#I compiled a list of similarities of the top of my head

[onlythoughtshere]

Hello JayVik Nation,,, have you heard of JonMartin from the Magnus Archives?

[katyspersonal]

The best Bloodborne Wiki is a passion project of a single person, is about to get even better + how it can be sustained for years to come!

Hello guys! So like many of you've learned from the post with super good model view of Winter Lantern, recently, on Twitter, Meph announced ( x ) the plan to fill the wiki with very useful, very comprehensive screenshots of the models for bosses, enemies, NPCs and even cut content! The wiki has already been a huge help for lorediggers and artists, but THIS is what we will get:

This page is for Lady Maria and you can check it yourself here: ( x )! It is broken down in the categories of general close-ups of her model, then very high-quality screenshots of every attack during her boss battle and walking, and then raw model!

(I never was able to capture a good look at her using Arcane too like here, for example!)

Winter Lantern page ( x ) is using similar principle!

This is not a secret that very often in Fromsoft games, additional information can be obtained not through descriptions but through visual hints! For example, some people only learned that Winter Lantern's head is made of melted Messengers only now, after a proper look at her model! So, of course getting a proper look at every single character and creature from the game could always be helpful!

This, however, is just a recent highlight for this Bloodborne Wiki! Even prior that, it has been providing invaluable help for the fans! Examples off the top of my head: comprehensive data on what character has what items used or not, great and comprehensive hints and tutorials on upgrades and farming and builds for the players, making every bit of information on Chalice Dungeons and glyphs easily accessible, making datamined NPC sliders of all characters way more accessible and easy to grab and repeat, access to much more obscure models (like Gratia's model), full list of internal filenames and patches progress, making information from physical Bloodborne tutorial book accessible...

There are probably more things to cover that me and others found a great help in, and sometimes we might not even notice! I am sure many people could name at least one way where this wiki has been very helpful, offering raw facts and 100% valid information (and properly sourced whenever someone else helped!) without any speculating, in the most elaborate manner! We should not take it for granted because all this information, found or reshared, was compiled by just one guy out of raw passion for the game! And although this project is not profit-based and Meph is willing to commit to it and pay as much as needed to keep it living, I really still wanted to share the Ko-fi link that exists for anyone who is willing to help sponsoring it!

This is not necessary, and Meph has stated the same, but this project is not only helpful but also really hefty to sustain. The monthly support is only $3 per month, but every little bit not only helps the sustenance, but also knowing how much fans care and simply feeling their support is very significant and sometimes you don't even know how much. Heck, when Meph learned how excited people on Tumblr were about Wiki improving with full compilation of models from every angle.. the reaction was "I am so glad that people still care"! I think everyone who does their best to be useful for the fellow fans needs confirmation that they ARE, for sure, helping!

I just really wanted to get the word out anyways because honestly, none of my super elaborate theories and detailed fanart would've been possible without Meph's Wiki. and also because I am trapped in a clown country where I can't send any international money transfer so the feeling of 'do what I can't' got to me too fsdhfdhs There is no pressure or necessity, but here is the link to anyone who can help and feels the wish to! You've noticed I didn't tag Meph.... since there is no Tumblr account to tag, but again, the Twitter link is also here: ( x )!

[chevelleneech]

semi-live blog

They are immediately the cutest fucking people when together. So soft, so giggly.

I know it’s part of their social culture, but they drink a lot. Maybe it’s because I don’t drink, but dang.

“Jungkook is currently doing his skincare.” They add to the screen after panning away for scenery, yet leaving the sounds of *slap slap slap*😭

Jungkook cycling through multiple pairs of sunglasses, and Jimin swanning in and picking the first pair is peak! They’re so similar I yet so different, lol.

Another thing I’m sure is part of their culture, is the way they pay for stuff, but I find it interesting still that we’ve seen Jimin buy almost everything during their trips, since as far as we know they have pretty lax hierarchy rules between the two of them normally.

Jungkook is in the most romantic moment of his life, lmao! “I love it here!!!” said a million times. That man was experiencing a real life Hallmark movie in his head.

I also thought they spoke/understood way more Japanese than they apparently do.

“Come on everybody!” I understood that reference.

The way they chose to animate over everything to avoid having to blur a billion people in the station is HILARIOUS!

Jimin is too funny bro.

This train ride is so peaceful, it’s selling me on visiting Sapporo despite being broke and not speaking a lick of Japanese.

Can we also discuss how “My man, my man, my man.” Jungkook is? Yet Jimin is too, and somehow both is more than the other, lol. They are perpetually on some, “Jimin will like this.” “Where’s Jungkook?” *films food, pans to Jimin* *films the outside world, pans to Jungkook* *cuddle even while walking* type stuff. Just lovesick.

Girl!dad Jimin confirmed🥰 He’ll be such a sweet dad too, I think. He’s so patient and kind, which is heavily required to raise another human.

I loooooooooe Jimin’s jacket dude.

The way Jimin immediately pivoted to making JK laugh when he tried to downplay himself. Like I said, “My man, my man, my man.” Don’t talk bad about his man, even if you are his man.

My most delusional Jikook theory you’ll ever hear from me: “Are You Sure?” actually became the title because they were asking it if each other, because they in looooooooooove.

Also, to answer my own question from my previous list… yes, the bubble is back.

Role play Jikook strikes again!

Jungkook is it slick! He played with that sip of whiskey the entire time, but the minute Jimin left he downed it.

Them forgetting to pay would’ve been me. And JK initially sending Jimin back to do it would have also been me. You got it, extrovert! Take the embarrassment for the both of us!

They’re so cute! This snow fight makes me want to be somewhere cold for the holiday☹️

The food always looks so damn good! Lord I’m jealous.

I need someone to compile all the times JM and JK go out to eat together, and let me know if Jimin is the one with his back always to the door? It’s a thing in America at least, that the “protector” tends to sit where they can see the door, and I don’t know if that’s a thing in SK as well, but it’s cute, because it matches their dynamic either way.

“Your fingers were all over it.” SIR!? You’ve had his sweaty ear in your mouth… he’s had his mouth on your neck… you’ve also had his fingers in your mouth before and vice verse… AND y’all constantly eat and drink off each other… in fact… yesterday he bit the very sausage you were in the middle of eating and then you continued eating it… before that you gladly allowed him to put his TOES next to your face while you were BRUSHING YOUR TEETH. Stop playing with me, Jeon Jungkook!

Jimin legit being ready to beat Tae’s ass over a dumpling is too crazy, lol. And folks be acting like he some docile helpless baby. Meanwhile, JK is a mediator. They definitely made for each other.

End of the episode. It was fun. Felt like the start of a holiday special. And I didn’t mention it up top, because I decided to “live blog” thoughts like ten minutes in or whatever, but Jungkook softly and sweetly saying he wanted to come back to Japan because it reminded him of their first trip together… SOBBING! He’s such a sentimental guy, with an equally as sentimental guy on his arm.

They truly do vibe so well, and I understand with each passing episode why them enlisting together was a non-choice choice. They click. Like they said themselves, they’re one person split into two bodies, and it’s clear as day they thrive off of being around one another.

Not to get too sappy either, but it’s insane they feel that way about their bond and dynamic, on top of all the things that already just so happened to bring them together. Not just born in the same country, but same city. Auditioned for the same music group. Actually made it into the same group… they were destined to meet, and even they feel that way. All that’s missing is them being the same age, and they’d be the same person. That’s an insane thing to say, but really tells you how deeply they value their connection.

[uniiiquehecrt]

I'm thinking in terms of actual real life experiences I've had when I say this, but I'd imagine part of what makes being a Thor enjoyer so frustrating in 2024/MCU's phase 4+ era is that... you're effectively not allowed to enjoy your favorite superhero.

I once had a conversation with a close friend of mine during a casual outing, and without going into very many details, this particular person is an enjoyer of Ragnarok, and enjoys Tailka's work overall. Now, I should say right off the bat: there is nothing wrong with these opinions. Everyone is entitled to like what they like and enjoy the work of creators just the same as other people are allowed to dislike them. For this particular post, I'm not here to get into fandom wars or "reasons why taika waititi is a terrible director" beef. I have other posts in line for that. But what I will say is that I already knew this about my friend, so it never surprised me when the topic of Thor came up that it would be a point of disagreement.

The issue I've found that continues to circle in the general space of "being a Thor fan" came when I expressed that I don't like Ragnarok, I do think Thor was funnier (and just better overall) before Ragnarok and therefore Taika's involvement, and quite frankly Taika had very little business taking on the mantle of director of a superhero franchise he has never liked or understood in his life just because he had mouths to feed. (There are other opportunities to fulfill that. And filmmakers know going into this industry that it's all gig-based and - if they're smart anyways - work around that.) I hadn't even gotten a chance to go through all of the reasons WHY I feel that way, of which I have had before compiled an organized list of about 16 talking points off the top of my head, so as far as that particular discussion goes... it didn't go anywhere. We were busy at the time.

But namely what I want to talk about is this:

The response I was given, in summary, was something along the lines of "well I think Thor was boring, and he wasn't my cup of tea, so I'm glad he changed."

But, you see, there's just ONE small issue with that: Thor isn't meant for everyone.

In fact, no character is meant for everyone. So why is it that Thor needs to change to be "for everyone" and be the MCU normies' "cup of tea" when no other character has to? Why does he need to lose his core identity (both as a character, as a franchise, you name it, it's been done) just because people like my friend don't understand him as well as Tony Stark or Spider-Man? And why should Thor fans have tow watch their favorite superhero get stripped down and turned into something completely divorced from the character, world and cast we were first involved with from the beginning?

Nobody at any point has been able to answer me that besides "well just because I didn't like Thor personally."

Iron Man won't appeal to everyone. Neither does Captain America, neither does Spider-Man, beloved as even Spidey is. They have their own quirks, their own villains, their own storylines... Every superhero has a core to them that their stories revolve around. He's from DC, but Superman, for instance, has the core of: love, justice and the American Way. Therefore, his stories revolve around challenging that core, and making Superman prove it. Steve Rogers/Captain America has a similar core. Justice, freedom and the American Way, is what I'd mostly boil his core down to. Thor's is "love" all around. I've written about that '(here)' in my post about his 2011 themes. Maybe it's different for other fans, but for me personally? I adore that about Thor. It's one of the many reasons I'm drawn to him over any other marvel Super besides Spider-Man. (not you tom holland ... yes you andrew garfield...)

So when I go to Thor for entertainment, I'm going to him above the other superheros because I want a story that revolves around HIS core and how Thor goes about reckoning with his challenges. I also go to MCU Thor specifically for his quiet, kind, regal nature. I come to him for his gravitas, his passion, his relationships with his cast of companions.

I go to him for high-sci-fi action/adventure, or for the "what if we took norse mythology and made it an alien superhero" route they took him in for the MCU. I go to Thor because he IS different from the rest of the Avengers... and that's the point.

So when someone says to me: "Well Thor wasn't for me so I'm glad he changed", or "Well I really liked Ragnarok because Thor kind of become more in line with the other Avengers"... they're fundamentally missing the point of why Thor has a fanbase at all.

[black-swan-slaps]

Top 10 Sus Jikook Moments

There are way too many moments to possibly list, but my friend and I thought it would be fun to compile a list of sus jikook moments. 

10. 2021 Jimin Birthday Live

Cute and flustered Jimin calling Jungkook? Jungkook coming immediately to spend time with his boyfriend? Hobi calling out why Jimin was in Jungkook’s studio? So many questions.

9. 2015 Award Show Back Hug

Let’s be real, there are plenty of questionable back hug moments, but this one is particularly interesting. The fact that it was so early in their relationship. The fact that it took place at a public award show. The way Jungkook held onto Jimin and how they swayed together. The questionable looks from the other members. I see you jikook, I see you.

Honorable back hug mention is the BE live and the way Jungkook caged Jimin for an incredibly long time with their matching hair. Exuding boyfriend energy to the max.

8. Cute Feet During PJ Run

Honestly, this is just one of my favorite moments that makes me feel giddy. How comfortable they are resting on one another. The way they’re playing with their feet. Jimin’s surprised laugh when Jungkook plays along. And let’s not forget the special photo of Jungkook spooning Jimin.

7. “Let me give you a hug” Dance Practice

Am I the only one who has watched this clip over and over? We get to see how even during work they are always having fun together. But how can we not swoon over Jungkook’s smitten face as Jimin fails to lift him, and the way his smile grows brighter when he lifts Jimin like it’s nothing. Jimin tries to lift him one more time, but fails and instead hugs Jungkook and nuzzles into his neck ever so slightly. 

6. Jungkook’s Snow Gift

We should all know this moment. Bon Voyage season 4 in New Zealand. This is the beginning of Jungkook really doing whatever the hell he wants, and he disappears one morning to go on a mountain hike and returns with a chunk of snow, much to everyone’s confusion. He specifically waits for Jimin to wake up and excitedly shows and gives it to him. Jimin is, understandably confused, but we all understand the intent.

5. Malta Room Sharing

I’ll be honest, finding out about this speculation was what thrust me into the world of jikook. (It doesn’t seem to exist anymore, but I had wandered across an analysis video a few years ago). Obviously, we don’t know anything for sure, but there are enough clues here, as well as in many other occasions, that make it possible jikook were room sharing.

(And let’s not forget their cute Malta date)

4. Osaka Live

Similar vibe to number 5, but cranked up to 100. I don’t need to go in depth into this, because we all know, but my two cents is that Jimin was in that room. (Just as he hid in Jungkook’s room during the 2019 NJ live). What were they doing in a dark hotel room with sensual music playing? Eating bread, of course.

3. GCF in Tokyo

Enough said.

2. MAMA 2018

What I would give to hear everything the man sitting next to them heard. Something was truly in the air that day. They were all over each other and incredibly lovey dovey. While we can’t know for sure what they actually said to each other, the look in Jungkook’s eyes speaks volumes.

1. Rose Bowl

Are we surprised this is my number 1? There are so many moments that exist, but all jikookers come back to this one. There are so many questions about why. Why nibble the ear? Why confess his love? Why give a kiss? (We all know why). But the emotions are palpable, as they would be at the end of a high intensity concert. Jimin was emotional, and Jungkook went to console Jimin, as we know he usually does. Hanging onto Jimin’s back isn’t out of the ordinary, but Jungkook took it a step further. And put Jimin’s ear in his mouth. My assumption is that he was saying something, but ultimately decided actions would speak louder than words. To be clear, he says something first, pulls back, and then goes back in, catches Jimin’s ear, and then delivers a clear kiss to Jimin’s head. There’s no mistaking it. Jungkook was taking care of his baby. 

Honorable Mentions:

Rainy day fight

“I was with Jungkook [at 4AM on his birthday]”

That award show moment where Jungkook is singing a love song to Jimin and Jin is staring at them lovingly. (There is a video somewhere, but I can’t find it. Please, someone find it. I think it’s from the melon music awards)

Jungkook waking Jimin up on In the Soop season 2.

Jimin breaking Jungkook’s mosquito net on In the Soop season 1. (And the spooning that occurred the next day.) 

Black Swan Lift

Honestly, there are too many moments to mention. Please share your top sus moments!

[jaynovz]

Silverflint “In Peril” Fic Rec List

Hi guys! I got an anon a few weeks ago requesting Silverflint recs with the prompt: “one of them being in danger/peril/kidnapped (or anything akin to that) and the other going just above and beyond to save him. something with the vibe, if you hurt him i'll kill you.” 

There were hmmm not as many as I thought with the EXACT getting rescued parameter but I compiled some similar ones as well. Enjoy.

--

Affinity by Magnetism_bind

Summary: Silver spends his time while captured by Hands thinking of Flint and ignoring his feelings for the man.

It's a little harder to do so after Flint rescues him.

Notes: Oneshot, 4.6k, definitely the best and most faithful example of the prompt as submitted. Silver is held hostage and brutalized by Israel Hands and Flint rescues him.

Another Way by x_etoile_x

Summary: Silver doesn’t get the chance to turn back and attack the Spanish soldiers when he and Flint are captured on the warship, so he needs to come up with a different plan. Things get out of control. A retelling of their time on the warship at the beginning of S2, in the aftermath of this.

Notes: Long fic, 29k. Fantastic story on many levels. For the list, first chapter has a direct fulfillment of the prompt--Flint is in danger, Silver goes above and beyond to save him.

Fifteen Men in September by ballantine

Summary: Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

A Black Sails origin story for the song.

Notes: Long fic, 34k, just a fantastic read. There is a pivotal scene where Silver kills a man on Flint’s behalf and then further scenes of both of them in peril, Silver gravely ill. Very much the “going above and beyond” and “if you him I’ll kill you” vibe.

we were never meant to survive (but what if we did) by explosiontimothy, inwardphae

Summary: Since you still haven’t told me your name, I shall call you Jonah. You are so obsessed with sea and water that you’d make a home out of the belly of a whale if only it meant not to touch foot on solid land ever again. What if you get stuck there? I’d be forced to make my way to you and drag you out, cut the whale’s skin with my knife like a shark with its teeth and carve my shape out of it. And yours. There are two fighters, on opposite sides of the time war. They have never met but they know each other's names. But names are powerful, untamed things when they are spoken out loud. So they don’t call each other by their names, ever. Until, one day, they do. The Silverflint Time-Travel AU no one asked for, but you're all getting anyway.

Notes: Long fic, 46k, big concept sweeping crossover with the book This is How You Lose the Time War. Without spoiling, this story very much embodies “going above and beyond to save him.” Top tier.

darkness in his fingertips, eyes just the same by Jaynovz

Summary: A desperate fear is welling up in Silver. Flint, injured? How grievous a wound must it be to keep Flint from a battle? To prevent him from heading up the rescue party? Flint, who Silver had seen take a warship with a shot shoulder, Flint, who shrugged off injuries from raids with an annoyed grimace as if they were minor inconveniences. Silver’s heartbeat is too fast and too slow at the same time, ice creeps around him from all sides at the stark reminder that Flint is mortal. The man who would sneer at God, who would sail straight into a tempest, who seemed to control reality with his demons… Silver has seen Captain Flint bleed, yes, but it’s never mattered like this, never truly hampered him.

And on the heels of this fear is something far less enfeebling, something Silver embraces: a dark vortex of rage.

Notes: Oneshot, 4.3k. A reaction to in peril. An alt canon take of early s4 where Billy injures Flint at the Underhill Plantation. After Silver returns, he murders Billy for the insult. “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you” exactly.

frail and fragile bars by Ajaxthegreat

Summary: “I think you fuck,” Silver says. By which he means, with great intent: I think you are human. I know you are human. I see you.

Notes: Long fic, 21k. A very excellent story overall, and for this list specifically, it features Flint taking a sword to protect Silver in battle and Silver murdering the man responsible.

how we could be brought here by love by mapped

Summary: A 4x03 AU where Flint receives a minor injury in the battle of Nassau Town and Silver is very shaken by it.

Notes: Oneshot, 3.7k. Not a rescue so much as Silver’s intense reaction to Flint being hurt. I think it fits the vibe.

in over our heads by Jaynovz

Summary: Set at the end of 2.1.

The remaining Walrus crew want Silver flogged.

The experience creates some altogether unexpected outcomes.

Notes: Mid-size fic, 13k. Silver is flogged, Flint is very affected by that, takes care of him after, and they both learn a lot about each other ahem. “If you hurt him I’ll kill you” vibes definitely feature.

please do not let me go by natlet

Summary: Vulnerability, it turns out, is a blade that cuts both ways.

Notes: Series, 5 stories, 39k words total. An overall excellent series of Silverflint fics, however the one I’m thinking of for this list is the fourth, all pale and panting, where Flint is gravely ill and Silver goes above and beyond to take care of him. 

--

As always, let me know if you have a suggestion for an inclusion and I’ll give it a look. Thanks.

[sea-owl]

Who's seen the Blacklist? I got reminded of it the other day and I was reminded of my little crime lady Penelope. Now I haven't seen it in years but I feel like creating an AU.

We start off a red-haired woman walking into the National Crime Agency in London, saying she is there to see Directior Agatha Danbury. When asked if she has an appointment, she replies, "No, just tell her Penelope Featherington is here."

The agent behind the desk is running a face recognition behind the desk, and in comes a match for one of the top criminals in their database. Immediately, the alarm goes off.

Penelope has meanwhile stepped back from and has calmly put herself in position for arrest.

We later see her handcuffed to a table, her cell is a bulletproof glass box that requires special access to even get into the room.

Entering into the box with her cane is Director Danbury. She wants to know why Penelope gave herself up. She's been avoiding the law for 10 years now as she builds her criminal empire.

Penelope laughed. "We have similar goals. I want these people gone and you do too. Over the years I have compiled a list of names. Many you don't know about. Your little top 10 is cute but it's nothing on mine. Those people are on your list because they either wanted you to know what they're doing, or they got sloppy. My list employs your list."

For a show of good faith, Penelope gives one of the names on her list to Agent Danbury. "Take a look into Angelo DeLuca. He may have a holy name, but he is quite the devil."

Director Danbury is skeptical but does pass along the name for her agents to look into. She gets up to leave the box.

"And one more thing," Penelope said. "When you come back wanting more information about Deluca, I'll only speak to Special Agent Colin Bridgerton."

Colin is a profiler for the NCA. He's charismatic and can get into people's heads. Director Danbury wants to know why Featherington chose him for her messenger. Colin doesn't recall ever meeting the red head. This is when Agent Danbury reveals that their is some legitimacy to what Featherington is saying. The name she gave them came with a whole list of crimes committed or suspected to be committed by DeLuca.

"I want you to get inside her head Bridgerton."

Colin is shocked by the beauty of Penelope Featherington. But there's something familiar about her and she seems to know a lot about him. Colin doesn't know if there is a connection between them, but he's determined to learn all her secrets.

"Hello Colin," Penelope greeted him like an old friend. "I assume you're ready to hear how DeLuca plans to kidnap the daughter of the Chief of General Staff. This will be fun working with you."

[1001albumsrated]

#13: Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (1957)

Genre(s): Jazz, Post-Bop, Cool Jazz

Welp, it only took 13 albums for me to screw up and skip an album by mistake. I went back and edited my prior posts to correct the numbering. Birth of the Cool is a pretty embarrassing one to skip too; like all self-respecting jazz listeners, I'm a big Miles fan, and had been looking forward to talking about some of his work (this is far from the last Miles album in 1001 Albums).

Despite being number 13 on the list, these are actually the earliest recordings in the whole book. Ironically, despite now being considered a classic jazz album and typically viewed as a single coherent album, Birth of the Cool is actually a compilation album comprised of 78 sides recorded by the Davis nonet for Columbia between 1949 & 1950 and later reissued together as an LP. This is more common in Miles' discography than you'd expect; many of his later albums were released a few years after the initial recording as his workflow shifted towards recording long sessions with a single band and then producing multiple albums from a few related sessions.

At the time of recording Miles was coming hot off his breakthrough success as part of Charlie Parker's band. These sessions were some of his first recordings as bandleader and established him as a pioneering voice in jazz. The cool jazz sounds on these sessions stand in stark contrast to the fast-paced technical showcases heard on most bebop albums at the time. He'd already made a name for himself as someone concerned with the aesthetics and timbral quality of sound with his unique approach to trumpet playing as part of Bird's band, focusing on playing "straight" with a pure, unembellished sound (this is a stark contrast to trumpet playing at the time, which had a strong Louis Armstrong influence with a highly embellished approach), and the Birth of the Cool sessions cemented it. The arrangement and instrumentation was highly unusual at the time (a nonet with a french horn!) but was crafted with intention to create the specific timbral textures present on the recording. This kind of thinking was mostly unheard of in jazz at the time (and arguably in music at large), with the main focus of most groups being the technical elements of the performance rather than the aesthetic ones. This approach is one of the few consistent elements in Davis' long, storied, strange career. While the aesthetic goal often changed as his sound evolved, the focus was a constant one that I personally believe is largely responsible for consistently setting his music apart from the crowd over the years.

The Birth of the Cool sessions also started to overarching trend of constant change in Miles' career. He was always trying to find the next new thing, and was never satisfied with resting on his laurels. It's as evident here as it would be throughout his career: by the time Birth of the Cool was compiled and released as an LP, Miles had already moved on to innovating hard bop, and was only a few years from pioneering modal jazz with Kind of Blue, which would turn the genre completely on its head once again. Frankly, most artists would have never left the immensely successful and influential sound of Birth of the Cool, but by the time it was released Miles was already honing in on the NEXT next big thing. To me, what's what made Miles different from the majority of his peers and earned him his legendary status today as one of jazz's finest composers and bandleaders. If you follow the careers of the other top jazz players in history you'll see similar trajectories of never being satisfied with stagnancy (artists like John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Sun Ra all come immediately to mind; incidentally 3/4 of those listed had large roles in various iterations of Miles' bands).

Another innovative element here was that the nonet was racially diverse and integrated. I need to remind you, this was in 1949. Brown v Board wouldn't come to pass for another 5 years, and the South was still steeped in segregationist Jim Crow thinking. While things were becoming more integrated in the jazz scene, racial tensions in the US were still high at the time and it was very uncommon to see a mixed group like this, both due to the tensions of the time and due to the challenging logistics of touring with such a group (particularly in the South). Miles always said that he simply picked the best players for the job when selecting band members for a session. In this case, he was heavily inspired by modern classical music and found that many white players played that style more to his liking. You could write a whole essay on the topic of racial politics in jazz at this time and I simply don't have the room in a Tumblr post to give the topic the time it deserves, but I'd be remiss not to put the band and recordings in the context they existed in.

Anyways, it probably goes without saying, but yes you MUST hear Birth of the Cool before you die. It's a spectacular listen, and a highly influential one. Also of note, it's a good starter album if you're just getting into jazz and don't know where to begin (I'd also recommend Kind of Blue, but we'll talk more about that when we get there). It has enormous music depth, but is highly accessible to a non-jazz listener.

For the nerds: I listened to this one in hi-res on Qobuz, purely because I was on a roll at the time and didn't feel like going to the other room and throwing the CD in my main system.

Next time (skipping ahead chronologically, because I fucked up and skipped this album): Jack Takes the Floor, for real this time!

[sendmyresignation]

In that case could you possibly compile an introductory list to what you would consider good black metal for someone coming more from hardcore (i also listen to some metal but nothing really specific as a genre)? Thank you for your previous answer

sorry this took so long anon! i wanted to really give some specific recs, especially considering you sound less familiar with the metal basics. hopefully you find some good stuff worth exploring!

first and foremost, i would recommend first wave black metal pretty wholeheartedly for punk/hardcore fanatics. First wave essentially refers to the 80s black metal that existed pre-scandinavian genre definition (which means its also less sketch, typically, though there are shitheads). This stuff is pretty nebulous, its defined mostly by "extremity" and genre mixing (stuff that existed on the outskirts of other genres, with different balances of black/death/thrash). A lot of it is influenced by thrash and punk + it was way underground so shares a lot of qualities with diy/shit production + was primarily made by teens and people who could barely play their instruments. some essentials:

Venom - Welcome to Hell (defining black metal influence even if the sound of black metal is unrecognizable now. punk influence in spades, if you like discharge you'll love this)

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark (if venom is what really codified Satanism in bm, then bathory did the same for vikings. this is probably The Classic first wave rec)

Slayer - Show No Mercy (barely counts here, but they rip off venom enough and this is impactful enough that if you haven't gotten to it, this is required listening)

Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales

Sarcofago - INRI

Sodom - In the Sign of Evil (much more on the thrash side of first wave, Sodom was pushing enough boundaries that they've been incorporated into the first wave)

Bulldozer - The Day of Wrath (blackened thrash with a ton of venom/motorhead influence)

Mortuary Drape - All the Witches Dance

there's also a long tradition of black punk crossover. ultimately the genres have ideological similarities in terms of their philosophies surrounding music imo (not politically, obviously) and how it manifests as its own self-perpetuating diy culture. black/punk tends to also be less full of shitheads, which is nice

Devil Master - Satan Spits on the Children of Light

Melissa - Melissa

Truchlo Strzgi - Gwiezdny Demon

Gehennah - Hardrocker (tw for puke on the cover btw)

Wildspeaker - Spreading Adder (black and crust infusion here, rather than just punk)

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better? (technically my blackgaze rec, I think it's tempered significantly by the post-hardcore influence, it feels much more intense and varied)

in terms of true blue kvlt black metal, here's a nebulous collection of bands I'd suggest checking out since they're more along what i see hardcore heads gravitate towards and then you can dig deeper into their respective scenes/niches

Darkthrone (first couple classics have the greatest diy charm of the second wave imo. later work incorporates a lot of punk, they experiment with crust and trad and such)

Immortal (think the fact immortal seem very ridiculous and over the top makes them very endearing to people who otherwise dislike the self-serious nihilism of the second wave)

Rotting Christ

Panopticon

Gabestok

Hulder

Tietanblood

Havukruunu

as a final note, I'll just mention Opera IX, Spectral Wound, Yaotl Mictlan, Valdrin, Tresspasser, Dawn's Reflection, Thantifaxath, and Marthe for some bands i really like that are less accessible for hardcore listeners (mainly use symphonic elements like synths and keys or are atmospheric in an opposite direction to blackgaze)

[sitp-recs]

Dear Liv, first of all thank you for your contributions to his fandom, I’ve found and loved so many wonderful fics thanks to you!

After reading SG’s Turn, I’d love to read more epilogue compliant Drarry fics, preferably mature or explicit, but I don’t know where to start. I was wondering if you had any favorite epilogue compliant fics to rec? Sorry if you’ve already answered a similar ask. Tysm!!

Hi anon! I feel like I haven’t contributed much to fandom lately but thank you, that’s very sweet 😘 I’m a bit picky about epilogue-compliant bc I don’t really care for het ships or kid fics and many of them involve infidelity which is not my usual jam (but I’m willing make an exception for Frayach’s brilliant Breaking All the Rules).

I listed below some recs with divorced Drarry and would suggest checking this epilogue-compliant compilation by @gameofdrarry and maybe take a look at authors like Lomonaaeren and Gracerene, they’ve written a few epilogue-compliant stories. Enjoy!

A Song, Incomplete by RurouniHime (E, 11k)

Draco’s photograph took up the entire top half of the Prophet’s front page. Below the photo: DRACO MALFOY DEFENDS SON OF FORMER LOVER. As if that were breaking news.

The Weight of a Wanting Heart by Femme (E, 12k)

After nearly two decades hidden away in the Wiltshire countryside, Draco Malfoy’s surprised to see a familiar face come into his local.

Lost and Found by rillalicious (M, 16k)

Hermione is an auditor for the Ministry. When she comes across an intriguing case with a familiar name, she turns to her favorite Auror for help.

Written in the Stars by November Snowflake (M, 16k)

Draco watches as his son grows up--and maybe does a little growing up of his own.

Once Upon A Time, Yesterday by Femme (E, 22k)

"You've always been obsessed with Malfoy, Harry. That should probably tell you something."

Dating for Dads in Denial by @aibidil (T, 25k)

In which one wizard designs and another reluctantly patronises a magical matchmaking service, amidst the chaos of children and parenting.

Homecoming by November Snowflake (E, 27k)

Harry thinks spending two weeks as a guest lecturer at Hogwarts will offer the perfect chance to get away from his troubles. Then he meets his assigned faculty guide: Potions Master Draco Malfoy.

Time is a Construct series by @gracerene (E, 29k)

Draco's in a bit of a rut. He's nearing forty, divorced, and he still can't figure out how to make his Time Turner reconstruction work. He's bored, he can admit it, so he's not nearly as concerned as he should be when his pet project malfunctions and sends him twenty years into the past. That is, until he ends up relying on a nineteen-year-old Harry Potter for help and starts developing some very inconvenient—and possibly reciprocated—feelings.

Paper Rings by @lettersbyelise (E, 50k)

When Harry’s in need of a divorce lawyer, he has no choice but to turn to the best in the trade. Draco Malfoy’s reputation for discretion is flawless, and his track record for winning cases is close to perfect. But he’s also ruthless, passionate, and as infuriating as ever, and the brief relationship he and Harry had in Eighth Year still feels painfully fresh despite two decades spent apart.

2020, 2021 by newleaves (M, 64k)

Harry’s going through a divorce. It’s a love story, really.

When Times are Dire by @aibidil (E, 130k)

Magical Britain is screwed, and it's once again up to Harry to save it. This time, by marrying Draco Malfoy.

This Ain't the Garden of Eden by @romaine2424 (E, 131k)

In 2020, Hit Wizard Harry is starting to enjoy his life. He’s divorced, and no longer Head Auror. His biggest project these days is trying to remodel 12 Grimmauld Place for him and the kids. Draco Malfoy is recovering from his wife’s death. But is happy with his Ministry position as Temporary Head of the Department of Intoxicating Substances, and with his son who he adores. This all changes quickly when Minister Shacklebolt decides not to run for another term.

[womanfredvonkarma]

Hi Dae! Sent a similar ask to Vi but I thought you would also be a good person to ask. A friend has enlisted me to help her find good books and movies and we are now at the stage of searching for more general/meta advice on finding (high-quality) books/movies on particular themes that are too hard to concisely describe for a straightforward search to yield much. If the question is too specific, any general description of how you pick books/movies for your to-read/to-watch list would be great, and if that's also hard to do then top-of-your-head fantasy/sci-fi recs are also much appreciated. Feel free to ignore this if you're too busy or don't know how to answer of course!

Hi! I'm happy that you thought of me, but I don't have a lot of advice because there's a lot of serendipity involved for me. Taking the latest novels I've most enjoyed, for example, I discovered Solaris because I watched Tarkovsky's film adaptation—and I discovered the movie because my high school professor mentioned it in class in 2020. I similarly read Crash because I watched the movie first, and I started reading Arlt because of a scene written by him that I heard read aloud on the radio by pure chance. So I guess my first real piece of advice is to keep your eyes and ears open?

I can't really speak on finding books on specific themes because I feel that they find me most of the time, but sometimes looking at which artists are friends with each other helps (Cronenberg and Clive Barker were like that to me), or seeing which filmmakers adapt which books (Cronenberg led me to Ballard and Burroughs). Tumblr parallels compilation posts aren't bad either.

Tumblr is a source of book recs to me too. I got a good percentage of my current TBR just by following Vi lol, and when I see a quote I really like I normally add the source to my TBR too (same with gifsets and movies). I also like to browse through bookshops even if I don't have money atm, just in case something catches my eye. Those two sources plus what my professors mention make up the bulk of it, but since I started logging my reading on The Storygraph (kind of like Goodreads) I also look at what it recommends me from time to time. The algorithm can't quite nail your preferences, but I do find stuff I wouldn't have found otherwise. You can also search for recommendations filtered by genre and mood there.

For movies, aside from seeing gifsets, I sometimes discover them through the actors in them. Very rarely, I click on Letterboxd's "films like" feature out of curiosity and find some interesting films.

I don't know if that was helpful, but as for sci-fi book recommendations, I can give you off the top of my head Solaris by Stanisław Lem (a psychologist is sent to a station that orbits around a planet covered by a vast, possibly sapient ocean), Crash by J.G. Ballard (a group of car crash fetishists explore the relationship between the human body and technology), and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (political intrigue set on a planet populated by hermaphrodite aliens). In terms of fantasy, His Dark Materials is a series for children that I still find a lot of value in as an adult.

For movies, my first recommendation is Cronenberg's early body horror films (especially Videodrome, Crash, and The Fly) plus Crimes of the Future (2022). I also recommend Poor Things (2023) (describing it as a female Frankenstein's monster does neither character justice, but you get the gist), Primer (2004) (convoluted time travel movie), Pan's Labyrinth (2006) (dark fantasy set in post-war Spain), and of course Solaris (1972). I also rather liked the Alien prequels (as well as obviously the original films, but those are better known).

I hope this was somewhat helpful and good luck!

[subzeroparade]

Creeping into your inbox with the great joy that we have such similar taste in horror! I was wondering what your favourite horror movies/shows/books are? I'm always on the lookout for more stuff :D

Oh! Well. *◡*

Some off the top of my head (shoving this under a cut for the long, rambling opinions in which I hope you find something useful). 

Movies: My current, contemporary favourite is definitely The Witch. It’s peak everything - period-piece, atmosphere, folklore/religious horror - everything I love. Absolute masterwork of minimalist horror.

As for what’s stuck with me, The Mist - took it like a fist to the face and still think about it all the time. There’ve been some other decent religious/folky horror stuff I’ve like over the past few years - Let the Right One In (book and movie both) The Omen (excellent buildup) and more recently Antlers (doubles as a monster movie), because I am obsessed with Wendigo lore. I know they’re kinda spoopy now but when I was a tween I was also a big sucker for The Village and Signs, ha. Again, mostly for the atmospheric buildup of dread, and The Village for its evocation of folksy, Puritanical horror. 

I’m a sucker for some monster movies as well, even semi-trashy ones like Cloverfield. I love the big monster-reveal moment. Prometheus, for the same reason. More interestingly, The Host (which is Korean) but adjacent to that are some of the classic Japanese horrors like Ring and the Grudge, especially The Grudge - both versions - which changed me forever. 

Series: Midnight Mass (just a Bloodborne modern AU honestly) has some interesting ideas on life after death, and Hamish Linklater’s performance is to die for. I’ve watched it twice and loved it both times. Archive 81 for the spooky ancient-god/slow burn dread. Huge fan of The Terror series which I think you know (I love Jared Harris, the best modern-day Cassandra if you take Chernobyl into account, and nice to see Tobias Menzies playing someone way less pathetic than Edmure in Game of Thrones lol). The book is a little more dry but still good, and I just started the series’ second season (Infamy) and love it already.

 Also worth mentioning a French series called Zone blanche (translated as Black Spot of Netflix), a little under the radar, which was great. Very much the subtle “the forest is a dark place beyond human understanding” vibe. I’m actively still going through Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities but enjoying the variety of episodes so far: "The Outsider" (which frankly I just read as a queer/lesbian awakening story) and "Pickman’s Model" in particular (cannot avoid Lovecraft lmao, I’m so sorry). 

I don’t know if I can add the absolute incontrovertible masterwork that is Dark here, though it has some very, very itty bitty inconsequential minor horror elements. But I will watch it again and again until I die. 

In addition, some looser, genre-defying or multi-genre “horror” works like Get Out, Attack the Block, and the Southern Reach Trilogy (book only, the movie just couldn’t capture the peak high concept eldritch horror).  I would add the recent film The Wonder to that which has very subtle religious horror elements but is not supernatural whatsoever. I adored it. 

For books, any goddamn thing by Joyce Carol Oates but especially "Poe Posthumous; or, the Light-House" as I’ve made abundantly clear already; also I’m currently going through this excellent treasure trove of short horror stories collected in this post here (there is a second list somewhere too, if I recall, and they are even sorted by sub-category!) 

At the top of my must-watch list is Lamb right now, and eventually The Ritual and Midsommar, as well as The Lighthouse for obvious reasons. Any other recs are always welcome! I took two classes in CEGEP on Gothic lit and horror films and learned, fundamentally, that the horror genre is an incredibly useful and dynamic way to chart humanity’s anxieties over the past two centuries or so. (Dr Kris Woofter if you are still out there, you absolute hero, those were the greatest classes of my then-short academic life and I carry them with me always; or tucked neatly under my floorboards, where they writhe and groan ominously.) 

[fagcrisis]

here's a fun fact for today's lucky 1000

you ever hear this song?

which i could not insert as audio, despite having downloaded the file

you might not have! despite its apparent popularity at weddings, and in the 80's (to the point where its inescapability was parodied in a new yorker cartoon) today was the first time i had ever knowingly listened to it. im a fan, for the record.

johann pachelbel was not one of the great composers we studied in school, and history was not kind to his work. thus, his Canon was lost to time until being written down sometime in the 1920s, but for some reason i am unable to discern from wikipedia, it was not recorded until the 40s.

a 1968 performance of the piece brought it to the public eye, and it was an immediate success. that same year, a greek band called aphrodite's child released a baroque rock cover of it (its kind of incomprehensible lyrically but it's fun) and not long after a spanish band called pop tops also did a cover of the piece, called oh lord why lord. i like this one better personally

it only grew more popular after this. carl sagan used it in his series cosmos: a personal voyage, it was covered by countless bands and topped the charts in various renditions year after year. it's no wonder that a pop music producer pete waterman described canon as "almost the godfather of pop music because we've all used that in our own ways for the past 30 years". he claimed kylie minogues i should be so lucky was based on pachelbel's canon.

probably the most famous example, at least the one i knew of, is green day's basket case. in this song, the chord progression pretty much follows that of pachelbel's canon.

other songs that are apparently based on this piece are: - all together now by the farm - go west by the pet shop boys - C U when U get there by coolio - dont look back in anger by oasis - memories by maroon 5

its really entertaining to listen to pachelbel's canon in full, and then listen to all these songs. its very similar to the emotion you feel when you are able to recognize the wilhelm scream in a film.

a look behind the curtain of the author: i already took my sleep meds but shot out of bed to google the lyrics to basket case by green day bc it was stuck in my head and i couldnt remember them. this lead me down a rabbit hole and now i have wasted a precious melatonin gummy

i compiled a youtube playlist of every song wikipedia lists that was based on pachelbel's canon, for your listening pleasure

sources used for this post: - Wikipedia pages on: basket case by green day, pachelbel's canon, pete waterman, kylie minogue, australia, organ (instrument) - youtube videos: linked in post - discord: opened to see that my friend miro has anime girl hair vents

[itsjustanne]

Caryatids and Repatriation

This is a duplicate post of a blog post I made on my blog (I started a blog! For regular people who don't spend their lives on this hellsite (affectionate)). You can find the post here ! I did my best too translate it from a webpage format to a tumblr format but I'm sure things still got screwed up, so feel free to look at either post!

 Preface: I am by no means an expert on either ancient history or issues surrounding repatriation. This is a compilation of research that I've done. I will link sources where necessary in text and provide a list of sources at the end of this entry! I will always note when a conclusion I draw is my own opinion (which will be most of the time), and when my opinion is echoed by, similar too, informed by the opinions of experts.

Welcome to my first "lesson plan"/"lecture" style post. This is a format similar to what I would use as a rough draft for a paper, though there will be editing and consideration made for clarity. I hope that the way I've laid this out is acceptable and makes for easy reading. If you think there is a way to improve future "lecture" posts please don't hesitate to let me know!

For now, enjoy learning about the Caryatids, repatriation, and what it means for museums.

The Caryatids and Issues of Repatriation

I think the best place to start will be to explain, in a very basic sense, what repatriation are. Khan Academy defines repatriation as "the return of stolen or looted artifacts to the countries of origins." To go even further in depth, The Field Museum tells us that, domestically, within the United States, the act of repatriation follows the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and works to find cultural items and human remains and see them returned to the proper individual descendants and descendant communities. In international terms, the Field Museum states that they [the Field Museum] take full consideration for repatriation requests for the return of funerary items and human remains to "culturally affiliated descendants for whom NAGPRA does not apply." There are further examples of international repatriations, with France, Belgium, and Germany returning artifacts to various countries in Africa. Additionally, and more relevantly to the Caryatids that I'll be discussing soon, Sicily returned the portion of the Parthenon's frieze that was in the custody of the Antionio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum. Currently this repatriation effort is part of a deal, sending the frieze to Athens and two objects (a headless statues and an amphora) to Sicily; set to expire in 2026 there is opportunity to extend it four another four years, while efforts are being made to make the repatriation of the frieze to Greece permanent.

This deal has also been noted to have cleared the way and provided a blueprint for the British Museum to begin planning to return a group of objects known as the Elgin Marbles. 

"The Elgin Marbles" refer to a group of marble works from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Included in this group are: 15 metopes (square spaces often decorated with relief sculptures), 17 pedimental figures (a pediment is a triangular space as part of a gabled roof, often found above entry ways), and 75 meters of the frieze from the Parthenon (the frieze was originally 160 meters). One of these marbles that was brought to the British Museum is a tall columnar structure in the shape of a woman. 

She is tall, over life size, standing at 2.23 meters/7 feet tall. Her hair is sculpted into a braid down her back and on her head rests a basket made to bear the weight of a building on top. She wears a simple Peplos tunic, belted at the waist, which cascades down her body in beautiful folds. She stands in contrapposto, her let leg holding majority of her weight while her right leg is bent at the knee. She is missing one hand, that may have held a sacrificial vessel at one point in time. 

This astoundingly beautiful woman is known as a Caryatid (pronunciation guide: carry-ah-tid-). There are five more just like her at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. These five "sisters" leave a space open for the missing, while the Greek government attempts to reunite the six Caryatids as well as the rest of the marbles. 

These artifacts were taken from Greece by a man named Thomas Bruce, aka Lord Elgin, in 1802. During this period in history, Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and Elgin had documented clearance to start an archaeological dig near on the Acropolis. Despite this, it is debated weather or not he had permission to remove anything from the country. 

Part of the British Museums arguments for keeping the collection of marbles comes from the belief that Elgin took these artifacts from the rubble. However, multiple experts have chimed in after examining the objects stating that this is not true. Anthony Snodgrass, a renowned classical archaeologist, has said that after examining the metopes from the Parthenon he can say that they were "violently detached." He has also been quoted saying that "it's incorrect to say that much of what Elgin took was already on the ground."

In 2022 the deputy director of the British Museum was quoted saying "there will never be a magic moment of reunification because half the sculptures from Parthenon are lost forever." Which to me is saying that there's no point in returning the marbles because the Parthenon will never really be whole again. Which is true, there were many statues destroyed and the building is in some state of ruin, however displaying the marbles in their true historical context sounds, to me, to be the best way of displaying them. Boris Johnson was also quoted saying that although he had "reflected deeply" on the marbles he thought that it would be a "grievous and irremediable loss if they left the British Museum."

This statement is, to me, incredibly insensitive. While I understand that individuals form attachments and memories with objects that they interact with, and that these objects may be very beloved within the British Museum, they are much more significant to Greece. Another issue I take is with a statement made on the British Museum website. 

The argument we are presented is as follows: the sculptures "convey the influences between Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman civilizations and argues that they are best presented in this context." While I assume that these sculptures are being presented to an audience in a setting that shows examples from each of these cultures, I don't think that the argument is as solid as it may first seem. The historical, cultural, and environmental contexts are all still very much present elsewhere in the world. The Acropolis museum is five minutes away from the Acropolis (according to Google Maps). The Erechtheion Temple, where the Caryatids originate, is still extant and you can see faithful and detailed replicas at the original site. While it may be a wonderful opportunity to see artifacts from different cultures displayed near to one another, it is still much more beneficial to see them in their original context. This allows for a greater understanding of the object. Its use, its aesthetic, how it may have gotten to its location, all of these are better understood in its original location. Once removed, an object may lose meaning to some extent because of the lack of context.  

It is my opinion that Greece is not being unreasonable in asking for negotiations regarding the repatriation of these artifacts. In the case of Sicily's repatriation negotiations, Greece has exchanged other artifacts for the frieze portion. The Greek Government has also offered an exchange with the British Museum, allowing for artifacts to visit the museum that have never before left the country. As far as I know, nothing has been done with this offer. The British Museum has offered for the Elgin Marbles to go on tour and visit places like the Acropolis Museum, however the Acropolis Museum and Greek government have turned this down in hopes of holding out for a permanent repatriation deal. The British government has tried to surrender the issue to the board of trustees at the British Museum, but UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has ruled that due to how much government involvement would be necessary in the process, the British government would have to be involved to some degree. 

Greece is still fighting to bring home the sixth "sister" of its Caryatids, as well as the rest of its stolen artifacts, and repatriation efforts by Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium have provided Kytiakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, with hope. Especially considering that "the majority of Britions," 59%, "appear to support" the efforts to repatriate the artifacts. 

The issue of repatriation is one of cultural importance, not only within the United States but also internationally. In cases like the one of the British Museum it feels to me like a left over of colonialism and imperialism, but thats just my thoughts on it. This summer I will be making a trip to the British Museum while I'm in London and it is my goal to see the Caryatid that is in their possession. Later on I definitely want to make an effort to see the other five "sisters" at the Acropolis Museum. It is my genuine hope that I will see the return of the lost "sister" to Athens so that I can see them in their natural home. 

At the very bottom of the page will be the places that I found the images used as well as a the links used in this post and extra citations that aren't noted in text. Like I said at the very top of this post, I am no where near an expert on these topics. This is all the research that I have found and interpreted within a fairly short span of time. I want to keep learning about issues of repatriation and it is my goal to help spread information about the topic as well. If there are any mistakes in this post please feel free to reach out and if you have any questions I can do my best to answer them. 

Until next time, keep learning and exploring!

-Anne

[mylifeincinema]

My Best of 2023: Assorted (Editing, Screenplays, Stunts, Score & More)

My Best of 2023 is a series of annual lists in which I pick the best of the best from 2023, all leading up to my official picks for My Top 10 Films of 2023.

I've barely even started to compile most of my major lists, so far. (Most are solid in my head. But there's a lot that I'm blanking on, I'm sure.) This will likely be the only post this week, as I’m wrapping up a book and will be trying to see a few of my final ‘should see’ films of 2023 throughout the rest of the week, but I might try to squeeze Cinematography in before the weekend, as well. Anyway, follow along for plenty of lists coming over the next couple weeks!

This one’s pretty similar to other years. I've added Non-2023 Films, here, seeing as I didn't see enough first-timers for a full list of their own. And I - yet again - didn’t see any Docs, so none of those - yet again - either. Anyway, here are the ‘misfits’…

Production Design:

Poor Things (Runners Up: Asteroid City & Barbie)

Editing:

Oppenheimer (Runners Up: Poor Things & The Killer)

Ensemble:

Killers of the Flower Moon (Runners Up: Oppenheimer & Barbie)

Animated Film:

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Runner Up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem)

Foreign Film:

Godzilla Minus One (Runner Up: Anatomy of a Fall)

Breakthrough Performance:

Cailee Paeny in Priscilla (Runner Up: Dominic Sessa in The Holdovers)

Original Screenplay:

The Holdovers (Runners Up: Asteroid City & Anatomy of a Fall)

Adapted Screenplay:

Oppenheimer (Runners Up: Poor Things & Barbie)

Stunts:

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 (Runners Up: John Wick: Chapter 4 & Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3)

VFX:

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (Runners Up: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse & Oppenheimer)

Costume Design:

Poor Things (Runners Up: Barbie & Killers of the Flower Moon)

Makeup Design:

Poor Things (Runners Up: Maestro & Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3)

Sound:

Oppenheimer (Runners Up: Maestro & Ferrari)

Score:

Oppenheimer (Runners Up: Killers of the Flower Moon & Poor Things)

Song:

"I'm Just Ken" from Barbie (Runners Up: "What Was I Made For" from Barbie & "Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)" from Asteroid City)

And... since I just didn't get very many 'new to me' Non-2023 Films in this past year...

Non-2023 Films:

Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave (Runners Up: Ron Shelton's Bull Durham & John Wells' Burnt)

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

Next Up: Cinematography

More of My Best of 2023...

[conjurersoftime]

Initial Research - Enhanced Player Input - C++

Unreal engines new enhanced input system is a "great" move forwards for games. The only downside to this new system is the fact that its a bit more complex compared to the old version, and can become increasingly difficult to understand if you explore more into it. For my project, I wanted to gain a input from a dial that can then control the speed of time. I have done this by mounting the turning of the dial to different keys, for example if the dial is turned left then it will press n and if its turned right then it will press m.

First, you need to create a input action that you will later bind to a function. You can do this by opening up the content browser and right clicking in the space. Then go to input, then input action. Calling it IA_(Name You Want) is smart, however it could be anything as long as it doesn't violate Unreal's naming system. Once that is made you should see a screen like this :

The only thing you need to change depending on what you want the function to do is the Value Type. Depending on what result you want back from the input, such as bool for on and off, is what you should change it to. If you want a float range based on a joystick input or something similar then you change the value type to a float.

Next, you need to find your IMC file in the content browser. It is normally under the player in a folder called input. Open the file up and it should look like this :

Add a new mapping by pressing on the add button near mappings at the top. There will now be a newly created section listed as none, change 'none' to the name of your input action you named earlier :

From this, you can set the input to the input you want the function to be triggered by. Once that is done, you can now open up the player in C++.

Add this line inside of the header file, with 'InteractAction' being the name for the function you want. This is a variable that we will be able to set to the input action inside of the editor.

From there, still in the header file, go to protected and add this line with 'Look' being whatever name you want.

Like this :

Now, head to your .cpp file. Copy and paste one of the the lines under the //input section. They look like this :

EnhancedInputComponent->BindAction(Collect, ETriggerEvent::Started, this, &ASpawnerCharacter::CollectPickUp);

Copy that line and paste it right after the original. Change the 'Collect' or 'LookAction' to the name of the variable you made earlier. Then change the 'CollectPickUp' or 'Look' to the name of the function you made.

Next, go to the bottom of your .cpp file and create a implement for the function you made like this:

This function will be what is fired once the button is pressed, however it is not ready yet!

Going back up to the Bind Action (or the line you copied) in the .cpp file, you will see this:

ETriggerEvent allows you to change what type of input you want.

Here are a few different types. If you want a basic normal input type, just change 'Triggered' to None.

Documentation is here :

Next, compile your project from your IDE (DONT LIVE COMPILE INSIDE OF UNREAL, USE YOUR IDE). Once your project is open, go to the content browser and open up your player blueprint :

Once opened, use the search bar at the top to search for 'input' :

You should now see this screen. Where it says 'none', change it to the input action you created at the start.

Now your function should be ready for your C++ Code!