#if there’s a leitmotif i go :O every time

[copepods]

leitmotifs never get old to me like holy shit dude there’s this melody that corresponds to this one guy and if you hear the melody it means the guy is there. holy shit. and sometimes it refers to ideas too not just guys. has anyone heard about this

#text #my standards for video game music are not high #if there’s a leitmotif i go :O every time

[blanktrouser]

Something no one asked for and no one cares about:

An in-depth discussion about Gustholomule and their leitmotifs because I’m a music nerd and I just finished rewatching s2 and find this shit fun and interesting.

The songs and episodes I’ll be mostly discussing are: Through The Looking Glass Ruins (TTLGRs) (S2 Ep5), ‘Maybe I Can Help’ & ‘Does this mean we’re friends’. And For The Fans (FTFs) (S3 Ep2), ‘A Walk Down Memory Lane’.

I’m gonna start off kinda technical so if you don’t get music theory this might be ever so slightly confusing (maybe? Idk-)

The notes for the melody have a very noticeable similarity: their endings.

Let’s take ‘A Walk Down Memory Lane’.

In a simple drawn out diagram it’d look like this:

And the way that ‘Maybe I Can Help’ would be drawn out would be like this:

As you can see, they’re very obviously similar. Of course this isn’t exact, but visually speaking, they’re very similar. They both have an incline in their notes, both songs slowing near the ends.

Off the topic of technical stuff, onto one thing most people would notice about the two songs: the instruments used.

It is clear that the main family used in these songs is the strings, which occasional percussion thrown into ‘Maybe I Can Help’.

The Instruments heard in both were:

A Possible Cello or Double Bass (playing the bass line)

Violin and/or Violian (playing the melody and harmony lines)

However, in TTLGRs, Piano, Triangle, and Virtual Instruments were heard, which makes more sense to be there given the mood of the scene that the song was in.

Back to the string family, upon searching up “what string instruments symbolise”, the results were:

While this is kinda…vague, it can still help us get some deeper insight into out scenes and their scores!

Let’s take a closer look into TTLGRs first!

The scene, on a basic level, was about helping people and friendship. Matt and Gus were offering to clean up the graveyard and, later on, offered to come back on the weekends to build the defences.

It was a lighthearted scene which filled the viewer with a sense of accomplishment and almost excitement and passion about the project the boys took on for themselves, excited to see how this would go. It made everyone feel like things would be going well for everyone. The boys felt sympathy (see image about string family symbolism) for the keeper and therefore helped him set up the defences. This is one of the episodes in the series I’d refer to as “The Calm before The Storm” (A sense of tranquility (see image again), if I may)

Let’s take a look into the FTFs scene now!

On a basic level, this scene was about the same things as the last one: friendship and helping people.

In this scene, Gus and Matt were discussing what Matt was doing while Gus was gone and what Matt’s ideas were to help the people who lived in Hexside 2.0 (I think that’s what they called it anyways LMAO please correct me if I’m wrong). Gus was saying how he thought Matts ideas were good ones and it was another very lighthearted scene.

It was filled with comedy and playful banter between them both, lightening the mood that had been made by the scarier or sadder aspects of the episode and the episode before it. It gave the viewers time to relax, almost time to process what’s happened, and/or enjoy a moment of piece, a moment of calmness before utter mayhem ensues, like what I said before, “the calm before the storm”, though I feel like “the eye of the hurricane” works better here. This scene did a great job with the sense of tranquility again.

Now, there’s one major thing these two scenes have in common. There always seems to be a sense of tranquility every time Gus and Matt are together. They’re the comedy duo. They gain a for. Of comfort when they’re together due to their close friendship. There hasn’t been a moment with these two (mostly since TTLGRs) that they haven’t had this feeling emulated from their scenes. Both characters have always been written with comedy aspects and funny one liners, but when they’re together, the humour is doubled and almost makes you forget all the bad things because you’re only focused on the peace and calm you’re experiencing right then. And honestly I love that. These two need each other, platonically and/or romantically, and it’s sweet to see how much they rely on each other and how they can just enjoy themselves and been the teens they are when they’re together in times like that.

Their humour and the tranquility of this comedy duo makes sense when paired with the instruments used (Strings) and the leitmotifs in their songs (the endings going up at the end, up usually signifying good and positives). And I think it was such smart music work and writing done by the writing team and music team and just everyone involved.

#the owl house #toh #Gustholomule #Gus Porter #mattholomule #matt tholomule #toh analysis #music analysis #Gustholomule analysis #god I have too much fun making shit like this #also if anything’s off #blame it on the fact I’m sick atm #or idk #blame it on the boogie

[katy-133]

Rick Prime Theories: A Masterpost

A masterlist of theories relating to Rick Prime from Rick and Morty.

I'll update the OP of this masterpost with links to other posts as season 7 approaches. Feel free to add to this.

C-137/Prime as Backstory:

Backstories:

[x]-Rick C-137 and Prime were in a relationship before the events of the story. Rick choosing his family over Prime is what led to Prime killing Rick's family, kickstarting the beginning of the entire show.

-The fake season 3 backstory and season 6's flashback don't line up, revealing which parts of the season 3 backstory were "made up" by Rick to trick the Galactic Federation, and which were real.

-Prime is a time traveller, or lied about being a time traveller to manipulate C-137.

-Prime started a Rick cult that eventually became the Citadel of Ricks.

-Verbal evidence ("They kill your family", "Ricks don't pass on this").

-Parallels between C-137/Prime, C-137/Birdperson, and Beth/Space Beth.

[x]-Additional Birdrick and C-137/Prime parallel.

[x]-How the show handles foreshadowing using a specific pattern of denying and then later confirming continuity, and how this could be foreshadowing a C-137/Prime backstory.

[x]-The series repeatedly uses the "lovers to enemies" trope with Rick, and Rick Prime is yet another example of this.

[x]-Rick Prime had a kid with Diane (leading to our Morty's birth) because of a rebound.

Parallels and Dialogue:

[x]-Parallels between C-127/Prime, C-137/Mr Nimbus, and Crowscare.

-Verbal evidence ("Forgetting the ice cream", "The only person we like", "He's the real deal").

[x]-Verbal evidence ("Well, we'll see how long that lasts").

[x]-Space Beth: "You'd know, old man".

[x]-Call Me By Your Name film parallel.

[x]-Rick cheated on Diane. ("Leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. I did it.")

-Diane and Rick had an unstable relationship, possibly even before Prime entered the picture.

[x]-Diane and Rick had an unhealthy relationship wherein Rick cheated on her, and Diane used kid!Beth as a barrier against him to prevent communication that would have helped stabilise their marriage.

[x]-Young Rick's wedding ring.

Music Theory:

[x]-Prime's leitmotif is a variation of Dies Irae, which historically symbolises death, villainy, judgement, and obsessive love.

-Prime's leitmotif is a darker remix of Rick and Morty's opening theme song.

Prime's Ultimate Plan:

Finding Morty:

[x]-Prime's plan is to find Morty, to hurt C-137 in revenge for rejecting him.

-Prime will kidnap Morty by pretending to be C-137.

-The serum Rick drank in the Unity episode "syncs" the drinker with every dimensional version of themselves.

-Prime will use the serum on Morty to kill every version of him.

-Rick will (try to) use the serum to defeat every version of Prime.

[x]-Colour theory: Pink = time manipulation, while orange = syncing between others. Further evidence that Prime knows how to make the syncing serum from the Unity episode.

[x]-Rick Prime will use the serum to sync up himself with Morty. Rick will need to choose between revenge and family.

[x]-Prime doesn't know Morty is his dimensional grandson.

Keyser Söze Parallel:

[x]-Keyser Söze reference and parallels with Prime.

-Portal 2 reference and Prime's knowledge of popculture.

Prime's Portal Gun:

[x]-C-137 owns Prime's unique-looking portal gun because they knew each other for a while.

[x]-Prime has different portal gun designs between different hologram memories and flashbacks, implying that Prime visited Rick multiple times.

[x]-Rick C-137 was the one who designed the Prototype portal gun, and let Prime borrow it.

Portal Travel:

[x]-Prime lost the ability to portal travel.

[x]-Prime's holster is different between seasons, indicating that he doesn't use it for his portal gun anymore.

[x]-Prime and C-137 had already invented portal travel together. Prime proposed the idea of the Citadel, which C-137 rejected. Rick C-137, while pursing Prime, discovered the concept of Mortys before going to Prime's dimension.

[x]-Prime had opened a rift (similar to Evil Morty) to escape the Central Finite Curve.

The Bomb:

[x], [x]-The bomb that killed Diane and Beth was meant for Rick C-137, not his family.

[x], [x]-The bomb was intended for Prime, not Rick or Rick's family.

-Prime didn't drop the bomb that killed Diane and Beth.

-C-137's revenge quest was due to a critical misunderstanding of who dropped the bomb.

[x]-Unknowingly, C-137 himself caused the bomb to drop and killed his family, due to time travel that will happen in the future.

[x]-Prime doesn't even know who Rick C-137 is.

[x]-Beth and Diane were blown back/forward in time, becoming unreachable to Rick.

[x]-The bomb was meant to only destroy Rick's equipment, and not kill anyone.

Neutrino Bomb:

[x]-Rick tried to destroy the Earth in Prime's dimension in episode 1 out of revenge and Morty disarmed the neutrino bomb when Rick blacked out.

Prime Existing in Multiple Places at Once:

The Multiverse and Clones:

[x]-Prime uses the multiverse outside of the Curve to find other versions of himself.

-Prime uses clones of himself.

-The "clone" in Prime's lair was actually him because we see the escape pod later when Prime meets Jerry.

-Prime lied about the message being pre-recorded, as his eyes follow Rick during the fight scene in his lair.

[x]-The Central Finite Curve is a cage built to keep Prime contained.

[x]-Prime was the very first Rick clone of a memory from C-137, or another Rick who travelled back in time.

Time Crystals and Time Travel:

[x]-Prime uses time crystals (crystallised xanthenite) to manipulate time.

-Prime is associated with the colour pink because xanthenite is pink.

-The Central Finite Curve was built to keep Prime fenced in or out.

[x]-Rick Prime was actually offering Rick time travel, not inter-dimensional travel.

Cross-Temporal Asteroids:

[x]-Prime uses cross-temporal asteroids similar to the Jerryboree to evade people.

[x]-Prime is possibly the Rick responsible for creating the Jerryboree.

Prime's Immortality/Lack of Ageing:

Past Episode Foreshadowing:

[x]-Prime's immortality/healing ability comes from the fate creature from the fortune cookie episode.

-Prime is using the technology from the Whirly Dirly's immortality field.

-Prime figured out how to perfect Operation Phoenix to stay the same age.

[x]-Prime got the fortune cookies because the pink portal that opened in Final DeSmithation was a wormhole that sent the cookies through space and time.

[x]-Prime de-aged from Rick resetting all portal travellers in the Solaricks episode. (NEWEST ADDITION)

Misc Category:

Visual Design:

[x], [x]-Prime's robot designs and lair, and how they show Prime is a version of Rick that hasn't grown up.

[x]-The vision Jerry had while "merging with [Rick's] essence" foreshadowed Prime killing Arc Jerry. The vision's images will continue to foreshadow events that will happen in future seasons.

Pocket Mortys Game:

[x]-Prime can be found in the game Pocket Mortys as a playable character. He is named "Weird Rick."

-He costs the highest amount of coupons to unlock, implying that he is a major series character.

Characterisation:

[x]-Prime is the reason why Rick feels that he needs to always be the smartest person in the room.

[x]-Prime values being unique and fears not being the most outstanding Rick in the Universe.

[x], [x]-Rick in season 3 was trying to act like Rick Prime to emotionally numb himself, it didn't work, leading to his character development in seasons 5 and 6.

[x]-Rick Prime's influence is, in part, the reason Morty is "the Mortiest Morty" and why Rick fears Morty becoming more aggressive or overpowering him.

[x]-Rick will need to get over his dislike of time travel to defeat Rick Prime.

#rick and morty #storytelling #headcanon #long post #my text #masterpost

[celestialholz]

Celestial Live-Reacts: STP 2.6, 'Two of One'

Ayuuuup lads, it's fucking

PARTY TIME

... Jean-Luc you okay babe 👀

Flashbacks? 'Thirty-four minutes earlier'????? 🤔🤔

He keeps calling her Laris, jesus christ 😆

"No one of importance" - glad you think so dear, glad it's not just me 😘

"What's your status?" #BORGED

"I do miss Locutus" 🙃 Once you've tasted the best am I right 😏😏

Oh fuck, this dynamic's brilliant. Wish they'd done this throughout all assimilations to be honest 😍

Borgnes king ship 😍 aaaaand titles!

Appel and Frakes are back! ❤ I'm expecting fine things

... Jean-Luc darling, are YOU OKAY 😭

Jazz my beloved 😍😍😍

"I'm a ghost. It's the best way to keep her safe." *distant sounds of omnipotent laughter*

"You're in control, dear"???? Fucking hell Queenie 😂 This is so beautifully domestic, I adore it, and fascinating that Agnes can apparently hold her at bay?

Club soda because she's kicked the booze, well done sweetie 😍

'No sign of Q', huh? 😏 *distant sounds of omnipotent stalking*

Raffios friendship is banger as ever ❤ The little head kiss! 😍😍

Today in Stunningly Unsurprising News: Rios wants Theresa. What an astoundingly bad idea, which is coincidentally the only kind Rios has 😂

Everyone looks so hot????? 👁👄👁 *distant sounds of your bisexual reviewer passing out*

It's still not your gay son Raf honey 😭

... She's texting Q. Let that sink in for a second - Q has a fucking phone. Dear sweet lord, this is truly the worst timeline. Man probably has seven million Insta followers and every one of them knows how hot he is for a ninety-four year old 😏

... If he doesn't have a Galaxy I'm calling bullshit 😂

... What am I saying, glorious fucker probably has a nineties Nokia. He's probably playing Snake on the balcony right now. Q with a phone. 😂😂

"What if Q is right - what if she's not ready?" Mmm... 🤔

The Queen's good for Agnes. 😍

Cute little eyebrow thing 😆

He still likes Agnes too?

... Or perhaps not? 🙃😂 I'd like to hope Rios would bring out the same kind of thing that the Queen would, just in a more positive manner, but... can't help but think he and Theresa have more chemistry?

Oh bonjour Adam 😍

Bless Picard here, just seeing his old friend 😭

... He knows it's not THIS Picard, right?

"He's not a friend." "That's what he said about you." O-hoooo 😂 Adam knows who that love speech was about 😏

... Although if we could just take a moment to consider the possibility that Q spent an entire missing scene discussing his love for our resident admiral like last week's Q-uick Qcard, that'd be great. Just that moment of reflection... nice and peaceful and gay... right, back to your regularly scheduled review 😂

... Byyyyye Felicia ✊😂

ARE YOU REALLY OKAY SIR 😭

Hello darkness my old friend

... Your VOICE, ma'am? Is this actually Alison??? 😍 Queenie is VERY good for Agnes, damn

That dual bow is chilling...

"I'm in control." "Not anymore." Oh fuck 👀👀👀

Picard, meet Picard 😍

"Look up" - oh, very good 😆

Lovely little leitmotif of Talking to Data in the back here ❤❤

Picard counsels much younger, mentally struggling youth who's set to go into space - where do I recognise this from? 🤔🤔 *distant staring of The House That Omnipotence Built*

"What are you afraid of?" "I wouldn't know where to begin." Bless him 😭

"She too loved the stars, and she too... struggled." His mother had mental health problems?

"I found that even in the darkest circumstances, there is always a light... sometimes only a glimmer." Lovely Picard Speech #579664 😍😍

... His mother was dragged away? Mental institution?????? Kidnapped?

... Poor, poor Soong. 😭 He's so fucking traumatised...

Oh Adam honey, no 🙁 Q you absolute bastard, look what you've done to him 😭

"Perhaps another time" ... Wow 😆

#NOTMYPICARD 😭😭😭 Stupid, noble, self-sacrificing idiot 😍

"He's had some transplants", fuck's sake 😂

Cardiac event? Tapestry????? 🤔

Oh Adam, you've not only gotten the wrong Picard, you've nearly fucking killed him. You'd better hope Q's actually lost his omnipotence, fuck... 🙃

He's so fucking done, I weep 😭

"I put my heart into you... I let myself believe that you were the one." 'The one'? 🤔

I really like Theresa, just putting that out there ❤

Kore, what are you doing?

'Eugenics'? 'Mad scientist'? 👀

Persephone? Artemis? Klaudia?

... She's a fucking clone, oh my god 👀👀👀 Shoutout to my boyfriend who called that immediately, but damn

... No wonder he's fucking unhinged, jesus... and the whole funding cut and 'I'm a god' thing from last week... hold on though...

"We're all hostages to what we love", yeah? So, he's been fighting to right the wrong of her death all this time... and how many times has Q saved Picard's life, now? That's Q Who, an attempt in Deja, Tapestry, All Good Things, the beginning of this series... and that's just the non-negotiable ones. *distant sounds of Celestial holding up this week's mirror*

... Fuck, as though it needed to be any more gay 😂 Shit hits different this week, damn. Niiiice way to use your back-to-back episodes there, Ma'am Appel 😍

... So, wait - he's physically fine, but mentally fucked? 🤔 And he's got heart issues? Is this about to be Tapestry 2 😂

Estonia dear, please stop 🙄

She called Q a god! Finally, someone acknowledges it! And it's Estonia of all bloody people! 😒

"How much worse could it possibly get?" Oh for fuck's sake Raffi 😂

... This parting shot, though... 👁👄👁

... Well, shit...

Celestial Rating: 7/10.

Slower than before this week, but the Borgnes dynamic is wondrously dark, and there's some truly spectacular pay-off for those of us who were paying attention last week.

(P.S. if the titles lie to me again about John being in an episode I'm going to throw my shoes at the Paramount headquarters, thank you for coming to my TED Talk)

#star trek picard 2.6 #star trek picard spoilers #jean-luc picard #(sadly no) q of the continuum #cristobal rios #seven of nine #raffi musiker #agnes jurati #the borg queen #estonia is also here I guess 😒 #borgnes supremacy 😍 #next week on picard: tapestry 2 electric boogaloo?????? 👁👄👁 #qcard hits fucking different this week lads #celestial live reacts #celestial reviews

[colorofitall]

Welcome! This is an ongoing series of indefinite length on how Ludwig Göransson’s score for The Mandalorian ties nicely into John Williams’s history of leitmotifs in his Star Wars score. (And other cool stuff I notice.)

If you read through any analysis of John Williams’s score for any of the Star Wars movies, you’ll see lots of references of leitmotifs or themes. He loves to drop bits of music that represent people or themes into all parts of his scores. Other film composers do this too, but John Williams is a *master* at this.

So. We have a great main theme (which is Din Djarin’s theme). It runs at the credits. It’s really neat and it’s likely going to end up on every middle school band kid’s wish list of “Shit I Wish My Director Would Let Me Play Instead of John Phillips Sousa”. But the series doesn’t open with this theme; instead, we get a lot of random music instead.

Except…

Did you know that through the first half of Chapter One’s score, we get bits and pieces of Din Djarin’s theme; but we don’t hear the full theme until he’s up on the blurg, riding across the prairie like a cowboy? Neither did I. Until I listened to the score full blast while driving up to Rural Clinic™. The things one does to stay sane in a pandemic.

Full disclosure, if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve seen the whole series. Spoilers abound. I’m too tired to hide stuff, so…

I’m using the episode score released onto Apple Music for this analysis, because, honestly, it’s hard to catch some of the musical notes with the rest of the action going on. I don’t have a copy of the written score, nor do I currently have a piano to transcribe this stuff myself, so I’m literally going off of my ears here. Be kind.

Okay. We open with “Hey Mando!” and that beloved bass recorder tune (Sidebar: so I knew there were bass and tenor flutes, but a bass recorder? WTH? But it makes sense if you want to have a recorder choir…) which is our first introduction to Din walking in to get his bounty. But instead of resolving into the rest of the theme as the music suggests, the theme cuts off and we get some bad ass fight music instead. Cool cool cool. We also get the very opening part of the theme (the two deep piano notes) at about 1:40, but I’m cutting Göransson a little slack here because that’s the title card theme music, and it has to show up. Again, it’s just a little piece of the theme, but not the whole shebang.

In the next piece of the score, “Face to Face” (which is where Din drops off his *numerous* bounties and meets Greef and the Client), we get to hear the bass recorder again, (at about 0:40) but this time, we get more of a variation on the main theme before it cuts off again.

Can I break here and mention what a fabulous use Göransson makes of bass instruments as a whole? I mean, that was an awesome use of the bassoon! Anyway…

Again, we get the deep bass piano opening notes from the main theme at the start of “Back for Beskar” which is Din returning to the Covert. It’s a nice match with the tone of the score here, and I’ve been wondering for a while if the deeper bass notes used for Mandalorians as a whole is a nod to Boba Fett’s original theme from Empire Strikes Back. You also get a little of foreboding bass recorder as well at 1:20. I’ll talk more about this piece and the next piece a little later because they showcase their own themes as well.

The next part of the score is “HammerTime”, which is when we get to see the Armorer work her magic. At about 0:45, the strings you hear at this point are playing that same awesome bass recorder line at the beginning of the “The Mandalorian” theme (just speeded up a bit). I also want to talk about all the hammering going on in this piece, and the blending in of the electric guitar which adds to the techno-vibe of the Mandalorians as well.

We finally get to “Blurg Attack”. Which makes sense for a title since they’re like sharks with feet. It starts out as a fun little attack piece but start listening at about 1:00 and you’ll softly hear the big brassy part of the main theme, but (I think) on French horn (or baritone).

Last but not least, “You Are a Mandalorian”. Does anyone else like Kuiil and how unimpressed he is with Din? We get the whole opening of the main theme right at the beginning of the piece, and just like at the beginning of the whole episode, the theme just drops out halfway with no resolution (lol Din gets bucked off, drop your heels dude and sit deep in your seat).

So throughout this episode, we’ve gotten little pieces of the theme throughout all of the action, showing all the separate parts of Din. There’s a part of Din that’s a bad ass bounty hunter, and a part of him that hangs out with not so nice people to get the work he needs, and a part of him that’s a super awesome beroya who’s invested in the foundlings of his tribe, and a part of him that’s still a scared little boy.

And as he rides out to find the fifty-year-old bounty who’s going to tie all these disparate parts of him together, finally we get to hear the whole theme.

Going through bit by bit: the violin parts from “HammerTime” (which echo the bass recorder from “Hey Mando” and “Face to Face”), the deep piano notes from “Back for Beskar”, and the brassy theme from “Blurg Attack”. Fun fact here is that those deep piano notes are also the lead-in notes for the main brassy theme.

And then the theme resolves finally. Load of stress off my back at least (Think of music resolving as that feeling you get when you know that a musical phrase is completed, and unresolved themes make me ITCH.)

I’m not covering Bounty Droid or The Asset here – I think they tie in better to later episodes and I will try to get to those later. Also for fun, listen to “The Mandalorian”. It’s the end credits theme and since it’s a little more sparse, it’s easier to hear all the parts come together.

And if you’ve read this long…

Two other fun things to note here. We get introduced to two other themes in this episode. One theme I think of as “The Forging” theme, and the other theme I think of as “The Mandos” (in order to keep it separate from our protagonist’s theme.) “The Mandos” first shows up at about 1:20 into “Back for Beskar” (Din returning with the first piece of beskar that becomes best paldron). The main theme you hear in this piece is the theme we will hear again during Din’s recollection of how he was brought to the Mandalorians; specifically, as he watched the Mandalorians kick the snot out of some Separatist droids.

“The Forging” theme starts at the beginning of “HammerTime”. (god some of these pieces have the BEST names). Recognize it? We’ll hear it again at the beginning of Din’s recollection of how he was brought to the Mandalorians; specifically, as his parents were running with him and placing him in the bunker. It’s important to note here that the theme starts *before* Din has a flashback to the Separatist raid. That’s why I think of it as “The Forging” and not “Din’s Trauma Extravaganza”. We can think of forging as a physical activity, i.e. “make or shape (a metal object) by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering it.” (Thanks OED!), but we can also think of a person being forged. And in my thoughts, the Separatist raid is part of what forges Din into the person he is during the series. So, it’s nice to have an explicit link between the Armorer’s forge and Din’s memories of his finding.

Enough analysis of the use of themes?

Enough. Bye bye!

 Side note: I did not realize the Blurrg were a thing in Star Wars: Rebels as well. Two-legged shark guys look just as weird when they’re drawn!

#mando meta #mando music meta #the mandalorian #good god I have too much time on my hands #bet you didn't think I'd use my HL certification in music theory this way Dr O #my analysis #maybe more later? idk

[mbtiofwhys]

How Fe and Fi listen to music

Disclaimer: what you’ll find in this article is more a blogging coming from our personal experience than something strictly related to type theory. We found analogies that in some ways reflect the mutual differences between us mods, but please don’t read this as a way to generalize things or to say that this is what every Fi and Fe users feel or think. We want to share thoughts and prompts in our type blogging, so feel free to add something if you’d like!

INFJ mod

The first and most relevant truth about me and music is that, as a high Fe user, music can influence my feelings and heavily change my mood. But this may sound natural, right? Is it not common to listen to music as a way to delve into your feelings? Well, at least for me, high Fe enhances this, because it makes me susceptible to the emotional state of the environment, thus I’m receptive of the slightest changes in it. I can feel calm and relaxed, and then walk into a bar with a sad song on and suddenly feel gloomy. This happens to me a lot and that’s the main reason why I need to listen to specific songs in certain contexts. Otherwise I’ll feel something unwanted, and my Fe will kick in and just tell me: “well, that’s too much feelings to bare, right? Let’s just feel uneasy and overthink about future scenarios with our buddy Ni”.

Talking about contexts, my number one rule about music is: it must enhance my emotional state in a positive way. When I’m in a bad mood I tend to avoid music, because I’m in a frail emotional state and even a sad song may be too much for me. On the opposite, if I’m ok, music is a tool to feel better, and if I’m cheerful and relaxed it can even make me feel energized and galvanized, which are very pleasurable emotional states. Why? Because as an enneagram 6, this is not the rule, as overthinking is one of my best friends. I’m working on it, farewells to childhood friends are always heartbreaking, but we must say goodbye to each other. I’m in better company now - hi anxiety. (Just kidding. R-right?)

 As an activity deeply tied to my emotional state and able to change it, I need to listen to music when I’m in a specific mood. Like I stated above, this usually happens when I feel relaxed or cheerful. There are days when I take the train, pull out my smartphone and play my go-to playlist, while others when I just don’t feel like it because I’m too upset or melancholic and I avoid the emotional turmoil caused by music. Sometimes I listen to my “typical energizing songs” after dinner to refresh my tired body and mind. But don’t expect something like reggaeton, disco or electronic music. Not that I'm against those genres, but there are simply other songs that make me feel better and give me energy. I love (and i mean l-o-v-e) listening to videogames or anime ost. I know, I’m not your average INFJ who listens to sad songs and cries in a corner (not that I need music to cry in a corner, that’s it). Jazz, pop, sometimes rock and funky-ish music are what usually brings me out of my videogames and anime playlist and allows me to enjoy more traditional genres.

Music is also an inspiring tool. Although I’m not a professional writer, it’s a passion I have and something i’m still nurturing and learning, and I always need a certain song to fit a specific mood, scene or character. Those are exceptions to the rule, so I find pleasure in sorrowful songs. If I’m outlining an unpleasant scene or I’m planning a negative character, music must reflect the context and put me in that mood. In this way I can empathize with a character and feel and visualize the scene vividly. 

ENFP mod

To me, music is literally a soundtrack. I live with my earbuds on, and listen to music while travelling, working on projects and so on. For this very reason, I enjoy a very broad variety of genres and artists, and I literally have different kinds of music that match my mood or the situation I’m in. If I’m sad or upset, I need sad music. If I’m enduring something or I’m under stress, I need something powerful. If it’s the end of a trip, I go for bittersweet lyrics. This tends to vary based on the emotions I’m feeling, but generally speaking there’s no way, ever, that I will listen to a song that doesn’t match my mood or what I need in that moment. At best, my emotional state is “neutral” and thus I summon the supreme power of the shuffle button.

Despite what I wrote before, my approach to music is very casual - which is a polite way to say that I’m lazy. I’m not very curious, there are genres that I cannot listen to because I don’t like them. Since music is deeply intertwined with how I feel, you could say I almost need a reason to listen to something. More often than not the reason is that the sound is catchy or the lyrics are meaningful - but lately I discovered that with the right context or the right amount of pop mixed into it, I can literally appreciate anything. So, well, good job jrpg games for putting power epic metal, pop rap and jazz into my playlists. This variety is important because I (my Fi, I think) often physically need music to shut the noise out and reflect - or simply feel. Especially when I’m feeling bad, or angry, or sad, or disappointed, music is a way to live through those emotions and understand them better. This is why, to me, a cheerful idol song on a blue monday is literally like someone stepping by my side and shouting “everything will be fine!!”. Gosh, just let me be sad and dwell into my sadness, Karen.

Typically I listen to music while commuting, or generally while travelling - especially if alone, or by car. I listen and enjoy the view outside the window, or maybe I reflect on something and let my mind wander. I rarely turn the volume up while reading or writing or studying, but I don’t mind ost and instrumental pieces while revising or organizing notes. Generally speaking, I noticed that I tend to listen to music way more often when I’m not at home.

I’m studying in a creative field that has also ties with communication, so I’m learning how important music is from a narrative point of view. I used to draw years ago, and now I write in my free time. Music is fundamental in my creative process in two aspects: ideas, and mood. I literally brainstormed entire plots just from casually listening to a song, because the lyrics or the artists reminded me of something else. My Ne works with associations, and music is one of the best way to let my imagination free from restraints - not that this usually doesn’t happen anyway I guess. But at the same time songs are ideal for setting a specific mood, finding a leitmotif or generally finding inspiration.

#mbti #mbti of whys #personality type #personality theory #psychological types #music #introv #extrovert #infj #enfp #fi aux #fe aux #typology #blogging #creativity #feelings #emotions

[landofspaceandrainbows]

about [S] Piperorgankind ....

.... or [S] Leitmotifs 2: Something Borrowed, Something Blue(s)

....

( ^ 2 x movies about superhero themes combob! )

So back to themes and leitmotifs!  Homestuck is intensely linked into music, and uses music a lot to it's advantage. After seeing stuff in [s] caliborn: enter, i decided to go back looking for more musical themes.

I was able o pin down some stuff pretty easily, but what, for example is John's leitmotif?

It's hard to make a 1 to 1 comparison, because HS is a little between genres, but in some ways, at least, John and in general post godtier people act like superheroes, powerful, having their own thing, and there is sort of a subgenre of superhero themes!  So obviously for John there's Showtime! But I think John has two leitmotifs. Because shit be complicated yo!  So we have Showtime, which starts out like this

Sort of contemplative, simple, a good introduction, which moves onto this 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKURlfskGsE

Which, thy're both really interesting songs!  They're sort of slippery and mischevious, which can sort of hint that maybe John isn't the sort of hero that goes after things with his big muscles, but is instead sort of a trickster!  but the picture doesn't seem quite complete, and there's other songs associated with John, so maybe John has 2 themes.   So what's the other "John song" ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45v9g7KX-Ko

( ^ abt "borrowed leitmotifs")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYBzZj7Bddk

( "put the bunny back in the box!!!!" )

So the other isn't really "from" homestuck originally, but has been used in it enough that it now has a "place" in homestuck too.   Which is called a "borrowed leitmotif". And in particular, "How do I breathe" is associated with the bunny, every time it plays it's in conjunction with seeing the bunny and the gifts in general.  so it's tied in with the round robin of gifts the friends give eachother, including the all-important and central toy bunny....  Which are instigated by John and genuinely improve the friends's lives!  So in a way the song becomes the leitmotif for friendship! Or specifically John/friendship!  Also, "How Do I Breathe Without You"?? Really??

Which ties into John's "thing". He's a Hero of Breath - of tricksterness and freedom and even  (buddhist style) *detachment*.  Thinking outside of the box!  And his "powers" and strengths flow from there (and his weaknesses too sometimes, "i want to talk to the real dave", really John??). He's the heir of breath!  But he also needs his friends to help "anchor" him and hold him downward sometimes.  And he also uses his powers *for* his friends, that's what he "does the superheroey thing" for! So that sort of shows the the main tension of his character and arc, trying to balance those two forces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB2dC6bduvw So Showtime gets it's final form in Piperorgankind!  Which is a neat bit of meta-storytelling because he's actually.... playing it as well, as part of his final heroic quest includes seeking out a ancient magic pipe organ and learning to play it.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2AC447Wqc0

This version like all good superhero songs brings the threads together, Showtime shines on the pipe organ.  But where's "How Do I Breathe?" .... slipped into the place where "How Do I Breathe" should be, they've put the carnival - esque music we recognize from the [S] 5 Times Showdown Combo.  Which is a episode from "Murderstuck" which is full of stuff about blood and bonds and friendship! And it's a song associated with his new friend Karkat, the troll.  So now his circle of friends has expanded to include Karkat and all the trolls/aliens!  So now including that, he's saving the world for them too. And it shouldn't be any other way. < 3

#meta #homestuck #music theory #music #karkat #john

[ozymandiasdirge]

okay this is a few days late but a collection of hamilton thots after seeing it for the third time

i feel like all these years later im still blown away by the way this show does motifs/leitmotifs better than almost any thing else ive ever read/watched/listened to. (maybe undertale comes close but)

to see it with three different casts (there’s some overlap) its so so interesting which aspects of the roles get chosen to be accentuated....more detail on that later.

this is mostly just me being a nerd but if i was still in school i feel like id be going into a sprial of early french/american relations because it is such a fucking weird rabbit hole to go down from 1777-1815 but yall came here for music opinions not historigraphy opinions though there will be plenty of those because i cannot resist.

washington exudes such father energy (not dad energy father energy there is a difference) onstage especially during one last time it’s like...astounding.

i had forgotten that during the reynolds pamphlet he walks past alex h mid nervous breakdown and gives such a “im so viruently disappointed i have to go die” look that i myself was sinking down in my seat next to my own mother.

ive seen julia harriman play eliza twice and she is literally just....a god tier performer she’s so good that’s it that’s the whole bulletpoint

i had almost forgotten how horny “say no to this is” and there were like 10 year olds sitting behind me and i was like....my god

speaking of i had a very strong drink during the act break and jefferson’s “my god” during “we know” literally nearly had me fall out of my chair.

washington on your side is so fucking underrated we do not appreciate it enough thats that on that.

this is necessaryily play related but i just remembered how hamilton had a whole essay about how people were probably too stupid for democracy and typing this up on the morning of robert mueller’s testimony...i have to say....that may be his greatest legacy and also yeah

can i just say how god tier lin manuel was to not have yorktown be the act 1 finale like, every other show it would be but nope we have to build up to the entire cast getting to belt on non-stop (which imho beats out quintet from west side story dont @me)

on the one hand i really really really wish we’d gotten more with hamilton’s parents because it really just.... explains so much im torn, because the only things he says about them (besides burr’s constant bastard, son of a whore) i believe are when he mentions them to eliza in “helpless” (my father left my mother died i grew up buckwild), in “dear theodosia” (my father wasn’t around, i swear that i’ll be around for you) and the single line in “hurricane” (i was twelve when my mother died she was holding me we were sick and she was holding me i couldn’t seem to die) make it so much more impactful when it does get brought up so...im torn. i think i just want a quality prestige miniseries but alas.

speaking of i feel like i noticed more this time the amount of times from my shot until the very end hamilton is just like “im ready/willing to die/i never expected to live long enough to have to deal with all this” then i remembered lmm’s interview where he was like “i think he was ready to die from the time he was 14 years old” and deadass nearly starting bawling in the middle of the theater. before its quiet uptown came on and i did start bawling and just didnt stop until the play was over.

of course every song in here is amazing but i feel like i have to call out hurricane particularly because it’s just......literally its so fucking impactful and i think.....throughout the entire play it’s the best look we ever really get at hamilton without any obfuscation on his part, even more than my shot and just the line “and when my prayers of god were met with indifference i picked up a pen. i wrote my own deliverance.” is just...i can’t even comment on it,  it just speaks for itself so...yeah

more genius pacing, the fact that burr doesn’t get his i want song until the middle of act 2 is some of the most genius writing ive ever seen in my life.

also on the opposite side of the coin from that during “the election of 1800″ when burr tells hamilton “im chasing what i want and you know what? i learned that from you” and a chill goes out over the audience as they remember that this story ends with one of them fucking dead l m a o anyway

im never going to get over the way that a. burr and a. ham completely switch roles for the first and only times in their lives and it ends up with one of them dead and the other one (in the plays context anyway) forever stained its like....hello 911.

also ive gone back and forth on whether or not i think its too sympathetic on burr (thats a whole nother video essays worth of opinions, but for the most part i think its fine) but i have to hold back a laugh at his worst fear out of the duel is his adult daughter being orphaned but being fine orphaning a man with seven children under the age of 20. like....the audacity.

also im such a slut for metafictional commentary on storytelling (hello the social network i see you villian) like....hamilton balances so many other themes but god “who lives who dies who tells your story” as a line and a song are such good thesis statements.

okay here’s the only place im gonna get serious and unfunny gigi you’re literally never funny shut up. i know certain historians and people on hottakes.com have issues with this historical aspects of this play. and all i am going to be saying on that is that i think lmm traded 100% historical accuracy for telling a good story, making a good salient point, and going more for what feels right than what is completely black and white true. and i think he was respectful to the real history (as much as real history exists etc. etc.) that its fine. like was thomas jefferson a flamboyant dandy who ran around in a purple suit overflowing with cockiness? no, he was the opposite. does that portrayal of him get across his blatant hypocritical old money ruthless and amoral treatment of anyone who wasnt an old money white male virginian who refused to fight a war of independence in his own country but stoked the reign of terror from an ocean away in france but comdemned it in haiti. no, to a late 2010s audience i dont think it does. so yeah....that is my discourse on the subject. everyone else is welcome to their own opinons on it but here we go.

#this will probably get longer because i typed half of this when i was still drunk #and the other half this morning so im sure ive forgotten stuff but #yeah #what the fuck was my tag for this #uhhhh #oh #alex h

[mikauzoran]

Spider Dance

Mikau: I’ve just found this tarantella that I simply adore!

Lemarc: Mikau, you know I’m an arachnophobe.

Mikau: But it’s the cutest tarantula you’ve ever seen!

An explanation, I feel, is in order. ^.^; The tarantella is a type of dance and the music one does the dance to. It also means “tarantula” in Italian, thus Lemarc’s pun and my rejoinder. (We both learned this when we were in a production of A Doll’s House together at my high school.)

The tarantella to which I was referring is Saint-Saëns’s Op. 6 Tarantella.

Why did this come up? Writing research, friends. In the next Nachtmusik chapter, Adrien attempts to describe a leitmotif that he’s noticed popping up in Luka’s work. What he comes up with is:

“It’s the same sequence of serpentine, kind of…gypsy, tarantella, Habanera, Anitra’s Dance…sort of played as a mix between a tango and a waltz. You know what I’m talking about?”

I figured people already had an idea of what a tango and a waltz sounded like in their heads, but I don’t think the tarantella is such a fixed idea in the collective human consciousness, so I wanted to give an example. I poked around a bit, and I found this one by Saint-Saëns. It’s going to be stuck in my head for a long time. I’m tempted to get out my flute and try to play it. The piano part is what really sticks in my mind, though, so maybe I’ll add this to my list of things to fool around with on my keyboard.

(An aside: Anitra’s Dance periodically gets stuck in my head. My orchestra played it in high school about ten years ago when we did Grieg’s Peer Gynt. That was the first time I had heard it, and it’s stuck with me ever since. It’s one of the handful of songs that just apparates occasionally. In case you’re wondering, Once Upon a Dream from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Journey to the Past from that Anastasia movie that came out when I was tiny, and O Mio Babbino Caro are three more such songs that pop into my head out of nowhere every couple years.)

Anyway! So goes my writing process. Just thought I’d share. ^.^

#Music Nerd #Research I Do For Writing #Mikau's Brother #A Little Night Music (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik) #Anecdote #Classical Music #Tarantella #Saint-Saëns

[skinfeeler]

4, 6, 9, 20

4. Describe your style‘Annoying skater nugoth’ still applies, honestly, I think swapping out plateau boots for Vans is a great idea that everyone should try.

Typically a lot of my clothes are in layers with most layers meant for different if similar aesthetics— if you look at the ‘leatherdyke’ selfies in my face tag, things look differently when I take the cap off, undo my hair, ditch the leather jacket, and put on the suspenders (framing preferably a black shirt with a white print nicely). The full outfit I want to look some semblance of cool and imposing, the indoors look to just like sort of cute. I consider the ways all my outfits look and how they are transformed with any pieces removed/altered.

I also have a military goth sort of outfit— that one is also a performance of sorts. A lot of people who wear actual uniforms take themselves very, very seriously, see themselves as some part of a greater transcedent whole, and then there are people who emulate the style and just think it’s cool. Typically these two are distinct, but I very much try to straddle the border between the two to convey some vague sort of conceit that in fact there is no difference: All a uniform can ever consign is a pure aesthetic value, there is no greater aspect to it. To me I think that’s a much more sensible and frankly less disgusting interpretation of the style than the usual violence and authority fetishism it tends to entail. Still, that’s just the one outfit, and unfortunately I don’t have a photo of it, and I won’t take one for some time because the season for it passed (it entailed a big coat and gloves and cloying leather pants).

I do have a hat for every occasion…>that leather cap with the o-ring for several casual and slutty outfits>a sun hat for a more risque goth outfit with fishnets I intend to try soon>a beret for a more casual flannel + boots + beret 'art student or lesbian?’ sort of look>a navy cap with leather stiff brim for the military goth outfitIf you have long hair, it tends to dominate the whole gestalt unless 'framed’ in some way, hats help for this.

I’m also partial to wearing just my workout clothes (compression tights, tank top) with the leather cap — mentioned again later — as well as details the same color as my hair and then a poofy jacket of sorts the same color as the tank top (all burgundy). That’s more of a casual outfit I wear when skating only or if I have to go somewhere immediately after I work out (or if I work out after those things). Today I’m wearing black ripped skinny jeans and a hoodie the same color as my hair (and then similar details for my socks) but these are more casual outfits, if still casual outfits I think look good.

Regardless of anything I wear I’m always thinking about color theory and silhouette, as well as the formerly mentioned aspect of modularity. I never wear a lazy outfit. I always want to look put-together. It’s part of what gives me confidence to go outside, in that sense it is actually close to a primary need.

6. Favorite article of clothing?This tacky leather cap finishes off almost any outfit ever well and has a delightful aspect of irony unbeknown to all but myself.

9. Any haircut goals for the future?I really like my straight-cut bangs tbh but maybe at some point I actually want short hair. No idea what exactly, though, I’ve basically only had long hair ever. An undercut seems almost too 'standard’ at this point, but I do definitely want to look like a huge queer in some way.

20. Favorite lesbian song?Unfortunately I’m not normie enough to listen to whatever the gay icon du jour is, so I’ll just answer with 'Lilith in Starlight’ from the Homestuck soundtrack. I love basically all tracks that use the Green Sun leitmotif, tbh

#ask #themagnificenthellion

[enviroblog-spring21]

Blog X: Rhode Island's Marshland Must Be Saved from the Current Real Estate Boom.

As mentioned in previous posts, especially last week, the primary leitmotif of our socio-environmental system is humanity’s unprecedented population growth and our rapid urbanization–– where more and more people live in expansive and enlarging metropolitan areas than at any point in human history. As the population of our species increases vertically and laterally across space and time, it does so at the expense of landscapes fortunate enough to remain unexploited, albeit not necessarily free from anthropogenic impacts. For our purposes here, I intend to emphasize the importance of biodiversity that we cherish and rely upon every day in the Ocean State–– additionally, I will point out some of the human dynamics of our socio-environmental system that are problematic and threaten to erode or destroy the unique environment we are blessed to inhabit.

The ninth chapter of Living in the Environment focuses on the importance of biodiversity as it applies to wild animal species across different habitats, and the problems anthropogenic influences present to the survival, functions, and maintenance of biodiversity in ecosystems. Oftentimes I find that initiatives to save particular species (even keystone species) do not emphasize the important roles they play in the ecosystems they inhabit. For example, the book mentions the endangered orangutan’s role in dispersing seeds in their waste that would not propagate without them. The tenth chapter of Living in the Environment delineates the parasitic relationship between humans and ecosystems that threaten the natural patrimony which all species of the Earth rely upon. Sustaining and saving the biodiversity of ecosystems is imperative to maintaining the economic value and support they provide through, for example, reducing soil erosion, providing for recreation, and nutrient cycling–– all of which, unfortunately, is hidden due to the absence of full-cost pricing. The authors estimate that the economic value of the various services forest ecosystems provide are worth least $125 trillion per year, one and a half times higher than the world’s total GDP in 2018. Despite the mammoth economic benefits humans derive from forest ecosystems, they are the first to be sacrificed in blind pursuits of economic growth–– evident in the expansion of agriculture and the construction of highways and housing. The various pressures humans impose onto species and ecosystems erode their biodiversity with near impunity. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s fifth “Global Biodiversity Outlook” and the New York Times article entitled “A Crossroads from Humanity: Earth’s Biodiversity Is Still Collapsing” underscore the magnitude of anthropogenic erasure of biodiversity and the latent effects it will have on our species.

What I found most striking about the United Nations report is its insistence that we must depart from business as usual, and that doing so entails reducing our consumption in order to ensure that justice for the generations that will inevitably inherit the natural patrimony we have taken for granted and are tasked to restore. The Rhode Island town I reside in, Jamestown, is a state-champion in sentimentalizing nature, evident in the conservation and restoration efforts of our natural landscapes. Unfortunately conservation and restoration efforts are on the bottom-rung of actions to reduce loss of biodiversity, yet it is arguably all that one needs to not feel guilty or anxious about the climate crisis.

Biodiversity researchers use the abbreviation HIPPCO (Habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation; Invasive species; Population growth and increasing use of resources; Pollution; Climate change; and Overexploitation) to summarize the most pervasive anthropogenic threats to species biodiversity. Unfortunately, Rhode Island harbors critical levels of such threats to biodiversity, especially habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species, and of course, climate change.

I want to focus on The H in HIPPCO is quite extensive–– standing for habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation. Out of the three threats to biodiversity within habitats, I view habitat fragmentation as most consequential for Rhode Island’s species biodiversity. Just down the road from me in Jamestown, RI, the town maintains a public golf course. I have no idea why. Much as the rest of the state does, Jamestown prides itself on its natural patrimony. Eco-friendly stickers seemingly adorn the bumpers of every other car on the island, indicative of Jamestown’s oxymoronic dynamic with Conanicut Island. Next to the golf course lies a delightful bird sanctuary that I stroll in from time to time. Being that the island is at most only a mile wide, it only takes me a little over ten minutes to make it to the opposite end of the sanctuary, where it touches Jamestown’s Marsh Meadows Wildlife Refuge. Marshlands are special ecosystems, perpetually at the transition between sea and land, as a result they accommodate species not found in any other ecosystem. Much of the natural capital from commercial fisheries derives from the ecosystem services of salt marshes and estuaries for nursery and spawning grounds. The Marsh Meadows are marshlands within an estuary. Marshlands also provide indispensable ecosystem services to society as a whole by intrinsically filtering pollutants, producing oxygen, recycling nutrients, and removing sediment. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protection estimates that over half of the state’s salt marshes have been lost, and today only under 4,000 acres remain–– most of which are impacted by human activity, unfortunately Marsh Meadows is an exception. Pollutants like pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers naturally runoff into the marsh from the nearby golf course. The North Road Bridge partially fragments the ecosystem’s western flank, while the highway to the Newport Bridge completely blocks the marsh from draining out into the cove by my house. You can still tell that the area was once marshland though. A freshwater pond popular with Canadian Geese and the occasional egret is present next to the building occupied by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. The lands next to the building routinely flood since the faux ecosystem of maple oak and pine trees that the RITBA planted there simply does not belong. The force which causes the most habitat fragmentation, degradation and pollution, however, is the public golf course. While it does not exactly fragment the landscape like a road or a bridge it is so cumbersome that in my opinion the marshlands hardly have any room to breathe. Not all the course sits on top of the marshlands, and the parts that do obviously are not suitable for golf, however, the chemical pollution from lawn treatment is enough justification for me to call for the dismantling of the course. Even if its size is reduced to give the marshlands more breathing room, the incursion of pollution is still too great a cost to the natural capital and ecosystem services that marshlands provide us. The town of Jamestown ought to put its money where its mouth is if it wants to retain its brand of a crunchy eco-friendly town.

While Marsh Meadows is not under an immediate threat of total habitat destruction, as it is a protected area, substantial amounts of unprotected marshland also exist on the island around Mackerel and Sheffield Coves. The two coves are only feet away from each other, separated only by a small land bridge. Mackerel Cove is a popular beach with tourists and locals alike as it offers picturesque views of the Atlantic Ocean. Sheffield Cove is more of a local secret, it has a rocky shoreline and a decent amount of marshland with adjoining private properties far enough away that they do not appear to render any significant incursions within the ecosystem. Mackerel Cove is a different story. Last summer a huge McMansion was built on the last remaining marshland the cove has. Even more worryingly, the dunes created to protect the beach seemingly also incurred destruction, as the fences protecting them from getting trampled by beachgoers, pets, and cars have been inundated by storms. This is a grave mistake and indicative of the town’s environmental negligence. The Netherlands, which has been battling the seas for over a millennia, routinely uses plants and maintains dunes to keep back the tides of the sea. Closer to home, East Providence recently rebuilt their dunes to protect their shorelines from flooding and sea level rise, and Jamestown squanders the ones they already built. The town’s environmental negligence, however, may not be intentional. Jamestown has incredibly low municipal taxes and a NIMBY sentiment so strong that even pre-pandemic business tax revenue is scarce. If one dares to build a multi-family or mixed use building, they face the ire of the opposition who have nothing better to do than peddle in racist and classist dog whistles. At the cove near my house a volunteer effort was coordinated to restore a good portion of its natural habitat, dunes, and even some marshland, but we cannot rely on volunteers to do all the work that needs to be done. Jamestown ultimately needs to combat its NIMBY sentiment, allow growth in its small urban core, and raise taxes (which mostly everyone here can afford) in order to deal with its coming environmental woes.

In conclusion, when it comes to a species approach or an ecosystem approach to combating terrestrial biodiversity loss and extinction, I tend to fall heavily in the ecosystem approach. I must point out though, that the two approaches go hand and hand and need each other to achieve their common goal of preserving, protecting, and restoring biodiversity. Without the wolves of Yellowstone National Park, for example, the ecosystem would fall out of balance as it was prior to their reintroduction. If wolves again ceased to exist in Yellowstone, the animal populations they kept in check would erode much of the park’s natural capital once again, beavers would not have materials to build their dams, and riverbanks would erode. Therefore, in a sense, animals are their ecosystems and ecosystems are the animals within them. I believe that I tend to fall under the ecosystem approach, however, due to my love for geography and environmental planning. Plus, New England is such a tamed ecosystem (as in, if I walk outside a wild animal likely won’t kill me.) Maybe I simply do not notice the ways in which animals in my neck of the woods affect the ecosystem I live in because of an evolutionary complex that allows me not to expend as much energy thinking about them. I’ve always been able to scan my ecosystem in the various geographies I inhabit here, I’ve never had to scan it for animals that could kill me. If bears and wolves made their return here, however, as they allegedly have in north and west of Providence, that would probably be better for the ecosystem, hence the intertwined nature of both approaches to restoring biodiversity.

WC: 1,760

Question: Would tax credits for increasing the biodiversity of one’s yard (as is proposed in Rhode Island) be effective in increasing biodiversity in general?

[secretcinema3]

In Praise of: Pianos

Cinema and pianos have been collaborators from the start. You could say the piano is a key artifact of cinema, a conduit for all kinds of drama and moods and hidden significances. From the earliest days pianos provided the main sounds for films. They were the medium’s voice, ‘the workhorse of the era’, not only providing the music but drowning out noisy projectors and talkative audiences. Emotions were underscored, leitmotifs assigned, sound effects provided, pace and excitement injected. Soon, though, the instrument made its way beyond the screen to enter the world it had watched from the dark of a thousand Nickelodeons. A workhorse no more. And that’s when things got really interesting. A character in an empty room can be an enthralling thing. Add an object of some sort, and the dynamic changes, the gravitational power of the object alters relationships, offering chances to lean on, refer to or play. So let’s look at some of the ways pianos alter the internal world of cinema: 

Take Howard Hawk’s Only Angels Have Wings. Less celebrated than other Hawksian piano scenes, perhaps, such as To Have and Have Not, but in the end that undulating thing Jean Arthur does with her arm and Cary Grant yelling ‘PEA-NUT!’ swung the deal. In two minutes the piano tells us plenty about Bonnie Lee; that she’s a tougher cookie than she first appears, a practised performer who’s been around plenty of those disreputable rogues, musicians. And the brief bit of introspective noodling tells us she’s been hurt in love, almost certainly by one of those musicians. Here then, we not only have the Hawksian world-view encapsulated but also an example of the way pianos act as social hubs, focal points for gathering around, starting parties, lining up shots glasses. A piano, then, is more than an instrument, it’s a test of character, a hurt unlocker, a standing invitation.

Or, in the case of The Seven Year Itch, a libido unlocker. That’s certainly how Tom Ewell sees it, or imagines it in an earlier scene, fantasising about the effect Rachmaninoff will have on the girl upstairs (Monroe), how its deep romantic seriousness will induce shakes and quakes and goosebumps, leaving her helpless putty in his arms. Here we have the less exalted reality. Instead of Rachmaninoff we get chopsticks, instead of a fantasy sex goddess there’s a girl having thoughtless fun. Marilyn still gets goosebumps, though. And how! But Ewell ends up flat on his face. Monroe’s girlish enjoyment is infectious. She’s not some pretentious siren of desire, classical dream-cords reverberating through her body. She’s the simple, surface fun of chopsticks. The piano, in this case, is a personality decoder, an arena of (would-be) seduction, a reservoir of lost childhood pleasure.

As we’ve already seen, the piano is a standing invitation. Especially in an empty room. And double-especially in an empty bar. It seems to call to certain people, to tempt them away from reality, like Alain Delon in this scene from Jean Pierre Melville’s Un Flic. It’s a homage I’m sure to Frank Sinatra who invented (or crystalised) this tough-guy-reveals-sensitive-side-playing-piano-in-an-empty-bar schtick in films like Young at Heart. It’s a moment of private reverie, time holding its breath, Delon playing an introspective, jazzy piece, cigarette in his mouth, Catherine Deneuve listening unseen in the shadows, falling for him with every note. The piano, this tells us, is an interzone, a world unto itself, touchstone of timeless cool and summoner of goddesses from the dark.

‘It hurts‘, Ingrid Bergman explains to Liv Ulmann, ‘but he doesn’t show it.’ The film is Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata, the he is Chopin, the piece is his Prelude No. 2. which Ulmann has just played, every halting note torture to her concert pianist mother, who is now going to show how it should be played. What follows is a lesson and a humiliation. As Bergman plays Ulmann gazes at her. The look is mesmerising; need, resentment, love, hurt, all held in sway by those hypnotic, mysterious notes. Just look at me, notice me. It’s almost unbearable, the longing for her mother to pay her the same attention she does the piano, to touch her with the same tenderness, the same care. ‘Total restraint the whole time,’ Bergman emphasises, surely aware of the naked gaze, but refusing to acknowledge it. ‘Feeling is very far from sentimentality,’ she lectures, as her daughter sits meekly, saying nothing, craving sentimental connection, reduced to a mousy nothing by her elegant, brilliant mother. This piano is a cuckoo in the nest, an all-consuming lover, an instrument of pain, both exalted and plain.

Finally, I’ve gone for this old gag from Ballot Box Bunny, so good Looney Tunes used it more than once. I like this one best mainly because Yosemite Sam says pie-anna but also because his volcanic temper makes what follows wonderfully inevitable. It’s all in the timing. Get that right and it’ll be funny forever. I’ve watched this countless times and laugh every time. Why when I know what’s coming? Well, partly because I do know it’s coming and partly it’s the rhythm of it. Bugs plays the tune slow, Sam plays it fast. That’s part of it too. So, what does this scene tell us about the pie-anna? That it’s a potential booby-trap, a punisher of impatience, and, as Laurel and Hardy long since proved, comedy’s favourite slapstick musical instrument.

#in praise of #pianos #essays #only angels have wings #the seven year itch #un flic #bugs bunny #autumn sonata

[leapingtitan]

First of all hi! i love your blog and your memes and im so happy there is another Hiroyuki Sawano fan around here. like his works dont get the appreciation they deserve. My question is do you think we will get more tracks for Season 3? And why were there so many rearranges? I love the OST but it was a little weak on the fresh take

Hey. Thanks for the ask and thank you for enjoying my stuff xD. Yeah, I agree completely. There’s nothing wrong with casually enjoying snk and its music, but sometimes I just find myself screaming at people to go listen to Sawano because the works are just T O O  G O O D. I prefer it more than 95% of “Modern” music these days.. I guess I’m a bit of an addict lmao.

Season 3. Likely two-cours. That means: More tracks! Getting a full new OST is however, unlikely, since I don’t think Sawano has done this before where he composes an entirely new soundtrack for an already existing series with ~40 tracks already made for it. The Season 2 OST had a lot of recycling going on if you take a look at OST II, Guren no Yumiya OST and Jiyuu no Tsubasa OST, as well as the YAMANAIAME and theDOGS albums.

It’s unlikely, but considering it’s LIKELY two-cours, more than 11 tracks will surely be there. Maybe 18 or 20? Either way, the problem that I had is that there were a lot of rearranges that are seemingly disguised as “new” tracks, for example son2seaVer and Call of Silence, which, as great as it is, is an eye-water rearrange with vocals added.

The actual new, fresh pieces of music that are NOT rearranges go as following:

Barricades | AOTs2M他1 (2nd Half) 

APETITAN | AOTs2M他3 (1st Half) 

YouSeeBIGGIRL/T:T (1st Half) | attack音D (1st Half) | AOTs2M他3 (2nd Half) 

ERENthe標 (1st Half) 

AOTs2M他1 (1st Half) 

AOTs2M他2

AOTs2M他4

Thing is, Sawano was busy as hell for these paths few months. Blue Exorcist Kyoto Saga, Crisis, Re:CREATORS, the Do As Infinity Collab and SnK Season 2.

It’s just a ton of work and, from the music production perspective, takes quite some time.

My main hopes for Season 3′s OST, apart from more new and original tracks is to stop rearranging Call Your Name. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the song and it’s easily in my Top 10, but I just can’t stand hearing the leitmotif in every track. As far as I know, it’s been rearranged in a MODv version, an instrumental for the said MODv version, eye-water, one of the atmospheric tracks in OST II whose name I forgot, I think in one of the piano medleys as well, then Call of Silence AND  attack音D. I love it but... I’m getting tired of the melody lmao.

ERENthe標 is hands down my favorite track of Season 2, and I’m solely looking at the first half. It didn’t get used in the finale as we were expecting and was kind of underwhelming on the parts that weren’t that golden orchestral.

Sorry about the rant. Anyway, yeah. The new pieces were definitely fresh, though, and as Sawano said, it did give you an updated feel of the anime’s music. Still, I hope that there is an overwhelming amount of original tracks for Season 3 and NOT such a big portion of rearranges. I would kill to have an APETITAN rearrange for Zeke, of course, but like.. not Call Your Name or Counterattack Mankind unless you make it the most unique thing ever.

It really depends on Sawano’s schedule. Again, making a full OST for an already-running anime is a lot of work. The Re:CREATORS OST took like 2 months to make, judging from Sawano’s twitter activity, but don’t take my word for it.

Thank you for the ask!

#hiroyuki sawano #snk ost #asks #anonymous