#Essential Key

[trevlad-sounds]

Invisible Club 38

06.11.2024

Intro 00:00 Frunk29–Endless Siesta 00:59 Essential Key–Cold City 04:12 Tim Koch–Bloom 07:36 Severed+Said–Diminished Eternal 15:53 Ghostwerk & Zebra–Hm.It 21:43 VED–Univerb 25:14 Lyonel Bauchet–Ptix 30:37 The Utopia Strong–Lamp of Glory 34:13 Paddy Steer–Several Times 40:53 Clemens Acidus–Cold Cycles 45:38 Ekoplekz–Dirtbokz 50:37 The Cromagnon Band–Mandelbrot 55:27 Time Rival–Baltica 1:00:14 Paul Ellis & Pabellón Sintético–First light of the last day 1:04:37 Hidden Orchestra–Scatter 1:13:26 ATW–Wolfgang Dub 1:18:23 Outro 1:19:53

[liberalsarecool]

The market-based value of activities/labor is wrong and unjust.

Workers who are labeled essential during a pandemic are underpaid. If the economy can not function without them, we must re-evaluate their wages and their importance.

#HaJoonChang

[gaytobymeres]

My essentials for a solo day out

[dol--blathanna]

Thinking a lot about Orym choosing a rabbit when asked what animal he would pick if cursed with lycanthropy.

Because, it makes sense. Orym is small, quick, agile, jumps well, and is highly perceptive. That definitely evokes rabbit imagery. But a lot of Orym’s identity is also tied up with being a protector – giving people AC bumps, the shield being as much a part of his fighting style as his sword, even his title: Saviour Blade of the Tempest. He wants to be a “Shield that protects Exandria”; his priorities about saving the gods are less about the gods themselves, and more about protecting the people of Exandria from the unintended consequences and bloodshed of releasing Predathos. And it would’ve been very easy to pick a large, strong predator to try and evoke the sense of a protector – a wolf, for example, an animal associated with loyalty and protecting its pack. Yet Orym chose a rabbit.

And I think that’s interesting, because rabbits are often seen as ‘cute’ animals – but they’re also a prey animal. In fact, they’re a common food source for many animals across several ecosystems: foxes, wolves, wild cats, dogs, birds of prey like eagles or owls, coyotes, stoats, and humans (and that’s just off the top of my head). Rabbits are skittish, easily frightened; to be rabbit-hearted is to be timid or cowardly. They are not generally associated with fierceness or prowess in fighting. Mice and rats are prey animals too, but typically seen as vermin (rabbits are sometimes seen as vermin too, but a farmer could eat a rabbit – they wouldn’t eat a rat). Deer are prey, but they have hooves and antlers that bring a danger to hunting them, for any animal – the difficulties of hunting rabbits are more related to their evasiveness, speed and good hearing than any life-threatening danger they might pose. Rabbits are, first and foremost, prey animals. They are killed and eaten, so that another animal might live.

Which made me think a lot about one of Orym’s other key traits: self-sacrifice. Bait and switch doesn’t just bump up his ally’s ACs, it specifically switches their place to put him directly in harm’s way. Goading attack is meant to encourage enemies to attack him instead of his friends. He literally made a deal with a hag, essentially exchanging his own life for power to protect his friends. How many times has he gone down in a fight? He’s not the only tank – but unlike Ashton (and Chetney, who also uses ‘self-sacrifice’ in his fighting style with his blood curses) he has no abilities to reduce the damage from the hits he takes (barbarian rage and the werewolf form).

(Side note: I think it’s pretty interesting that Chetney, the wolf, has attacked Orym, the rabbit, more than anyone else when losing control. That Orym’s facial scar was given to him by a friend, not a foe).

Of course, Orym isn’t the only character with self-sacrificial tendencies (FCG wins by a landslide), but I just can’t stop thinking about how weirdly perfect it is that he chose a rabbit for his animal. Rabbits are prey animals. They are eaten, so that other animals may live. Orym takes the hits, he goads and switches with his team mates to put himself in danger, he makes a deal with a hag at the cost of his own life. He’s a soldier, throwing his life away for a cause over and over again because Ludinus must be stopped, because Keyleth has put her trust in him, because it’s the only way to protect his friends, to protect everyone, because it’s the right thing to do. Orym is a rabbit. He’s always been a rabbit. That day in Zephrah, it could have easily been Orym who died instead of Will and Derrig – “unfortunate but necessary sacrifices”, as Ludinus viewed the attack. It’s unfortunate they had to die, but it was for the greater good, according to Ludinus. It’s unfortunate that a rabbit has to die, but it will feed a family of foxes, or stoats, or even a hungry human, so it’s acceptable, right?

Orym is a rabbit. He is giving himself to a greater cause that could very easily kill him – he already willingly signed his life away to Nana Morri. Because that’s what rabbits do. They die to feed others.

And the theme of being disposable is present across the entire group, not just in Orym – Bell’s Hells has been called a “party of NPCs” before. Aside from FCG’s death, I’d say Laudna perhaps fits this theme the best: she was literally murdered and hung from a tree simply because she looked similar to Vex, acting as a warning to adventurers she had never met before. But FCG’s death was – rightfully – viewed as a terrible tragedy by the group. Laudna’s decision to remove Delilah, finally freeing herself from her abuser and emphasising she is more, and deserves to be more, than just some disposable puppet – this was rightfully viewed as a very good thing! But Orym seems to be embracing this identity of self-sacrifice instead, rather than this mindset being properly challenged or acknowledged as a bad thing. After all, there’s no time. There’s too much at stake. Keyleth, Bell’s Hells, all the memories of those who have died in this fight, all the people who might die if Predathos is released and kickstarts a second Calamity – they’re all relying on him, right? A rabbit feeding so many animals with his sacrifice. And it’s not malicious compared to the way that, say, Delilah killing Laudna was an incredibly evil, fucked up and unnecessary thing to do. If Orym died to save everyone else, well, at least everyone else would be saved, right? Saving lives is good, isn't it? How could he complain?

Because rabbits are prey animals, and Orym is a rabbit too. Destined to die so that another animal may feed.

Except, that’s not true. Rabbits are more than just prey. They’re highly social, and thrive best living with others. They’re playful, they enjoy running around and kicking their legs just to show their enjoyment. They’re inquisitive and mischievous, even being associated with tricksters in some folklore and stories. They’re also associated with innocence, playfulness, spring, youth – all manner of things, depending on the story or culture. And they’re not helpless, either, even if they might be thought of as such. They can bite and scratch and draw blood quite easily if they want to! In fact, freezing up isn’t their only response when being attacked by a predator, they are known to fight back if cornered. They can sprint quickly, they have excellent hearing and senses of smell, they know how to evade predators.

Rabbits are prey, and they are also survivors. They have their own social dynamics, their own habits and dislikes and preferences. They are more than just a wolf’s meal. And Orym is more than a soldier, too. He’s more than a “necessary sacrifice”, he’s more than just a shield and sword. He deserves more than to die for a cause. He deserves a happy ending, just like everyone else. I hope he remembers that.

Orym is a rabbit. And the message isn’t that he shouldn’t be a rabbit. It’s that rabbits are worthy of surviving, too.

[vagabond-art]

"How's that for an answer?"

apology tour but interview with the vampire AU + bonus with @ughhhhhhh-cringe-side-blog

[saltpepperbeard]

david. *crawling through his window* david. the fact that ed and stede have both experienced harmful effects from monotony/having to live the same existence day after day after day is going to be a significant plot point/source of emotional conflict in the third season isn't it. david. that's why mary gave that whole speech to ed and stede isn't it. david. stede was so depressed having to go through the motions, and ed was so depressed having to do the same, so the idea of that happening to their relationship is probably going to be a terrifying concept for both of them. david. david can you hear me—

[amourninghost]

She was so busy working to put him under her thrall that she failed to consider what success would feel like.

He dropped to his knees before her with all the quickness and vacancy of a disabled machine. Tak was fond of machines… Programming made much more sense to her than any kind of conversation.

Their relationship up to this point had been artifice; a delicate maneuver wherein she offered nothing and he gave everything. He didn't really know her… but she knew him better than anyone on the planet. He trusted her.

And now, with all that work finally done, the true nature of their relationship could reveal itself.

But when she looked down at him, her sense of victory was overshadowed by something else… He was perfect like this. She didn't want to leave this moment…

She stared, dumbstruck, into the eyes of her conquered, her servant, her… Hers.

He was hers.

[ashen--nightmares]

weee the jirai to my kogal oc !! ill polish it later. this alone took centuries 😭 gonna work on a ref for her gf tomorrow :3

[kiseichew]

Replication Error

[toddtakefive]

few will understand demiromantic gay neil but i do

[salmoncakepls]

🗝️🔒

[rotisseries]

[thistledropkick]

I can't stop thinking about this Umino Shota situation, so I'm gonna write about it.

Umino has been in a very weird position for quite a while now, when it comes to his character, his booking, and his crowd response. I feel like it has finally hit some kind of breaking point at the recent KOPW show.

When Umino walked out to challenge for the IWGP HW belt, he didn't just "get booed" - he got a mix of cold silence, some scattered booing, and some overt heckling from people in the crowd shouting "Go home" at him. That wasn't even the kind of booing you want in pro wrestling - it was an outright rejection of him by the crowd.

(You can hear the heckling starting at about 3 minutes in during this video - people in the crowd start shouting "Kaere!" "Go home!" This mix of scattered booing, icy quiet, and heckling is not the kind of response NJPW goes for even for actual heel wrestlers.)

It was also absolutely not the response that anybody there had planned for or anticipated. Umino looked legitimately upset, Zack immediately took action to calm down the crowd before things got ugly, and then Takagi came out to keep things moving when it was clear the crowd was not going to change their tone. If any of this response had been planned, they would've encouraged it instead, or at least given it a little more space to play out.

In his backstage comments afterwards, Umino addressed the comparison that fans have repeatedly been making between himself and Stardust Genius era Naito. Umino rejected that comparison.

(Personally, I agree that the two situations aren't identical, but for a different reason - Naito was a much more well-established wrestler when the crowd turned on him, while Umino has never even held a title.)

In any case, the fact that Umino is directly addressing the comparisons that fans keep making, rather than ignoring them, was noteworthy to me.

Today, an article about the situation was released in Tokyo Sports. Tokyo Sports is a kayfabe magazine, and anything published there is generally done to forward the intended story of the wrestlers involved.

The headline reads: Umino Shota - "Booing = Big Shot" Proof of his decision to fight for the IWGP "Even Tanahashi-san himself said, I'm leaving it to you, Sho-chan"

This is... not helping to counter the feelings of the fans that Umino is being given a spot he doesn't deserve, to say the least. And quoting Tanahashi calling him the cutesy nickname "Sho-chan" isn't helping either.

With this being addressed directly in the kayfabe ToSpo, I have to believe it means they'll be addressing it directly in the storyline as well. And it's very easy to imagine some scenarios where they could repeat the infamous fan vote that eventually turned Naito ungovernable. But with the differences between Naito's situation and Umino's, I'm not sure how well this will actually work if they do end up trying it...

As for my own feelings about all this - I don't like or dislike Umino as a wrestler right now - more than anything, I feel like he hasn't solidified as a wrestler enough for me to have much of an opinion on him yet. But this whole situation has been fascinating to watch as it plays out.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

my favorite scully moments from s5

in episode 1, we see the tomato poster on her wall, and i love it so much <3

shortly after, she has a confrontation with skinner:

“and what about your lie, agent scully? what does it lead to?”

“the truth- about the men behind what happened to me, about my abduction and the tests, about being exposed to something against my will, about being put on a table and having something implanted in me and then having my memory stolen, only to have it returned along with a disease that i was given” <- the way skinner was concerned for her safety but she took it as a challenge, getting angrier and angrier throughout the scene- OOOH, it was just SO good!

and when she finds that she was exposed to the mysterious substance from the ice core, she says “if my work with agent mulder has tested the foundation of my beliefs, science has been and continues to be my guiding light… now i’m again relying on its familiar and systematic methods to arrive at a truth” <- YES!!!!! SCIENCE!!! coming back to what has saved her over and over again and has been the basis of her life's work!! and the admission that her beliefs have been challenged by the things they've found!! i love this quote so much!! i want to analyze it forever!

in episode 2, mulder arrives at her hospital bed while her cancer is worsening, explaining his theory that the microchip he found will cure her. bill gets mad at him for suggesting something so ridiculous. she diffuses the tension by saying that everyone has their hearts in the right place, but it needs to be her choice (very diplomatic; she's clearly the middle child) and then decides that she will move forward with the procedure, choosing to take a risk and choosing hope... trusting mulder... augh. the symbolism of it all...

in episode 4, scully arrives in mulder’s motel room with cheese and wine, ready to relax, with this killer line: “however, i must remind you, this goes against the bureau’s policy of male and female agents consorting in the same motel room while on assignment” (and then she is SO sad when he runs off to investigate something instead of enjoying hangout time, telling him he needs to work on his communication skills😟)

another bug fact moment with scully in episode 4 when she starts telling mulder about tick metabolism!! i love bug facts with scully!!

later, she's staring intently at the dead mothman and says “there has to be a scientific explanation for this” which is just so Her. (also, she shot and killed mothman with her amazing aim, which deserves its own shoutout)

the striped suit in episode 5......... good LORD!!!

in episode 6, she sees bill’s heavily pregnant wife tara and loudly declares “you’re HUGE!” which was SO cute

later, when she is worried that the phone isn’t working properly because she kept getting mysterious calls, she dials mulder's number. she doesn’t say a word when he picks up; she just listens to his voice. the intimacy of this moment makes me want to cry.

her episode 10 beach outfit! showing up to maine in a t shirt that says "maine", so you know she bought it before she even rolled up! renting that convertible! telling mulder that she is going to hang up now!

(i'm imagining how she was preparing for her trip and must have bought a shirt that says her destination on it, and it is SO funny/cute/nerdy)

scully episode 10 one-liners shoutout moment: “people say she’s a witch” “well, that’s not the first time for that accusation in these parts” and then later her dry remark on “new england hospitality” after someone slams the door in her face

she was SO dedicated to not getting involved with that dumbass haunted doll case. even though the local cops had no idea what they were doing and she had to walk them through it with baby steps, she kept saying “well! that sucks for y’all. let me go visit the beach now” and i was DYING. she was COMMITTED to that rest. and rightfully so!

bubble bath time with classical music and reading “affirmations for women who do too much” <3

jack the policeman takes her to get lobster and she is utterly shocked at the size of the creature, saying “that looks like something out of jules verne. we’re supposed to eat that?” <- NERD! nerd! i was blushing and giggling.

i’m barely exaggerating when i say that scully putting that haunted doll in the microwave might be the best moment of the whole show.

she also calls mulder and asks about the prevalence of evil dolls in occult literature, because she does not give a damn if this thing is a demon or a ghoul while she’s off the clock, she just needs it to leave her alone, and i respect that SO much

in episode 11, she’s very cranky to be woken up by mulder at 2:45 AM to poke around and investigate, and i don’t blame her!!

they’re trying to figure out what messages this dead hacker left behind when she points out the obvious (“anyone, uh, think to check his email?”) and the reaction from mulder and the lone gunmen is PRICELESS

(she also looks SO impressed when mulder figures out a series of random numbers is an ID for a shipping container. i swear she wanted him there)

her visible attraction to esther/invisgoth- i saw that tackling scene, the hand to the chest, the bullying (“what was your role in all of this? were you the bass player?”), scully's reaction to learning her name is esther, that face she made when esther asks “are you gonna take off my cuffs, or do i have to do this with my tongue?” ... scully. i know what you are.

and she is SO pissed off when esther takes her hostage- mulder calls while she's driving, and she picks up with the most flat and angry voice you can imagine: “where are you? it sounds like you’re driving” “you are correct, sir” 😐

but then esther starts sobbing in her car, and scully comforts her, putting her arm on her shoulder, as if moments ago there was not a gun to her face- because she is fundamentally a kind person and will offer a shoulder to cry on, even to this annoying, attractive goth lady who kidnapped her <3

(she also climbs onto a tractor trailer to tell a guy not to drive over the exploding bridge, which i thought was funny because she just gets right up there)

later in episode 11, she has to decide between killing this AI thing that will ruin the whole world or saving mulder, and she picks saving mulder with zero hesitation!!!!!!! and then carries him to safety!!! and tries to save esther, too!!!

there are SO many excellent moments in episode 12, but a special shoutout to: “first of all, if the family of ronnie strickland does indeed decide to sue the FBI for, i think the figure is $446 million, then you and i will most certainly be codefendants. and second of all… i don’t even HAVE a second of all, mulder! i’m in this as deep as you are, and i’m not even the one that overreacted! i didn’t do the (gesturing) with the thing!” <- scully being so mad she’s at a loss for words is SO funny to me!!!

she has to do an autopsy and lets out the saddest yeehaw ever recorded when her scalpel blade slips out (AND when she finds mushroom pizza in the dead guy's stomach, she thinks it sounds so good she orders some for herself... scully, you are so weird and i love you) 

then when she finds more pizza in the second dead guy, she immediately realizes mulder is in danger, and runs back to save him from a teenage vampire!!!!

when mulder renounces his belief in the extraterrestrial in episode 13, she jokingly says her work here is done and tells him to have a nice life <3

she also grows to be cassandra’s defender, sticking up for her despite her eccentric story of alien abduction after she notices the parallels between their experiences; she breaks her agreement with spender to leave her alone because she needs to warn her that if she removes the implant, she will get very sick (!! again!!! her kindness!!!)

scully IMMEDIATELY noticing that mulder is being weird as hell in episode 18, but not knowing it is because he is undercover, and straight up confronting him about it (“i expect you to give me an answer. i expect you to tell me the truth” <- YEAH, YOU TELL HIM GIRL!)

and her accusing the motel worker of giving someone else her keys so she could figure out where tf mulder went: “who are you?” “who am i? who is he?!” and of course “are you the wife?” “not even close” <- oh she was so mad she suddenly knew how to lie!!! i watched that scene three times and laughed each time!

she’s also MAD AS HELL when she gets brought before the CIA representative and skinner and it killed me: “what the hell is going on?” “i apologize for our methods. they may well have saved agent mulder’s life” “what about my life? i don’t appreciate being run off the road” <- STOP RUNNING HER OFF OF ROADS!!! she knows her value and she is worth more than that!!!

but when they ask her if she’s suspicious of mulder’s actions lately, she IMMEDIATELY denies it. she might think that he is up to no good, but how DARE an outside party accuse him of this?!? this cannot be! she will defend his honor!!

(and breaking into his motel room to fix his finger........)

doctor nerd moments in episode 18 as she looks at bacteria and says “it looks like a streptococcus!” and then realizes it cannot be that, because “strep wouldn’t be able to survive any kind of exposure to the environment” (and then her incredibly confident “my research indicates that it was almost certainly developed domestically"... yeah, dr. scully MD is ON the CASE!!!)

when mulder gets all pissy in episode 19 because he thinks skinner is sending them on a busywork trip, she sets him straight: “you’re saying ‘i’ a lot. i heard ‘we’” <- ONCE AGAIN: GET HIS ASS!

sticking by her guns in episode 19 and refusing to autopsy the body and fuel mulder’s delusions (until she later is forced to)

later, he’s being held in the hospital, and the nurse refuses to let her see him, so she bursts in with her gun just in time to save him from some evil bug creature!!!

she holds gibson’s hand in episode 20, comforting him and walking him back to his room after he underwent testing <3 and later she chats with him about how his powers work while he watches cartoons; he says she doesn’t care what other people think, and she promises that no one will hurt him </3

then she brings the data she gathered from the testing to the lone gunmen, tells them to analyze it “with an eye to the parapsychological”, AND gets the tea on diana. truly a woman of action!

[setaflow]

Season 2 of Arcane is making me realize that Jayce was a really good character that was hamstrung by very few character interactions outside of Viktor and Mel last season. Yes, please put that sad bisexual with good intentions, poor judgement skills, and huge muscles in MORE situations.

[butchjess]

Well. hrm. the way they all connect to each other. like it’s all starting to look like a circle of some sort. jess as rory’s mirror/reflection/narrative foil but also jess as he pertains to luke and jess as he pertains to lorelai. luke breaking the church bells luke who says he was troubled but they gave him a chance and just bc a kid has issues doesnt mean they don’t deserve that. luke who is a figure placed against the rest of the town, just in the sense that he is not like them, he does not hold their values, he doesn’t even sound like them. which is of course a result of scott patterson’s new york accent, but adds to this theme anyway. and they use jess to build this picture, because they walk the same and talk the same and they’re stubborn—independent to a near self-endangering degree—and emotionally repressed in the same way and luke himself admits that he spent more time working at his dad’s shop than he did at school, which jess also does. but jess and luke are also. very very different when you get past these similar values that are maybe ingrained into them through different circumstances and same genetic makeup. and in their differences you get a lot of jess and lorelai’s similarities. when it comes to their family dynamics and how it’s affected them in particular. it’s made them independent yes, but it’s also made them hypervigilant, almost paranoid in the way they are allergic to accepting help and especially accepting help from the people who hurt them. jess only goes to his mother’s wedding because luke asks him to, lorelai only asks her parents for money because rory needs it for school. and they, and this is where they differ from luke, don’t know how to trust people and so they don’t know how to talk to people. where luke’s particular brand of emotional constipation comes from a general cluelessness as to how to do it—which is why the tapes helped him so much—lorelai and jess’ come from emotional responses to the situations they grew up in. while it was different—lorelai growing up rich, jess growing up poor—the effect it had on them still resulted in something similar. lorelai with her overbearing manipulative mother and (emotionally) absent father, and jess with his neglecting manipulative mother and (in all senses of the word) absent father. the ways that, despite their effort to distance themselves, they still end up with similar mannerisms to the parent they have the most conflict with (lorelai and her controlling nature + that scene where they have the same nighttime routine, jess and his love for books + tendency to run away). and of course, their romanticism. their big confessions and period drama-esque speeches and, yeah, i do think in a way jess was asking rory to marry him in 4x21. come with me. let’s get married. luke and rory both being the most important people in their lives. literati+javajunkie where they are all melding into each other, and luke is rory and lorelai is jess but on the surface level dynamic luke is jess and lorelai is rory and they are all each other. on accident. by sheer nature of making jess as a character for the sole purpose of interfering with luke and lorelai’s relationship (which means he is important narratively to them both) and by making him rory’s love interest/foil (because ASP casted him before she even had the idea for the character) you have now made an accidental blending of them all together. he is like a skeleton key of a character. Okay. okay.