#I'll probably do more of these so if you have any recommendations send em my way

[sonicranger1]

CLH Redraw that only took me 12 hours this time let's gooo 🕺 (Click image(s) for better quality)

And the non-filter camera thing version

(OG screenshot under the cut 👇)

[umbralundertaker]

ive been meaning to ask you, what are your thoughts on the new vegas dlcs? :o

Theyre good!... Mostly. I cant make many excuses for Honest Hearts.

If you have them already/can get them for free, then I suggest you play all of them and in order of release (Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road). Though if you have to buy them all individually, then I suggest just doing Old World Blues then Lonesome Road.

Dead Money is good story-wise but I really hated the gameplay. And Honest Hearts is... visually pretty, but VERY racist. Even for Fallout. Its gameplay is only marginally more interesting than the base game, so if you arent set on doing all of the DLCs then I'd skip this one.

As for Old World Blues and Lonesome Road, theyre great and I cant recommend them enough. Old World Blues has both great gameplay and lore, really enjoyable characters, great humor, lots of replayability... its been my fave the moment I finished the intro cutscene. Lonesome Road is kinda slow but the character its based around is PEAK fiction, I'm serious. Its hard for me to think of a character I think is more badass. For real if you can only play one of the DLCs, PLAY LONESOME ROAD!

I'll put a synopsis under the cut, so see if youre interested in any of em!

Dead Money

Dead Money is set in the Sierra Madre, an extravagant resort that would have been the greatest casino in the west, had it ever been opened. The bombs fell before the grand opening event, and the Sierra Madre froze in time, its state of the art security system locking the place up tight. After many years, the climate control and air conditioning systems began to spit strange toxins into the surrounding city, causing a red cloud to form over the area - which proved lethal to anyone who tried to explore the city. The Sierra Madre attempted to send out a distress signal on the day of the War, but the system did not broadcast an alert signal, having been hooked up to the gala event to broadcast advertisements for the casino, so help never came. And so the Sierra Madre faded from memory, only occasionally being seen in posters across the wastes, until it took on mythic ghost story status, a supposed "City of Gold" in the wasteland where all the treasures of the Old World were rumored to be held. And then a weird old guy kidnaps you and makes you and a few other NPCs explore it to look for gold.

Honest Hearts

Honest Hearts takes you on an expedition to the wilderness of Utah's Zion National Park. Things go horribly wrong when your caravan is ambushed by a White Legs raiding band. As you try to find a way back to the Mojave, the Courier becomes embroiled in a war between tribes and a conflict between a missionary and the mysterious Burned Man. The decisions the player character makes will determine the fate of Zion. Fun fact, the Burned Man is the Joshua Graham you've probably heard a lot about.

Old World Blues

The Courier is abducted by the Think Tank, a group of pre-War scientists that have replaced their bodies with machines. Learning that the Think Tank has removed and subsequently lost the Courier's brain, the Courier aids the Think Tank scientists in fighting Dr. Mobius, the rogue scientist currently in possession of their missing brain. Exploring the Big MT facility, the Courier rediscovers lost technology and fights off Lobotomites, Robo-Scorpions, and more. Really fun characters, though a few plot points aged really poorly. So be careful of that.

Lonesome Road

Lonesome Road brings the Courier's story full circle when they are contacted by the original "Courier Six," a man by the name of Ulysses, a former frumentarius of Caesar who refused to deliver the platinum chip at the start of the main storyline in New Vegas. In his transmission, Ulysses promises the answer as to why, but only if the Courier takes one last job; a job that leads them into the great depths of the Divide, a landscape torn apart by frequent earthquakes and violent storms. This is the fabled location of the battle between the Courier and Ulysses. The road to the Divide is a long and treacherous one, and of the few brave enough to walk it, none have ever returned. Another fun fact, Ulysses drops so much lore and commentary that a third of the game had to be cut just to fit his text files in!!

[littlesislovesyou]

That's good to hear...and would me boldly groping and holding you close to me in public turned that good into a great? ; p but you're right it is a shame...I'll find the right mall next time though promise~ 🤭🔪 And yeah I feel you on that. That's pretty much how I was when we met via asks and the only breaks I got were literally when my brain and body refused to rest and work lunch breaks. But otherwise my energy could not be lower lmaoooo I fear we're running on horny adrenaline fumes when we tease each other and we'll just end up cuddling up together and having you cockwarm me while we watch something together...but I'm sorry to hear you're exhausted and I'm sure work didn't help 😭 wish we could get more free time so we can relax more often and we can maybe talk more that way too <3333 And I get ya days off help but energy's not been able to recharge with just that...awww that's so sweet hun! I've been thinking about you throughout my work time as well 💗💗💗💗

I wonder what you were thinking about me though...and oooh I wondered why the name of band sounded so familiar lmaooooo after my cousin was born and I'd spent my free time from school to babysit and spend time with him. He'd have that music constantly playing...I think when he grew older he never forgot a specific song that looped all the time and is still in my head to this day lol think it was called stressed out or that was the lyric I remember outside of wishing we can turn back time! And hey nothing with what you like. Emo teen phase or no. Sometimes you can't help when something is good or when you just can't get enough of it lol I hope you enjoy it! Do tell me about it 🖤

Yeah I can't control it rn unfortunately but I'll have to with micro managing class work and normal work ontop of getting time to destress and relax XD ty though I appreciate that and I'm glad that makes you happy. You just generally brighten up my day when we get to talk. Whether we're teasing each other or just talking about whatever comes to mind! <3333

I'm happy to hear that and I enjoy your company more~ 💕

Wouldn't have it any other way either sweet girl 💗

Yeah well the weird emo teen phase as you'd call it is definitely something that I constantly run into when YouTube recommends me music mixed with old classic music from my family lol

I don't keep up with celebrity music and rap constantly or at all though. Not really alot of time to go searching for music of interest...I just kinda let YouTube hit me with em randomly and I check them out of curiosity.

I remembered skillet and thousand year door recently so that's fun LMAOOO

Nothing special though we all like what we what right? And that's all that matters 😅 not gonna judge other people for what they're into or what music they like when my brain exists lol

You know I am very curious to see if you accidentally forget to turn anon on accidentally;) I wouldn’t even post it though unless you’d want me too but I know it happens and I am just curious!! Hhh 🥺 sorry I’ve been smoking a little tonight or well honestly a lot but idk if I’m making sense hhh 🖤🖤

You know I’m really glad we can talk as well<3 I really enjoy your company!

I hope your day was well though at least, and I hope you rest well tonight💕 sending you good vibes my lovely stalker mutual ~ ! 🥺 hehe

You know I totally understand, if I’m not home I’m probably at work and if I’m at work I probably don’t stop if only for a little while so my energy is always just gone anymore, i mean you already know I will consistently fr read your asks you send and watch out for them all the time<3 as soon as I see you’ve sent one I read it like hhhh you definitely have me addicted and obsessed with you 🖤🖤

And hey I mean I’ve found a lot of my music through just letting YouTube play it comes in handy!

I love music, there’s really just some beautiful songs out there and just talented people it’s crazy hhh

;’( hhh I probably sound like a dumb bimbo half the time on these, I mean not that I don’t like that, but I don’t know, I mean I know I do heh, your dumb bimbo of course<3333

I appreciate you though understanding and just again for checking in on me💗 I appreciate that a lot

[asylumseriesdaily]

Mod intro! Wahoo!

Introduction

hey it's me Jasper T. Jowls (that's not my name that's a Chuck E Cheese character, but you can call me that if you want) here because I needed something to do. You can, like, send me asks if you want, but if they're not super related to this blog I'm gonna point you at my main blog. If you must refer to me, use whatever name you want and he/him pronouns. My blog name or Jasper are good options because I'm not big on sharing my name online. You can also give me dumbass nicknames. I get the feeling I might become known as the guy who wants to smooch Micah from Madeleine Roux's Asylum. I'm a minor so be normal.

I'm super interested in hearing what y'all have to say! I want you to experience this with me! I'm gonna work on finding some free PDFs of these books to share the love!

If you're interested, here's my main blog: @jaspertjunk

Aaand if you want to support me in my endeavors, the blog for a project I'm currently working on: @gleamintomurk

What is this blog?

Primarily, this blog is me liveblogging my reread of the Asylum Series by Madeline Roux. I'm hoping to post one chapter a day, and each chapter's liveblog is going to one uninterrupted post. You can read about why I'm doing this here.

To make it not just one long block of text, and make it easier and more fun to read, I'm going to play around with formatting a lot. If anyone has any ideas on a more accessible way to do this, please reach out to me.

My liveposts are going to be a combination of good old fashioned Tumblr liveposting, analysis and essay-ish content, a few memes and things I'm reminded of, and a generous helping of quotes.

I will also post and reblog a lot of other Asylum related content, like memes, as well as some longer and more well thought out essays and other analysis content. I'm gonna drain those books for meaning.

What exactly are you reading?

The main trilogy of the Asylum series by Madeleine Roux. If I can get my hands on some of the others, I'll read those too, but I'm working with what I have.

Actually you're wrong about these books

This is what I want to hear. This is not gonna be an anti-haters thing. Far as I can tell, I'm the only person really talking about these books much, let alone analyzing them. Probably because they're barely above the scholastic horrors you got at 5th grade book fair. This means my word is god, but I actually do not want that. I am begging you to disagree. I am begging you to debate me. I am begging you to correct me or elaborate on things I say. As long as you're respectful, I will listen to and engage with you! Please! Also, I'm new to looking at books beyond the surface level, so I'm bound to be wrong a lot! Please I wanna hear your opinions

Will you liveblog-

No. Unless it's a short story or I've specifically asked for more content. I am, however, always open to new things to read or watch on my own time. You're also free to ask me for recommendations. I'm actually not a huge horror guy, but I do have some favorites.

Can I...?

Send you asks? YES! About literally anything, though I do ask you to question if it would make more sense to ask my main blog.

Tag me in posts? YES! If they're relevant to this blog in some way (literally anything about this book series).

Make my own blog/do my own liveread/write analysis inspired by this blog? PLEASE GOD DO! About these books or literally anything else! If I somehow inspire you to make content about these books, great! If I somehow inspire you to make content about something you love, even better! I do ask that you credit me if you're using a lot of my arguments in your own analysis, and if I do somehow inspire you to do something like this I'd love to know, but you absolutely do not need my permission.

Do you hate these books?

*White knuckling the bathroom sink, dripping blood* I am having a wonderful time :)

Tagging system

(no I do not)

Warning!

Obviously, lots of spoilers. Some sensitive topics too, though I'll try to tag 'em. These are horror novels, even if they ain't that scary.

#not liveblogging - not my actual liveblogs

#liveblogging - actual liveblogs

#not asylum - not related to the books

#reblogs - reblogs

#modposting - content I post other than liveblogs

#modscreaming - analysis I post other than liveblogs

#asks - asks

Each liveblog will also be tagged with the name and chapter

[mogai-headcanons]

[if alt text is not accessible for you, every image in this post is a thin teal line divider.]

welcome to my blog!

i'm dexter, and you can find more information about me here. i'm 23 and i mainly use he/him, ey/em, and it/its pronouns, but any other pronouns that are not she or they are good too!

i also run @neopronouns, a mogai/liom term/flag request blog, and @neopornouns, an 18+ mogai/liom term/flag request blog, and my main blog is @pierz.

please read my dni before following me and read my general rules and blog rules before requesting!

my requests are currently open for stuff from my whitelist and here is every request currently in my inbox. my queue currently posts 1 time daily at noon cst.

here's a quick list of frequently asked questions — i recommend you look through this before asking me a question, since i get a lot of asks and may ignore yours if it's answered here!

q: what program do you use to make your edits and how? a: i use gimp on desktop! here's a basic flag splicing tutorial for multi-flag icons and a video of my edit-making process (though it's only the main gimp screen, not the menus i'm using)

q: what's your header/icon? a: my header is a compilation of edits from over the course of my blog and my icon is sunburst from 'my little pony: friendship is magic' over the excemelle flag!

q: are you alright with requests involving [insert media]? a: if it's not in my general rules linked above, probably yes! if you're concerned for a specific reason (source content, shitty creator, etc.) please let me know in your ask; i don't know what's problematic about every piece of media!

q: how many characters can i send in one request? how many terms? a: as many as you want, within reason! i’ve currently managed to fit 95 characters into one post and 245 flags into one icon, and though i do like a challenge, i’d prefer that no individual icon in a request have more than 200ish flags and that you stick to 50ish characters! those are flexible numbers though.

q: i don't see my request in the inbox! can i resend it? a: yes! just resend it and let me know that you sent it previously while requests were open.

q: i forgot something in my request, want to add extra details, want to change certain details, or want to remove certain details! a: send me an ask letting me know what request is yours and what you want changed and i'll do that!

q: can you tag [insert thing]? a: yes, i'll try my hardest to remember?

q: can i use one of your edits somewhere? a: yes, and i would strongly prefer if you credit me somewhere if you do.

q: are you alright with spam likes/reblogs? a: yes, and i appreciate your support and enthusiasm!

q: [insert headcanon] that you posted goes against a canon identity! a: thank you for letting me know! i don’t want to post things that erase already existing representation. i may ask for sources to verify if i can’t find some on my own.

q: [insert headcanon] goes against [insert thing in your rules]! a: again, thank you for letting me know! i don’t always know the sources i get requests for and tend to assume that people won’t send in things that go against the rules, so i don’t usually check.

q: can i submit art for you to use for [source without canon art]? a: yes! i’m happy to use your own art or art from an artist who is alright with their work being used with credit (including picrews). a2: this also applies to the adventure zone (since i only don’t do requests for it due to problematic canon art), aus (such as homestuck bloodswaps, etc), and similar situations!

q: [insert nice thing] a: i cherish you so much and your ask probably will sit in my inbox forever along with all the other incredibly sweet asks i've received over the course of this blog!

q: [discourse] a: please Do Not.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hello! So, on one of your posts a while back, you talked a bunch about Welsh breakfast foods, and I was super intrigued by the description of Glamorgan sausage, and ended up making some with my mother on a time I visisted just recently. We had to use a cheese that wasn't Glamorgan, because my mother is lactose intolerant, but nonetheless it was probably the best tasting food I have ever consumed in my life. Do you have any other recommendations for vegetarian Welsh food that's makeable by people not in Wales?

I also just wanted to send this ask because if it means one more person hears about Glamorgan sausage and tries it, there's more good in this world

I am DELIGHTED you enjoyed! I fucking love a good Glamorgan sausage. Well done on making them lacto-friendly, too.

Of course, you're giving me an impossible challenge here, because really what you need is Welsh recipes with neither meat nor dairy, and Wales loves cheese in a deep and fervent and cultural way which I talked about a bit here. Welsh food staples are cheese, bacon, lamb and fish. But, given that you successfully managed to create a dairy free Glamorgan sausage, something I wouldn't have thought possible given that it is, in fact, a cheese sausage, then I'm going to give you some veggie ones and have faith in your lactose intolerant kitchen wizardry to make the necessary changes.

Right! Okay, let's see

Miser's Feast

From Carmarthenshire. Traditionally you'd put bacon in but it's real good even without. You will need:

About 2 tbsp butter

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 thinly sliced onions, slice em up real good

About 2lbs potatoes. Slice them thinly, like coins

A pint of vegetable stock

Ground black pepper

Parsley

Get a big casserole dish, like a Le Creuset type situation. Fry off the onions in the butter, mince the garlic and do the same. Add the potatoes and the stock and the black pepper, bring it to the boil, cover it, and shove it in an oven on about 190*C for 30-40 minutes. And then (important bit) you take the lid off, turn the oven up to 220, and leave for another 15-20 minutes. This makes the top go crispy and delicious and it's SO GOOd. Season with parsley, eat it all.

For a similar-but-different alternative, there's onion cake.

Cheese Pudding

You know, like, bread and butter pudding? Imagine that but SAVOURY and SMOOTHER (whoa, so amazing...)

8oz grated cheddar

4oz breadcrumbs

1 pint milk

3 tbsp butter

3 eggs, beat the shit out of them

1 tsp mustard, I favour Dijon (and often do 2 tsp)

Salt and black pepper

A souffle-type dish is best but like. Anything bowl-like that can go in the oven is basically the aim. Grease it up. Anyway, mix three quarters of the cheese up with the breadcrumbs and then ignore it while you do the rest. Put the remaining ingrediences into a pan. Heat and stir until the butter has just melted but NO LONGER because if it gets too hot, the eggs will begin to set. Stir into your cheese&breadcrumbs. Put in the souffle dish, scatter the remaining cheese over the top and bake for 30 minutes at 200 or until you stab it with a knife and the knife comes out clean.

It goes really nice with salad or green vegetables, like broccoli (u go u little tasty trees)

Welsh Rarebit

My recipes are here for rarebit

If you have anything like a bakestone, get back in touch and I'll give you my Welshcake recipe too.

[criitterbug]

Hey question! Do you have any hlvrai fanfic recommendations? I've been starved of fanfics for so long because I read a bunch of em but I'm too afraid to search the ao3 tags to find more and I didn't know if you've read some that I haven't yet! (I'll trade you good ones I read a long time ago that you probably haven't seen (ill just give them too you if you want, no tradesies))

OH MY GOD YES I HAVE SO MANY!!! i don't know your specific tastes so i'll just put my favorites under the cut (do note, most of my favorites are shockingly long, but i'll sprinkle in a few shorter ones) this is future miles from after i typed out the whole thing: holy hell i am so sorry this is a really long fic rec list and it's not even all of the stuff i wanna add in here HAHAHA

make sure to scroll to the end!! my personal favorite is the very last one :]

play again? is 100k words, and it's set in a "hlvrai is a video game" universe!! basically years after gordon pretty much ditches the game, joshua freeman finds it and ends up making his dad grow like a million more grey hairs. it's mostly a gen fic! catch my footing while i follow yours is 10k words, and it's sodashipping centric!! the coolattas are aliens, and darnold's trying to keep his mixology department afloat, so he goes to have a very important meeting with mr. coolatta to present his latest potion!! i don't think falling in love with tommy was on his list of things to do.... after the storm is 6k words! after the rescas, everyone seems to be moving on just fine, and gordon's scared and confused why the aftermath doesn't seem to be affecting anyone as bad as it's affecting him. passport guardian angel is 118k words, and although it's still unfinished and i prefer finished fics, i liked it so much that i think it's worth the read!! when the science team finds themselves wanted by the us military, they all seek refuge in gordon's family's lake house, but what the military has in store is something far beyond their expectations. i see la vie en rose is 27k words and sodashipping centric! tommy thought that dating as an ancient god was pretty much out of the question; then he meets darnold, who throws that belief far away until he can't even see it anymore. on the back of ouroboros is 46k words. it's a bad end for the hlvrai au gordonradiotv! it's a series about what happens if gordon had died back then? i do suggest you check out gordonradiotv before you read this one though! activating co-op is 16k words! it's a post-canon au for mothra's roleswap au, where gordon somehow navigates his way out of his computer and finds out that benrey isn't really the guy who defeated him back at xen. fun shenanigans ensue, as well as clueless alien romance. mr. reality is 35k words, where tommy replaces benrey as the missing link, or the final boss battle, and it displays just how much the science team cares for their soda-loving friend. simulacrum is 19k words, where post-canon, gordon thinks he's finally free from the game's influence, and lets himself relax, even if for a little bit. turns out, it's a little bit harder to escape something that's made up pretty much your whole world. good things is 8k words, boomer centric, which goes into detail about how coomer met bubby in his tube for the first time, and the aftermath that follows. the heart is hard to translate is 36k words, frenrey centric. one day, benrey shows up at gordon's door and passes out which, understandably, sends the latter into a panic. things get a bit more complicated from there. like father, like son is 33k words, another one about joshua! joshua lives a normal life as a 15 year old, and sure, his dad has a good handful of traumas and fears, but they love each other all the same. things get a bit confusing when he has dreams though, with his only company being a man in a suit. carrot soup is 45k words and frenrey centric! god, this one's one of my favorite frenrey series. gordon and benrey are roommates, and gordon tells tommy that he wants to learn more about sweet voice. things get much more sweet from then on, that's for sure. hot dilfs in your area (not clickbait!!1!) is 15k words, frenrey centric! it's an apartment neighbors au where benrey lives with tommy, and there's a new guy who lives next door! a professor at a university, benrey hears. turns out academics can be cute, too, and he is wholly unprepared for this realization. a starry brush of venetian blue is 19k words and frenrey centric again! after black mesa, joshua suggests that gordon take up art as a profession. joshua wonders sometimes if he could make gordon happy by finding the security guard he keeps drawing. at least you're real to me is 359k words, and GOD, it's probably my favorite hlvrai fanfic series ever. literally no doubt in my mind. reality is a difficult thing for the science team, what with everything that happened in the game; but are they truly safe after the game? it starts off with a long boomer prologue and continues with and a wonderful story plot. it's the best.

[goodbysunball]

Bring it on home

Comparatively easy listening from the set of records showcased this time around, but there's a world of grief settin' your jaw to grind. You deserve a neck massage and a cocktail; lean into these after you put your misery rectangle aside for a spell.

Astute Palate, s/t (Petty Bunco)

Emily Robb, David Nance, Daniel Provenzano, and Richie Charles got together and hammered out this LP during "48 sleepless hours" in Philadelphia. It's definitely a fairly rough documentation, but if you know the players, that's generally what you'd be gettin' into with 'em anyway. Gotta admit that I'm not a huge fan of what I've heard by David Nance - respect his hustle, though - and the same goes for the tracks he leads here; in particular, the studied classic rock caterwaul employed on "Stall Out" basically rolls my eyes for me. I am, however, fond of David Nance the Guitarist and his heroics on "Stall Out," and "A Little Proof" definitely has me more curious about his recent solo work I've skipped. These are pithy grievances, though: the album rules, as a whole, but it's just hard to stomach some of Nance's lyrics when they're side-by-side with bonafide jammers like "Bring It On Home" and "Treadin' Schuylkill." "Bring It On Home," in particular, with its Velvets-inspired chug and Robb's bleary vocals coolly beckoning you to do as the title says, heats to a boil with the blustery, fried guitar interplay. For me it wipes the floor with anything else on the album, and pretty much anything else I'll hear this year, so let's put all my petty complaints aside and declare this the Summer of Astute Palate, OK? Looks like the secret's out - the LP's sold out from the source, but can be found hiding in various distros and shops. Hunt it down, crack a tallboy, and embrace the sweltering heat of our melting planet with Astute Palate.

Maraudeur, Puissance 4 (self-released)

New and best LP yet from Leipzig's Maraudeur, self-released with some of the best packaging/artwork I've seen in a minute. My memory's usually a bit faulty, but I recall the band being a three-piece on their last, still very good LP from Bruit Direct Disques. I'm inclined to think that the group's ranks have swelled to five anyway, since the sound here is a bit more bright and full, lots of different moving parts zipping and moving around, giving the crisp recording some effervescence. Compared to older songs like "Computer Dreams," Maraudeur sounds sharper, capable of backing up any threats rather than coming across as deflated and listless. Even the slower songs on Puissance 4, such as "Slow Dress," thrive on tension, guitar strings set to snap amidst the robotic/hypnotic vocals. The band seems to have located a sweet spot between the simmering minimalism of Household and the technologically damaged vision of Chrome, and "TWYWYS" basically sounds like a collaboration between the two groups. Guitars are used as window dressing, favoring instead synths and showcasing the chops of the rhythm section. "Face/Figure" and my favorite track "C'est Caché" are the best examples of Maraudeur's rhythmic foundation, but nearly every track causes inadvertent head bobbing. While accessible and familiar on the surface, Maraudeur's dry humor, the carefully camouflaged layers of sound, and whatever is going on in "I Am Here" keep boilerplate post-punk comparisons at bay. Puissance 4 is a refreshing, addictive brew from the not-too distant future, and probably a blast to experience live.

Astrid Øster Mortensen, Gro Mig En Blomst (Förlag För Fri Musik)

New Gothenburg talent alert! Mortensen is apparently a newcomer to the scene, and her debut LP fits in nicely amongst the Förlag För Fri Musik discography. Gro Mig En Blomst features lonely and debased late-night solo explorations with guitar, piano and what sounds like an accordion, accented by electronic manipulations and the found sound that accompanies most FFFM records. It's dreary and stark, and can quickly bring the mood down when it's on. For me the most obvious reference point is Grouper's Ruins, in that both are recordings so intimate that it feels like an interruption to move while it's on. But I also get bits of Picastro's Whore Luck ("Hvor Kommer Mørket Fra?" sounds like it was plucked directly from that album), and there are similarities to Chloe Alison Escott's solo work, on the title track and "Piano i" and "Piano ii." Gro Mig En Blomst is a far cry from more traditional singer-songwriter music, dabbling in Stars of the Lid-like drone on "Brud ii" and jumping into the "Is there a record on or...?" genre on "Solen Er Et Lille Hus" and "Brud i." I can't say I go out looking for records this fragile and surface-level bleak anymore, but Mortensen's work is more often beautiful and calming than hopelessly gray. Another keeper from FFFM, sure to be one of the most sought-after records from the label, and for good reason.

Nightshift, Zöe (Trouble In Mind)

Travel back in time with me, if you will, to a time when "indie rock" was a genre label that had some meaning. After getting rid of the bad taste in my mouth and shaking off the embarrassment at who I was when I largely listened to stuff that'd broadly fall under that label, I'll allow that Nightshift is making a strong argument for some of the music released during the comparative naiveté of the late '00s/early '10s. Across Zöe, you get shades of Broadcast, Lower Dens' Twin-Hand Movement, the UV Race ("Spray Paint the Bridge"), Belle & Sebastian and A Sunny Day In Glasgow ("Power Cut" and "Romantic Mud"). The trick to Zöe is that it folds all these reference points in neatly and places it on a sturdy percussive base. I won't argue that every song here is memorable, but they're all enjoyable, and the songs that hit - "Outta Space," the title track, "Infinity Winner" - send chills down my spine every time. Guitars are plucked and scraped for leading beats, accentuating shuffling drums and giving the bass the spotlight. The vocals are dreamy and lyrics direct, and for the duration of Zöe you're relieved of the pessimistic present and allowed to rigidly dance to Nightshift's hesitant groove. They've charmed their way through my cynicism, and Zöe's been on heavy rotation despite my reluctance. Take it for a spin, and fall under Nightshift's spell.

Hugo Randulv, Radio Arktis: Samlade Ljud Från Den Norra Polcirkeln (Förlag För Fri Musik)

First solo LP from Hugo Randulv, an active presence in the Gothenburg scene with his involvement in Enhet För Fri Musik, Skiftande Enheter and Amateur Hour, among others. Though typically a guitarist, on Radio Arktis, he drops the guitar and instead fills both sides with glacial synths and dusty samples. The label's original write-up for this record called it "grand ambient," though to me it sounds and feels much more personal than something that would soundtrack the Olympics. His use of samples, most notably on "Radio Reykjavik," sounds intimately tied with some fleeting memory, the music serving to enhance or exorcise the feeling tied to it all. It reminds me most of the Fun Years' "God Was Like, No" in that both records used the tools common to ambient/drone music but applied a much more personal touch, that certain nameless attribute that keeps drawing a listener back in. Can't put my finger on it, but both records just sound like they had to be made, rather than serving as a genre exercise or one-off exploration. I don't know that Radio Arktis is going to change anyone's life, but it could, and I've been hypnotized by its wordless, sparkling gray tones for weeks. Even though the "solo musician embraces synths" thing is usually pretty tired and pointless, Hugo Randulv's contribution shows why it's an alluring proposition at all.

Sunhiilow, Beyond the Cycle (Ikuisuus)

More solo synth, this time coming from Valerie Magisson and her Moog Mother-32. Magisson's Sunhiilow project veers into new age/ambient with its bite-sized kosmische explorations. There's something about the combination of the short length of these tracks and the sense of movement present within each that allows Beyond the Cycle to transcend the lifeless drivel that's usually tagged "new age" and "synth." It seems intentional that Magisson was trying to capture the mood of each track title in its corresponding music, and she is largely successful, though its unclear if the title provided direction or was applied afterward. The somewhat jarring introduction of "Wilderness Bloom" and the stoned growth of "Circle Motion" are my top picks, but the album works best as a whole and played very loudly, the overall effect immersing the listener into heady zones traversed by the Nightcrawlers. Leave it to Ikuisuus to release an "ethereal ambient music" record that satisfies, and sounds and looks great to boot. Sunhiilow's a lot more tame than most of what Ikuisuus releases, but it's an accessible, recommended starting point to one of the best active labels. HOWDY.

[skyecrandall]

Playlist Time!

Just sharing a little playlist. So many amazong songs came out today so imma definitely share em and others based on my mood!

First up...

1) September Fades - Ralph

Since September is nearly at its last breath, i guess it is now time to rock this song more!

2) Leave, But Don't Go - Violet Days

Came out today! And it ia such a jam tbh. Violet days are one of my favourite artists and each song they keep dropping sounds better than the last. I stan them so fucking hard!

3) Rise - Mako, The Glitch Mob, The World Alive

I don't really care about League Of Legends tbh. What I care is that one of my fav bands is featuring on it ! (Mako, I love them so fucking much!) What is even more amazing is that Mako contributed in the 2017 song with the lyrics and also featured in the remix! And now they come again for the 2018 version. Im so proud of Mako tbh. That song rocks and I think it will fit right in your alley @alanakusumastan

4) Gimme - Ralph (No youtube link since it just came out)

Yes i know ralph already featured in this playlist but she deserves it tbh. Today she released the album of the year and this is my favourite song of it. It is about havong a sugar daddy. The song also perfectly reflecrs the whole album! It is fun, glamour and retro yet timeless. It makes you feel like a diva yet want to jump from bed and start dancing sillyly. I love this girl.

5) Head Above The Water - Avril Lavigne

I have always wanted to get into Avril bit never got the time before. Since she is making her comeback.i decided to give a listen and oh wow I have really missed a lot. She is amazing but her comeback song is just soooo goood! Also congratulations to her for having been able to fight off the lyme disease!.

6) Kool Aid - Katelyn Tarver

Katelyn Tarver has been someone who ive been trying to get hold of whether i love her or not? And after this song i was sold on her. This song is so chill, yet fun. Gives me Ralph vibes à la Tease or Cereal.

7) Small Victory - Transviolet

I won't recommend listening the song. Instead i would recommend watching the video (click the song name) ! It is so fun and so full of positivity and the song is also so great tbh. Plus i also got an amazing gif from it. I'll only send it to people who dm me. Only @wlwkateomalley knows about that amazing gif tbh.

8) Perspective - Maty Noyes, Hazers

Maty's Ep has been out since a while and it is Amazing. With New Friends, Pornstar and this song as stand outs! Perspective is just so good! And those verses! It is not normal for me to like verses like this one's so much . She outdid herself!

9) P.A.T.T - Against The Current

They also released their album today and its great. Perhaps not as mindblowomg as their first album ( it was my favourite album of 2016) but this is also well done. I don't really see any big standouts so imma post this one simply because of this part of the lyrics " If love is blind, why do we got to be pretty all the time!" . Also P.A.T.T probably stands for Pretty All The Time.

10) Stronger - The Score

I was originally going to put another Ralph song but i decided to give credit to this instead. I'll be honest, after Glory, I was a bit scared for their future as their songs started feeling formulaic, samey and rinse and repeat. But i think they noticed it too and dished out amazing song that gets you pumped up amazingly! Great job! I'm also sure you'll like this one @alanakusumastan

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As you see the song are mostly fun and positiveness and energetic! Thats because summer is coming here and I'm full of positivity right now for once!

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Imma tag @kadencantarella since we have similar music taste and @lovethemarshalltwins since Sam is the only member of the Neutral Squad that wasn't tagged it 😂

[caspianxth]

hi em! again sorry abt the delay in asks haha hopefully i'll be able to send them consistently up til christmas though!! only a couple days left!! i read comics for a bit a year or two ago but kind of fell off haha. i read a couple batman stories and enjoyed them well enough, i just got a little distracted after a while and dropped it, do you have any recs? also great taylor lyric choices, she really is the greatest so i understand it's hard to pick!! also i've gotten many friends into her by sheer persistence so it can be done!! just keep being annoying!! some more random qs: what's your favorite color? favorite book? -🍒

hello!!! it's ok!!! I hope that things are calmer and that you can truly enjoy the holiday season!! I was way better at reading comic books in high school but I kinda fell off it too. but there's a couple I want to get like dark knights of steel, it's the dc heroes but in medieval times! seems fun! I haven't read it yet so I can't say for sure if it is but nico showed me smth from it and 👀. I also want to start reading the new wonder girl and wonder woman, yara flor and nubia seem fun too. I would say my biggest recommendations would be: batman hush (batman, 2 volumes) and blackest night (green lantern, 1 volume but like, all the justice league heroes of that time are in it). I didn't like brightest day as much (the epilogue to blackest night). also if paul dini wrote smth I am generally interested, he wrote my favorite episode of batman the animated series (heart of ice) with mr. freeze that I think about a lot. he had so much depth for a villain on a 22 minute show and batman beat him with a thermos of soup. I also liked the new 52 runs of the flash, green arrow, and wonder woman, but I only got to volume like 6 or 7 for them. as u can likely tell it's been a while since I got any bc new 52 was like 2011-2016 sjgjsldjgskakfjsxk

favorite color: tie between pastel pink, lavender, and pastel blue. pastel bi flag essentially!!

favorite book: you'll never believe what happened to lacey. I love amber ruffin she's so funny so I was so interested in reading her book and some of the shit that happened to her sister is absolutely *disgusting* and fucked up but she and her sister really are so funny in recounting it.

tbh I don't read a ton anymore because I like to write (mostly fanfics) in my free time (I probably have a modest 15 different works in progress, most all are titans fics, a couple works are original stories tho) so I mostly reread what I write bc I'm continually editing and reworking things. my longest work rn is a titans fic that has 24,341 words in the 'main' story then there's one part that I'm reworking that only has 2290 words bc it's being redone and has to get put back into the main story, then I have a big work of 'this will go somewhere in the main story idk where yet but I had this idea' doc that has 13,923 words so total my biggest work has 40,554 words as of today! I don't post my writings anywhere at least rn I don't, I mostly just do them for my own entertainment. mayhaps when I know who u are I can send u a part on discord if u wanted to read it (don't feel obligated btw, like only two people have laid eyes on a single part of a fic I've written, I really just do them for me. also dw there's nothing nsfw in anything I write bc I am not good at writing that stuff so I don't). I struggle with like, descriptions of shit so I want to work on that, a lot of my works are dialogue based esp with fanfic so that's a goal with my writing. I don't wanna drone on for pages like f. scott fitzgerald but a little more description would help things prolly. I say as I drone on for this ask lmaooo