#ALSO THE SOUNDTRACK STRIKES AGAIN. SO GOOD

[titsthedamnseason]

CHARLIE DOING EVERYTHING ONE HANDED BECAUSE HE CANT STOP TEXTING NICK AKSHSGSKSNDB

[amuseoffyre]

Have had a couple of days and a rewatch and some mulling to put together my thoughts:

The good:

the writing - I've talked at length about the use of metaphor, symbolism, allegory and the like to add meat and substance to the narrative

the continuity tied in to S1 and the foreshadowing coming full circle, plus running themes continuing

the music is flawless throughout - both the soundtrack with songs and the original score and the way old motifs are used to add parallels and depth to scenes

the acting across the board has been staggeringly good. Especially for Taika, Rhys and Con. I can see why so many reviews had been raving about it.

the bits of set-up for S3 that have been planted if/when they get it

new characters who are an absolute delight

Family Trauma the TV show - intense to watch but cathartic af

Badass ladies and the soft boys who love them

Auntie.

The bad:

too much story and not enough time to tell it

sacrificing a lot of crew-related stuff - I know this is primarily the Ed and Stede story, but we're told that Olu was always talking about Zheng, but we never even got a single line of it. Buttons' disappearance gets one sus line. We gloss over the probation and why Ed is back in his leathers literally the next day. Again, I know, time constraints, but it does feel weaker for it.

speedrunning so much that it's taken several rewatches to catch everything that's going on - yes, it can work as a narrative device, but not all the time

still not over Zheng falling for Ricky's gift. Do not trust the aristocratic white dude, especially not when you've been blackmailing him. And I know there's some logical sense to her being so used to being able to manipulate desperate people on the fringes with both carrot and stick, but it feels like severe underestimation on her part about how ruthless and cruel and petty Ricky could be. He's not like the pirates - he has the power and privilege and it feels like she ignored that.

whatever that Teal Oranges pivot was so Jim could have a girlfriend, especially since they didn't have time/space to actually develop the Olu/Zheng and Jim/Archie stuff. Archie was barely a scrape of characterisation because of time constraints.

The ... Forbs Boding

Izzy - it falls under the typical archetype of Loss of a Role Model especially given all Ed's dad issues, which I thought we were beyond, but then it also fits with the running motif of the show of change, death and rebirth. We've had confirmation of the existence of a place between life and death plus a character who was beaten to death coming back from it and a seawitch turning up at the grave. I can see why it was done as it has been foreshadowed since "the only retirement we get is death" but after all his growth in S2, having Ricky be the one to get the jump on him is... hm. I feel like they had him and Ricky talking and Ricky causing his death for a reason. Feels like there's set-up for S3 planted and ready. My Forbs, they are A-Boding. ffs, they Obi-Wanned him right after he did a speech about "our spirit will last beyond your whole fucking empire". Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine vibes.

The way trauma is/isn't being dealt with - I feel like there's stuff there that is set up for S3 as well, because we've seen how Stede is still bottling all his stuff and hasn't dealt with any of it, while Ed has done some processing and started to make peace with himself over it. Stede still has his mental lockbox and while he tries to pretend it isn't there, it still informs so many of his decisions.

All the Star Wars vibes - I've always been convinced this was the Empire Strikes Back season and now, they have all the pieces in play for the Return of the Jedi arc: Stede and Ed are together and recovering but will have a role to play, Izzy is in carbonite with a seawitch control panel, their allies are out there getting pieces in place, and the Imperial figurehead villain who showed up in S2 is still out there and convinced he holds all the power. And I just realised that this means that if they use Hornigold, he's the equivalent of Boba Fett - Bounty Hunter for the Empire XD

On the whole, I am content with it and am already having thoughts about the potential for S3, but I find it incredibly frustrating knowing how much more it could have been with the budget/time they wanted and didn't get.

[payasita]

listening to the cotl soundtrack and sort of losing my mind at the cohesiveness of the entire thing in general

the fact that Narinder in particular gets two different tracks is par for the course for a boss with two phases but what I adore about them is how they differ in just the right amount to make the repeating motifs really striking

his first phase kind of jumps between this almost calm energy and then picking up and getting you feeling about as frantic as a boss battle would, but it stands out against the other bishops for by almost feeling, sort of, orderly. this is Narinder, this is the final bishop standing after having nearly completed his centuries of planning. he is in control here, and there's so little of the desperate chaos that characterizes the battles between the Lamb and his siblings

And then in phase two, it shifts hard. we pitch low, and we speed up as soon as the song starts. the ambiance is distorted, and it's a good match to what becomes of the battlefield and of him. this is The One Who Waits, who is so close to being free, who will not allow you to forget what exactly he is, and who is has been so royally pissed off about being betrayed for a literal millennium.

And you're the last thing in his way, and you just betrayed him again, and he's instantly setting upon mutilating himself as badly or if not worse than the eldritch forms his siblings took just to take you down

(which, also, he managed to do by himself without a dozen willing sacrifices like they had needed. there's a lot sprinkled out throughout the game that validates the Bishops' whole thing about being scared shitless of the guy but that one kinda sticks out when you're there to witness it)

in conclusion: cool

[piracytheorist]

So with that out of the way, I'll share some screenshots and my experience from the little I played from the Spy x Family game.

Note/reminder that I openly don't recommend buying the game for a computer, as the controls are clunky, and since that version is half-baked it's not worth your money, even if you plan on using a controller. Different case if you buy it for a console, though.

So the graphics are actually pretty cute, and I think they translate the feeling of the 2D characters into a 3D game environment pretty well! The music stands between an inspiration from the original anime soundtrack and typical day-in-the-life simulation game soundtrack, though mostly the latter. I wasn't impressed that much but it wasn't something that annoyed me. It's just a bit of a pity because they could definitely get some inspiration from the original soundtrack, but oh well.

Playing the game, Anya starts at Eden College, and you get a tutorial showing you how to move and interact with other characters and objects. First it instructs you to talk to Becky, then to Damian.

And as I saw that I was like "... Do I have to?" XD Luckily, he wasn't annoying that time, just distant.

Then Anya comes back home to tell her parents about her Diary project, and I had her explore the house a bit.

In the manga and anime there's this small separate space on the hall right by the entrance, and I actually just realized that, but in the game's version of the house that area doesn't exist.

From what I remember, in the game there is just a wall where the opening to this space is. Since this space is rarely used in the manga/anime and it would have taken memory space, I understand why they didn't add it. From the little I played Anya could only move around the main spaces, kitchen, dining/living area and hall, but those parts were pretty accurate.

And according to my post about the Forgers' kitchen, here it looks accurate to the anime, though with a two-door fridge instead.

I mostly took this because I found it funny how atrocious his posture was XD he's probably tired, the poor man.

One of the few minigames I tried was bowling. I like how each characters game traits actually fit their characters XD

Like, Yor is Strong™ but with the least dexterity, Anya is the luckiest but also the weakest, Loid is the most dexterous... and also the unluckiest. I'm telling you, I can find opportunities for angst like it's my job.

Anyway, that minigame was actually nice, it took me a bit to get the hang of the curveballs but I'm sure I could get better at it if I trained more. I played as Loid, too XD

I liked the characters' responses to their throws, either going like "This is hard" or "This is harder than it looks" (even Loid, lmao, with me controlling him he actually became bad at something) if they threw only a few pins. Funny thing is, when Loid was first about to throw his ball, he said something like "Child's play" but then because it was me controlling him he only threw a couple pins and was like "This is hard" 😂 Poor Yor said "Was this good?" a few times right after throwing her ball, then Anya did a strike, and Yor and I as Loid did a spare (when you throw the remaining pins on your second go). For each of those, the other characters cheered for the one doing the strike or spare, and that was cute. Funniest responses was when a throw wouldn't get a single pin, Anya did her "Shock" face, Yor looked embarrassed, and Loid cringed back with a drop of cold sweat on his face (I was the reason for that, sorry man XD) Loid ended up winning and even though he had missed a couple of throws, at the end he was once again like "Child's play" like, my MAN, stop embarrassing yourself and me.

Anyway. Back to the story. There were some cute moments of banter, I feel they captured the characters pretty accurately!

Then I could go into character customization and. Some interesting choices there.

"Just going to work". Yes. That work XD

And then this... item.

MAXIMUM CHARISMA

I'm still laughing about it XD

Then it was ooting time, and I actually really loved the loading screens!

They have a cute feel to them :)

One of the few pictures I took for Anya's album. Whatever is happening on that Spy Wars issue Anya was reading, it must be interesting!

Anya later mentioned she'd sleep with Agent Penguinman that night, and Bond did not like that XD

When I FINALLY managed to hit the required score for Yor's fruit chopping minigame, Anya looked very smug about it 😁

As I mentioned, it took me a lot of times to get the gist of when exactly to swing to cut the vegetables, and every time Yor missed a vegetable she would say something... but there were no subtitles for those lines XD judging by a few lines I've picked up from the anime, I think she was just saying things like "I missed" or an exclamation of disappointment, and one single "I'm sorry, Anya-san". I wanted to hug her!

Then it was back to school the next day.

I'm right there with ya, girl XD

Then Anya asked Yor to train her, and Yor started giving her some advice on how to throw punches... and then Loid slipped in and was like uhm wut O_o

This next part was a little weird, because Anya was supposed to be drawing (like she did in Episode 3 in the museum kids room) and Loid was going like "Oh this is Bondman and a princess, right? That part is a little graphic, though" but... she wasn't drawing? Loid was just standing in the kitchen and I approached him to talk to him and they just said lines similar to the scene I mentioned above from episode 3. It didn't seem like it fit, and only added it so they could have Anya do that expression, which, okay, fair enough XD

This was Anya's expression when she realized Loid had completely misjudged what she was drawing and her powers weren't at risk of being exposed XD

A quick Handler cameo!

That was the intro for a minigame of Twilight sneaking into an art gallery and having to swap paintings for forgeries. I just found her appearance quite cool!

... This, however, was the minigame that proved this game doesn't work well with a keyboard. Controlling the character AND the camera with keyboard buttons is very tricky, and while I could manage moving Anya around, I had a lot of trouble moving Twilight around while I was on a timer and I had to avoid the guards seeing him.

So yeah. It could have been fun but for a computer user it can be frustrating. I tried twice and failed to complete the minigame, and at that point I was tired; it was more stressful than satisfying that way, so I just quit the game, uninstalled it and had it refunded.

Anyway, as I said, it looks like a fun game, but one that can only be appreciated through a console that already includes controllers with joysticks. Computer users shouldn't have to need external controllers to enjoy a game for the computer, so I definitely don't recommend buying it for the PC, if nothing else, for the moral of it. They could have optimized it to move the camera with the mouse, which is how the grand majority of such games work, but they half-assed it and as such I don't think they deserve anyone's money, especially at the price it's at (50 euros for us to need an external controller? no thanks).

[sammyloomis]

who do u think the until dawn cast listen to ?? because i like to think chris josh and ashley all bonded over aphex twin. it seems like the nerd thing to do

....i fkn saw this and forgot to answer it im SO sorry fghj

ashley - always gotta start with her. i have this kinda cracky headcanon that she listens to insane clown posse and its mostly a joke but Maybe she has 1 or 2 of their songs on her playlist, whos to say? usually tho, she listens to alt/indie stuff, lots of emo bands from her youth and/or stuff like florence and the machine

chris - i feel like chris mainly listens to instrumental music rather than lyrical music. lots of video game soundtracks that he can put on in the background while hes working on stuff or painting figures. but i can also see him listening to some comedy bands/singers, like weird al and tom cardy

josh - hmm.... kinda struggling with josh. i feel like he likes rock guy usually but he'll dabble in pretty much anything. i have a headcanon that he goes to thrift stores and buys unmarked tapes/disks, so i can see him doing similar with cd's he's never seen before just to see if it'll be something he likes

sam - when she says "oh i listen to anything" she means it fghjk as we know, she has a taste for classical, but i can defo see her as the kinda person who takes any song suggestion thrown at her and adds it to her liked songs playlist after 10 seconds of listening and going "sounds good!!". has a Bunch of playlists for every occasion, none of them share any of the same songs, its kinda impressive

matt - idk Why, but i feel like matt likes 80s music. again, idk why im feeling that so strongly but i am. his parents played it a lot when he was growing up cause it was the music They listened to growing up and it just never really left him

jess - pop. pop princess. the poppiest pop princess who ever popped. SPECIFICALLY 00s pop, but she'll take any decade as long as she can dance n groove to it. ALSO i have a headcanon that shes a bit of a metalhead because its funny to imagine her playlist on shuffle and it going between bubblegum pop to unintelligible screaming and guitar and she doesnt even flinch

emily - emily is also tough for me fghj my first reaction is to say pop too, but that doesn't feel right. she doesn't like anything with too fast a bpm, maybe some r&b and soul music, stuff that has slow beats and relaxes her so she can put it on while shes studying or designing and not get stressed tf out

mike - god. i genuinely have no clue. he doesnt strike me as the kinda guy who seeks music out, he just exists and music finds him, usually whatever is on at a party or playing on the radio while he drives

[unsettlingcreature]

RIGHT OK SO thoughts. i have them.

MINRATHOUS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. MINRATHOUS!!!!

It's beautiful. I want to see more of Minrathous and Tevinter in general, I am SO excited for the environments and buildings and- (muffled screaming).

Also Minrathous? Do you know who else might be in Minrathous? 🥺🥺🥺 i'm sorry i just want to see dorian again. But also, I hope we'll see Maevaris too! So badly!

edit: actually, I realised what the started segment where you run through the city with demons Fucking Shit up reminds me of! The scene in Origins where you are running across the bridge to get to the beacon at the battle of Ostagar! Having to ignore the carnage around you as you push forwards because the end goal is ultimately more important...

I love that we get a background for our Rook that seems to actually come up outside of the rare dialogue option. And speaking of dialogue, I like that we're keeping the dialogue wheel with contextual icons! I'm not a massive fan of the UI but it's by no means bad.

As they walked through the streets of Minrathous, I was for some reason reminded of Assassin's Creed. But once combat began, I was reminded of Shadow of Mordor...? I think it was the switching between blade and bow.

I can already tell that the combat is not really my thing. I'll cope. I'll suffer through it. I will say that it looks very fluid and makes me hope that we'll get a similar flow of combat (for rogues at least) similar to DA2 (which I think has the best dual-wielding combat of the three games imo). I'll probably still pick a mage for my first playthrough but rogues are tempting me.

The warning lines for ranged attacks is... interesting! I've seen something similar in a few games and it'll definitely make dodging a lot easier to figure out timings, even if I personally hate dodge-heavy combat. Again, I'll cope.

The music... oh my god, it's beautiful. As they approached the ritual site, you could hear the same motifs that were present in the Tresspasser's soundtrack (specifically Dark Solas Theme) (I go feral whenever I hear those strings btw). Very excited by the music, even the song that was present for the countdown before it started was beautiful!

Some of the dialogue was a bit... quippy. It was way better than the character reveal though. For the most part, it felt fine but then now and then I'd pull a face at a cheesy line or the odd sentence that felt stilted to me.

I didn't realise Neve was an amputee! I love the stylised prosthetic. I definitely need to get around to reading the comics.

The new direction with demons is interesting. They seem to be going more wraith-like, with even the pride demon no longer have legs and just kind of floating. The fiery dog-like are what I assume are meant to be rage demons? I actually love them, far more than the weird blobby things we've seen in past games.

The facial expressions are very good. Definitely not having the same issue as ME:A. Honestly, the animation in general is brilliant. I enjoyed watching Rook dart about during combat and his movement was very fun.

Whenever the pride demon teleported away just as Rook went to strike, I kept thinking "nah that would piss me off so much".

Seeing Varric approach Solas, I was like haha wow, imagine if they killed off Varric really early on in the game. I don't think Bioware would but it did genuinely put me on edge for a moment. Destroying Bianca though... Nah, somehow that's worse. Where's he going to get another one? :(

Also, hi Venatori! You're still around after ten years? Fucking hell, you'd think they'd have given up considering Corypheus was dunked on over a decade ago. Learn to take the L.

Finally, that shout from Solas as the ritual was disrupted... I think it's the angriest I've heard him, at least put against how he was in Inquisition. Also are we going to talk about the purple eyes? I think I'd like to talk about the purple eyes. Solas could get it. WHAAAAAT WHO SAID THATTTTT, THAT'S WILDDDDDDD...

[dragon-snoots-a-boopin]

I am not 100% if I have done this before so I am going to call this my updated Destiny 2 vs Warframe post. However, before I get into thing, please note that EVERYTHING I SAY IS BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCES IN BOTH GAMES and that my experiences may differ from yours and if you can't accept that then just stop reading now and go somewhere else. Now I shall get into my thoughts and opinions on both of these games.

As noted in the last post, this one will be all about Warframe. I am first going to start with the things that I like about Warframe and while I am doing that, I will be comparing those things to how things are in Destiny 2.

Now, the first thing is something I pretty much already said in the post, so I am not doing to dwell too much on it. But, basically I think that Warframe is a very good looking game. I do, however, think that Destiny 2 is the better looking game of the two.

Also, as stated in the previous post, Warframe has a very amazing soundtrack. Again, I don't like the vocal tracks but, all the other tracks are so good and I love listening to its soundtrack. Same can be said for Destiny 2 and its soundtracks. So much amazing much that I can listen to anytime.

Warframe absolutely EXCELS at being a F2P game, especially with the vast amount of content at ones disposal. You have like seven to eight planets to do all the nodes on, you have Duviri which also has The Circuit and Steel Path, you have the stuff associated with Railjack missions and so on! Best thing too is that a good amount Warframes and weapons can just be obtained from farming assassination missions and don't have to be bought from a store. Warframe has a terrific F2P structure that definitely sets it far above Destiny 2. Calling Destiny 2 a free to play game is an utter joke. What can one do as a free to play player in Destiny 2 anyway? Well, there is no base game campaign anymore which was the major reason I even tried Destiny 2 in the first place. You get a tutorial mission in place of that and the first mission of each expansion and that's really all the story content you get. You have a limited number of strikes, I think only three or four of them. You have Gambit which, honestly, I have no idea what this mode is as I've never done it. You have Crucible which is PVP which I imagine is a small amount of maps for F2P players. There's the Dares Of Eternity activity from the 30th Anniversary and then there are two raids and one dungeon. Yeah, as a F2P game, Destiny 2 lacks so much. Once you do these things beyond the first time, you'll see just how boring this game really is.

One area where Warframe excels because it has an actual, sound F2P structure. Now, I've heard some people say that one doesn't have to spend a dime on Warframe and I am sorry, but that isn't true. The difference with Warframe is that one doesn't have to spend much on the game. To me, Warframe having a limited number of inventory slots is a major thing. Initially when starting the game, you have a whopping two Warframe slots and if you get more Warframes, it'll cost you 20 platinum per slot and platinum is something that has to be bought with real money. I myself have spent around $7 on platinum because of this, because I have 11 Warframes with a 12th on the way soon. I find it to be a little but looser when it comes to inventory slots for primary, secondary and melee weapons. But here's the thing, you can EARN more inventory slots by doing the Nightweave dailies so if you want to get more slots slowly, that's the way to do it. Also, yes, of course, like Destiny 2, Warframe has a store where you can buy stuff with you platinum. But, ultimately, Warframe is such a better F2P game that Destiny 2 will ever be. When it comes to Destiny 2 thought, if you don't want to be a F2P player and don't want to sit in an empty well of content, you could always fork over somewhere between $160 and $200 to get all the DLC for the game. Oh yeah, you could also spend additional money on the season pass and in game shop too. What? You don't want to fork over more money for a game that you already paid money for? Yeah, no one wants to do that.

Now, something I like with Warframe is that I am only picking between the Warframes I have. What do I mean by that? Well, what I am trying to say is that, unlike Destiny 2, I am glad that in Warframe I am not gaining gear and weapons in missions that I am equip and upgrade for whatever the next mission is and then get rid of that stuff because I got better gear in said next mission. That is something I genuinely get annoyed with in Destiny 2, like why I am spending all this time putting resources into gear and weapons that I am going to ditch after one mission?

There's probably much more I like about Warframe that I am just forgetting in this moment or that is just more rehashed from the previous post. So, I am going to move on to what I don't like about Warframe.

Somthing I think that Warframe really lacks is cohesive storytelling. This came up very recently when I made a post about the Duviri Paradox and how the story was very lost upon me and someone said that it makes more sense after one does The War Within quest and I'm over here like, yeah, and one can't do that until The Second Dream is done and I just don't understand this method of out of order storytelling. Thing is, I don't think that Destiny 2 is any better in regards to storytelling. Given that the games base campaign no longer exists and that Bungie just deletes their old DLC stories to fit whatever the current story is doesn't help either. Maybe don't do so many world shattering events and have to keep resetting the story. Clarification: When I talk about how Destiny 2 has a lot of DLC stories that have been deleted, I am NOT talking about the lore of the game because the game's lore in certainly intact. What I mean by DLC stories being deleted is how The Red War campaign, Curse Of Orsiris campaign and Warmind campaign have been deleted, vaulted and made inaccessible by Bungie themselves.

I do wish that Warframe had a little more interesting things going on when it comes to level design. I mean, one could do like three different types of missions in a row and all three of those missions could very well be on the same looking map and that's kind of lazy if you ask me. Of course, for Destiny 2 this is largely dependent upon if you do or do not have all the DLC. If you're a F2P player then yeah, you're going to be doing things on the same three to four maps but will have more map variety if you have all the DLC.

Warfame could definitely benefit from more enemy variety. Like, every mission you do you'll either be fighting Grineer, Corpus, Infested, those things you fight in the Durviri Paradox and that's it. Sure, there are different sub types of each of those but an entirely new enemy faction would just be so terrific. Destiny 2 isn't any better in this regard either. Enemies in Destiny 2 are either Cabal, Fallen, Hive, Scorn, Taken or Vex and that's it. Sure, that is more variety than Warframe but it's still so limited.

Ultimately, I still and will always regard Warframe to be the better game between the two. But, I still do enjoying popping on to Destiny 2 for a short time and doing some a strike or two as I do think that Destiny 2 is fun game...just that Warframe is a lot more fun and the better game in my opinion.

[pluviophile-bookworm]

Schmicago is Over and Done... so here are my thoughts on all of it (extra long post)

Episode 1: Welcome to Schmicago

In all honesty, I was fully prepared not to like this season bc I’m really not (or at least was not) that into this era of musicals, but all I needed was the start of Welcome to Schmicago and I was so completely in. Thank you to all the geniuses who made it possible.

No but… the second time round that the word ‘farrago’ comes up in the lyrics of the episode’s title song, I well, I was literally thinking ‘what the hey’s a farrago’, and the Narrator says ‘look it up’ — it’s like they’re reading the viewer’s thoughts. I love it. That’s the self-aware humour I’ve come for. Also, I did look it up and farrago means a confused mixture. I like it. It fits.

This is killing me (in the best way) — when they say ‘endings that are tragic’, the Narrator holds up a strand of Melissa’s hair. I love the double meaning.

I love love love this! At one point you can clearly hear Kristin Chenoweth saying ‘peas and carrots, peas and carrots’, and Josh and Melissa are like ‘Please don’t talk all at once, we can’t understand you’. Love that bit of theatre inside humour.

‘Do you have a cigarette, darling, I’m simply desperate’… what an introduction to Dove’s new character, Jenny Banks. Or, as I immediately dubbed her when I saw her, Liza Jr. I feel like I’m going to like her.

‘Fifty’s not that old’ — this coming, of course, from Keegan-Michael Key, who is 52 in real life. And ain’t he living proof of it, too.

I am loving Does That Shock You (I assume that’s the name of the song) [It’s Do We Shock You, actually, but there was no way for me to know that back when the episode aired, now was there?] — it’s like, ‘look, there’s a man and he’s wearing a dress’, ‘I like both boys and girls’, and, most hilariously, ‘I’ve experienced an orgasm. A female one.’ Goodness, this doesn’t shock me or Josh and Melissa, but it sure as the stars would render the people of Schmigadoon catatonic. And I love that, for some reason.

No but the cabaret girls… Annie, Kate, Molly, Tessie, Pepper, Duffy and Elsie. Like… a certain bunch of orphan girls from the same time period as all musicals referenced here take place. Plus Cabaret’s Elsie, of course. That’s basically as if… the girls grew up to become showgirls, which actually isn’t too far-fetched. And Ariana DeBose as the EmCee is slaying it. I love all of this. And Ann Harada is Madam Frau. Lady Lady. Cool! I love it.

‘My true passion is power [dramatic pause]… electricity’ I love love love all of this.

And Jenny Banks does a Cabaret-style number with chairography a la Mein Herr. Which is funny because Dove is just one of a whole bunch of people in this cast who would do (or, in certain cases, have done) a killer Mein Herr. Either way, I just know this will be one of my most replayed songs once the soundtrack comes out. When is that, btw? [That was yesterday, and I can fully attest to the above prediction being true.]

This number isn’t even subtle about what it’s doing. About as subtle as Va-Gi-Na or the Coming Out Reprise were last season ‘We’ve had a fine affair, but please get out of mein hair.’ I love this more than words can say.

Episode 2: Doorway to Where

The Narrator is just everything… ‘schmigadee-death… penalty’, anyone? Lovely.

Ahhh we’ve got Aaron!! That man’s voice makes me swoon in a way I didn’t think was possible to someone of my… identity. If you get what I’m trying to say. [What I’m trying to say is I’m aroace, but I do have a thing for voices, and for unconventionally attractive faces, except the latter isn’t relevant in very conventionally attractive Aaron’s case. He’s all voice to me. He could sing the phone book and I’d be done for.]

No but… his solo once again mentions squirrels and robins, and I’ve got to wonder why… like, is it just a reference to You Can’t Tame Me (my beloved), or is there something else? But also, his new character, Topher, strikes me as the only one who hasn’t changed quite as much — he’s once again a free spirit singing about squirrels and robins and wow, this is just utterly self-referential, isn’t it? I love that. 

‘Please. Mr Flanagan was my father… after he lost his medical license.’ I love that. And I’m going to love Jane Krakowski’s character in this, I feel like. ‘First we court the press, then I press the court.’ I adore sentences like that. Sue me. But only with Bobby Flanagan as my solicitor.

Ok, so this one I caught. Melissa’s showgirl audition is set to a number evoking I Hope I Get It from A Chorus Line. Good going, me!

‘Dad was in the military. You know, the type with a whistle. He used to force my brothers, sisters and me to perform for guests at dinner parties. God, I hated when he did that.’ I see you, Sound of Music. I see you clear and bright. ‘So this one night I begged him for a taste of champagne’… ok, so you’re Liesl, are you? Well, funny, because all I can think of is Cecily as Liesl in that one SNL sketch with John Mulaney.

Ok but when Melissa meets Topher, she’s like ‘You look… groovy’, and I was like, his ‘pants’ are not really high-waisted in this one, though. But there’s a good chance he’s both high and wasted at any given time. I mean, so I imagine, he’s a hippie. Not to stereotype people, but hey, everyone is a walking steretype here.

When Topher’s buddies come to bust him and Josh out of jail on the happiness bus, Josh is like ‘it’s literal? I thought it was a metaphor.’ To which I say… ‘It’s not a metaphor, oh no, it’s something more — it’s a literal bus’. How’s that for a reference?

Episode 3: Bells and Whistles

Ok we’re on to episode 3 and… ‘ Rizzo, ChaCha, Doodie/ Zuko and Kenickie’… why, hello Grease! I didn’t quite expect you there, but of course that was a mistake. And also, in a number starring Danny Bailey/Zuko Aaron Tveit himself, no less.

I see you, Miss Kristin Hannigan! And I’m loving it. Mrs Lovett x Miss Hannigan has never made so much sense before. Add in some Mme Thenardier for good measure, and you’ve got the ultimate composite character.

No, I swear, between Kristin and Alan, this is giving me huge Thenardier vibes, even if it’s actually meant to be a homage to Sweeney Todd, I believe. I’m loving it either way.

Ok, so… Alan’s character, Butcher Dooley Blight, is Jenny’s father here. I love it. But oh wow, this got really bloody and dark and gory really fast.

This might as well be one of my favourite courtroom scenes. I mean, ‘On the grounds of Brooklyn’ is still my go-to, but Bells and Whistles, and Fosse jazz hands are truly something else.

‘Why am I flanked by fools’ is the new ‘I’m surrounded by idiots’, and I love it. No but, his song is actually about wanting love from women who don’t want him. He’s giving Phantom. And, oh gosh, the resounding bass note it ends on… almost more impressive than a high note.

Episode 4: Something Real

Well, it’s true that Dove and Aaron are, in my humblest of opinions, the two people whose characters from this season and the previous one are most alike — I mean, she’s a cheerful girl whose cluelessness may or may not be (and in this one definitely is) just an act and whose father would kill for her sake, and he’s a free spirit who sings about robins and squirrels (even though Danny’s ‘pants are really high-waisted’ whereas Topher would rather forgo any trousers at all because ‘flowers don’t wear pants’... which I think is a valid choice, wanting to emulate a flower. Go for it) — so, in a way, what I called has very much come to pass. Now how this is going to turn out by the end is a whole other matter, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Also, here’s a post I made the day the s1 finale came out, and... I was a bit blindsided, but I had the spirit:

Ok so the Narrator may be a bit of an arse to Mel and Josh, but I love him. I want Tituss Burgess to narrate every show in song.

Topher, arriving at the junkyard: ‘The prodigal son has returned. Someone write that down.’ The Fansie in me, knocking over about three walls at once: ‘I got a pencil!’

S1 Josh: ‘I’m not singing if you’re not singing.’ S2 Josh: ‘Talk to Daddy, talk, talk to Daddy’… now that’s what I call character growth. And that aside, this is just such a fun number. I can see myself listening to it on repeat once the soundtrack drops (which I need now btw). [Ah, yes, the ‘I’m not having an argument that’s part of a musical number’ to ‘I am not a man of many words’ to ‘Talk to Daddy’ pipeline. We stan.]

Whoever decided to pair up Dove and Aaron for a duet is a freaking genius. I need to know who that was so I can send them flowers to thank them for this vocal match made in heaven.

‘More romance’? If there’s one thing I don’t like about Schmigadoon/Schmicago, and it’s just this tiny little thing, really, but… it’s that it seems to emphasise romance as the ultimate solution, the single bringer of happiness. Only, I suppose, it will end up subverting that by the end of the season. Which would be nice if it does, indeed, happen. [Well... not exactly. But next season maybe... hope springs eternal.]

Ok, a scene centring around Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming together in any sort of context is always welcome, but I’m just a bit too distracted by Dooley eating his mash using his cleaver as a spoon. It’s too funny!

No but the way he said ‘Life is just a pile of shit’… it spoke to my soul… somehow.

I have never, ever in my life laughed at the sight of someone openly discussing making children into meat, but if anyone can sell such a number, why, it’s those two. Marvellously morbid.

I hear you, ‘It’s a Hard-Knock Life’. I hear you loud and clear. Or should I say… It’s a Hard-Knock-off Life… ight I’ll see myself out. But who would have thought that mixing Annie with Sweeney Todd (and a sprinkle of Oliver!) would make such a delightfully dark and scrumptiously sinister song? Also, those tap-dancing children are so amazing! I wish we would get more than a number per season from them, but I always take what I can get. [This is another contender, along with Kaput and Talk to Daddy and Bells and Whistles, for my May Top Tracks on Spotify... what will end up happening remains to be seen, but the number of times I’ve looped those just since they were released there yesterday is already large enough to put them all in the top 20 if not the top 10.]

So this now marks two different songs I know where ‘scrumptious’ is rhymed with ‘presumptuous’ (Truly Scrumptious from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, of course, being the first), and in neither of those songs do these words sound like they should rhyme. This must be what Mel meant by that comment about imperfect rhymes, you know.

Doesn’t this just go to prove that you could sell infanticide to me if it’s accompanied by a musical number, and I’d eat it up with a spoon, or even a cleaver if I had one handy… what does that say about me, I wonder…

Episode 5: Famous as Hell

Cecily is such a star! (hey, nice alliterative phrase there) But for real, she is. Also, is this supposed to be Maybe This Time? I’ll know for sure once I watch the Schmeakdown, but I think it is, if not intertwined with something else as well.

Ok but the tribe seems to have imprinted on Josh like a bunch of baby ducklings. He’s their mama now. I love that.

I’m thinking the Narrator’s name should change to the Instigator. Love that for him.

‘Another damn rhetorical question’ might just be funnier than ‘Schmigadee-death penalty’. Either way, I love Tituss Burgess and what he does as the Narrator, or the Instigator if you will.

Ooh… I love this. Famous As Hell seems to be the sort of number which references everybody’s themes, and I love that in a number.

Ok so nobody should be subjected to 12-show day, but, like, as an obsessed fan I’d be there all day for it. Still, don’t make people perform until they bleed. Then again, this is Schmicago, so…

Wait a sec… so that’s what ‘substitutes become expedient’ meant? Not just the obvious ‘children-for-animals’ substitute, but ‘orphans-for-Kratt’. Well. I’m thinking Kratt wouldn’t make a very desirable load of sausages, though. Oh, great, now I’m considering it. I’m in so deep I’m losing awareness of how gory this all is.

Are those the twins who played the white-faced women in ASOUE, playing another pair of white-faced women? Why yes, it is them, Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins. Nice.

Ooh… ‘You’ve been getting my roses? — Moses supposes I have.’ I loved that. I’ve been wondering if Singing in the Rain could make it into the farrago, and it seems like it has.

Ok, now Kratt is definitely Phantom. Kidnapping Mel just after she’s become a star on stage and essentially going like, ‘you marry me or the man you love dies’. Also, what kind of a cliffhanger was this? I’m dying. How on earth will I make it to the finale? And there are so many knots to be untied, too many loose ends to be tied up… that’s an ambitious setup for the finale. [It was, indeed. Bit of a rush to untangle and tie up everything, it really was, but I loved it nonetheless.]

Episode 6: Over and Done

Ahhhh Ariana DeBose solo at last!! I’ve missed that so much. And a Dreamgirls solo at that! I found she was really underutilised this season, which sucks because she’s a queen, but is also completely understandable because there were so many plotlines even without her being at the forefront. Still though…

‘I shut down a dream ballet, I will shut down this’ Yes Mel, be in control of the narrative devices even if you can’t control the narrative… that is so poetic in its way. I love it.

Idk how I came to this thought, but Sgt. Rivera upon being told he has to kill Josh is giving the huntsman from Snow White. Can’t say I love that for him because it’s a really tight spot to be in, but his reaction is still one of my favourite moments.

Ok but like… is Ms. Codwell reluctant to let the orphans be killed now? What exactly was it that made her change her mind? And also, these poor kids are so death-happy, I can’t even begin to comprehend the black comedy of it all. It’s not even black comedy anymore, it’s saccharine tragedy.

Also, if Dooley and Ms Codwell get married, does that mean Kristin is going to be Dove’s mum once again? Because at first I enjoyed the subversion of them being completely unrelated here, but I’m starting to miss them as a mother-daughter duo. Maybe s3 can amend that? Whatever, just please let there be a s3.

Ok but Topher being a JCS homage all season and his tribe digging everything he says, and then once he pulls a literal Jesus, ‘turn the other cheek’ and whatnot, they’re sceptical? Idk, but I kinda dig that just bc I find it (1) funny and (2) totally reasonable.

I can’t… the Somewhere Love Is Waiting for You riff as Dooley reunites with his daughter… it’s too much. I’m going to cry. I was already going to cry, but this really is too much.

Ok but even when he doesn’t intend it, Dooley sure is good with that cleaver. And the narrative pulling a Phantom on the Phantom shout-out character… now that’s what I call poetic justice.

Yeah, sure, I’ll drink to that too. From now on I want all the villain death announcements to be done via Kaput reprise. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead who?

Rocky Horror Sgt. Rivera isn’t what I ever expected, but I’m digging it. I’m actually tearing up. What is with Schmigadoon season finales and making me sob my heart out? I need to have more of that.

Now excuse me for crossing my fandoms over here, but the tribe’s ending is giving Ordinaryish People by AJR: ‘Your hippie friends call you a sellout cos you buckled down and got a job’… indeed.

Goodness, Something Real with Topher and Jenny was one thing, but with Mel and Josh it feels that much more… real. I mean. Tell me it doesn’t. I’m not crying over the cheesiness that is a musical ending number, you are. Except I am, too, of course. How could I not be?

I did not have Narrator x Rivera on my bingo cards for this season, but like, ‘I don’t hate it’. I actually wish I could see it play out.

What’s better than Leprechaun Martin Short? Leprechaun Martin Short x2. I am living for every bizarre, out-of-left-field thing this finale throws at me. I really really really want more.

Ok but, as a lover of child-centric musicals, I now need a s3 with Josh and Mel and their little one in a land with more than one child-centred musical number. It’s not a want, it’s a need. 

[noildoof]

Hello Ive seen that ur into a lot of like "obscure" media and was wondering what anime, cartoons and comics u were into or what u'd recommend , Im very curious , love your art!!!!!

There's a lot, tbh I'm not even sure where to start, but let's see...

Angel's Egg isn't really that obscure anymore, but at the time I first watched it and got obsessed, it was. I still consider it to be a masterpiece and my favorite movie of all time, tied with Alien.

If you're over 18, I highly recommend Malice@Doll. It's a surreal, disturbing 3D anime that moves a lot like stop-motion. It has a lot of parallels to the Biblical story of the garden of Eden, with humans in the role of an absent God and machines doing the same things they've always done because... well, that's what they were made to do. They don't have free will. There's a lot of really interesting stuff to think about - the tradeoff of innocence for knowledge, trading an immortal mechanical body that can't feel for a flesh one that can feel pleasure but also pain. Again though, this anime gets pretty disturbing, and although it's not meant to be arousing it does have sexual content. It's not appropriate for minors.

My favorite bad anime is The Humanoid. It's very campy and one of the most 80's anime I've ever seen. The characters (mostly Alan) talk a lot about coffee, for some reason. Enough that you can make a drinking game out of it. The soundtrack is actually really good, I have it on vinyl.

Go watch Chargeman Ken right now. I mean it. Each episode is only 5 minutes long, so you have no excuse not to. You'll understand why I'm recommending this anime once you've watched it, it simply has to be seen to be believed. My favorite episodes are Dynamite in the Brain and When the Cuckoo Clock Strikes 3.

A lot of people seem to hate Bounty Dog, but I will unironically defend this anime to the death. I think it's good, or at least perfectly serviceable for a 90's direct-to-video anime. It has a weird piss-yellow color palette though, and it's not a filter - those are the actual colors used in the paint, I would know having cels from this.

This is very particular to my tastes (people who know me will understand why), but I binged Brigadoon not long ago and loved it. It's a very strange series in a way that's kind of hard to describe. Fundamentally, it's about a relationship between a girl and a mecha that develops into a romance, so I guess it's shoujo. But it's also an action series. And a comedy series. And a drama series. And a horror series at times. It defies genre categorization in a way I don't see very often. The closest thing I can compare it to is The Ancient Magus's Bride, as the relationship between Marin and Melan is pretty similar. With Dr. Seuss and Evangelion thrown into a blender.

Cool World is... not a good movie. At all. But damn, are those backgrounds nice. It has a particular "look" to it that is awesome as fuck, I just wish the actual story wasn't so stupid. I implore the people who say dumb shit like "Hazbin Hotel is just "SEX! LAUGH NOW!"" to watch Cool World, because that is literally what Cool World is. It's pretty to look at, but the entire plot and all the jokes are just "Don't have sex with cartoon characters---- OHHHH he just had sex with the cartoon character." But if you can get past the painfully unfunny "comedy" and stupid nonsensical plot, it's very nice to look at and has a great soundtrack.

... that got really long-winded, damn. Here's some other recommendations:

Anime:

Weathering Continent (also an untranslated light novel series) Laughing Target (also a manga) Mermaid Forest (also a manga) Mermaid's Scar (also a manga) Curse of Kazuo Umezu (also a manga, untranslated) California Crisis Twinkle Nora Rock Me (so bad it's amazing, also an untranslated manga) Nayuta (also a manga, untranslated) King of Thorn (also a manga) Umi no Yami, Tsuki no Kage (also a manga, but not fully translated) Dragon's Heaven (also a manga, untranslated) Lily-C.A.T. Magnetic Rose (not really that obscure but it's a masterpiece) They Were 11 (also a manga, dunno if it was translated) E.Y.E.S. of Mars Iblard Time Venus Wars (also a manga)

Manga:

Eko Eko Azarak (haven't seen much of it but I like what I've seen) Any of Rumiko Takahashi's short stories Black Jack (definitely not obscure if you're an oldtaku like me) Anything by Kazuo Umezu, especially Drifting Classroom

Movies:

The Banshee Chapter Space Mutiny (watch the Mystery Science Theater version) Yellow Brick Road

Misc:

Mary (Scissor Sisters music video) Daicon IV (anime Electric Light Orchestra music video) Apollo 20 hoax videos Cybersix (Argentine animated series) Skydoll (Italian comic, adult-only) Yoko Tsuno (Belgian comic)

[catwings-writes-things]

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

31. If they had a tumblr what would it look like?

For Harriet!!

17. I have so many Harriet songs, help… in general, 80’s pop and rock tends to be her vibe, partially just because that’s when she was coming of age and that’s still the music she likes. Obviously “Jump” by Van Halen is a good one if you’re going for on the nose, as is “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty (and, yes, “Free Fallin’—actually, the first stanza of that song is a pretty solid description of human Harriet 😭). “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen is an excellent Fairchild song in general, and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston is another good one from that era. “MMMBop” by Hansen takes us into the 90’s, and for the 21st century, “Tonight Tonight” by Hot Chelle Rae is weirdly her vibe even though none of the verses make any sense in that context, and “When Can I See You Again?” by Owl City (yes, from the Wreck-It Ralph movie soundtrack) is EXTREMELY lyrically as well as sonically spot-on. But if I had to pick one song to associate with Harriet, it might honestly be “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. Because it perfectly sums up her approach to relationships, for one thing, but also because of this:

Read it all the way through. You’ll see.

31. Her url is “scusemewhileikissthesky,” for one thing.

Her bio, once she figures out how to edit it, looks something like this:

Harriet - she/her - 26 - alloaro - ADHD - cool big sis - random content - [plugging a bunch of other Fairchild tumblrs]

As for content, she reblogs just about anything that strikes her fancy, including just about anything her friends and family post. She also follows a bunch of aquarium official blogs and reblogs pictures of cute marine animals. In either case, her tags are enthusiastic and plentiful.

Thank you for the ask!!

[lowcountry-gothic]

My first impression of the new Rings of Power season 2 soundtrack is fairly positive. I love all the new themes. "Concerning Stoors," the "Rhun" music, "Estrid," all of that is beautiful. And some of the dramatic tracks like "Emmisary at the Forge" are really striking. The scary music, too—"Shelob" and "Barrow-wights"—is also pretty good. But overall, it feels a bit less rich than the season 1 soundtrack, and I know exactly why that is: there are fewer theme / leitmotif tracks, and more action / battle music. I guess that reflects what we know about season 2 so far, that it'll be more action oriented, that they're responding to complaints that season 1 was too slow. (I for one never thought season 1 was slow. It was so rich, so intriguing, so full of visual detail, character nuance, world-building, and just sheer drama.) Anyway, my appreciation of this score will probably only improve the more I listen to it, but these are my initial thoughts, which—again—are overall pretty positive.

[marciabrady]

hi, i'm the disney choruses anon - thank you for answering me! imo all the choral endings are lovely in their own way, i.e. the tune of the b&b ending was beautiful and i loved that it featured gorgeous stained glass art of belle and adam which was a great callback to the wonderful opening, and of course the sleeping beauty chorus is iconic - it even got the chance to briefly shine during once upon a dream so when we hear it again, it's like we're greeting an old friend (plus the super endearing blue vs. pink dress switching during aurora and philip's dance!!). also as i mentioned the tlm chorus is beautiful in its ending too with ariel and triton finally reconciled, and all the merpeople celebrating this new alliance between their bright-eyed princess and this brave prince who put his life on the line to defeat ursula...

personally i'm especially biased toward the bambi ending bc the shot of our protagonist striking a lone, majestic figure, having at last lived up to his destiny as king of the forest, always spoke to me considering how we'd seen him grow up from such a delicate creature as a baby (who could barely even stand on his own!) and enduring so much hardship, to the strong, dignified adult he'd become :]

and most of all the cinderella ending was always my #1 favorite, not just bc cinderella was my fav princess and movie but also bc i was so moved as a little kid seeing this sincere, dignified, steadfast girl who'd been ostracized and isolated by her remaining family for most of her life until then, finally being celebrated by not just the connections she made (i.e. her animal friends and the royal family) but by the very narrative itself. as a kid it seemed almost as if divine or supernatural forces were cheering for her all along from the sidelines (as the fairy godmother's appearance in the story confirmed) and now they finally can show themselves without holding back by singing her praises... does that make sense?? anyway i really think the 2D animated films from disney before the mid-00s were truly works of art and products of much love and care that we might not ever see again, thanks for taking the time to read all this lol!!

I love that you brought up Bambi- one of my favorite songs of all time is in that film property and I think the soundtrack is criminally underrated. All of the Disney Greats- Mary Costa included, of course- performed at the Hollywood Bowl in the early 2000s to sing music from Bambi and they even all began to belt When You Wish Upon a Star together at the end of it. I hope against hope that they'll use it for Once Upon a Studio, but I know they're definitely using a new recording featuring a majority of the voice replacements but...I can dream lol

The way you write about the Cinderella ending is so beautiful and you really get it 🥲 the divine and supernatural line reminds me of how you mentioned the chorus singing Once Upon a Dream being like an old friend. The chorus also sings a reprise of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes where Cinderella is literally responding to the voices and shutting them down, not abiding by the message anymore. It really does feel like a connection and a way that they're gently nudging her to continue going onward- only, since this is her low point, she needs a little more comfort- which materializes in the Fairy Godmother stroking her hair. I just love how you expressed them being her guardian angels, essentially, and the undertones of their presence in her life before it fully materialized. It brings so many beautiful images and feelings to my mind...in a world where people are too easy to dismiss their actions on external factors, I think it's so touching that Cinderella literally has no one there for her, no good influence or person to help her or show her love, and that's still not an excuse, she proactively rises above her surroundings- she continues to be the best person she possibly can be, even when it feels like she'll never "get anything back" from the universe. The fact that she got her Happily Ever After, in the face of every possible adversity, should renew everyone with hope and makes me feel like not all is lost, even with the things I get frustrated in. Again, thank you so much for telling me how you feel- it's the most beautiful writing I've read in a while💗

[nightofnyx8]

I haven't done a personal update for a while and today seems like a good day for it 💕

School has started again! My second year of teaching has started off A LOT smoother than the first (being hired the day before school started was a hot mess, lemme tell you). I actually had time to decorate my cute little choir classroom this time and I already have music for our fall concert in the works. We're doing Frozen Jr. for our musical this year and I might have already listened to the soundtrack like 20 times lol. It was really good seeing my students again after two months of summer.

In case you haven't been following my posts, Twisters is my new favorite movie 💕 I mean, yeah, Glen Powell in a cowboy hat out in the rain might have something to do with it (sue me), but it's been a while since I've seen a movie with good action, a cute little cowboy romance, and a killer soundtrack. It reminded me a lot of my childhood hometown in a way.

It's starting to get cooler and rainier here, which I love! Fall is my favorite season, and I can't wait to start wearing sweaters and lighting candles and drinking pumpkin flavored drinks like there's no tomorrow. It's a good mental reset before the drudge of January-March that makes me want to run away from every little responsibility.

I'm currently reading Ink Blood Sister Scribe that @lantur recommended, and I'm loving it so far! I've always been a fan of books about books, and this one has been a delight so far. I'm excited for October because that's when the urge to read paranormal romances and murder mysteries strike, and I must say, I have quite the pile to finish after this one. 😊

My favorite books I've read over the summer have been Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez, Funny Story by Emily Henry, The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros, Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry, Things We Hide From the Light by Lucy Score, and Happy Place also by Emily Henry. Definitely a summer full of romcoms! 💕

Finally, I'm excited to get back into writing again. I went through 2 months of feeling like everything I wrote was garbage, but the new chapter of sxf was definitely a boost, as well as my husband’s gentle reminders that writing should be enjoyable for me. It's taken some pressure off when I find myself wanting every sentence to be perfect.

I hope you all have a lovely week ahead of you! Only 74 days till Halloween!

[delta-orionis]

Tuesday Again No Problem 8/6/24

Strange week! Not necessarily a bad one but very strange!

Listening

Mostly the Rain World soundtrack. Again. I'm branching out into the more ambient tracks, though.

Watching

I've been revisiting videos from one of my favorite video essayists, Lemmino:

These two videos in particular were fun to watch because they directly address some things I had been researching for an answer for my ask blog. More on that in the Making section.

Strange Aeons also released a video essay about Dashcon earlier this week:

Plenty of people have made videos about Dashcon (the Sarah Z one is particularly good for picking apart what happened on the management side of things), but I really appreciate Strange Aeons' focus on the more human side of the convention, and what it was like for people who actually attended.

Playing

More of Rain World's Expedition mode. I've mostly just been having fun running around with my extremely overpowered slugcats. Survivor with high agility + crafting + explosion resistance + extra spear is very fun. It basically turns them into a killing machine.

Making

I've been writing for my askblog, mostly. I've got answers drafted for almost all of the asks I've received so far, I just need to work on editing them and making drawings for the ones that would benefit from additional context.

I posted an answer yesterday! This one is about Three Stars Above Clouds' strange conception of music as a hyperintelligent mountain-sized supercomputer that has been thinking nonstop for thousands of years. Basically, TSAC describes how they consider the signals they pick up with their radio telescopes to be a form of music.

I also found an excuse to talk about the Van Allen Belts, which sent me down an interesting Wikipedia rabbit hole. Fun. I also felt very clever for connecting the radio whistler signals to iterator activity; because the signals are caused by lightning strikes, and iterators canonically discharge a ton of electricity in the form of lightning.

I hope people are enjoying reading my answers. TSAC might not be as dramatic as some other iterators (I'm looking at you, Five Pebbles), but they definitely are at least a little bit Weird. They behave a bit more "robotic" than some of their peers, but one or two people have already managed to break through their veneer of cold professionalism. They're an interesting character to explore, at least to me.

I have a problem with keeping my answers concise, but that's just an issue of my own. I can lampshade it with the fact that TSAC is a reclusive nerd with poor social skills who has only recently realized they want to talk to other people, but doesn't know how so they resort to just infodumping about things they know. No they are not a self insert, what are you talking about. Whatever, I am cringe I am free etc etc.... if people don't want to read my essays they can just not read them.

---

As mentioned above, this week was very weird. Not in a bad way, but the vibes were just off. It's probably because it's August. Among other strange happenings, the other day a guy came into my workplace and started talking to my coworkers about how he believed in the firmament (which for the uninformed is a conspiracy theory that the sky isn't real). That's definitely a conspiracy that I never expected to encounter in the wild.

I will check back next week. Hopefully the vibes will be significantly less strange.

[jellieclogs]

october media recap ✩°｡ ⋆⸜ 🎧✮

i love music, movies, tv, podcasts, games, books, and more. here's a recap of things i watched in october 2023!!

music ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚

i've been really into more indie blues type music as autumn comes to a head, my playlist autumn girls this is for you has a bit more songs that i really associate with this season. anyway heres the list!

mitski - my love mine all mine

mitski - i'm your man

these two songs are phenomenal, as is mitski's album "the land is inhospitable and so are we" i actually wrote a brief analysis on my love mine all mine as a love song and breakup song. the feeling it invokes in me is second to none, what a beautiful song.

olivia rodrigo - lacy

sixpence none the richer - kiss me

jane remover - search party

searows - used to be friends

phoebe briders - moon song

iron & wine - flightless bird, american mouth

mazzy star - fade into you

sting - shape of my heart

yeule - software update

yeule - sulky baby

taylor swift - "slut!"

rachel chinouriri - maybe i'm lonely

emile mosseri - jacob and the stone

i actually listen to this song to fall asleep, but i can assure you that i also cry every time i watch those videos on the internet with this song playing in the background. it perfectly encapsulates a feeling of hope and loss. beautifully done. minari was a phenomenal as a (real) movie lover, i love when movies have tracks like this that so clearly stand out from the soundtrack and score.

movies 🎞️✮⋆˙

i haven't watched as many movies as i'd have liked in october, it has been an emotional month to say the least. but, now im on anti-depressants so our regularly scheduled slaying is back. movies will be rated a 1-5 star based on how much i enjoyed it! and NO NOT EVERY MOVIE IS FROM THIS YEAR OR EVEN THIS DECADE <3

talk to me (2022) ★★★★

pearl (2022) ★★★★

the invisible man (2020) ★★★★

child's play (1988) ★★★★

doctor sleep (2019) (fucking insanely good) ★★★★★

bodies bodies bodies (2022) (so camp??) ★★★

call me by your name (2017) ★★★★

silence of the lambs (1991) (this is a perfectly made film. argue with the wall!) ★★★★★

and thats about it, i genuinely have been too busy with school to watch as many films, still have not seen barbie or the fnaf movie because im so busy and too broke to go to the movies constantly LOL. however, i will say what my favorite youtube video topics are currently in my honorable mentions section!!

honorable mentions ˙˖°📷 ༘ ⋆｡˚

my current fave youtubers or streamers :3

dead meat (james and chelsea constantly demonstrate a genuine love for horror and have recently been branching out to video games amidst the SAG strike! love them and their work so much, they have definitely made me into more of a horror movie buff)

wendigoon (i will listen to this man talk about anything, but he constantly raises the bar with how informed he is on topics. he just likes to talk abt weird shit and thats really neat idk)

supertf (ive been watching this guy for over 5 years he is still the funniest ow streamer out there sorry)

kyedae (she is rlly funny and even though valorant is boring to watch i watch her play mostly, however i LOVE when she does variety or horror its so funny how scared she gets)

jacksepticeye (watching him play spiderman 2 bc i don't own a ps5, BUT ALSO sean just has the best playthroughs of games like this. love his takes on the game!!)

mike's mic (olivia wilde nodding gif like if you get it you get it!)

games im playing right now :3

the sims 4 (do i need to explain this rlly... i have 2000 hours on sims... currently building a tiny town for the new expansion pack :3 pics here)

sun haven (started playing with my bf, feels like stardew valley with a bigger world and more things to do! i HATE the fishing mechanic. it is not for me babes)

valorant (playing occasionally as i am not very good, but i have alot of skins so yipee)

overwatch (i have 1600 hours in the game unfortunately. addiction is real guys)

fall guys (just recently started playing with my friends again, idk why anyone wouldnt want to play this its free and fun. theres a hatsune miku skin in the game like CMON)

genshin impact (im actually really invested in fontaine's story, if i had multiple hours a day to game i would do all the story quests and things but again, im so b u s y. still farming for arataki itto, pls come home)

bloons td6 (i've somehow racked up 60 hours on this game...its so fun...i love it...)

lastly, my october hyperfixation was...

horror movies and true crime!! i watched over 100 hours of movies, video essays, podcasts, and documentaries relating to horror and true crime. i'm officially burnt out of it though, so i will be back next month to once again happily share my interests!! byeee

- jane ⋆｡° ✮

[unhelpfulfemme]

@that-gay-jedi tagged me to list my top 7 comfort movies!

I'm gonna take "comfort movie" to actually mean "comfort movie" and not "favourite movie" because lots of my favourite movies I would absolutely not watch if I needed comfort or felt emotionally imbalanced in any way (Frances Ha, Atonement, True History of the Kelly Gang, Black Swan, The Secretary). Also I don't really watch movies a lot.

Sooo comfort movies in no particular order:

Cruel Intentions (unhinged oversexed 90s toxic teen romance based on an 18th century French novel, featuring manipulative bastards and the heights of 90s style? YES.)

Pretty Woman (look it's just a fairytale where everyone is sexy but it's also kinda seedy-feeling with all the prostitution and emotional repression and Richard Gere is so sexy in it)

Blade Runner 2049 (oddly comforting in its existential bleakness, beautiful imagery)

Romeo + Juliette (again the heights of 90s style and the toxic drama and just the general unhinged trashy yet refined aesthetic have made me a lifelong fan of this. the overdone guns with the Madonna painted on them and the beach shirts? feels just like home but if the trashy people were stylish!)

Inglorious Basterds (in true Tarantino fashion it's just vicious and unhinged enough to keep my attention and just overly dramatic enough so I don't feel too much for any of the characters, the second one is v. important for a comfort movie mind you)

Dune (2021) (beautiful imagery, based on a beloved book, very subtly done anticolonial reading of the book that flows amazingly and has an amazing soundtrack and respects the worldbuilding, lots of hot people in it)

Empire Strikes Back (it's Star Wars, I love Star Wars, lots of HanLeia content which always gets me in a good mood)

I feel like I've been really tagging so many people in so many things recently, so I'm gonna keep it short and perhaps try to get to know some of my newer mutuals? :) @goofygooberton @lifeinwisco @imperfectlibrarian @cheeseanonioncrisps