatly made again with freshly laundered sheets and the robe was hung back on its hook, fluffier than ever from the dryer. A new score was opened, only the starting chord could be heard.

Virgil took a deep breath in through his nose and tears filled his eyes.

He was gone.

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

(Ok I do need to TBC it as I can’t leave him like that… I’ll fix it I promise)

update: Part 2 “Absence” is here

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #idontknowreallywhy fanfic #tw grief #scott tracy #virgil tracy #alan tracy #thunderangst #angst #bereznik #Tw MiA family member #Presence fic

[marshvlovestv]

In honor of me having so much video game music downloaded on my phone that I ran out of storage and had to buy a new phone. My favorite track from each video game OST I have!

Bastion: Brusher Patrol (Such a bizarre clash of styles, I can't help but love this one. Shout-out to the part that sounds like Darren quietly scatting in the background.) (Also special shout-out to Build That Wall, probably my favorite vocal track in any Supergiant game)

Celeste: Scattered and Lost (I am such a normie for this choice but face it this track absolutely slaps.)

Chicory: A Colorful Tale: Song of the Wielders (I love how this song has actual lyrics but I still prefer to sing along with the Simlish version that Pizza and Chicory sing.)

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood: Illusion (First of all I love how every character in this game has their own theme I go feral for that kind of thing. Kurielle is probably one of the characters who stood out to me the least but by god is her theme gorgeous. I love the vocals and how a later track includes a sneaky reprise.)

Cuphead: Dramatic Fanatic (Tap dancing :D)

There are literally thirty of these so I'm doing a read more

Death's Door: The Grey Crow (A heartbreaking boss fight scored with the appropriate amount of anguish)

Deltarune: Cyber Battle (This melody is so underrated and ya know what, so are the characters associated with it. Sweet Cap'n Cakes forever.)

Elsinore: Donne, The Boat Boy (I love this song because it's associated with Lady Guildenstern, aka the best character in gaming full stop, but it's also just a fun little sea shanty that I think they made up for this game so I love that. Also has a lyrical version.)

Evergate: Police (Okay so the level with the police drones is one of the more frustrating ones in the game but the music is hauntingly beautiful so I give it a pass)

Going Under: trust fall (Marv is easily one of the most hateable video game antagonists of all time but damn if his boss theme doesn't slap)

Hades: Last Words (The rolling and the tolling of the bells bells bells bells bells)

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie: Reverie Ascendant (Lena Raine does these medley tracks so good man)

Hollow Knight: Dung Defender (By far the catchiest song about poop on my entire phone)

Ikenfell: Rose Thorns (So the insanely long final boss fight against Oxley overshadowed Aeldra's boss fight in my memory for a long time, but when I watched another playthrough and bought the OST I realized "Oh her theme bops SO much harder than his ever could")

Inscryption: A Final Duel (A hardcore remix of The Scrybe of Magicks, aka one of the only melodic tracks on the album and therefore the one every YouTube video about Inscryption uses in the background. I prefer the epic version just a bit more because honestly that Magnificus setpiece is the best moment in the game)

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass: Fun, Sunny Day (A fun and silly track as the title suggests, elevated even more by the context in which it plays in the game. The area music alternates between this and the more somber Rainy Sunday to illustrate that Jimmy mother is bipolar [very cute and silly game])

Omori: Bready Steady Go (Like the absolute dipshit I am I actually completely missed the optional Orange Oasis when I played this game myself. Every Let's Player finds it somehow, though, and when they fight the Unbread Twins I invariably stand up and dance along to the boss music.)

One Step from Eden: Perpetual Motion (It's just a good-ass track y'all)

Ori and the Blind Forest: Conundrum (In a soundtrack of sweeping orchestral pieces, this more subdued version of theme that only plays during one small puzzle section might seem a weird choice. But I've always really liked it)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Kwolok's Malaise (Kwolok's leitmotif is perfect for a giant frog and the boss remix takes it to it's logical conclusion)

Paradise Killer: Go! Go! Style (This track makes me feel like I'm having a sugar rush. The whole OST does actually but this one especially)

Pyre: Path to Glory (It's just got a really unique vibe to it. I like it)

Scarlet Hollow: Avery (Chill and really beautiful. Avery themself is kind of a sleeper character at this point but I can't wait for Brandon to remix their theme when they get assimilated into a giant plant monster)

Slay the Princess: The Princess (Okay full disclosure I've only played this game once so I don't have the full context for a lot of the tracks on this OST. Maybe hearing them alongside their respective princesses will make me like them more, but for now the title theme is too iconic to beat.)

Sounds of Sympathy (the OST for the game anthology Essays on Empathy): Zen and the Art of Transhumanism (In the Essays on Empathy documentary, fingerspit talked about how she prefers writing obscenely long tracks so the loop doesn't get annoying. Unfortunately for her my favorite track on this album is only three minutes long. It's a lovely little bop.)

Spiritfarer: Mind Palace (I played Spiritfarer before any of the character updates were released, so I didn't get Daria's mind palace sequences in my game. And I mean, they look very platforming-heavy so I'm okay with that, but god this is a gorgeous piece.)

Transistor: Impossible (I think this is Royce Bracket's boss theme? I don't know when any of the tracks on this OST specifically play in game. Regardless of all that this one gets me pumped.)

Unavowed: One Man's Power (I couldn't find a video of this one, but it's gentle saxophone solo that plays when Logan Brown is introduced. I think it fits is character really well and just sounds really nice)

Undertale: Death by Glamour (Best song for best character, enough said)

Wandersong: Moonscape (God knows this game gave me a lot of great options to pick from, but I settled on this one because it's so uplifting.)

#bastion #celeste #chicory: a colorful tale #the cosmic wheel sisterhood #cuphead #death's door #deltarune #elsinore #evergate #going under #hades game #harmony: the fall of reverie #hollow knight #ikenfell #inscryption #jimmy and the pulsating mass #omori #one step from eden #ori and the blind forest #paradise killer #pyre #scarlet hollow #slay the princess #essays on empathy #spiritfarer #transistor #unavowed #undertale #wandersong

[motheta]

after much thought i think i give the Yu Yu Hakusho live action either a 5.5/10 or a 6/10...maybe a score higher depending on my mood.

I went into it thinking it was just going to be the spirit detective plus the Yukina rescue arc, but when I saw the trailer I noticed they were fighting Toguro so i was like...are we going straight to the dark tournament arc?

turns out that wasn't the case, and the live action adaptation was actually a mix of spirit detective, Yukina arc, AND a few important fights from dark tournament all blended together, and the producers did their own thing to tie it all in and basically made their own story with it, so basically there was added filler and many alterations. and while there WAS disappointing aspects to this (ex: what they did with genkai's character) I actually found myself quite impressed with how they pulled this off and tied everything together.

starting off with scenes I liked:

- kuwabara's introduction and his fight with yusuke. this scene was so funny and was adapted very well. the music in it was perfect and that drop kick yusuke gave him at the end made me laugh my ass off. totally how I would picture it playing out in live action

- the Smile Bomb needle drop that they threw in there coming from the truck driver's radio, loved that little easter egg

- kuwabara trying to stop yusuke from saving kurama because he doesn't want to lose yusuke again. and the exchange they had after with yusuke being like "earlier I was eating ramen, will you get another one for me?" and kuwabara laughs and says "alright fine" and runs up to him to throw his arm around him while some touching music was playing in the background, i thought that was so sweet and represented their dynamic well

- yusuke fighting the yokai in episode 2!!! some of the best fight choreography I've seen in a while. everything was incredibly dynamic and satisfying to watch. the cgi was also pretty good in this scene

- that one addition of keiko getting mad at yusuke and telling him he should go die in the scene right before he gets hit by the truck. and then her immediately feeling guilty for his death after the fact because she feels like it was her fault and those were her last words to him. I dont know why I really liked this part. it displayed a sort of survivors guilt that a lot of people feel while mourning the death of someone

- keiko in general in this adaptation was an absolute badass and I loved how they portrayed her! I would go as far as saying this adaptation of her is better than the manga and the anime...lol

- loved botan and koenma. I know a lot of people are saying they wish they kept him as a baby, which would be hilarious but how would they even go about doing that? not like they can get an infant on set to start reading lines.

now for things I didn't like...

- showing genkai's death so early on was such a mistake, I get that it was necessary for incorporating toguro vs yusuke but there was absolutely no emotional factor if she was just on for, what, 10 minutes?

- they shouldn't have tried to adapt dark tournament fights AT ALL if they were just going to put them in the same arc as the yukina rescue arc, it didn't really make sense. they basically got rid of the entire dark tournament arc as a whole

- the cgi was amazing in some scenes...and then questionable in other scenes...

- wasn't really impressed with hiei's character portrayal in this and im not sure why, the actor was great, but i didn't like his live action design and we didn't see much of his character

- no shizuru </3

- it was only 5 episodes and it could've been adapted as a movie especially if they intend on keeping it a stand alone show with one season

thats basically all of my thoughts towards it, If you're a fan of yu yu hakusho and you're hesitant to watch it, I still recommend it!! I found it to be very entertaining and I feel like it had more impressive moments over cringe/disappointing moments. Just go into it knowing its a slightly loose adaptation :)

#yu yu hakusho #yyh #yuyu hakusho #yoshihiro togashi #yyh live action

[cococunchy]

and we are declared winners

pairing : dancer!shotaro x fem guitarist!reader

(mc’s name is Jun [mentioned once] bc of convenience so feel free to change it!)

friends to lovers

summary : with how close you and Shotaro were, no one in your entire high school was surprised when he gave you credits for making him an original guitar track for an upcoming dance competition against another school.

a/n : this is probably not the best because its not edited and i’m not the best at writing. but if you like it then ily pookie bear

_______________________________________________

It started a month ago when Shotaro came to you in the music room with a poster with the words ‘DANCERS DYNAMIC’ in both bold and italics.

He practically pounced on you the second he saw you on the floor of the music room replacing a string on your guitar, peacefully tuning it to make sure it wasn’t out of tune. He grinned, crossing his legs as he sat next to you.

“Hmm?” you hummed, looking at the poster he put on the floor to read the contents. It was a pretty regular poster for a dance competition, although one detail did stand out to you.

‘Participants must make original track for their performance.’

He looked at you, and smiled, his cute boba eyes squinting naturally, “Do you think you could free some time to compose for me a hype sounding guitar solo for this dance competition?”

You’d always do it. Even if he didn’t immediately ask you, you knew he would. You’d prepare one in advance. You’d redo it again and again until you got it perfect. Until not one beat was out of place. Until it was worthy of your best friend, the person that makes your life worth living.

Once again, you hum. Thinking it was crazy of him to even feel the need to ask, of course you could. But the poster did take you a little by surprise as usually for competitions at your school they’d let students use songs found online. “Of course.”

Shotaro’s eyes lit up, and you found yourself being hugged from the side by your best friend, your otter, as he so begged to be called instead of any other animal you could come up with, repeatedly saying thank yous while he rocks you both back and forth.

You pat his head awkwardly, his hair was soft as silk and it was always fun to play with, but right now you didn’t know what to do other than giving him an awkward head pat and occasionally running your hand through his hair to calm him down from what you could only call a sugar rush from too much boba.

And while you knew how far you’d go to make the track perfect, Shotaro certainly didn’t until he heard the demo three weeks before the competition. His eyes twinkling with excitement as he racked his brain for a choreography that would do your music justice.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” once again he hugged you, tighter than you ever thought possible, and you hugged him back, a warm smile on your face as you give him a calm ‘you’re welcome’ for every ‘thank you’ he said.

♪ ˖ ⊹ ♬˚₊‧

On the day of the competition, Shotaro smiled confidently as he walked up on stage. He was confident about everything from his performance, clothing, in which you styled for him because he asked, to his background music. He was right to be confident as he took the dance contest by storm, getting a full score by everyone who was put in a position to vote.

And so he won, a proud moment for him. So he gave his little compulsory winner’s speech, with a medal in hand, and a bright, precious smile on his face.

“Thank you for this award, I’d like to thank everyone involved in helping me get here, especially, my bestest bestie ever, Jun, the most awesomest guitarist I know”

Your school knew him, they knew him as the dancing machine. His moves fluid and precise like no other. You’ve mentioned a few hundred times how he could be an idol, with his voice and dancing abilities, but he’s always shut down the idea, ‘I wanna be in the same school as you until we graduate uni’, he says.

So your school also knew that he was lying. They wanted to call his bluff. Most of them knew he was head over heels for you, just as much as you for him, but they knew that Shotaro would come for them if they said anything to you, so they sit quietly, listening to his lie about how you’re his ‘bestie’. Not knowing, however, what he planned to do.

You, on the other hand, were proud. Undeniably so. Not just of yourself for creating the track, but of your Shotaro, who did almost everything else from choreographing jaw-dropping dance moves to winning the competition.

He ran down the stage after his speech to you, trapping you in a bear hug, his cologne rubbing off on you and his hair and clothes in a mess. But neither of you cared enough to realise.

“You’re the best, Jun, I love you, thank you” Shotaro mumbled, burying his face into the crook of your neck, his eyes closed. He wanted to say much more. He wanted to say how you were the light of his life. How you always made him feel like being the best version of himself. How he always felt comforted by your presence, but he settled on a simple ‘i love you’ for now.

Your eyes widen slightly, it never once occurred to you that he would like you as well. But you’re here, in your current situation with the boy of your dreams in your arms, saying how he loves you. it was almost too much for you. Almost, the key word. You smiled calmly, happily, warmly, “You’re welcome, Shotaro. I love you too.”

♪ ˖ ⊹ ♬˚₊‧

#cococrunchy writes #riize #shotaro #shotaro riize #x reader #shotaro x reader #guitarist reader #dancer shotaro #new writers on tumblr #kpop #love story-ish #get a guitar

[finniestoncrane]

Hi this is my first time requesting,

Could I request no. 9 from the event?

I'm a really short nonbinary artist from the northeast coast of the US, I like the cold and my favorite holiday is Halloween, my favorite season is Autumn and I like crows.

I have pretty bad anxiety and gender dysphoria, I stay in my house most of the time, and my favorite color is green, but I also like purple and orange. I can be chaotic at points but recently I've had to chill out because of some stuff I went through, and I like swimming.

I like technology and science, and I'm impulsive at points, most of the time I rely on my instincts and knowledge, I act like a dumbass but I have moments of genius.

One of my favorite things to do on Halloween is to pretend I'm a decoration and scare Trick-or-Treaters, it's some of the most fun I tend to have.

Bright lights tend to annoy me, and I bring an umbrella with me whenever I go outside when the sun is out because I burn easily. I also collect pins and bells, mostly pins though.

I can play piano and I've been trying to learn the violin, music is something that I've always loved ever since I was a little kid. At this point it helps me get up in the mornings and has become a requirement to my routines.

My art tends to lean in a sort of cute-yet-terrifying direction, but I do like drawing monsters. My creativity is what drives me for the most part, the other being spite towards my horrible mother to be successful when she didn't believe I could be.

🎀 No.9: Ever Fallen In Love With Someone 🎀

tell me a little bit about yourself and i'll give you a rogue pairing a/n: mmm i am giving you one of my top picks for myself, i hope he's right for you!! 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

ok yeah halloween, autumn and crows. i was definitely giving you a scarecrow, but this one is perfect for you

he's a homebody, except for when he's teaching or he's out committing crimes. he'd like nothing more than to relax at home with you

any issues you have, past or present, he's so happy to talk through them with you. his degree makes him super helpful with that kind of thing. a chance to put it into practice for someone who deserves it and can utilise it would be wonderful

he relies heavily on his knowledge for most things, especially his crimes. instinct plays a part in that he supposes, but someone who is willing to learn and retain would be after his own heart

an opportunity to do some scaring without it needing to be related to crime would be so relaxing for him, terror for pure enjoyment is something he would cherish, so terrorising the neighbourhood with you? absolutely perfect bonding activity

he's a bit of a shadow, preferring darkness to the light. he'd rather read with a dim overhead or by candlelight for the aesthetics (and also to save on the electric bill)

ah, someone with creative talents would bring so much joy to his life. some haunting, but beautiful music to score his days? he'd treasure that so much, and it would add wonderfully to the ambience he's trying to cultivate for himself. you can play while he reads and offer him some peaceful background noise. he'd encourage you to pursue your talents also, enthusiastically! he'd watch you practice, provide you some feedback, and he'd be in the front row if you ever played somewhere

he'd cover the walls in your art, truly. and he'd probably encourage you to help him design his costumes or his scares. an artistic rendition of what he's trying to achieve would make it easier to explain it to his strawmen, who are a bit less intellectual than he is

and he would understand the spite very well. everything he does is in the name of spite against his childhood bullies, his colleagues at the university. although he does also do things for money to buy books and to spoil you. but he would believe wholeheartedly that you were brilliant and wonderful and deserving of someone to tell you that every day

#finnie1k #finnie writes

[elliesgaymachete]

It’s not marketed this way (and maybe I’m kinda glad it isn’t? lol) but I sort of think of rw/by as a multimedia experience between the music and the show itself. Being familiar with the music adds more depth to the show I think. The reason I’m glad it’s not marketed that way is because I know the losers who already hate on rw/by would say some shit like “they shouldn’t rely on music to tell the story or flesh out characters where they can’t in the show” bestie the chapters are 10-15 minutes long each and they already fit in so much letting the songs tell some story too isn’t a crime especially when they’re all bangers

Bro you’re so right, like the music adds SO MUCH to the show and specifically like musical themes from the SOUNDTRACK come in throughout the SCORE in like pivotal moments

Like i’ve heard the musical themes for armed and ready, red like roses, and now home and gold just as like soft piano instrumental in the background of some pivotal scenes and like just knowing the significance of the soundtrack songs really adds to it

Like i’ve seen the Yang/Weiss and Ruby/Weiss reunions 3 or 4 times now but I genuinely almost cried when I noticed Home and Gold playing in the score that just made them so much better 😭😭

Also really makes me want to do a full rewatch of the whole show cause I’ve only seen bits and pieces

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 3: Lunar Resonance

Narrated by Jiang Xitong.

Narrator: The video is but one segment in the busy festival preparations. I soon forget clean about it.

Narrator: The most important thing is that there are now only three days left until the exhibition. I'm finally done with everything and can sit back and relax.

Narrator: I pinched my brows, exhausted. I put down my files and picked up some music scores.

Choose either "You should rest" or "Music score?"

If "rest," ...

You: Why don't you get some rest?

Narrator: Others might not understand, but this is actually my way of relaxing.

If "music," ...

You: Is it the score of the song you played during the filming?

Narrator: It's a collection of scores, including the song I played, which was called Crescent Moon.

--

Narrator: I copied all of them from snippets of ancient manuscripts, so a few are still incomplete.

Narrator: For example, I don't know what comes after the lyrics "winter moon by the temple, my sadness is ample."

Narrator: And I suspect that some of the notes in the latter half of Crescent Moon need revision.

Narrator: I love restoring scores to their original state. It's like unwrapping a present, starting a new story.

Colleague: Director Jiang!

Jiang Xitong: ...

Narrator: My colleague came darting in all of a sudden.

Narrator: He didn't even remember to knock.

Colleague: Director Jiang, that moon festival promotional video with you in it is out!

Jiang Xitong: Oh? And?

Colleague: Everyone's loving it!

Colleague: Especially your part. That segment has gone viral already.

Narrator: As little as I care about the film, I'm still happy to hear this.

Narrator: I'm glad people are more interested in learning more about the history of Cloudcrest.

Jiang Xitong: See, that's the true charm of traditional Cloud Empire culture.

Jiang Xitong: Can you send me the video?

Colleague: Of course!

Narrator: I soon receive the link from my colleague.

Narrator: The video's only three minutes? Hm, guess it doesn't need to be that long anyway.

Narrator: The video opened with a lady dancing in a gown under the moon while holding a mystic artifact.

Narrator: Her willowy form dissipated into sparks of light and eventually scattered all over the land.

Narrator: The camera panned to a moon festival celebration held in bustling Cloudcrest.

Narrator: The streets are crowded. Happy families gaze into the sky at the full moon, enjoying the atmosphere.

Narrator: In the background, a flute melody plays. The scene changes, and I see myself playing the flute in the study.

Narrator: "Many songs were themed on the Lunar Goddess. Crescent Moon, the one I just played, for example..."

Narrator: The video ends as soon as I finish the sentence.

Narrator: That's all?

Narrator: ...It's ...lacking.

Narrator: No ancient myths are mentioned, nor our profound and charming traditional culture.

Narrator: As for the reason my segment went viral...

Narrator: "Comment: So gorgeous!"

Narrator: "Repost: Pleeeeease release the full version of the flute performance!"

Jiang Xitong: ...

Choose "That's not what you wanted."

You: That's not what you wanted.

Narrator: Eh, whatever.

Narrator: At least they didn't mention the Lunar Goddess falling in love with a rabbit and stuff like that.

Narrator: I closed the page and meditated for a moment. Then, I opened up the folder for moon festival activities.

Narrator: The editing of the promotional video is certainly problematic, but there are some redeeming parts, too.

Narrator: The music, for example. Perhaps we can hold a seminar on ancient music theory. I can work on that.

Narrator: History is very much like a dream. Only a few pages of records and fragmented songs remain.

Narrator: But with these tunes, the people of a thousand years later may still relive history.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

#jiang xitong #shining nikki #chapter 3 #transcript #cloud empire #cloud #lunar resonance #video #history #mid autumn festival #moon #goddess #music #tradition

[natsubeatsrock]

Top 7 Things I Enjoyed in 2023: Number 2

For all the praise I gave Legends Arceus, I can't say it's my favorite game I played this year. It was my favorite Switch game. I would have figured this game would have been it. Though, I wasn't expecting the game to overtake it to come out. 

Then again, neither was anyone else. This game came out of nowhere to do war with Zelda, Mario, and Baldur's Gate for the best game of the year. And it's my pick for game of the year.

Number #2 - Hi-Fi Rush

I love this game. I don't even know how it hit so close to me. I've never been great at rhythm games and I don't stray too far from Pokemon when it comes to RPGs. However, the folks at Bethesda decided to produce a music-themed game about robots. And, boy oh boy does this work. 

No one saw this coming. It was a surprise release at the beginning of the year. It certainly wasn't the most hyped release by the company this year, considering Starfield also came out this year. The idea that a game like this would be popular only makes sense in a world where one of the most popular games involves mining.

But it more than made its mark on the public as the year went on. Almost the instant I heard about it, I figured that this would be exactly up my alley. I got to try it out at PAX East and fell in love as I played it throughout the year. 

I haven't played a game with as much charm and character as Hi-Fi Rush since Skullgirls, which was another one of my favorite games of the previous year. Fitting how that's about the only other game I play on PC, as a mainly Nintendo gamer.

The music of this game is amazing. I'm fine with all kinds of genres of music for games and personal listening. However, it's always fun to have a high-energy rock soundtrack, especially compared to all the Pokemon scores I've listened to this year. I've had its version of Radicals in my head ever since hearing it the first time.

Even outside of the individual tracks, the music dictates every action in the game. The amazing cell-shaded cutscenes, along with the normal game interactions are synced to the music. This extends to background elements. I can't think of any game with this level of coordination on a musical lever.

One of my favorite moments in the game is a boss fight where the rhythm-based parry system is the only interaction you can have with the boss. You're trying to convince her that you're not the bad guys and this is part of the reason she joins your side. It helps that she's also my favorite character in the game.

Up to about a month ago, this was the number one spot on my list. While anything could have been at the number one spot in a normal year, I thought it would be insane for anything to take that spot away from Hi-Fi Rush this late in the year.

What took the spot away?

#good riddance 2023 #hi fi rush

[mr-no-life]

Three Games that have Creative Sound Design

When it comes to video games, I think that sound and music are the biggest make or break for me (second that to the story, but we are not going to worry about it). One of the core components of a video game that I feel gets ignored all too quickly (especially in the Indie Game scene) because Graphics are what people worry about the most. I was going to write a post about how the lack of sound/music in a game can drive a game… but I had a meltdown trying to write the opening paragraph, so instead I am going to talk about three games that I feel like have the strongest and most creative sound design and why. I will link all of these games at the end of the post for you to enjoy. As a reminder, I am no industry professional and this is by far not professional commentary on the state of how video games are made. I am a filthy casual that is a sucker for things that sound good. Oh, there may be spoilers for these games, this is your only warning. 

To start, all three of these games have the following in common:

The overall sound design (from levels, to timing, to being able to set the tone etc.) are pleasing and engaging. 

The music whether it be original score or licenced music fits the tone of the game 

It strived to do something unique (I know that is a broad category, I’ll do my best to explain it) 

The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe 

This game… An enigma gameplay wise with a quite interesting take on the narrative as a whole. But, what sets it apart from most games (and even from the other two on this list) is how the lack of sound and music are used to drive the story along. What makes this game so charming is how while the designers could have easily gallen to the trope of having music constantly playing in the background throughout the whole game, they instead chose to only have music at key moments and endings depending on the choices you make. 

One ending that stood out to me is what is known as the “Space” ending where after a series of choices you end up in a black room with a nice little ambient track and a quick quip by the narrator and that’s it. Speaking of the narrator (who is voiced by Kevan Brighting) he is the only voice throughout the game and depending on your choices he will judge or praise you. At times he is the only thing you hear (outside the dulcet ambient humm of the office around you) and (at least for me) that alone can be a drive for the player. This “search for the next cue” may seem not fun for some people, but for others, finding the next cure or a different cue is the fun part of the game. It’s almost hard (for me at least) to describe how the lack of music is actually a good thing and how most of the time you only hear the ambient noises of the office around you, the dull hums of computers and what I can only assume is the HVAC system in the background as the narrator occasionally quipping at you as you run in a continuous loop trying to find something different each time. 

As for the soundtrack, there is only about 90 mins worth of notable music cues, that is not bad considering games like Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption (1 and 2) easily clock in with 3+ hour long soundtracks, which isn't a bad thing I just find it impressive when games with little to no soundtrack can still be this enjoyable. I almost have a hard time describing any more because at the time of writing this I still haven't even gotten to any of the newer endings and I'm just scratching the surface with finding the little easter eggs.

Favorite song track: Control by: Yiannis Ioannides Favorite Sound Effect: Clicking with nothing to interact with

Fallout: New Vegas

One of my (and many others) favorite RPGs out there. There is honestly nothing I could say about this game that over twelve years of gaming journalism hasn't already covered about this game. I will say this, it amazes me that through the years, New Vegas and the rest of the Fallout games as a whole have managed to stay consistent (for the most part) with their sounds and music scores. From the iconic bottle cap sound to the entire ambient score by Inon Zur, for a game of the Xbox360/PS3 era, it surprisingly holds to this day. The ONE nitpick I have (as with most Bethesda games) you will at one point encounter all five voice actors at some point playing every named and unnamed NPC in the game… kinda strange but it is what it is. 

Speaking of voice actors, the voice levels are surprisingly crisp, and the fact that the levels change if the NPC is wearing a hazmat suit or a helmet (an obvious notice but a tiny detail I love). A couple key voice actors that really stand out to me are Ulysses voiced by Roger Cross and Mr.House voiced by Rene Auberjonois (may he rest in peace). As much as the internet likes to meme it to death, Ulysses’ ramblings are by far the most catching of the named NPCs. It’s his overall tone and demeanor that despite all the bullshit that has happened to him, he still manages to stay calm and let his words do the real damage. Mr. House, for a robotic A.I this snarky asshole definitely oozes that “Mr. Vegas/big money CEO” persona. I actually appreciate the fluctuations (which are subtle but they are there) that he has throughout the game. The thing that seals the deal for Mr. House as my favorite NPC is the fact that depending on who you side with in the game, you see Mr.House’s shriveled body, and he actually sounds how he looks. They could have easily  made his human form sound like his A.I persona, but they didn’t, and that is an amazing touch. Outside of the voice acting, the rest of the ambient sounds are actually mixed pretty well for the most part, no one sound overpowers the others (and I usually have my master volume set to about 50% because I play with speakers). 

All of this is just the vanilla base game with DLCs that sound this good, I have neglected to mention the years of mods from the community that add their own sounds and voice acting to the game (and I am not going to talk about it here cause that is a blog post for another day). Speaking of the DLCs, the wealth of unique characters, and sound effects I could gush about for a while (But I have to leave something for a future blog post ;) ) I could proceed further, but to summarize, 10/10 sound quality from a different era.

Favorite song track: Serenity/Dream Town by: Mark Morgan Fun Fact: This was first featured in Fallout 2 Favorite Sound effect: The ambient sounds of the K9000 Cyberdog gun from the Old World Blues DLC.

Left 4 Dead (both 1 and 2) 

This game is one of the few exceptions I will make to play multiplayer with. Something about grabbing three other friends and fighting hordes of zombies is just… **Chef's kiss** delightful. BUT, I have never played a game (or seen a movie) that does Leitmotifs as good as the Left 4 Dead games… For thoughs who do not know, in short a Leitmotif (or more commonly a Music Motif ) is a song or sound cue that is recurring with a specific character, idea or place. What makes this game stand out (even to this day) is the almost god-like timing and placement of these cues. For a game that came out two years (for the first one, one year before for the second) before Fallout New Vegas, the techniques used and the style they are mixed stand out far above the other games of the time (in my opinion, and that is not to say the other games were not bad, hell, Super Smash Bros Brawl and Fallout 3 came out the same year, 2008 was just good as a whole). 

Let’s start with how Leitmotifs are used: both games have what are known as “special infected” zombies, and are usually there to spice up the game and either force your team to work together, or panic and split. Each one of these special infected have their own sound cues and music stings to alert the player(s) that they are coming. What I like about this is that when you first play these games you’re initial reaction may be “What the fuck is that?” and then BOOM all hell is breaking loose. But, as you play them more and more the confusion turns into “Everyone start running shit is going to hit the fan.” But, a nice little detail I actually learned from another review of this game, is that a lot of the audio cues (not necessarily the music stings) have there own built in Doppler effect (witch I fucking hate, but more on that later) witch makes it all the harder to pin point were the zombies are coming from. It adds a nice little touch to something that could easily have been a bland generic one cue note. 

Speaking of musical stings, there are FOUR (Yes four) music stings for when you are hanging off a ledge, and they get louder and more intense as time goes by, witch just makes me giggle like a child because it is a clear indicator that you are gonna die unless someone saves you. While I was doing research for this post, I noticed another interesting detail I did not notice until now, when a hoard of zombies is approaching in Left 4 Dead 2, the song that plays during the hoard is different depending on witch of the six campaigns you are playing, and I think that is absolutely BRILLIENT it makes it seem like each campaign is unique and fresh. This may seem kind of an odd praise, but each of the campaigns (in Left 4 Dead 1 and 2) have their own unique song attached to them (that is separate from the Hoard songs in the case of L4D2). As with the other two games I have gushed about, I could spend a lot more time going on and on about how each of the sound cues for the special infected have both a piano and a string variant, how the sound goes mute and dry when you are almost dead, but I feel like I have gotten my point across, this is a solid game for it to have come out in ‘08.

Favorite song track: Dead Air (the self titled theme for the L4D1 Campaign of the same name) by: Mike Morasky Favorite Sound effect(s): The entirety of the L4D2 Dark Carnival campaign.

In Conclusion. These are just three games I feel like have some pretty solid sound design, but as with most things, they are not without their flaws. Stanley Parable gets a tad frustrating because you are sometimes left wandering around in a quiet empty space with no cues from the Narrator, Fallout New Vegas and the famous “crash every two hours” issue, and the Left 4 Dead games sometimes gets a bit TOO chaotic at times and some of the details are lost. But in the end, that’s what makes these games great, there flaws are often put to the wayside because the strengths shine that good, and to me that is the sign of a good game, where the nitpicks and issues are still there, but it makes the game that much more enjoyable because it is essentially a flawed masterpiece. In the era of “everything has to be 4k graphics and flawless and bug free day 1” the charm of an indie game taking its first baby steps into the world is often seen as “lazy” because we have sadly shifted the focus from “quality” to “quantity”. But, that is not my place to talk, we are here to celebrate the Music and Audio Design in games (both AAA and indie). I will most likely be doing another one of these types of posts later in the year talking about three more games’ audio I love. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me here on Tumblr or on Twitter (links in the bio). Below is a list of resources for you to check out the games mentioned here today (and the kind people who inspired me to do this). Stay safe everyone! (^_^)

Games:

Fallout: New Vegas

Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe 

Left 4 Dead & Left 4 Dead 2

Resources:

Left 4 Dead Wiki

Nukipedia

What keeps Left 4 Dead 2 so GREAT even 12 years later? By: Bricky on Youtube

#youtube video #video games #video game music #video game audio #audio production #audio engineering #music #art #design #science #music theory #audio music #aaa games #stanley parable #left 4 dead #l4d2 #L4D #fallout new vegas #FNV #Dog #carnival #dark carnival #2008 #indie games #gamedev

[munadrawson]

Commentary on the "Pardner" project

Before I mention the musical number project, fair warning that this will get personal. I worked on this project during the month of Ramadan when I could not leave home, which resulted in some mental anguish. But I won't get into details since it is pretty much self-explanatory if you're queer. FYI: This is long af. Lots to say.

Background:

I've been drawing fan illustrations/fan comics for 15 years. I never once reference anything from my cultural background. Wild, I know. One of the reasons why I have yet to do so until now was that there wasn't a desi-inspired character that I would enjoy as much as Frye, especially from a franchise that I had adored since day one when I was broke and just started college. There was no way 17 years old me would believe an inkling idol with a Desi background would be a thing and not be offensive. I know some voiced their issues with Frye's design, but after looking through the art book, I am GLAD this was the design they approved. I won't talk about colorism/racism in this post. Don't want to get into the social issues. This is a representation that I'm okay with, and it is a positive one.

So, I grew up watching musicals, whether it is from Disney or Bollywood/other box-office desi movies. Music is a pretty biggie dealie for yours truly. Gosh, I remember in elementary/grade school, I had a classmate who had the same energy as Frye and did the teeth thing as she brought a tape to school. She shared "Lal Dupatta" with the homeroom teacher on the school CRT tv. She was dancing and singing along with the song and tried to have me join in the festivity. But I was and am a shy girl, so I couldn't do it. I did enjoy her enthusiasm and the song. This was something I culturally understood. I felt connected.

Reminiscing that moment, I declared that I should reference one musical number that would fit in the Splatoon universe. For her sake and mine.

Old musical number:

One rule I had while I was searching for a song was that I didn't want the song to be too culturally specific or ignorant of stereotypes. So, no dancing. In the future, I'll draw Deep Cut dancing but nothing culturally significant until I do some well-deserving research before flinging myself into the fiery pits of hell. I learned my lesson internet, lol.

I had one specifically in mind before the partner song. More romantic implications, but it had one person singing. No duet. Sure, BM would appear more, but it would be just him playing an instrument while Shiver singing. Then I would have them crashing together while Frye witnessed this whole shebang at a distance. I also planned to add the Squidbeak Squad be the peanut gallery and have Craig do the "Harold, they're gay" joke. That was the initial idea until I stumbled upon a better one.

New musical number:

After eating my dinner, I passed by my mother while she watched Sholay. During that time, Mom was watching movies from the 60s and 70s on youtube. One was nostalgia, and the other was missing out on some or does not remember some of the stories. Sholay, particularly, caught my attention because the silver fox daddy, Sanjeev Kumar, appeared on the screen. Rood af, bruv. I know, thirst trap.

Seeing him in this movie triggered a memory where Dad showed me a motorcycle scene. I remember Kishore Da was the singer for that song, but that scene was from a different movie. A similar concept of two buddies riding on a motorcycle together, but the energy wasn't there. Out of curiosity, I ended up watching Sholay with Mom.

After viewing the friendship song, I shot up with excitement. "THIS! This one screams them!" As I initially said in the main post, I sought that chaotic energy. Two morally good-leaning thieves sing in a duet about their friendship while being a menace to society. That's THEM!

I know BM is an essential member of Deep Cut, but I'm not considering the movie but this specific score. If this project was about the movie, I would have DJ Octavio as Silver Fox Daddy, and BM would be Shiver's romantic interest. I did have plans on doing so in a separate post, but I gave up on that thought because I became exhausted after drawing eight pages of Fryver. I thought this would take me at least three weeks to draw. Instead, it was more than a month! I couldn't continue because of the lack of going to the gym, a month's worth of fasting, and in the middle of the holy month, I got sick from a stomach virus. Sorry BM. I want to tackle some other projects right now, and as promised, there will be more of him.

4 became 6, then 7, and finally 8:

Initially, I had the project divided into four pages. These were the four:

While drawing the four, I debated whether I should add in the coin toss scene. At that time, I could not figure out who could fill the village girl role until I was gobsmacked, realizing how slow and stupid I could be. I thought BM for the longest time, but he's too nice. If the coin rejects the idea of sleeping, he will give them the signature bear hug instead of waddling away. I want these two to be dunked on, especially after stealing his icy pop. "I'm upset that the dastardly duo stole my ice cream, but FRIENDS!!!" That kind of energy is NOT needed for this goof.

Once I figured out that the cousins could fill the Village girl role, the project became six pages long. I left that as a bonus. I acknowledge some people ship each of the cousins with Shiver/Frye. I nodded in some parts, like Callie's blushing. Hopefully, this bonus one was respectful enough. I didn't want to offend anyone.

At this point, I was confident that I was done until I realized there was no introduction to this project. Who the hell would know this 48-year-old movie reference? Very few. Which is fine. I don't know many pop cultural references. If you mention something about star wars, I would go whomst. Not a musical? Disengage, lol. I am not a movie buff to begin with. Music (folk metal plz) and (indie) games I fuck with. Anyway, I drew the introduction to the sketch dump:

I've laid the chorus across on the top. The background is straight out of the game (you got me bent sideways if you expected me to draw a unique background. Like, I'm insane, but not THAT insane.) I drew the characters that appeared in the sketch dump. These three stealing the show. How the hell did I draw this in one go?:

Damn, this hand. They're too cute for any school.

After, I've drawn the introduction. Surely, at this point, I'm done with this project. Nope. There is no conclusion. Can't have an introduction without a conclusion. Gotta include an ending. So, I contemplated. While doing that, I cleaned up some of the sketches, and I shared a part of the WIP with my partner, jokingly stating:

She was right. To close this project, it's literally sealed with a kiss. Why didn't I think of that?! Maybe because I assume they ARE together.

Despite being romantic, I often don't draw two characters kissing. I drew four kisses, including this one, within 15 years of actively drawing. I guess either I'm not confident at drawing that, or it's not a huge part of my love language. Also, it can't help when your girl towers over you. Usually, it's me receiving not giving. I need to carry a ladder around to kiss, lol.

At last, I drew the kiss. And boi, isn't it dramatic, huh? Nonetheless, It's thematic. I can finally close this project for good...? *Nervously laughing* There's more coming.

Additional Thoughts:

Fryver: If they're partners in crime, then they gotta gay equally. I made sure both of them had their moment in the spotlight. For example, in the coin toss scene, I initially had Frye flipping the coins. But, after drawing four pages where Frye leads some parts more than Shiver. Break the role and have Shiver take charge in this scene.

It works well, especially Shiver using their hand as a fan while simultaneously displaying the coins. This was before the art book! Pure coincidence that a character I finalized happens to like counting money in their pass time. This entire time, I thought BM was the money person. Big Man, big money. Naw, it's your local octoling, Shiver! Also, Frye doing the ;d with a tooth sticking out, giving a thumbs up. Great. Love to see it.

Big Man: Before the introduction page, BM only appeared once in the "MY ICECREAM" scene. This was drawn after the introduction:

The idea of having BM playing the trumpet while he perches on top of a moving truck, it's fucking hilarious. He rather not risk his life whenever either of the two operates a vehicle, but he's okay with playing incidental music on the roof of a stranger's car. Sure, buddy. You do you, lol. Squid Sisters: I have a project I want to do about the cousins. I am still determining how long that will take, but it's pretty long. I want to start something small.

This was my first time drawing them. I've drawn the other idols. Although chibi Marina should not count as adequately drawn. I do have an Off the Hook comic I want to work on. First, I need to write the script!

This was the first panel I drew before I worked on the other panels. This is basically my sister and me whenever we encounter someone we don't like or don't have the energy to engage. Lil sis will give her signature fake smile, and I'll give a stank look. No mask, no filter. I'm glad I could capture the dichotomy of the cousins in a single frame.

Final Thoughts:

There were moments when I wanted to give up entirely on this project. Negative thoughts such as, "No one would bat an eye at this," repeatedly. But as a perfectionist, I hate unfinished work. My work specifically. I persevered by telling myself, "Just do it for yourself."

It was a good drawing exercise. I want to get better at drawing these characters. Get to know and understand them better. I've abandoned trying to draw in Splatoon's anatomical proportions. Not my style, lol.

I'm happy that I drew the kiss. After sketching, yes sketching, seven pages, I was exhausted. I got sick in the middle of the fasting, unable to leave home because of fasting. It was too much (it's a good thing, I work remotely from home.) BUT. It's not gay, ya know. I'VE got to draw the SMOOCH. Or else this project will be trapped in the "gal pals" limbo. Also, not me struggling to NOT be wed to a cishet desi man. Anyone that is queer, plz.

Sigh. I had to draw this kiss secretly, away from my parents' prying eyes. I don't want them to question why I'm drawing two bipedal cephalopods kissing, let alone it being gay. And for whatever reason, they keep entering my office and staring at my monitors. I am a professional graphic designer, too. Let me work in peace!

Anyway, the kiss.

Honestly, talk about a mood. Especially when you're in a long-distance relationship. Five years in a romantic relationship and will be nine years in a platonic relationship with my partner in crime.

#Muna's Commentary #I'll be tagging commentaries just to keep things organized #That's the tag from now on #In case anyone is curious about my thought progress even if its zany shit like shitpostting

[a-pale-azure-moon]

I SAW THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE!

Overall verdict: I liked it! The art and animation are beautiful, there are SO MANY fun nods and Easter Eggs to the franchise and Nintendo's history as a whole, and it felt like the creators really wanted to do right by the series. There are some small things in it that either felt out of place or didn't quite work, but taken as a whole package, I enjoyed it. The last third of the movie especially was fantastic and had me grinning like a fool all the way to the end. If you're a fan of the series, you should definitely see it at some point, either now or when it comes to streaming. Totally worth it.

Some other thoughts with some spoilers under the cut.

-I like that they didn't try to explain or rationalize the inherent weirdness of the Mushroom Kingdom. We don't need to know how or why the blocks float, or where the powerups and prize blocks come from. They just exist, and that's how it should be. The Mario universe runs on being wacky and strange and I'm glad the movie didn't try to make it something it's not.

-I generally have a not-so-great opinion about casting celebrities to do the voice overs in animated films, because I see it as a big F-U to actual voice actors. But the cast here is fine. Jack Black's the standout as Bowser as we all pretty much knew, but the rest of the cast does a good job overall. I do not like Seth Rogan and he didn't make any effort to not sound like himself as Donkey Kong, but I was able to ignore it anyway. YMMV. I don't dislike Anya Taylor-Joy's take on Peach, but her voice feels too deep for the character.

-I laughed at the reveal that Mario doesn't like mushrooms (womp womp). Poor guy.

-The brotherly moments between Mario and Luigi were super wholesome and I loved them, especially how they hug when they're reunited.

-One of my fears about the film was what they'd do with Peach, mainly a concern that they'd turn her into a more generic Hollywood "girlboss" and strip her of her personality. Or turn her into a snarky jerk. Thankfully, that's not the case. While she is more of an action princess here than we typically see of her (and to anyone complaining about or questioning that, shut up. Peach has always been capable of platforming and kicking ass since 1988), she is still essentially Peach. She's always in her signature pink aside from when she's using a power up, she's sweet and kind and protective of her subjects, and she grows to be Mario's biggest supporter (Luigi aside).

-They also slipped in an origin story for her (kinda) which was neat. And possibly a sequel hook. And I like how this movie makes clear that she loves the toads and they love her too, something that's implied in the games but wasn't always explicitly shown.

-THE ARE SO MANY EASTER EGGS. I'm guessing it's impossible to find them all without a guide. And the references generally aren't slammed in your face but hidden in background details or in the music, which makes it even better. I think my favorite was Luigi's ringtone being the Gamecube startup jingle.

-Seriously, the art direction and animation are incredible. I hope the entire crew gets a raise. I love how the Mushroom Kingdom looks and my only complaint is that I wanted to see more of it.

-The score is incredible too. It's mind-boggling how many classic Mario themes and musical nods you can hear at different points. If you played a drinking game with it, you'd be dead of alcohol poisoning less than halfway through the movie.

-Bowser's probably the funniest character, and it does nothing to reduce how threatening he is (he's downright terrifying in the climax). But special shoutout to the Luma who spouts some of the best lines in the film. They're incredibly dark, but I love that little guy.

-Dry Bones are nightmare fuel here and I love it.

-The complaints about the pacing aren't entirely off. The movie does feel a little too brisk, but some of that I think is that early in, there's a lot of "bullet points" plot progression, where Mario and Peach are just doing X, Y and Z for the plot while we intercut with what's going on with Luigi or Bowser. There's not a ton of connective tissue between these scenes and so it feels a bit disjointed, and the result is that things happen rapid fire. It's not necessarily bad, but it is something that could've been done more smoothly.

-The third act is by far the strongest part of the film. Once the Rainbow Road sequence starts (which is a gorgeous set piece), the flow of the movie feels more natural. The strong ending does a lot to patch up some of the flaws in the middle parts.

-The final battle with Bowser is awesome. Mario and Luigi both kick the crap out of him while powered by an invincibility star, and they cap it off by spinning him by the tail a la SM64. Perfection.

-While the original score is great as I mentioned, I think some exec made them shove in some 80s pop songs and they feel quite out of place. The worst offender by far is "Take on Me" playing when Mario reaches the Kong Kingdom. It doesn't fit for either the vibe of the scene or for the movie in general. You can't tell me they couldn't have done a remix of some DKC music there instead.

-The jokes are a bit hit or miss at times. There's plenty of genuinely funny moments (Bowser's love ballad is probably the highlight), but there are some one-liners that don't land. They're too "captain obvious" to be either jokes or exposition, so they just fall flat.

-I think the complaints about the "thin plot" comes from Disney/Pixar bias that animated movies are supposed to have hidden deeper meanings and there needs to be angsty moments within the wacky hijinks. And uh...Mario's never been about that. Even the more story heavy RPGs in the series tend to run more on rule of funny rather than trying to be dramatic. If they make a Zelda movie (please), I would expect it to have some genuine pathos, but I don't need that in a Mario movie. To me, the thing that is quintessential about the series (especially the platformers) is a sense of wonder and joy. I think they ably captured that in the movie. There are two emotional through lines: a) Mario and Luigi's brotherly love and b) Mario trying to figure out who he is what he wants to do. And neither needs to be dwelt on much because the brothers are happily reunited and Mario becomes a hero over the course of the film. It's simple and it works.

-The movie is very "safe" in that it didn't take any real risks with the property, but that's OK too. Given how infamously horrible the 1993 film turned out, it's hard to blame Nintendo for wanting to stick with what they knew would work.

-THE YOSHI EGG AFTER THE CREDITS OMG!

-This really is the Mario movie I wanted back in 1993. I had to wait 30 years for it, but I think it was worth it. Bring on the Nintendo Cinematic Universe!

#super mario bros #mario movie #the super mario bros movie #my ramblings

[adiarosefandoms]

Random Stranger Things Thoughts Pt. 1

I’m back with the Stranger Things fandom in the forefront of my mind, and I have some thoughts.

1. I miss shipping Jonathan and Nancy. The Duffers kind of pushed Johnathan to the back in recent seasons and I hate that they made him the Cali-high dude. The only moment I liked him in the more recent season was when he had the talk with Will in Surfer Boys pizza, and I used to love Jonathan. I want the Duffers to appreciate the character more and give Charlie Heaton more to work with. 2. The Stranger Things score now creates a sense of nostalgia within me, both the opening theme and the other music that just plays in the backgrounds of scenes. 3. Hopper and Eleven need to stop being separated from one another. Every time they’re split apart it breaks my heart, though I will say their reunions (season 2 after she returns from Eight, three when they meet again in the mall, four after she thought he was dead) are some of the best happy-cry moments. 4. Going back and watching season one, all I could think was this show was genius. The books, and movies, and shows that introduced me to this whole fandom world were all about these kids, who really felt and looked like teens, thrust into these extraordinary situations, prevailing, and showing everyone around them that they are more than they appear. I genuinely think that this is one of the cleverest tv show of the past 20 years. The salt bath gave the fantastical a sense of logic behind the whole process Eleven goes through, the light communication with the alphabet was amazingly thought out and executed, and they made Eleven’s adapting to society seem authentic. She didn’t know anything, but she did grow, and grew slowly as anyone else would do in that situation. 5. I really like Finn Wolfhard, but for some reason as the seasons go on I like Mike just a little bit less. I miss the quiet empathy he expresses toward El in season one, though I know he doesn’t need that anymore. 6. I also like Nancy a little less each season. She felt so new, smart, and badass at the start, but I feel like she’s being overshadowed now a days. I did love her interactions with Robin though. 7. I want all of Eddie Munson’s clothes. 8. Utilizing the established game of Dungeons and Dragons means the beasts the characters face are more recognizable, and just makes them feel more real. 9. I’d rather see the Demogorgon over the Demodogs, Mind Flayer, and Vecna any day. 10. I still can’t watch Jamie Campbell Bower without expecting him to either A) start making sarcastic quips at Clary Fray, or B) suddenly start singing “Joanna”. 11. What really makes Stranger Things work in my opinion is it plays like an 80′s movie. Not just in the clothes, or music, or aesthetic. But it has the same formula as all those iconic 80′s adventure movies, which just doesn’t exist anymore. And those 80′s movies are still beloved for a reason. Stranger Things, especially at the start and still now, brings back that comforting feeling those movies gave us. But it gave us that nostalgia while still being something new we get to experience.

#stranger things #Jonathan deserves better #ST #eleven #demogorgon

[strongislandsuperfan]

Streetball In Motion

An ode to the AND1 Mixtape & Its Legendary Impact

ESPN recently debuted is 30 for 30 Documentary, “The Greatest Mixtape Ever,” on May 31. Directed by Chris Robinson and Set Free Richardson, the documentary examines how 1990s & early 2000s streetball and the And1 Mixtape transformed basketball culture and took the sports world by storm. I remember in middle school and high school when AND1 first hit the streets. Every kid in my neighborhood was trying to imitate the ball-handling styles of guys like Hot Sauce, Escalade, Spyda, "Skip To My Lou" Alston and The Professor. Even I tried to grab a basketball and emulate the crossovers and dribbling styles I was in awe of. Of course, I'd embarrass myself, by giving minimal effort in practice & being drawn to a brief but pathetic stint as a local hoodlum, but mainly because I never had the skillset to be a basketball player. I always admire these guys and wished I could dunk, have the speed and drive to the basket like these guys. I would get excited and root for any one I'd see from AND1 or street ballers in general make it to the NBA, the G-League or any professional league to show their talents. I like rooting for underdogs, especially street ballers.

Call me biased.

In case you are unaware of what the AND1 Mixtape is, let's go down memory lane for a moment.

In the late 90's, a New York DJ named Set Free had an idea to film footage of neighborhood basketball games and streetball tournaments and add background music to it, and sell it on VHS. This came to be known as the AND1 Mixtape.

To further explain, "And 1" is derived from a phrase used by sports broadcasters and announcers to denote a free throw awarded to a player against whom a foul has been committed while scoring a goal.

As Set Free stated in an interview with ESPN, "Basketball and hip hop have a symbiotic relationship like no other combination of music genre and sport. The history of this mixtape – how streetball VHS tapes, a DJ and streetball players changed the culture of basketball – is essential to understanding that relationship. It had to be told!”

Of course, the rest is history.

Once the VHS tapes began circulating, AND1 went beyond showcased tricks and ballhandling. The company, AND1, began as a graduate school project partnership of Jay Coen Gilbert, Seth Berger, and Tom Austin. The brand started by selling T-shirts out of the back of a car, with catchphrases and trash-talk quotes, attracting street ballers all over the nation. If you go into a store like FootLocker or even a resell clothing outlet like TJ Maxx and see slogans on t-shirts from companies like Nike and Reebok, you can thank AND1 for influencing that style.

Stephon Marbury and Rafer Alston became synonymous with the AND1 brand and brought the brand to a wider audience. Marbury became the companies first spokesman when AND1 came out with its first pair of sneakers. Alston, of course put the basketball world on notice with the legendary, "Skip Tape", referencing his street ball nickname, "Skip to My Lou", showcasing jaw-dropping ballhandling and skillset displays. Both men went on to play in the NBA and oversees, achieving success in their own right.

Other NBA players, such as Jamal Crawford and Latrell Sprewell, were also associated with the brand.

AND1 summer tours even began in 1999, later evolving into the Mixtape Tour with the release of Mixtape 3. Imagine the Harlem Globetrotters, with a street edge. That is the best way I can describe these tours. Notable streetballers such as “Hot Sauce” and “The Professor” would go from court to court challenging other players in one-on-one games. The streetballers who prevailed through the very end of the summer tours would receive endorsement deals from AND1. From 2002 through 2008, the tours were televised live on ESPN. The summer tours began in the United States but soon branched internationally, into more than 30 countries.

They even had their own video game.

Of course, there were those who took exception to this brand and its players. Mostly, the AND1 players, ranging from skepticism to contempt for their arrogance and being "all-flash but no fundamentals" to their superstar mindset and not being team players.

Current and former NBA players dismissed streetball players, saying that the NBA has the best players in the world, and if streetball players were on that level, they would have made it to the league.

Here are some quotes from those NBA players:

Baron Davis: “Are you f*cking kidding me? No way!.”

Lou Williams: “We just trained professionals. We play basketball on days we don’t wanna play basketball.”

Kyrie Irving: “ ‘Yeah we could have played in the league’. No you couldn’t have. You are not taking care of your body. You are not taking the game serious. Everybody jumps high, everybody is fast, everybody thinks that they are the worlds greatest player. There’s only been 5000 something people in the NBA. Total. Ever.”

Iman Shumpert: “I remember Hot Sauce going to the pro-am and getting his a** bust. Hot sauce came down and they was calling that man ketchup by the time he left.”

The question remains, Is there a place for a street baller in a professional league?

Maybe.....if you got the heart, the work ethic, and the mindset to do it. What has been called into question is the mentality, discipline and maturity of its players, going from the street level to the professional level.

This isn't a notion of just, "Shut up and dribble!" rather a reality check. Being amazing at ones craft and cultivating the skillset is one thing, but, to have the heart of a champion and recognizing that this is a team effort, to achieve victory, in a collective manner is something else.

AND1 and its players maybe just mere one-trick ponies to those that have put in the time and effort at tryouts, basketball camps and pushed themselves in front of college scouts during those stressful high school games, but, you cannot deny the amazement, raw talent and showmanship that was on display. Even a scrub like me tried to master Escalade's passing game and that insane crossover by Hot Sauce.

You can dismiss the streetballer all you want, but you can't dismiss its impact on future generations currently playing in the NCAA, NBA and oversees. Presently, over one hundred AND1 High School and AAU teams play across America in various tournaments and leagues.

Its influence is undeniable, even to this day.

That is all.

#basketball #ballislife #nba #and1

[thesweatycollectiontyrant]

Anna Karenina

The show that I’ve always wanted to listen to because of its amount of legit repertoire, but have never had the time to. Now is the time.

It's been two and a half years since I went through a show this way. I graduated from college a week ago tomorrow, and I am finding time to do my favorite things again. It's been such a fun time reflecting on my time at university. I'm grateful.

Background Info

Anna Karenina ran at Circle in the Square in the early 1990s. It wasn’t largely successful from what I understand. It is based on the Tolstoy novel of the same name. There was no cast recording for the musical until 2007, when an absolutely crazytown (my favorite term for TALENTED) group of people recorded it for posterity! Wait until you hear these names.

Writers

Music for Anna Karenina was written by Daniel Levine, who received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score for his work on the show. Peter Kellogg wrote the book and the lyrics.

I’ve been through hell and high waters trying to get a legible and complete score for this show, so we shall see how this goes.

Character List

COUNT ALEXIS VRONSKY (Baritone) - Anna's lover, a cavalry officer.

ANNA KARENINA (Soprano) - Oblonsky's sister, Karenin's wife, and Vronsky's lover. A woman who is unhappy in her marriage and searching for fulfillment in her own way.

CONSTANTIN LEVIN (Tenor) - Kitty's suitor, Stiva's old friend, certified nervous wreck.

PRINCE STEVEN OBLONSKY (Baritone) - Civil servant, Anna's brother, and man about town.

PRINCESS KITTY SCHERBATSKY (Mezzo-Soprano) - Sister-in-law to Oblonsky, pursued by Levin. Bubbly and fun.

NICOLAI KARENIN (Bass) - Senior statesman and Anna's husband, twenty years her senior.

Who’s Singing?

As I mentioned above, there was a studio cast recording that happened in 2007. It has an all-star cast, including Brian d’Arcy James as Vronsky, Melissa Errico as Anna, Gregg Edelman as Levin, Marc Kudisch as Oblonsky, Kerry Butler as Kitty, and Jeff McCarthy as Karenin. This is such a group of amazing singers and actors, especially the four men. I’m very excited to dig into this show.

Let’s Do This

In the cast album, we begin with “Journey to Moscow.” The interweaving eighth notes remind me of Anastasia. The 3+3+2 accent pattern begins as the ensemble and principals begin to sing about being on the train and all of their personal problems that will be fixed by being on the train…? I love that each of the principals get a little moment of solo line throughout. Not the most dramatically exciting opening number, but the rhythmic pulse in the music does a good job compensating for it. I do love the end, especially the piano swell.

Anna and Oblonsky sing a duet called “There’s More to Life Than Love,” filled with witty conversation. Anna is trying to tell Oblonsky that there is more to life than love (as if you didn’t get that from the title) and she is telling him this by bringing up other topics, hobbies, and humanities, however for everything she brings up, he counteracts with its connection to love. It’s written as a waltz. Marc Kudisch does such a fun job of coloring all of his comebacks. I love how Melissa Errico so casually throws her soprano up into the stratosphere out of nowhere. I especially love the very end where you think it’s going to be a big finish, but Oblonsky so quickly and quietly spits out the last lines, saying “But who cares?”

Kerry Butler enters the picture as Kitty with her solo “How Awful.” As she always is, she is earnest and hilarious. This is a fun range-y song for a mixer looking for something that is funny, but not well known. The beats are fun to play, the melody is challenging and fun to sing as well. Kerry Butler sings the role with a lot of charm.

“Would You” introduces us to Levin, who when asked how long he’d be in Moscow replies with a marriage proposal. I am beyond utterly obsessed with this song. The energy is so exciting, and the odd time signature makes it all feel a little disjunct and scared and anxious and excited. Lovely singing from Gregg Edelman!

There’s a conversation piece (Wonderful Town, anyone?) number for Kitty, Anna, Levin and Vronsky called “In a Room.” They sing individually, voicing their thoughts while the others chatter (perhaps?) I was more focused on following along in the music because the copy I have has the song, but it may as well be a completely different piece by a completely different composer for a completely different musical. It’s cute. Not very memorable.

Anna has her first solo with “Nothing Has Changed.” She lists the things she finds similar compared to the last time she was here. Levine’s harmony in this song is really remarkable. There is a constant churning with both the mode used for this piece, and also the extra notes in the chords. The suspensions added to the root position chords are impossible to miss. This song is really stunning musically. Dramatically, it’s one of those songs that tries to make something bigger out of ending exactly where the character began. Oops.

In “I Shall Work,” Levin sings about how he will become a learned man in order to ignore the romantic feelings he has for Kitty. The song reminds me a bit of Henrik from A Little Night Music. It’s got a solid high note at the end too.

“How Many Men” is where Kitty wonders how many romantic trysts she’ll have to go on before she can meet “the one.” Kerry Butler takes every opportunity to make this fun, and she succeeds. In a waltz, she allows the melody and music to accompany the dramatics of the song. This is a great audition song that no one does!

In his first solo “We Were Dancing,” Vronsky sings, presumably to Anna, as they dance. Another solo that I don’t have music for, but it’s beautiful. It reminds me of Anastasia yet again. Brian d’Arcy James keeps the material interesting.

Jeff McCarthy, everyone’s favorite officer (Lockstock) comes in as Karenin. His solo “Karenin’s List” begins with a fiery recitative. He jumps into the song proper and plots what he will say to his wife. The melody twists and turns around the scale as he maneuvers his brain through the possibilities of what to do here. McCarthy has always had a sort of operatic sound to his voice. It never ceases to amaze me. His sound has always been so remarkable for every show he’s been in. So many of these songs would work so well in an audition setting. It reminds me of She Loves Me because of the amount of solos!

Anna has another solo called “I’m Lost.” She realizes where she is in her relationship with her husband and where she is in her relationship with Vronsky. A woman discontented, she sings to herself “on the way home” according to Wikipedia. Not a big fan of the lyric “So lost, and I don’t even want to be found!” It’s giving the reaction that 8-year-olds have when they hear “you’re grounded give me your phone and go to your room” instead of “Isn’t it rich? Are we a pair?”

In the Act I Finale, “Waiting for You,” Anna and Vronsky finally have a love duet. This music is soul-stirring, and beautifully lush. Perhaps the music didn’t work its charm until the two lovers were able to embrace their love for each other. Oops. Again. Stunning vocal performances from both Errico and d’Arcy James. 

Act II starts with “This Can’t Go On.” It is an operatic trio between Anna, Vronsky, and Karenin where the three individually lament their situations. Anna asks Karenin for a divorce and reveals that she is pregnant. The harmony swells and surges. It reminds me of the “Storm” from The Secret Garden. The stakes are HIGH at the top of Act II, people! At least no one’s singing about a train anymore.

It seems that Levin’s heart has been broken in “That Will Serve Her Right.” Rather than feeling bad, he feels rage - makes for a much more interesting song. Edelman does a good job as he reprises his role from Broadway fifteen years prior. The resolution is so apparent in his voice!

Anna and Vronsky sing a duet called “Everything’s Fine.” I’m thinking about the structure of the story and I don’t see how many of these songs function in the narrative. I hunted for a script, but I couldn’t find one. Both Errico and d’Arcy James sound incredible on this music.

Anna and Kitty have their duet with “I Never Dreamed” where they both look forward to marriage, Kitty with Levin and Anna with Vronsky.

Karenin gets the eleven o’clock slot with “Only at Night.” He sings that he misses Anna, but only at night. There’s an incredible bridge here that could work so well in a cut. McCarthy is simply masterful. In this role, it reminds me of when he was in Side Show as Terry Connor.

As she denies her son, realizing that he is better off without her, Anna goes to railroad tracks and stands in front of a train in “Seryozha.” It is a hauntingly beautiful finale into a lovely “Epilogue.”

Audition Songs

There are so many solos in this show!

“How Awful” - Princess Kitty Scherbatsky, C4-F5

There is a fun, tantrum-like energy to this song. It would work for younger roles really well.

“Would You?” - Constantin Levin, C3-B4

This song is perfect for a role like Laurie from Little Women. There’s such an excited and nervous energy here. It bubbles through the accompaniment and the irregular time, and it is a fun challenge in musicianship and acting.

“Nothing Has Changed” - Anna Karenina, G3-D5

This song has a lot of beauty musically. The only problem is that, just like the title, nothing changes. It is up to the actor to choose a good and interesting cut because the music is really incredible.

“I Shall Work” - Constantin Levin, D3-B4

This time, the B is not sustained, but it is full voice. The A right beneath it is sustained right before it! This one seems like a lot of fun to act and sing. Complete devotion to someone. There are a few roles that this would be really good for. I said earlier that this reminds me of Henrik in A Little Night Music. Certainly, use it for that.

“How Many Men” - Princess Kitty Scherbatsky, A3-G5

This song has Kristin Chenoweth’s style written all over it, especially the early roles of her career. Glinda, Sally, Precious, all of them! Put it in your books!

“Karenin’s List” - Nicolai Karenin, A#2-F4

Great for a bass-baritone. There are moments of patter, but it isn’t frenzied - it is metered, it is precise, and it is premeditated. The F isn’t sustained, just tapped a couple of times.

“That Will Serve Her Right” - Constantin Levin, G2-E4

The music I have has the range listed above. The version that Gregg Edelman sings on the studio cast recording is very different. The pitches, rhythms, and many lyrics are changed.

“Only At Night” - Nicolai Karenin, Bb2-Eb4

This song is hauntingly beautiful. It lingers. The key that Jeff McCarthy sings it in is lower than the music I have.

To Wrap It Up

I didn’t see this show as one that would astound me. It didn’t flop, but it didn’t remain particularly noteworthy after its closing. Another sign is that there is no way to license the show. The good thing is that there is a lot of really good material for singers who want to explore more of a legit sound in their singing. I really like the role of Levin!

Thanks for reading!

#anna karenina #broadway musical #broadway #musical #musical theatre #marc kudisch #melissa errico #kerry butler #gregg edelman #jeff mccarthy #brian d'arcy james #anna #karenina #tolstoy #rose #flop #broadway flop

[victorluvsalice]

-->Anyway – Victor finished his food and headed to the bathroom while I had Alice go to the corner and listen to the classical music on the speakers to get away from the townies. And once Victor was done with his business over there, I sent him over to initiate a slow dance. <3 Because I like the Cute Romance slow dancing, darn it. I had them dance for a minute, then tried to initiate a dip kiss –

Cue MC Command Center dropping an error on me (though it looks like that was actually the result of Alice’s attempt to wait for her coffee going bad in the background – game, keep up, she got her coffee a while ago) and the glitchiest kiss in the world resulting as another Sim -- that fellow with the big bushy ponytail, named Joaquin -- came over to butt in on their conversation. *facepalm* I was annoyed enough about the broken dip kiss, but figured I could work with it as Victor and Alice continued chatting and joking –

-->And then JOAQUIN STRAIGHT UP FLIRTED WITH ALICE IN FRONT OF VICTOR. LIKE, GRABBED HER FACE LOVINGLY AND EVERYTHING. I had no idea WHAT the fuck was going on there, especially since Alice didn’t even KNOW this idiot! Pissed off, I cleared all conversations, had Victor go outside to play some chess, had Alice officially introduce herself to Joaquin –

And then had her insult his feeble nature before straight up SNARLING at him. That fucking ended his interest in her fast. >( But what the fucking hell, game?! I know I have it set up so Victor and Alice are poly and don’t get jealous, so this won’t actually be an issue for their relationship, but that still doesn’t mean I want random Sims coming up to my Sims and just flirting with them out of the blue! *sigh* Gonna have to check my MC Command Center and Wonderful Whims settings, I think...

-->Anyway – with THAT sorted, I had Alice use the bathroom, then join Victor outside to chat with him some more and continue her date with, you know, her beloved husband. One of like two people she likes touching her. Victor handed Alice a rose as a Love Day gift, which she gave a thumbs down to (seriously, game?) before making up for her fickleness by hitting him with a passionate kiss. Further cuteness followed as they talked about dreams, did a little more flirting, and ended the date on a fake romantic selfie. :) Meaning, despite everything, the date DID end up as a Gold-tier date, and they successfully fulfilled most of the traditions of the holiday. Just took a lot longer than I expected to get there. *sigh*

-->With their time at the Steampunk Cafe over, it was time for the pair to head back home, where random people wouldn't be grabbing at Alice's face. Victor settled in for a little bit with some romantic TV, while Alice transformed into her werewolf form to go for a hunt -- which, happily, also scored her an ability point! I had her take “Immortal Wolf” so she’s truly immortal, much like Smiler is. Now I just have to do Victor...perhaps one day we will be able to turn aging back on for this save! XD

Anyway, Smiler at this point had moved on from video games to chess -- I let them finish their latest game, then stopped them from taking a bath by having Victor hit them with Scruberoo instead (though they did still insist on going all the way up the stairs -.-), before sending them back downstairs to give Victor a chrysanthemum. Victor was fortunately in favor of being given this flower, and they shared a tender moment as Alice came back from her hunt. I made sure she was good, wolfing down on her meat –

#sims 4 #the lazy save #victor van dort #alice liddell #smiler always #okay MCCC throwing an error I can live with #it's not the first time I've seen a Last Exception pop up and I was able to kinda puzzle out the cause later #and the glitched-out dip kiss I can live with #I mean I wasn't happy but it did at least make for kind of a funny picture with everybody all stretched out wrong #BUT THAT FUCKER FLIRTING WITH ALICE IN FRONT OF VICTOR #Like WHAT THE EVERLOVING #who are you why did you do that and HOW did you do that?! #I used MCCC to turn OFF autonomous flirting in my game! #and why the hell did Alice ACCEPT the flirt?? #and why did it have to be one of the CREEPIEST random flirts with the face touch?! #seriously someone tell me what the hell happened #yes my gang is poly but not to random NPCs #and sure as hell not FUCKING ALICE #very satisfying to get her to snarl at the guy and intimidate the hell out of him #got her some werewolf XP too #anyway glad I was able to salvage the date #but man that cast a pall over the proceedings #at least we got some cute Valice moments #and as you'll see Victor and Smiler's date went smoother #small mercies #queued

[notthatquietgirl]

Learning the Guqin

In 2022. I watched the Chinese drama "The untamed". Through this drama, I got to know the existence of the traditional Chinese musical Guqin. It was not the drama that made me want to learn the instrument though. When watching videos about The Untamed on YouTube, the algorithm brought me videos of Guqin covers of various songs. There were drama OSTs, modern pop songs and even classical western music pieces. These videos made me fall in love with the beautiful sound of Guqin. I spent a few months researching the instrument online. YouTube videos by creator AvenueX explained very effectively how the notation system of the Guqin works and also basic rights and wrongs of playing Qin. Being able to understand the basic system as to how Qin notation works was what ultimately convinced me to learn this instrument.

I borrowed two books about Guqin from a local library and rented a Qin from a Chinese instrument centre. After pressing and plucking the instrument for around a week, I decided to heed the advice of the Guqin players on the internet to learn especially basic techniques from an actual experienced teacher to build a good foundation and prevent making mistakes that will become hard to correct in the future.

I booked a trial lesson at Eight Tones Music School in Oct 2022 and continued taking weekly since then. After around 2 months, my Guqin teacher recommended that I get a Qin of my own instead of continuing to rent. I had to get a Qin and take time to nurture a relationship with my instrument. With his help in testing out different Qins, I was eventually able to get a Qin that I like and was within budget. Within the first week of this Qin's arrival at my home, I had a name for it.

It's name shall be 宁勤 (Ning2 Qin2). There are 3 meanings I give to this name based on literal meanings and the meanings of soundalike Chinese characters.

Peaceful Hard Work

Would Rather be Hardworking

Would Rather Play Qin

I started off playing Qin on a yellow table that I used to play legos on as a child. Eventually I purchased a wooden qin table which I am using now.

In the weekly lessons, My teacher would teach me piece after piece one at a time. The number of weeks it took me clear each increasing challenging piece depended on my ability to learn the techniques involved, play the rhythm reasonably accurate enough to the score, the length of the piece and whether I had enough time to practice. At the end of learning each piece or section of piece, I had to record a video of myself playing it which had to be sent to be reviewed by my teacher. He would have to be satisfied enough before he would start on the next piece. Seeing him review the videos is one of the most difficult things for me. I am always scared that I might have misunderstood instructions given/failed to execute techniques correctly/unsatisfactory hand shapes and positions/played out of tune/screwed up the rhythm.

In hindsight, I had no idea what I was in for, learning a musical instrument at age 22 with zero prior background in music education. I was willing to learn Guqin because I felt that I could understand how the notation system works. However, there was no escaping the western music notation especially with a teacher who was trained in western music composition. There were times when I felt that learning to interpret western musical notation was harder than learning the Guqin techniques themselves.

Learning and practicing is hard work. Working 4 (often around 12Hor more) night shifts per week, it is really hard to get enough time, energy and motivation to practice. I had turned down quite many requests to go out with friends in order to stay home to practice. Even spending as much time as I can practicing, there are many moments where I feel I am simply not good enough or that I will never be able to achieve the technique I'm trying to learn. Fingers hurt, fingernails get broken, skin gets broken, blisters form and arms get sore. All these are part of the process. It always feels impossible. As time goes on, I come to realize time after time that I am now able to play the parts and techniques that I used to think I would never be able to get right. This gives me the encouragement to keep going.

I am so glad that I am learning this instrument. I feel that my time is now much better spent than when I used spend time on phone games. Most of the pieces I learn are so beautiful. I continue to play and practice them after the lesson has moved on to the next piece. I have seen the results of my hard work and I am happy with my progress. I don't know how far I can get but for now, I wanna keep going.