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jombocostello · 4 years

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falling in love with love (risotto x reader)

@pommmejuice asked: hi op can i request some headcanons for risotto w a soft and cuddly s/o please (kinda like. an opposites attract thing)? love your writing a lot n i hope you have a great day 🥺💖

Yes!! I’m super sorry for the long wait on this, but I hope you enjoy it!! This started out as headcanons but it kind of turned into a full story somewhere haha, I hope you like it!

It was hard for Risotto to come to terms with falling in love.

Never in his wildest dreams could he have expected it. When he entered the criminal underground, he knew he was condemning himself to a life of loneliness and unflinching cruelty - and that didn’t bother him in the slightest. Risotto was a cruel and unfeeling man; anyone who crossed him was dead at the nearest opportunity.

Ending up as the head of La Squadra Esecuzioni wasn’t a surprise. He was a ruthless killer and he was always perfectly composed. The oddballs on his team had their quirks - some weirder than others - but Risotto was all business all the time. He was an assured leader who never showed a shred of personality. He often heard his team wondering if he even had one.

That is, until you joined the team.

You were a pure ball of sunshine. It really threw Risotto off, seeing you bright and cheerful after every hit. The guys on the team seemed to eat up your sweet demeanor (Pesci especially - he clung to you like the nice big sibling he never had), but Risotto wasn’t fully convinced that you were the angel that everyone saw.

A week or so after you joined the team, Risotto pulled Formaggio aside after the two of you returned from a job. “Hey, boss,” he said, a little uneasily. It wasn’t often that Risotto spoke with him one-on-one. “Need something?”

Risotto stared down at Formaggio, who was starting to sweat. He wondered for a moment why he was even doing this, but shrugged the thought away. “How did the job go?”

Formaggio eased up once he heard that. “It was great! (Y/N)’s a bonafide hitman.” He glanced over at you, standing on the other side of the room. “They’re pretty damn ruthless, but shit - the guy today more than deserved it.”

This piqued Risotto’s interest; you were...ruthless? He never would’ve considered it. “Alright. That’s all I wanted to ask.” Formaggio bid his boss farewell and strutted over to you and the others, immediately starting to brag about how efficient he and you were on today’s job. Risotto just watched as you bashfully denied his praise, and he watched the way your face grew wonderfully red at the compliments.

Even then he knew these weren’t regular thoughts to have about a teammate, but he chalked it up to curiosity. There was no way you were a killer like him - not with your winning smile and bubbly laugh. Risotto realized at that moment that there was only one way to find out for sure. He was finally going to work alongside you.

“You'll be going with me on this one, (Y/N).” His tone was as normal as ever when he told you this two days later, but internally he was scrutinizing your every micro-expression as you took in his words. Was it to figure out more about your personality, or just because he wanted to know what you thought of him? Jesus. His mind was really in a weird place.

You blinked the surprise out of your expression and smiled brightly. “Great, boss! I’m excited to see your stand in action.” Risotto just nodded and made a gruff sound of agreement. To you, that came off as professional and official, but honestly he just didn’t know what to say. And you were off!

The job was straightforward: there was a pretty high up member of the organization who’d been skimming off the top of the boss’s drug profits for a good while now. It would be extremely easy to take care of him; he didn’t even have a stand. Still, Risotto found himself worried about the outcome of this mission. As you walked out the door and sent him a toothy grin over your shoulder, he found himself doubting that you could even find it in you to step on a bug. But, you were obviously on the squad for a reason, so he just let those thoughts go.

The two of you arrived quickly to your destination. As you both crept up to the back entrance of the beautiful house, you wrapped your hand around Risotto’s arm. He halted, looking down at you in muted surprise, and you shrugged sheepishly. “Just don’t wanna lose you.”

You were so, so adorable. Risotto actually felt his heartbeat speed up - it was a foreign sensation. “Well just keep up with me,” he bluntly replied, pulling you along. You stumbled along behind him, probably smiling like the utter sweetheart you were, but Risotto didn’t look. He was starting to realize what his feelings for you really were.

You both slid quietly into the house. You were equipped with a very useful ability for this line of work: your stand, Sound of Silence, eliminated the sound of anything you touched. Creaky doors, squeaking floorboards, and even the loudest gunshots were all silenced by your power. As you both crept down the back hallway, Risotto glanced at the pistol resting on your hip. It had been a long, long time since he had to use such...conventional weapons.

You both stopped just before the dining room. You turned to Risotto, quirking an eyebrow as you whispered, “What’s the move?” He just gestured for you to follow him, and so you both slipped into the room.

Your orders were to kill the man and grab an envelope from his pocket. It was an easy enough job, Risotto figured. He was just excited to see you in action. You shut the door silently and looked to your superior, seeming to ask for permission to take charge of the assassination. Risotto nodded, and you got to work.

Because of your stand, you didn’t really have to be careful. You walked with purpose up to the man, and before he had even turned around you pulled out your gun and shot him in the head - Risotto was impressed and a little surprised by your efficiency. As he slumped forward onto the table, you grabbed his shoulders and eased him back up. You stuck your hand into his breast pocket and fished around, but found nothing. God, the pout on your face and your adorably furrowed eyebrows at coming up empty-handed almost made Risotto get up and kiss you right there.

Risotto strode over to you and watched you search through his other jacket pocket. After a second, you grinned and pulled out a small white envelope, addressed to another member of the boss’s staff. You turned around and gave Risotto a thumbs-up, and he found himself smiling faintly at the sweet gesture. This made you grin even wider in return, and you opened your mouth to comment on it. The click of a gun silenced you.

Without even thinking, you grabbed Risotto and yanked him into a nearby closet. You shut it hastily and turned to Risotto, and without a moment’s thought, you wrapped him up in a tight hug. He stared down at you with wide eyes - what the hell did you do that for...? He could feel his heart thumping away, and it definitely wasn’t because of the threat to his life outside the closet door. You looked up and mouthed, “Your breathing.”

You were using your stand to silence his breathing. How in the hell did you think so quickly on your feet? You were perfect, Risotto was sure of it now. He nodded, and you gave him a thumbs-up and a smile.

The man outside the door spoke; Risotto could hear in his voice that he was scared shitless. “I-I know you’re here! You’re on that fucking hitman team, aren’t you?! Just get out here!”

You glanced up at Risotto, and to his surprise, there was no fear in your eyes. Instead, you looked almost eager as you let go of Risotto’s waist and grabbed his hand tightly. “Are you gonna use your stand?” you asked lowly with a big smile. “I’ve always wanted to know how it works.”

He blinked, completely taken aback by your lack of concern about the man with the gun outside. “Uh...” He pressed his ear to the door. “Yeah.”

You heard the man scream before you even realized Risotto was doing anything. He shut his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, and in an instant you heard the man hit the floor. The two of you waited a few seconds to see if he was still moving, and once he figured it was all clear, Risotto opened the door a crack.

Yeah, he was dead. You both left the closet, and you slid your hand out of Risotto’s grasp (he was startled by how empty he felt without it). You picked up the man’s gun, and as you did you marveled at the pair of scissors that had seemingly burst from his heart. “Holy shit! You’re something, boss.” You tossed him a grin over your shoulder. “Well, we should get out of here.”

“Yeah. Come on.” The two of you quickly left the house and hopped into the car you’d placed in the forest a ways away. Risotto watched you fold up the envelope and slide it into your pocket. “Nice job,” he said suddenly, almost against his will. He paused, and then spoke again. “You were cool out there.”

You broke out into a wide grin. “Ah, thank you! So were you.” You went silent for a moment, and Risotto glanced at you as he started up the car and pulled into the road. “I, uh...” You giggled a little nervously, and he raised an eyebrow. “I’ve always admired you, boss. You’re really incredible.”

For the first time in his life he felt like grinning like an idiot, but he forced a neutral expression onto his face. “Thanks.” You reached over and turned up the radio, grinning when you found the oldies channel. As you hummed along to the song, Risotto spoke again. “I put you on this job to observe you. Not - not like I was testing you, but... To get to know you a little better.”

You nodded, your smile softening. Risotto continued, speaking steadily though he felt oddly embarrassed. “I’m very impressed by you, (Y/N).”

You grinned and reached over, and for some odd reason Risotto’s first thought was that you were going to jingle one of the little bells on his hat - but of course that’s not what you were doing. You wrapped your arms around him like you had in the closet, except this time there was no reason for it that Risotto could discern. You just...wanted to hug him. How incredible is that?

You hugged him tightly for what felt like an eternity, but then you let go - for all good things must come to an end. “Sorry if that was weird, boss,” you said as you not-so-subtly watched for his reaction. “I’m just really happy to hear you say that.”

He had no idea what to say, but after a moment he settled with, “It wasn’t weird.” You exhaled, leaning back and resting your forehead on the window. The rest of the ride was comfortably silent as Risotto cruised down the empty streets.

He found himself completely wrapped up in his thoughts. It was impossible to deny now - he was utterly enamored with you. Your bright attitude, your nonchalance and talent at this line of business, and the fact that you were completely adorable had roped him in. Now, he just... He had to figure out how to go about this. He wasn’t a subtle man by any means, but he didn’t want to try to tell you how he felt until he was sure he knew what he was doing. He had never done this before, and incredibly enough, Risotto Nero actually felt a little nervous.

When the two of you got back to La Squadra's base, you hopped out of the car and stretched, laughing a little when your joints cracked. "Jesus, that was a long car ride!" you said, smiling faintly as you quickly reached into your pocket and pulled out the envelope. "And here you go!" You handed it to him, and as he reached out and took it, your fingers brushed for the briefest moment. He was certain he felt sparks.

Only a few members of the team were still hanging around; it was pretty late. Risotto sank into a chair and watched as you skipped over to Pesci, asking him how his job with Prosciutto went today. Risotto hummed, frowning. He'd completely forgotten that those two had work today... He was too busy thinking about you.

He stood up and headed to his office to wrack his brain on how to deal with this new development. He didn't notice you watching him as he walked past you, and he definitely didn't hear Pesci's little jab at you for checking out the boss, which you didn't deny.

Risotto spent a long, long time sitting his office and pondering this situation, and he still hadn't really gotten anywhere. He tried to start with what he knew about you. You were kind, bright, and cuddly. He figured that if he confessed, you would let him down easy, at least. Jesus. He shook his head and spun around in his chair, brows furrowed. He needed to try a new approach.

Maybe it would be better to drop subtle hints. You seemed like a pretty open person, so if you hadn't already expressed any romantic feelings to him, that probably meant you didn't have any. Coolly and nonchalantly alluding to the possibility of a romance between the two of you seemed like a good way to see if you felt anything, and if you didn't, things wouldn't be horribly awkward between you afterwards. That was the last thing he wanted.

His foot tapped steadily against the floor as he sat and thought, bringing his hands up and running them through the hair at the nape of his neck. There was something so...risky about all of this, and Risotto had never experienced anything like it before. In a life full of unflinching cruelty, you were the first person to truly make him feel something.

That was it. He decided at that moment that there was no need for a plan; he just had to tell you how he felt and pray that you feel the same. He stood up suddenly, nearly knocking his chair over, and just as he grabbed the doorknob -

"Uh, Risotto?"

He heard your voice on the other side, followed by a couple quick raps on the door. He would've laughed at your impeccable timing if he wasn't so anxious. He took a quick breath and cleared his throat, then opened the door. You stood there with that same sweet smile on your face, and it got a little wider when Risotto gestured for you to come inside and have a seat.

You folded your hands across your lap as Risotto sat down across from you. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?" he asked, perfectly masking his nerves with his voice. One thing that he would always succeed at was acting cool in even the most stressful situations. "Is it something about the mission today?"

"No!" you said quickly. After a second you faltered, glancing up at the ceiling. "Well, uh - yeah, sort of." He raised his eyebrows, and you took a breath. "I guess I just have to tell you something."

You didn't want to work with him again. Risotto felt his jaw tense just slightly; there was a chance that you were about to say something along those lines, and just the chance was horrible. He watched you as you figured out how to articulate your thoughts, and he braced for the worst.

"I really like you, Risotto."

He was silent, and his expression didn't change. You frowned; did he not feel the same way? No - he was just in a state of utter shock. His mind was racing, from how unbelievably amazing this was to how lucky he was that you confessed to him first to what your wedding would be like. Finally, after that moment of internal chaos, he spoke.

"I feel the same way, (Y/N). I'm really glad."

A grin spread across your face before he could blink and you shot into his lap, wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders and squeezing. "Jesus, I - thank you!" you breathed, your wide smile audible in your voice. "I was really hoping I was right, and I - fuck, I'm just so happy." You leaned back to take in Risotto's expression, and to your surprise, he was actually smiling a genuine smile.

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. "I was about to go to you to tell you the same thing."

Your eyes widened and you laughed out loud. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." He wrapped his arms around your torso, surprising you, and you yelped when he lifted you into his arms. "You're perfect." Your face turned a delightful shade of red, and he took in your expression as he leaned in and kissed you. You snaked your arm around his back, clutching the back of his jacket. There was something electric about having your lips on his - he couldn't get enough of it. You parted, and you started to speak but were cut off by Risotto going in for another kiss. You laughed a little against his lips as he kissed you, his teeth brushing against your upper lip. As you parted again, he raised his eyebrows. "What were you going to say?" he asked between breaths.

"Just..." You pointed at the clock on the far wall. "It's midnight."

Holy shit. He didn't realize how long he'd been holed up in his office. He stood up, lifting you up into the air with him. You laughed as he gently set you down. "Sorry, I didn't realize how late it was," he said, reaching out and readjusting your shirt.

You smiled softly, bringing your hand up and grasping his. "Do you want to just stay here?" you asked. "Just sit on the couch and watch a movie. It sounds really good to me."

Risotto couldn't even remember the last time he watched a movie, but for you - anything. "Sure." Still holding his hand, you left his office and headed into the main room.

You sat down on the couch and handed Risotto the TV remote. He took it and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until he found an old black-and-white film. You nodded and he set down the remote, sitting down next to you. Immediately you curled up next to him, humming when he wrapped his arm around your shoulders.

The movie really didn't hold either of your interests for long; you both found yourselves yawning at the twenty minute mark. "Goodnight," you whispered as you rested your head on his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed you quickly; you smiled blearily before shutting your eyes and instantly falling asleep. He breathed a little laugh and leaned his head back.

He had never felt this kind of happiness before. He thought that all life had to offer him was work and subsequent success, but this - this was something so completely different and so much better. He was in love with the feeling, and he was in love with you. He was starting to get a little drowsy too, so he shut his eyes. As he listened to your soft breathing, he mumbled, "I love you," and drifted to sleep.

#jojo's bizarre adventure #risotto nero #risotto x reader #risotto imagine #jjba risotto #jojo imagine #jjba x reader #jjba imagine #thank you for the request!! ive never written for risotto before but it was so much fun!!#my writing

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nessife · 4 years

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Funny/weird/cute stuff that happened during my first semester at uni

I didn't go to any parties at the beginning of the semester where apparently all the squads were formed so I was kinda... alone all the time? Being terribly shy didn't help but meanwhile I observed everyone else, so while covid-19 keeps us locked up at home have some highlights of the wonderful madness of uni life

In a lecture on media and communication we were told to think of research questions in the field and some guy came up with technical wavelength-stuff while everyone else was like ??? Social science??? Turns out he went to the wrong lecture theatre and didn't realise for an hour or so ooooops

Once a girl was a half hour late to a lecture and when she sat down, she immediately pulled out her lunch box and a plastic fork to chow down a worrying amount of noodles. It wasn’t even 10 a.m.

A prof wanted to demonstrate the difficulty of categorising reactions in an experiment so she blasted out different kinds of music, some pop stuff and some oldies but then she put on Queen and I SWEAR EVERYONE WENT APESHIT people were dancing and singing along while she just watched us trying to hide a grin

The day after our faculty's Christmas party, I overheard a dudebro pointing out a girl to his dudebro friend bc apparently they had a thing at said party. I was prepared for sth along the lines of "damn that was hot" but he actually said "she's even prettier without the make-up" which was... unexpectedly nice. Sorry for judging u dudebro

Speaking of lovey-dovey, there's these two who always sit next to each other and when one of them isn't at a lecture, the other looks so lost - and when they're together, you can see how adorably in love they are but I don't think they're an official couple??? Like guys you’re my real-life OTP at the moment, enough slow burn please confess already

Among the ranks of memorable people, we also have a guy who wears a cap - always, no exceptions. He usually raises his hand for critical comments - basically to call the profs out on any inconsistencies and shit - so when we discussed freedom of speech and the lecturer asked for keywords we associated with the concept (we used Mentimeter idk if anyone knows it), Cap Guy was one of the most frequent. The prof was like "what is a Cap Guy???" and everyone pointed at him sitting in the front as usual and it was just hilarious - he managed to become an icon for freedom of speech in a matter of three months what a freaking legend

Idk how that dude got to teach a class but one of my tutors sent me a gif with a thumbs up as feedback to my paper like thanks very helpful my boy

#anyway uni is fun #I miss these stupid incidents #storytime #story time #funny #uni #university #college #academia #chaotic academia #pls excuse my mistakes I'm not a native speaker #freshman #study #college life #study meme #mine

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reivenesque · 7 years

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (◠‿◠✿)

Thank you for this bb

Honestly the fics I’m most proud of are the most recent I’ve written.

suicide squad: Dirty Deeds Done Dirty CheapI’ve finished writing the whole story and only need to upload to epilogue before it’s officially completed. But this was hands down one of the best stories I’ve written and my most favourite to write. I think I developed the universe nicely and established the characters well, especially GQ (I’m super proud of the characterization of GQ) that even though I don’t have much interest in the movie anymore I could and might write more stories for this universe, just because I feel very comfortable with the characters.

skam: A Family We Chose for OurselvesAnother story I’m really really proud of and between this fic and the above mentioned one I feel like they improved my writing so much. Like with the SS fic, I feel more comfortable with characters that aren’t fleshed out as much in the show/movie because I feel like I can establish them better and make them my own without trying to compete with the canon. Still two chapters to go for this story and I’m excited to start writing it (once I stop being a lazy asshole).

shadowhunters: Safewords.This story was the easiest to write and again, like with the previous two I’m really happy with how it turned out, everything just flowed out well and personally I thought I did a good job with the humour. Alec’s opinion on the touch screen keypad is my self-insert opinion on them because I hate touch screen keypads. I am useless with it.

gokusen: 667: Neighbour of the Beast.An oldie but one of the first stories that I can look back on and say that I’m super proud of. One of the few Gokusen/ROOKIES crossover stories that isn’t smut (I don’t write smut) and I feel like this was one of the first ones where I started writing this kind of POV for the characters.

fruits basket: In Hatred We Find Empathy.Even older and waaay back during my anime days (and back when I could write fics that are under 10K 1K) but this was the first angst story I was really proud of and I remain proud of it to this day.

Umm, can I tag people instead?

I’m gonna do it anyway.

@imyourliquor-youremypoison @drakamena @verxacebieber @blj2007 @alyxhavok @sharona1x2

#fic recs #shameless self promotion #tagging people for days

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one-original-otaku-blog · 6 years

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C93 Hype #2 - Confetti-Box (and Confesta!)

HOLD ON HOLD ON. We got TWO big announcements from nanahira. That’s right, BIG announcements. Heck, I was only waiting for ANNOUNCEMENTS. Presenting nanahira’s BEST album...

nanahira - Confetti-Box

You read that right. BEST album. The SEVENth album from the legendary denpa star nanahira is finally here.

The only teaser of this that we’ve ever gotten was nanahira’s current header in her Twitter account. This is something I didn’t really expect because let me tell you: this is a HUGE release. See for yourself.

If you didn’t quite catch what any of that meant, Confetti-Box is supposed to be the BEST of Confetto album. We’ve got releases of select old songs unmodified, while some songs come with new vocal recordings, some new re-titled remixes, and even a little long version of a certain song... There’s two discs with 15 songs each, totaling at a whopping 30 songs - the most in any nanahira album so far! (also comes in a nifty sleeve case)

There’s so many things to list down about this album. It’s full of oldies but goodies, and it’s perfect for nanahira’s upcoming 10th year in the denpa business! Speaking of which... to celebrate the release of this album as well as this 10th year of denpa, nanahira has also announced her own oneman event - Confesta! This is more than just some live event. You an check out the details of that in the official website - but for now, we’ll focus more on this album. By the way, it'll release on Day 1 of C93, December 29, in nanahira's Confetto circle which you can find at Block あ-75b, at the price of ¥2,000.

Disc 1

The first disc contains tracks that feature nanahira from other releases that weren’t hers.

1. サクライロ🌸グッモーニン (Sakurairo🌸Good Morning / Cherry Colored🌸 Good Morning), a standard re-release of the eighth (bonus) track hailing from The Seventh Seal by seventhgraphics. (music: Camellia / lyrics: Camellia)

2. ロリ神様は突然に (Loli Kami-sama wa Totsuzen ni. / The Loli Godddess Appears.), an unmodified version of the first track from the denpa album Hare no chi Macaron by Zero-Shaft. (music: shichischi / lyrics: kouhouikki)

3. えくすとりーむ↑↑おんがくスクール (Extreme↑↑Ongaku School / Extreme↑↑Music School), the second track from the super hardcore EDM squad Massive New Krew’s album SPLASH!!. (music: Massive New Krew & RoughSketch / lyrics: Massive New Krew & RoughSketch)

4. Cross The Finish Line, the well-known first track from Kobaryo’s album Candy Speed Pops. (music: Kobaryo / lyrics: Kobaryo)

5. ピョンコラJUMP! (pyonkoraJUMP! / heylilJUMP!), a jammin’ rock song from Zero-Shaft’s BABY ROCK HEART album. (music: Yoshida Shougo / lyrics: gonori kazuki)

6. Cutest☆Holiday Date, hailing all the way from poyachio’s legendary denpa series title petitrhythm.(finale)’s third track. (music: 99 / lyrics: koko)

7. ひみつの放課後アイドル (Himitsu no Houkago Idol / Secret After School Idol), another song from the legendary series title petitrhythm∞ from poyachio. (music: y0c1e / lyrics: y0c1e)

8. 清水もつカレーのうた (Shimizu Motsu Karee no Uta / Song of Pure Waters and Curry), one old cover song from nanahira that was featured in petitrhythm6 as the seventh track. (music: kikuo / lyrics: kikuo / mixing: sumijun)

9. Ponko2 Girlish, the titular song from t+pazolite’s album of the same name. (music: t+pazolite / lyrics: t+pazolite)

10. ニーナへ。 (Nina he. / To Nina.), a spooky future bass track featured in Croak Not Rue’s album Who is the predator?. (music: cabocha / lyrics: cabocha)

11. Good Night, the extremely popular colate track is also included. Who wouldn’t expect that? (music: colate / lyrics: colate)

12. 月夜とたいやきと池の鯉 (Huge Rhythm Mix) (Tsukiyo to Taiyaki to Ike no Koi / The Koi of the Lake, The Fishcake, and the Moonlit Night), a Haruka Nana song produced by katahotori, now remixed and re-recorded with the real nanahira’s voice. (music: katahotori / lyrics: katahotori / remix: NanosizeMir)

13. like a bunny (sky_delta Remix), another super popular chill colate + nanahira song; with this select version remixed by sky_delta featured. (music: colate / lyrics: colate / remix: sky_delta)

14. NouveauMonde (NewWorld), a very recently released single by nanahira under the character Arisu Kagami. (music: NanosizeMir / lyrics: NanosizeMir)

15. ポケットサプライズ (Pocket Surprise), a happy little recent single released on LINE MUSIC, now with newer vocals. (music: harunaba / lyrics: harunaba)

Disc 2

The second disc relies on tracks that were released under her label Confetto.

16. 必勝！私のお料理レシピ (Hisshou! Watashi no Oryouri Recipe / Victory! My Special Cuisine Recipes), the fun swinging first track from last year’s Secretale. (music: hamu / lyrics: Aoji)

17. アニマルらんど (Animal Land), the extremely catchy second track from last year’s collab 3LEEP!. (music: Camellia / lyrics: Camellia)

18. JumpOver!生物種 (JumpOver!Seibutsushu / JumpOver!Biologist), the energetic technological first track from KEMOLOVE years back. (music: Camellia / lyrics: Camellia)

19. ヒラタナナミの自宅待機型恋愛観 (Hirata Nanami no Jitaku Taikigata Renai Kan / Hirata Nanami’s Philosophy of Absent Love), the laid-back sixth song from Colory Starry. (music: D.watt / lyrics: shichijou lettuce)

20. Honey♥Trap, the seductive trap song as the third one from last year’s 3LEEP!. (music: Camellia / lyrics: Camellia)

21. 爆売れ！マッチ売りの派遣少女 (Bakuure! Matchiuri no Haken Shoujo / cha-CHING! Part-Time Match Seller Girl), the euphoric explosive tale as the second featured song from Wonder trick. (music: ARM / lyrics: kitsune musou)

22. さいきょう��歯工事師掘削Chu☆ (Saikyou Mushiba Koujishi Kussaku Chu☆ / Super-Strong Cavity-Constructor’s Drill-Chu☆), the ear-grating and teeth-grinding ninth track from REPLAY!. (music: Camellia / lyrics: Camellia)

23. 課金厨のうた -More Charin Ver.- (Kakinchuu no Uta / Song of Microtransactions), the valuable life lesson hidden as the seventh track of FREE PL@YING. (music: task / lyrics: gonori kazuki)

24. ラリリレル、リリロ、リラロ (lalililelu, lililo, lilalo), the eighth track of Colory Starry, an emotional ear-worm to listen to. (music: Chroma / lyrics: Chroma)

25. 気づいたら春夏秋冬 (Kidzuitara Shunkashuutou / I Watch The Seasons Pass), the emo rock song being the tenth track in the first title of legendary collabs VERSUS!. (music: Camellia / lyrics: Camellia)

26. ゆんゆんコズミカ (Ryunosuke Kudo Remix) (yunyun cosmica), the remix of character Sora Tokikuni’s galactic third feature song from the album Tokimeki☆Ensemble Vol.2. (music: U-ske / lyrics: U-ske / remix: Ryunosuke Kudo)

27. 完全に滿足したマン (Perfect Satisfied Man) (Kanzen ni Manzoku Shita Man), which appears to be a remix of the eurobeat song 全然満足なんかしてないマン (Never Give Up Woman), hailing from Wonder trick as its 7th track. (music: SAISEN TURN / lyrics: NTURN / remix: sumijun)

28. チョコレートグラビティ (Chocolate Gravity), the smooth third track from the album KiraKira*Fräulein, but this time with a new vocal recording. (music: harunaba / lyrics: harunaba)

29. とっておきの魔法 (Totteoki no Mahou / Every Kind of Magic), character Himari Tsurumi’s theme song featured as the third track in the first volume of Tokimeki☆Ensemble. (music: task / lyrics: nanahira)

30. 爆なな☆てすとロイヤー (Bakunana☆Testroyer / BigBang☆Testroyer), an original song about flunking your test from ARM feat. nanahira as seen on former BEMANI game BeatStream, suddenly makes a comeback with a new long version! (music: ARM / lyrics: Komso)

#c93 #nanahira #comiket 93 #confetto #confetti-box

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radreviews · 6 years

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2017 SQUAD PICKS

Hello, it’s us. It’s been awhile, but we’re back with our favorite art, moments, and trends from 2017. I usually have a whole preamble to set the stage for our picks, but let’s just get into it:

RADHIKA

In-Theater Experiences Every year I have a few movies that remind me how great the movie theater experience can be. A couple of years ago it was Magic Mike XXL; this year it was Get Out and Spider-Man Homecoming. I saw both films in packed houses, with the audience reacting to every line delivery, cameo and plot twist as it happened. It was exhilarating, and I can’t imagine seeing the films any other way. It reminded me that sometimes film needs to be a collective experience—that peer reactions can be the very thing that makes a good movie great. The same thing can be said of live theater, an inherently shared experience. Humblebrag time… we finally saw Hamilton this year and it exceeded the hype and expectations. I also listened to the soundtrack a million times and memorized all of the words after seeing it so, yep, I’m one of those people now. Also! We saw Mean Girls: The Musical in its previews in DC and holy wow you’re all in for a treat. Lady Bird Forget what I said about collective experiences because I saw this incredible film by myself, crying quietly through the entire third act. There are always films whose stories don’t necessarily overlap with my experiences, but make me feel everything (last year’s was La La Land). This film has universal love from every critic with a beating heart and it’s one thousand percent deserved. Lady Bird was my favorite film of the year — a beautiful portrait of the confusion of adolescence, of familial frustration and of love. It was note-perfect. Despacito CALL ME BASIC but I love this song. I will not apologize for how happy it makes me, for how secretly sexy the lyrics are, for how directly my mood is impacted by those opening chords. Also, I prefer the Justin Bieber version don’t @ me. “Remember Me” from Coco

Let’s not talk about how much I cried during Pixar’s Coco (but if you must know, it was A LOT), let’s talk about the five different versions of its original song “Remember Me” that appear on the official soundtrack. There’s the three versions directly from the film (each BEAUTIFULLY sung by Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Anthony Gonzalez), a Spanish version, and inexplicably a version by Miguel?!!??!? It’s a classic case of I didn’t know I needed it until now, but thank you for this gift. CTRL - SZA Everything is all caps, and wow, what a debut. “The Weekend” spoke quiet sadness about being the ‘other woman,’ “Supermodel” delved deep into being unloved and retaliating, and everything before and after touched on the intricacies of relationships and heartbreak. It was personal and it was stunning. “Lemons” - blackish Eleven days into the new year, we already had one of the best episodes of the year. In a pointed middle finger to Trump, blackish became a mouthpiece for what all of us were feeling two months after the election—anger, confusion, and helplessness—and instead of harping on the negatives, it made lemonade. Traveling I was 2 steps away from going full “wanderlust”-Instagram-caption mode this year. I’ve always wanted to travel, but 2017 was the first year where I threw caution (and money) to the wind, and just…booked stuff. I went to Cuba, Philly and Nashville for the first time, explored San Francisco and Boston again with friends, and flew back to Michigan, Chicago, and Cleveland for various engagements and weddings. If ever there was a year where a few days of distraction were not just welcomed but needed, it was 2017. There’s only more exploring to be done in 2018. Pod Save America I think it’s safe to say we all feel more politically angry and engaged in this era of backwards politics. Twice a week, I relied on the educated discussion, hilarious banter, and informed opinions of former Obama staffers Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor to fill me in on what I should be angry about that day. It’s a podcast that just feels necessary. Also, I now own a ‘Friend of the Pod’ t-shirt and I feel like I’m part of a cult, but it’s the coolest cult ever. Bojack Horseman

It’s common knowledge that I love art that makes me cry, but I never thought I’d cry while watching a cartoon. This show is equal parts acerbic, hilarious, and downright depressing (read: I love this show so much). Harping on the fragility of time, the fourth season of Bojack Horseman continued its upward trajectory and gave me one of my favorite quotes from and about television, probably ever. Bojack is one of the smartest, most thoughtful and well-written shows on this incredibly vast television landscape. We are so lucky to have it. The Emergence of Timothée Chalamet Relatively unheard of before 2017, Chalamet starred in two of the best films I saw this year — Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet inhabited two completely different, complicated characters but made them both vulnerable, empathetic, and mesmerizing. He’s a star and even if the Academy doesn’t recognize him this year (which would be objectively incorrect), I’ll watch anything he’s in from here on out.

PROMA Trailer Hype

I have never experienced a theater crowd cheering for a freaking trailer before – titters of excitement for Harry Potter, at best – but once the Black Panther full trailer dropped there was only one logical response. We cheered for it before Spider-Man: Homecoming, before Marshall, before Thor: Ragnarok, and I hope to cheer for it again before February 2018, which is finally close. Seeing Things in Theaters Multiple Times Since moving to New York, I’ve never seen a movie twice in theaters - first because of cost and then because of time. Honestly I probably haven’t done it since high school, but I used to love it, and this year I finally returned to that with The Big Sick and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Worth it. A First Time with an Oldie

I’ve loved Titanic since I first saw it in 2000, but of course I was too young to see it in theaters. It was re-released in 3D for a quick stretch in 2012, but I was in India at the time, so this year marked the first time I saw Titanic in theaters, that too in impressive 3D. I will never tire of watching old favorites in packed theaters full of people who love the film as much as I do and hum along with the music or clap for big moments. The Year TV Got Angry In a year when we were all perpetually existential or angry, it was cathartic to see TV mirror that state. I reveled in the female rage of The Handmaid’s Tale, the intersectional activism of Dear White People, She’s Gotta Have It, and the straight-up middle finger that was Difficult People. Having an AppleTV is almost as gratifying as screaming into the void! Facemasks A pack of facemasks literally arrived on my and Radhika’s doorstep at a point in 2016 when we didn’t realize we needed them. Since then, I’ve tried to always have some sheet masks around and let myself splurge on a charcoal mask that I’ve done almost every weekend without fail since September. Put on a mask, start an episode, remove and rinse. Treat yo self. Mean Girls: The Musical Seconding Rads on this. I was lucky enough to catch Mean Girls in the workshop stage before it left New York for a summer hiatus and then previews – even in that early stage it was fantastic. It’s exciting to have been with a piece of art through all these iterations (not even including the movie and its decade of cult-status), and I can’t wait to see it blow up next year. Existential Twitter Twitter was always at its most funny and weird during ungodly night-time hours; The night is darkest before the dawn and now it’s like Night Twitter 24/7. From politics to entertainment, we are at least winning at hilarity on social media. But seriously, delete his account. The Return of MoviePass This squad has been preaching the gospel of MoviePass since like, 2014, and I’ll admit I faltered in the middle there when it hit $50/month (I took the 3/$30 plan instead). But now it’s $9.99/month and people have heard of it and don’t make that blank face when I talk about it and wow guys we are saving so much on movies I feel so alive!!! People still regularly ask me if it’s legit/worth it/a scam, but I am happy to answer them and spread this joy. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Listen, some shows are just pure joy and this is the second Amazon show to give me this jarringly unfamiliar sunny feeling in my heart when I watch (shootout to you, Mozart in the Jungle). This show is like eating ice cream covered in candy (but with some sweet wine) and the best part it gets me inspired to create. Oh, Hello Dittoing Rads again because our first theatre experience of the year was one of the best of my whole life. I laughed so fucking hard at Oh, Hello — I’ve never seen a piece of comedy so meticulously crafted, down to every word of every joke, and you could hear the payoff in the laughs, which hardly ever stopped.

ARJUN

“I’m not a body/the body is but a shell.” Like so many of us, I spent a scary amount of time this year being resentful and confused about a million different things happening in my hometown, state, and country – things outside of my own body, bigger than myself. It is then maybe my (our?) subconscious trying to tell me something else in the shared themes of the music I was coming back to the most. While I would say I was consumed by questions of the foundation our entire world rests on, my iTunes would counter that my existential questions this year were actually pointed inward, contemplating over what constitutes a relationship in 2017. “Is it warm enough for you inside me?” With the full acknowledgement that there was a LOT of great music from other artists, when I look back on what set music in 2017 apart from other years, I think I’ll most remember albums like SZA’s ctrl, Moses Sumney’s Aromanticism, and Charli XCX’s Pop 2. These three have some pretty big differences (namely, how they literally sound), but I would argue that they are all contributors to the same internal dialogue that a single 20-something year old living in New York was having, if not always aware he was having it. They ask questions about all forms of love and affection, including (but not limited to): What does it mean to love? What does that even look like in 2017? Is it co-dependent? Is it more than an initial attraction? Does it give us our worth? Is it harmful to tie our worth to it? How stupid are we for putting ourselves through it? If the stupidity makes us happy, is it actually stupid? How do we handle heartbreak? Do we take on an arrogant braggadocio? Do we show the utter lack of confidence hiding under that? And hey, what role does sex play in all this? “I’m not tryina go to bed with you/I just wanna make out in your car.” Admittedly, some of these aren’t the most original questions of all time. It’s the way these artists answered (or tried to answer) them that felt special to this point in time. When SZA says, “Lately you’ve been feeling so good/I forget my future/never pull out,” there isn’t even a question if they’re having sex, and no narrative build-up of her career; they are conditional to even be at the point in time being confronted. For the narrator, the to-pull-out-or-not debate is less a sign of carelessness and more one of carnal satisfaction (though she points out it's pretty careless too). In a borderline companion piece, Charli XCX adds on, “I just wanna spend the night/Fucking in your bed tonight/Watch a little TV/I love it when you need me.” Sex and what comes after are given equal weight in all of the toiling, tossing, and turning. “Ooh no she didn’t/Ooh yes, I did.”

No doubt, these songs have selfishness and over-dramatization at work. But elsewhere, there’s a clearly embedded sense of self-awareness, too. On “Indulge Me,” Moses Sumney’s verse starts and ends with a bit of a call and response when he sings, “All of my old lovers have found others…All of my old others have found lovers.” There’s meant to be some sadness here, but the wordplay suggests a certain irony; he’s far from shocked. Similarly, on “Out of My Head,” Charli XCX, Tove Lo, and ALMA begin singing, “You got me doing all this stupid shit/you fuck me up like this,” before finishing with, “Secretly I’m kinda into it, though.” It’s as if the narrator is fully aware that she’s enveloping you in her own problems and she’s totally cool with that – she’s even giving you a wink while doing it. The listener is simultaneously watching a card trick and listening to the magician explain exactly what he/she is doing each step of the way. “I blame it on your love/every time I fuck it up.” All of that is to say nothing of the music. Throughout, we are sent on a journey of eclectic sounds & compositions, ranging from no-fucks-given aggression to dancefloor escapism to soothing near-lullabies. The fully-formed picture is ultimately what made these works feel alive in the present. They’re messy, they’re self-important, they’re dramatic, they’re self-deprecating. They’re 2017.

ADITYA

Master of None, season 2 It’s exciting to watch talented people swing for the fences. Master of None, Aziz’s love letter to New York, millennial aimlessness, Italian cinema, food, and about 45 other things, is a start-to-finish shot at greatness. It’s filled with terrific performances, and breathtaking shots. It also radiates intelligence in its observations; Dev might be aimless but Aziz has a point of view.

In a toxic 2017, the show’s generous nature stands out. In ‘New York, I Love You,’ Dev is completely absent; the exhilarating episode instead elevates viewpoints that are often reduce to stock clichés – the doorman, the driver, etc. In ‘Thanksgiving,’ Dev plays a clear supporting role as Lena Waithe’s Denise accepts her sexuality and hopes for her family to do the same. In episode after episode, Master of None pursues interesting stories, whether they’re with Dev or Arnold or Denise or Francesca or a taxi driver. The show insists that it’s worth caring about other people, and the spirit of empathy and curiosity is refreshing. The show is unabashedly cinematic in its aesthetic. The first episode is a surprisingly detailed (if low stakes) homage to Bicycle Thieves, presented in black & white with dialogue entirely in Italian. Later references include L’Avventura and La Dolce Vita. Despite these influences, Master of None makes excellent use of the episodic nature of TV, with installments devoted to big issues, like the theme episodes of old. ‘First Date’ uses an inventive structure to highlight the bleak fun of app-driven dating. ‘Religion’ tackles..religion. ‘Door #3′ is a portrait of career indecision. Sprinkled throughout are observations of fame and celebrity, and Aziz’s (and Dev’s) status as a minority provides a unique observational lens. Let me point out that the season is also fun. It doesn’t matter how many hours of Fellini Aziz has watched; the moment he sings about eating food, it’s clear that Tom Haverford is irrepressible. The show is consistently funny, both sharp and silly (I’ll laugh at any framing of the tiny Dev next to his immense buddy Arnold). Dev’s relationship with Francesca is, for me, the best rom-com of the past few years. It’s bracing to watch funny, charming people fall in love, and there’s a thrilling prolonged scene in ‘Dinner Party’ - where Dev is sitting in an Uber processing the fact that he is desperately in love – that ranks among the best of the year. Mask Off + I’m the One + Red Bone I’ve been told that I’m bad at “good” music. Because of the pretentious circles within which I reside, I’m often faking musical expertise. ‘You know who’s great?’ I’ll say. ‘Ess Zee Ayy. Yeah, no, SZA, that’s what I meant. They’re good.’ But when no one was looking over my shoulder, it was these three songs all day all year. That’s a liability! Get Out & Lady Bird Two brilliant debuts. Get Out is a biting satire/comedy/polemic built on a horror movie chassis. From the creepiness of the “No, no, no, no…” scene to the “haha…wait a minute” guilty recognition of the liberal family to the shoulder-slumping devastation of the keys scene, the film takes no false steps. Lady Bird is great all the way through, led by Saoirse’s fiery performance and a sparkling, hilarious script. Greta Gerwig’s love and understanding for the characters on screen shines through. NYT’s “Trump’s Daily Life” Pieces The NYTimes has grown essential in the Trump era. Sure, sometimes they Disney-ify Nazis, or allow David Brooks to moan about the difficulties of getting a sandwich with a poor person. But have you seen the WSJ editorials, or the ever-multiplying panels of “experts” on CNN? I’ll take the Gray Lady. While there’s plenty to appreciate, I want to call out the Sunday night articles, usually by Maggie Haberman and 300 unnamed sources, that offer hilarious insight into Trump’s daily life. I can’t get enough of these. 8-12 Diet Cokes? 14 hours of TV? Tries to impress John Kelly by doing a push-up? Sexts himself from Melania’s phone? Tell me more. We laugh so as not to cry. I Am Not Your Negro

The startlingly powerful documentary relies exclusively on Baldwin’s own words, culled from various letters and writings, and read by Samuel L. Jackson. Even if you’ve read Baldwin, to sit in the theater and drown in his unparalleled eloquence is a shattering experience. The director, Raoul Peck, works with Baldwin to underline the film’s relevance to present day. Images of police brutality in the 1960s fade into images from Ferguson; Baldwin’s words close the gap in time. Another standout section involving a clip of Baldwin explaining his “fixation” on racial issues onThe Dick Cavett Show- a Tonight Show forerunner - is a sharp rebuke to the anti-intellectualism that is currently pervasive. I was hanging on to Baldwin’s words, amazed at their relevance in the world I would walk into when the credits rolled. I can’t recommend this highly enough. Revisiting the Godfather A back-to-back screening of The Godfather Parts I & II was a lovely experience. I was particularly moved by the father and son seated behind me. Most of us learn to appreciate the Corleones through our fathers, forcing ourselves to stay awake the first time we watch it because our infallible dads insisted it was brilliant. The pair behind me was all too familiar. The father patiently entertained his son’s incessant questioning (who’s that again? Wait, why did they kill Luca? Can we get more popcorn?), leapt to cover his son’s eyes during the topless scene, and nudged his son excitedly during the Baptism. The kid is now mixed-up in the family business for life. Twitter I love Twitter. I love retweeting things I agree with and I also love retweeting things I disagree with with a “get a load of this guy”-type comment. I love jumping into the fray and tweeting something like “call your senator!” and then patting myself on the back. I love seeing what other people I follow like, and seeing that they like things that are very similar to what I like, further affirming the idea that everyone is on my side. I love political twitter. I love sports twitter. I love movie twitter. I love reading the first sentence of an article and immediately knowing that I want to tweet it out. I love twitter. Protests For when Twitter isn’t enough. I was dreading Trump’s inauguration day, fully anticipating tears when the Obamas finally helicoptered away to a much deserved peace. When the moment came, and Trump was sworn in, it was…bearable. I knew that in less than 24 hours, I would get to witness thousands of women marching in defiant response. The Women’s March had an incredible energy that I assumed was rare. But it was replicated repeatedly - at the airports after the attempted Muslim ban, outside the courthouse where the ACLU challenged the administration, throughout the city after the DACA decision, etc., etc. I’m a longtime petition signer, but I’m a novice protestor. I’m not great at chanting and I’m bad at estimating how big to make letters. A lot of my signs looked like I’M WITH her. But with the Trump administration determined to reduce the idea of America, protests were catharsis. They were a messy, vital declaration to the administration that they would be met with a response. They’ve recharged and inspired and reassured, and they’re what I’ll remember most about 2017.

#best of #2017 #arts #movies #film #tv #music #sza #master of none #blackish #titanic #twitter

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