#It's that weirdly surreal background music

[michaelwavemichaelwave]

Freeze frame on Adam and Michael falling into the pit in Stull Cemetery as “Once in a Lifetime” plays in the background

[llycaons]

ep25 (pt 4): ships nearly passing in the night

GODD THIS SCENE IS SO FUCKING HAUNTING. the music is gorgeous, the cinematography dreamlike and surreal and symmetrical, the acting deliberate and impactful

I like that it doesn't rely on shock value for the power of this scene. there's wen qing, and there's wwx. and their courses may or may not collide. they're both wandering. wwx is drinking heavily, unwilling to play nice at the banquet and probably feeling a little abandoned by jyl. wq is bereft, hungry and alone and desperate to find her brother and utterly without hope

shots from each character's position. the audience can see the other in the distance, but they don't see each other.

I LOVE this shot. absolutely stunning and says so much. though the market is crowded with people, these are the only two that matter. will their paths cross?

wq coughs, too focused on the ground beneath her feet to notice the eye-catching and distinctive cultivator she knows so well. there's a barrier between them. wwx doesn't see wen qing's face, only the back of her hood

she's shoved down, he turns. she looks up, they see each other, allies in another life. they stare at one another for a long, long moment

they are the only two in the entire market

and just like that, everything changes

this would have been a killer romantic scene, but I absolutely adore it for what it is instead

AND AS IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH. we end on another classic line

lwj has been weirdly distant and passive this entire episode. there are so many other characters in this episode that he did get pushed to the side, but even at the target practice he was unmoved

YEAH YOU DO

I didn't think much of this line on my first watch, because...yeah, lxc was probably right. but if you read the novel it then becomes a whole thing bc lwj DOES bring wwx-as-mxy back to CR against his will and keeps him there so there's this whole debate about lwj's 'darker urges' and whatnot that I personally find very silly? he definitely has a protective streak, and maybe even a little possessiveness, but he's never violated wwx's autonomy in cql, even when wwx was killing himself, and I never thought he ever would. or even could, actually

my preferred interpretation was that it was one of the only ways he could see to protect someone he cared about (didn't have many other role models), but he never would have acted without wwx's permission and he also felt a lot of guilt about it given his father's crimes. and you can see how he lets wwx go at the very end as well because he's not the kind of person his father was. it seems pretty mild to me, on the whole

like I see the appeal in making him a more flawed character and giving him more to overcome but I think his flaws are enough as is and fit the story perfectly already, and in cql I just don't see the evidence for him having such a powerful need to dominate or possess wwx to keep him safe. but you see a lot of meta where his desire to protect gets really tortuous and dramatic and I just don't think it's that deep.

personal highlights: WHERE TO START. this episode was THRILLING

wwx waving to jyl with his flute to make her laugh. always makes me smile

sexy sexy blindfolded archery scene

wwx remembering lxc's words and turning away but lwj leaving the narrow, straight path and coming to meet him anyway

I WILL RISE UNPARALLELED AND LEAVE YOU ALL STARING AT ME FROM BEHIND

jyl tearing jin xizun a new one and wwx crying in the background

A-XIAN IS MY DIDI

jzx's awkward confession and then flight from the clearing

the GORGEOUS gorgeous reunion scene between wwx and wq

I want to take a man to cloud recess...take him there and hide him

[frenchfrywrites]

Cam Boy Mammon

MINORS DNI

Warnings: reader uses he/him pronouns and is amab, cam boy mammon, you’re dense as hell, masturbation, toys (anal beads, squirting dildo), voyeurism, exhibitionism, overstimulation, edging, guilt

This fic is for the obey me male reader collab! Go check out the other submissions @obeyme-male💖

It’s a complete accident. Until this moment you were completely clueless, so it’s not like you went out looking for him. Honestly, you just happened to be browsing an amateur porn cam site, and all of sudden- Mammon.

It’s definitely him. He’s shirtless, though he's wearing pants, and he has contacts on- making his typically blue eyes a warm brown. Additionally, he’s donned in a white masquerade mask, for the purpose of hiding his identity.

You almost didn’t recognize him at first, and you suppose that’s the point, but you could always tell him apart from the rest. You’ve spent more than enough time taking in every bit of him- every angle, every perfection, every flaw. You know him like you know the back of your hand, like you know your favorite color, or food, or song, and on and on.

So, there’s that, and the fact that he’s in his bedroom. Not like you want to brag but you’ve been there so many times that you can make your way around it in the dark. (You try not to think about the fact that you were there only an hour ago, and were rushed out, evidently so he could do this.)

He is facing his camera away from any identifying features, but still the fact remains that you recognize both him and his room. On an amateur cam site.

You’re a bit dazed from the surrealness of it all.

Maybe you somehow passed out before you could jerk off, and this is some weird wet dream that came about from pathetically masturbating while thinking about Mammon one too many times before.

Dream or not you click on his stream. Of course you do, because he’s not even doing anything raunchy, so you reason that it’s okay now, that you’ll click away when he starts stuff, but for now you’re okay.

“-yeah my week’s been alright, how’s y’alls?” There's some soft background music playing, and he’s talking to his audience in a relaxed manner, like maybe this is a regular thing for him. Even though you just discovered him, by the looks of his camera and mic it seems like he’s been doing this for a while. He probably has a few regulars and everything. You wonder if anyone else has figured out who he is.

You watch his- now brown eyes, scan his screen, seemingly reading people's responses in the chat. Something must catch his attention because he sputters and coughs, backing away from the camera, covering his blushing face.

“Wha- I’m- you guys ’m not gonna talk ab- about my,” his voice lowers to a whisper, “my crush- again!” That gets you subconsciously leaning in, thoroughly intrigued.

It’s news to you that Mammon has a crush on anyone. Which kind of hurts because you thought you were close enough to share that kind of stuff with each other (also because you’re jealous of whoever captured Mammon’s heart, but you push that to the back of your brain). When you open the chat for context, perhaps a name if you’re lucky, all you find is that a majority of the viewers are telling him that his reaction was cute, and that he should talk more about the crush. It appears that he hasn’t said anything identifiable about whoever this person is.

A chime occurs and Mammon squeaks, “ah! Which one of ya paid for me to talk about him! Not fair!!” he whines, shifting around on his bed. “M’kay since y’all are so weirdly interested,” he pauses, tracing a shape mindlessly on his bedsheets, “things ‘re goin’ well. I’ve been ah, takin’ y’all’s advice n’ trying to be nicer to him… and I have a date with him next Saturday!” your eyes widen and you feel your heart stop. Who in the world could this guy be?!

Maybe you have it wrong. Maybe this isn’t even Mammon. That makes more sense considering Mammon is hanging out with you next Saturday. You just got ahead of yourself– maybe projecting (or wishing) it were him. This demon must just be a look-a-like.

A few minutes pass and then- with a larger than life sigh, you conclude that you can’t lie to yourself like this. You know, or at least are very very certain that this is Mammon. And that’s all the more reason to leave.

"Why don't you get off thinkin' about yer crush," Mammon is reading off what someone said in the chat- effectively snapping you out of your spiral. You stare in awe as Mammon begins to pull down his pants, "hm that ain't a bad idea, let's get this show on the road, yeah?" He smirks and you feel your dick twitch with interest.

Mammon takes off his pants slowly, revealing that underneath he’s wearing black lacy panties. The chat goes wild and he snickers at the things people are saying,

"Yeah these're new. I got them thanks to user DomDemon's generous donation last time," he explains, running his hands along his thighs, up to said panties.

You watch as he fondles himself a bit, remembering that you swore to yourself that you would click away once things started.

But you don’t.

You’re fully entranced and so horribly curious. It’s like watching a car crash- except far less morbid and far more horny.

So instead you get comfortable. Your guilty consensus will kick in later, you’re sure of it, but for now you’re just one of his many anonymous fans.

Mammon is pouting now, “aw I wanna get started,” he rubs the outline of his cock over his panties, “but I think I need some donations to motivate me.” A cacophony of chimes occur as his viewers respond accordingly, bringing a smile to Mammon’s face while he watches the grimm roll in.

His fingers play with the hem of his panties, “that’s more like it,” he grins wickedly as he slowly, teasingly pulls them off, his cock slapping against his groin.

You feel yourself salivating at the sight of him and your hand trails down to- no, you're not going to touch yourself, that's a step too far. So instead you grip your thighs, using all your strength to not give in.

Mammon’s dick is pretty. He’s not too big nor thick, but he’s got some piercings, and with a laugh you note that the carpets match the drapes, so to speak. Your laughter dies on your lips, and you catch yourself moaning softly when he pulls down his foreskin to reveal his head.

“What should we do tonight?”

The chat explodes while Mammon strokes himself off slowly. He makes soft hums as he reads the suggestions.

“M’kay, I like the idea of usin’ my beads first, then stuffin’ myself full with my squirtin’ dildo, how’s that sound?”

The chat devolves into various versions of “yes”, with some donations rolling in to show support of the idea- though there are some outliers who have the gall to reject the plan Mammon’s come up with.

“Cool, ‘m gonna go grab those things ‘n then I’ll be back,” he turns off his camera to rush about his room. You’re left with yourself for a moment. Your thoughts run a mile a minute going through the pros and cons of staying.

Then he’s back in front of the camera, grinning wildly as he holds up a string of simple black anal beads, and your brain turns into a horny mushy mess.

The toy in his hand starts small, but the last bead, which has a ring connected to it, is fairly large, maybe a bit smaller than a fist. Mammon also has a simple, though fairly large and thick, squirting dildo, and some lube set on his bed.

“These beads ‘re one of my favorite toys I own,” he tells his viewers, kissing the toy dramatically with a loud “mwah”. He then places them next to the dildo, and reaches for the lube. “Gotta stretch first,” Mammon mumbles, largely to himself though the mic picks it up. He gets into a position on his back, so he can touch himself easily, and so you can get a great view of him.

The straining of your cock against your pants is starting to get wildly uncomfortable. You reason that it’d be okay to take them off, only if you don’t touch yourself. So, while Mammon stretches himself open with three lubed up fingers, you try your best to take off your pants while not giving into the urge to stroke yourself in time to how he fingers himself.

A wave of paranoia makes you turn down the volume a bit as sweet moans begin to leave Mammon’s mouth. Your eyes are glued to the sight before you, he looks so pretty, and the desire to replace his fingers with yours is overwhelming.

The chat is encouraging him, yet gently reminding him that he should not cum from this. Mammon occasionally responds to a message or two- breathless and between moans, but largely he focuses on the task at hand.

“Whaddya think?” he removes his fingers and brings his other hand down to gape his hole for the audience, “am I stretched enough fer ya?” You catch yourself nodding, salivating at his words. Predictably the chat goes wild.

In turn, he giggles, grabbing the beads and lube again. He rambles a bit as he lathers them up, “ugh, I can’t wait to get these inside me, they feel s’good. Stretch me so nice.” He sighs softly, looking at the camera through his white lashes, “what’re you doin’? Are you fistin’ your cock fer me? Maybe yer humpin’ a pillow. Or do ya have a toy too?” he smirks, “ya got a fleshlight that yer pretendin’ is my hole? It’ll never feel as good as I do baby,” he teases.

You grit your teeth because you have nothing. You’re sitting here watching porn in your underwear, refusing to touch yourself so you don’t feel guilty about it later. It feels like some stupid punishment. And, worryingly, it’s starting to get harder to hold yourself to your made up terms and conditions.

Mammon has stopped talking and started moaning. You recenter your attention back to him to see that he’s begun pushing the beads in. He’s got a few in already, they slipped in easily due to how well he stretched himself. Though, they get more difficult to insert as the sizes increase. He pushes them slowly in, one by one, until he reaches the last, largest bead.

“Oh, this one- hah, it’s always the hardest fer me,” he explains. Your eyes are glued to his hole, watching it stretch to fit the bead inside. When it pops in Mammon whines, pre cum leaking from his cock. “Fuck, wow, they’re hah, all in,” he sounds a bit frenzied, his eyes wild as sweat drips down his bare chest.

The chat is flooded with praise for him, donations coming in left and right. Mammon beams, thanking the donors, breathing heavy. “Are ya proud of me?” he asks sweetly, sounding like he’s talking directly to you. You almost forget there’s an audience of others viewing the same sights as you (however what you can’t forget is the burning jealousy that comes with remembering that little fact).

Mammon reaches down to grip the ring connected to the bottom bead. He moves it around to shift the toy around within him. While he plays with the ring a bit his breath quickens and his eyes flutter closed. He looks blissed out, like he may cum soon. A second burst of pre cum leaks from his cock, further signaling he’s close.

A donation comes in, the chime causes Mammon to open his eyes, Mammon whines, “aw, fuck, c’mon,” he huffs, “‘m gonna cum if I, hah pull them out,” his words cause someone to make another donation, “yeah, I know, I won’t cum ‘til I get per- ooh, permission.” Mammon bites his lip, concentrating as he carefully tugs on the ring.

His hole is once again stretched as the beads come out one by one. He doesn’t cum, but you expect he got close with the way pre-cum pools onto his skin. He takes three times as long to take them out than it did for him to put them in. He twitches all over, panting, his brows furrowed as he concentrates on holding off his orgasm. You feel pre begin to stain your underwear.

“Mhmm,” he whines softly as the last bead leaves him. Now empty, his hole flutters around nothing. “Oh-okay next,” he sounds breathless as he gets to his knees, “I’m gonna ride the fuck outta this,” he holds up his dildo proudly, setting the beads elsewhere on the bed.

Mesmerized, you watch him lube it up, and realize how desperately you want his hands around your cock instead. You’re so hard it’s starting to hurt. So you hesitantly palm yourself over your underwear, immediately groaning at the feeling of relief wash over you. It’s like what those closeted guys always say: it’s not gay if you’re wearing socks… it’s not weird to touch yourself to your best friend and crush’s porn if you do it over your underwear, right? Plus, Mammon probably wouldn't want you to die of blue balls anyways.

Speaking of Mammon, he’s on his knees on the bed, hovering over the dildo. He rubs the tip against his hole, “how ‘bout a donation ‘fore I stuff myself full of this?” He sure knows how to work the crowd. Donations come in steady for a minute or two, and meanwhile Mammon teases himself, rocking against the toy. When they taper off he offers a wink then pops the tip in.

Mammon’s head falls back and a loud moan escapes him as he slowly sinks down onto the dildo, his slack jaw causing a bit of drool to escape from his mouth. He huffs and whimpers as he works himself down onto it inch by inch. You stroke yourself through your underwear, only slightly grimacing at the uncomfortable feel of fabric against your skin.

“Fuck, oh it’s filling me up suh-so much nnngh,” he whimpers, his grip tightening where his hands lay on his thighs.

After what feels like forever he reaches the base, jerking his hips up and down a bit to get adjusted to the intrusion. He strokes himself a bit with one hand, “mmm yeah that’s good,” he sounds a bit dazed, “are y’all feelin’ good too?”

You don’t look, too captured by the sight before you, but you know the chat is responding to him. Instead you slip yourself out of your underwear, uncaring of all the rules you’ve made up, too overcome with how horny you are. You stroke yourself in time with the slow pace Mammon’s started with.

“Ah, I’m not gonna last long,” Mammon warns. You feel similar, especially now that you’re touching your dick properly. His hands have returned to his thighs so he can slowly pull himself up and down the dildo, his cock bobbing slightly as he picks up the pace.

“I ah, think ‘m gonna cum suh- oh! Ungh, soon, close, close, close,” he babbles, chasing his orgasm. A chime makes his head snap up, “no, no please” he wails, “fuck, c’mon I’ve been a good boy, huh? Please,” his voice cracks as he continues at the pace he’s at, yet somehow successfully holds himself off. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes, pre drooling like a faucet from his dick at how close he is, “please, ple- ah, please, please,” his begging drives you crazy, and you have to bite your lip to not get carried away and cum prematurely. Another round of donations come in and you gather- as you watch the events following, that they were giving him permission. Mammon reads the screen, then as he slides down the dildo he cums with a gasp. You grab the base of your dick so you can take in his orgasm in full.

Mammon's eyes roll back, his thighs tense, his hands flexing open and closed as his hips jerk up and down erratically. His cum shoots up to paint his brown stomach and chest white. You imagine his hole is clenching around the dildo, trying to keep the plastic cock deep within him.

He winds down slowly, staying seated on the toy as he regains his composure. A series of donations come in, but Mammon seems oblivious to them. He’s pouting now, “fuck, I forgot to use the squirtin’ part of the squirtin’ dildo,” he huffs out a laugh, “oopsies, guess I should do that again.” Your jaw drops as you watch him begin to, very shakily and slowly ride the toy again.

Mammon’s breathing is heavy and labored, whining every once in a while as he works himself up again. “Ah, kinda hurts,” he comments, “feels good though,” he insists, like his dick twitching as it starts to swell again isn’t proof enough.

You watch, amazed and impressed, as Mammon gets himself hard once again in such a short amount of time, and brings himself to the pace he’d established the first time around. Now he holds the pump firmly in his hand, while the other plays with his chest.

“Oh, can’t wait tuh- hah, to be filled with ungh your cum, shit, gonna- ah, have’ta fuck me full’ve yer cum, yeah,” Mammon rambles breathlessly, spewing all sorts of things as he brings himself closer to a second climax. You barely register all the things he’s saying, feeling yourself reach the edge that you’ve been teetering on for so long. He starts begging to cum again and there’s something about how he sounds like he’s talking directly to you that makes you cum. You know you’re going to feel wildly guilty when you’re done so you try to stay in the moment of your climax as long as possible.

You’re nearing the end of your orgasm when Mammon cums for a second time, squealing your name– your name? You’re forcibly brought into post nut clarity upon registering that yeah, Mammon most definitely said your name as he came. You feel all sorts of emotions, unable to process many of them, but mostly you feel wildly caught off guard.

His viewers seem as confused as you are while Mammon comes down from his high, panting and twitching. When he gets back to functioning he reads the chat and flushes, sputtering incomprehensibly,

“Fuck! Shit!! My bad y’all, shit, it’s ‘cause you guys got me talkin’ about him earlier” he whines, “I mean... y’all said to get off thinkin’ ‘bout him, it’s not my fault I followed directions like a good boy.” The tone of the chat shifts to that of teasing and calling him cute while Mammon flushes and squirms. You, on the other hand, feel like your skin has caught aflame.

You’re the one he has a crush on.

The realization hits you like a ton of bricks. You have a crush on him, and he likes you, and you found out about it after watching him pump himself full of faux cum. You’ve found yourself in a very sticky situation. Both literally and figuratively.

You decide– watching Mammon go through aftercare steps, talking aimlessly to his viewers, that you’re going to go take a shower. And after that you’ll figure out how in the hell you’re going to tell him you’re madly in love with him and that you also stumbled upon his cam show. But first, that shower.

[boonesfarmsangria]

Lee Campbell (Under the Radar): Congrats on the new album, Life Is Yours. Did the writing for this project flow quite freely?

Yannis Philippakis: It was quite a singular experience. It was different to any other record, largely because of the external context of COVID and lockdowns. I think musically and instrumentally it was fairly free-flowing. There was a lot of jamming. The three of us had nothing else to do and had nowhere else to be, and didn’t want to be anywhere else. We would spend a lot of time in this practice room and jam. The bit that was more challenging, personally for me, in the initial stages was trying to find the right lyrical approach. I had to change it up a bit, because obviously I’d got used to feeding off an immediate inspiration, some type of charge, stimulation, or when I’m traveling—I write a lot of my lyrics when I’m traveling. I also like to write outside and observe people, observe situations. I didn’t have any of that. It forced my hand to make some imaginative leaps. That’s why there’s songs like “2001” or “Crest of the Wave.” They are fantastical and nostalgic in a way that had the access of the planet not stopped, I don’t think it would have been written in that way.

You are speaking with Under the Radar magazine today Yannis and I couldn’t go without asking about your song on the album, amazingly also called “Under the Radar.” What was the background vision or energy on that song?

Quite surreal. When I think of the song, I think of Devo and the Pixies. In a way that both of them had this retro view of the future or sci-fi. Frank Black will sing about space and aliens. [Laughs] It’s probably the hardest one to un-pick. I didn’t want to force it into being too literal a narrative. I just liked that it had these strange, fragmented images. Essentially, it’s someone alone at night being lit up by their phone glow. There was a period where we thought we were gonna get beamed up to a spaceship, traveling across distant galaxies. Now, we just sit and the light that is emerging from our rooms at night-time, is coming from this tiny little black soul-sucker! I was riffing off that thought.

One of my favorite tracks is “Flutter.” I was getting Stone Roses flashbacks listening to it, believe it or not. Were there any particular moods or inspirations behind that song?

Oh cool, it’s one of my favorites too. I listen to a lot of West African music from the Sahara. I’m quite into it. It wasn’t a pre-written song as such. It came together very quickly one afternoon, at the end of working on something else. We had finished another job for the day, I don’t remember what it was specifically. I was just looping it, and often when I’m working with loops they lead you down these slightly more interesting angles. Jack [Bevan] knocked out this kinda lazy beat. We purposefully left it to be this slower, more hypnotic groove. We didn’t wanna push it into the more upbeat territory of the record because we felt there was plenty of that. It’s a more laid-back moment.

What has the reception been like to the new songs in a live setting?

It’s been great. We haven’t played any of the deeper cuts yet. That’ll come later. We’ve been playing “Wake Me Up.” We’ve been opening the shows with that and that’s just perfect. It feels like the perfect opener. It just gets the party started. [Laughs] We play “2001,” which goes down great. That was even going down well, weirdly, when we played it at some of the London shows we did in April, and I don’t think it was even out yet, but it was connecting already. I feel like that one has really connected in a live setting. It’s one of my favorite tracks in terms of its sheer summery, optimistic vibes. It’s like a song we’ve never written before. I am quite intoxicated by it and maybe some other people are too. It’s gratifying. “2a.m.” is like a big, singalong moment. I’ve noticed it doesn’t get people in the mosh pits going, but it gets everyone singing along, which is nice.

I watched your performance at Glastonbury headlining The Other stage? It was amazing. Can you give me a few words to sum up how that felt?

It’s kind of overwhelming really. That slot is a prestigious slot. It’s not one that we ever thought we would necessarily get, on a scale where we play a lot of shows and we love playing live, it’s not like any other show. To me it felt like one of the pinnacles of our live career. When we look back, it will be in the top handful of moments. It had the added energy of a post-COVID Glastonbury. We didn’t have Glastonbury for three years. It was such an important thing for the psyche of the nation. I don’t think I’m over-stating that. There’s something so positive about Glastonbury. In the early days, I hadn’t fully experienced Glastonbury before the band. I didn’t necessarily buy into that entire mythology around it. And now, I’m like a zealous convert. I just think that it’s an amazing place. To be one of the people invited to channel that energy and help create that energy for the people is a privilege. It was a joy. We loved it. It is tricky to take it fully in. The scale of it is too big for one brain. But, having played the Pyramid Stage a few years back, I was more determined to be present in the moment. I found that it worked. On “Spanish Sahara” definitely, partly because the song has some space in it, I can let the emotion ride over me. On the other end of the spectrum on “Inhaler” where it went full feral, I was just watching the flares. It felt like some ancient Roman army. It felt otherworldly, it was cool.

There’s a lot of disillusion and discontent with politicians and so-called leaders at the moment. Music can be such a safe haven for people when the going gets tough. You play America in the autumn. What would your message to any of your American fan base be in these more difficult moments?

I think that they should resist, defy, protest, and then come to shows, and remember there’s still beauty in the world, despite whatever political machinations are going on. A Foals show is the perfect place to come and release any sort of energy that needs releasing. We’d embrace people that come to the shows and use it as catharsis in some way. Also, just to party and have a good time. It can’t all be darkness all the time. You have to allow yourself to have releases and to have joy.

So many groups are still making music together and playing to huge crowds in their late 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s. There is a phrase you’ve used before called “Foals Forever.” Do you think there comes a stage where you should bow out gracefully when you are at the top of your game?

There’s a few different ways to look at it, and I’m not really sure where I land on it. Usually there’s a creative potency that does dilute over time. I don’t think anyone’s 18th album is usually their best. I just feel that we are dedicated to making music. I feel like I’m gonna be a songwriter for the rest of my life. I think that all three of us, and the band, are musicians for life. It’s just a question whether Foals is the vessel, or the entire vessel. Unless something drastic happens, we love playing live and we love making records. Maybe the frequency with which we operate might change over the next period, but it’s hard to predict because we are having a great time. Genuinely, it’s so enjoyable to be in the band. Sometimes I think I wanna go off and make a Greek folk record and Jimmy [Smith] wants to make a solo record, but I think the main mothership will always be Foals, and hopefully that mothership stays spinning forever. The balance that would be nice would be, the dedication that we had to have to Foals has been monolithic. It’s also the reason that members have left, it’s all-consuming. Even for our personal lives, that’s something that would be worth addressing. We’re not getting any younger and we tour quite hard. Some sort of balance would be good, but it would make me sad if the band stopped operating.

Apart from a long nap after the current tour, what’s over the horizon for Foals? Any projects you have your eyes on?

We are gonna tour through 2023, so this phase is not gonna end until next summer really. Jimmy wants to get moving on some solo work. I have some unfinished music with Tony Allen, the legendary Afrobeat drummer who passed away two years ago. I feel a responsibility to finish that project. I’ve got four or five tracks with that, so I plan to go to Paris and finish that. That’s an awesome body of work. We have a secret dub version of Life Is Yours that was made by Dan Carey, one of the producers, he’s done an actual live dub on the mixing desk. That’s gonna come out at some point. There also might be some new Foals tracks coming out next year.

If you could introduce one Foals album to someone that had never listened to the band, what would it be?

That’s a tricky one. I would probably say, start at the beginning. It’s not the one that is the most representative. The way that we think about the band is that we have built up a body of work. The thing that we enjoy about our trajectory is the journey from one record to the next; how much evolution there has been, the different pallets, growth in songwriting. So, hear the band in its nascent, green, edgy core when we were 19 or 20 years old. We didn’t have a microphone, we didn’t have amps, a record label. It was just us being scrappy mates, so I think it’s cool to start there and then go through the catalog.

Any artists you deeply admire that you would like to collaborate with?

I would like to work with Kieran Hebden [UK dance producer] again. His main moniker is Four Tet. We did a session just before we did Antidotes. I would like to pick that back up. We recorded with him before we went to New York. We did a version of “Cassius,” a version of “Tron,” and a version of “Balloons.” We went into the studio and he conducted the whole thing. It would be interesting to do a reprise of that with newer material. He is an amazing musician and was in an old post-rock group called Pylon.

I would also like to make a record with Steve Albini. I don’t know if that will ever happen, but I would love to be recorded by Steve Albini. I love his band Shellac. A lot of the bands that we listened to in the early stages of Foals formed our musical DNA. Steve Albini played some hand in it—Pixies, Surfer Rosa; Don Caballero, American Don; Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I rate him a lot.

UnderTheRadar || Interview || Lee Campbell

[sorabyul]

yet another concert that i claim to be one of my favourites, but i truly mean it. the rose joins day6, seventeen, epik high as my top concert experiences of all time ♡

i went into the rose's concert with low expectations. i know they're talented, but i always thought that the majority of their songs fell outside of my personal taste. tbh this concert was going to be more for my best friend than for me, but the concert truly lived up to its name — healing together is what we achieved tonight.

concert-wise, the rose is also just so solid?? like weirdly enough, their studio albums do not do their music justice. they're voices are even better live and their instrumentals resonate, like i-feel-it-deep-within-my-chest-until-it-can-heal-my-heart level resonate. i always end up walking away from concerts with more favourites than when i started and tonight was definitely the case.

but there was so much that i learned tonight about the rose, and i'm so thankful for it:

woosung is (arguably) the least musically inclined — i always thought that, given his solo career, he was the most musically talented, and the other members were there to support and build upon his musicality but i was very wrong. don't get me wrong, his performance quality and voice are still unreal but all the other members can sing?? and they play multiple instruments?? they are so well-rounded, it's enough to make me fall in love with them!!

dojoon is so fucking cute i cannot deal — his english is so good and he was so cute in how he interacted and joked around with the crowd. he's such a happy soul on stage and dare i say he may be my favourite member now??

i didn't know they've been making music together for 7 years — they are such close knit friends and you can definitely tell! like yeah, bands are stationary but they moved and danced and jammed each other whenever the opportunity arose. from jaehyeong and dojoon crossing the stage to each other, to them hugging and supporting each other, to how dojoon made jaeheyong and hajoon sing, like ahhhh!! it's so refreshing to see groups actually be true friends in the korean music scene ♡

another standout moment that i will never forget for the rest of the life was "seesaw".

woosung and dojoon, who are most fluent in english, started off by explaining the meaning behind this album and how/what healing (through music) means to them. then, jaehyeong took the mic and you could tell that he was really nervous because he's likely a) not used to being in the spotlight (as the bassist) and b) his english isn't as fluent as the main vocalists.

but he started explaining how he wrote seesaw as a way for him to open up because he's not that kind of person to begin with, but he wanted to heal with his members and to share that experience with the world.

then, they showed this video (which was filmed in korean) that showcased the meaning of the song a bit more, specifically with each member talking about how they wanted to support jaehyeong.

so he starts singing, and it's magical because it's just piano and strings in the background. and the vibe just hit right, so everyone had their lights going. by the time woosung and dojoon take over the vocals, jaehyeong was just watching the crowd and i'm not joking when i say that my eyes did not leave him.

i can only imagine how surreal it was for him — to be in a foreign country, to bare your soul to faceless strangers, to have your story told in a perfect harmony of lyrics and music, to see twinkling lights make your hard work sparkle that much more, to be supported and support others at the same time.

something inside of me moved when he turned back to start crying because i just know that it was something he'll never forget. after the song ended, everyone cycled through unified, thunderous cheers of "we love you", "jaehyeong", and "괜찮아" (it's okay) for him. i'm honored to have been a part of an act of pure love, and i hope he knows that, even though we don't speak his language, we heard him.

i'm really, really glad that i went. i feel like a different person than i was this morning, and if that's not a healing, beautiful thing then i don't know what is.

[cloud-9ine]

Roses are pretty cliché, don’t you think? (pt 2)

⤷ pairing - bakugo katsuki x (fem) reader

⤷ fandom - bnha

⤷ warnings - swearing, very slight angst

⤷ summary - bakugo was already out of his element when he went to buy flowers; so he didn’t take kindly to you criticising his preference for roses

⤷ word count - 2.5k +

⤷ pt 1, pt 2

“I’m sorry.”

Her side of the bed was cold when Bakugo woke up. The sheets were neatly tucked in, and the pillow fluffed up as if she had never in slept in it at all. He could only stare at the empty space for a long moment before forcing himself to move and get out of bed. A vase sat on the windowsill, curtains already opened. The tulips had begun to droop, and the carnation petals- previously a stark white- had begun to turn black.

Bakugo’s eyebrows furrowed. He had only given them to Ochako a couple of days prior, certainly not enough time for them to be in such a state already. With a weary frown, he stripped off the sheets, inspecting them a bit more closely. Alas, he knew nothing about flowers, and couldn’t ascertain whether this was normal or not.

Not wanting to expend more energy on tulips and carnations, he stepped out the bedroom, quickly locking on the smell of freshly roasted coffee. Ochako was stood by the pot, seemingly motionless. There was a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was still half asleep, despite the fact it was obvious she had been awake for much longer. Bakugo froze himself upon the sight of her, itching to reach out yet realising that it wouldn’t help.

With a shallow gulp, he took a cautious step forward, gaze tracing her face for any indication she had heard him. If she had, she was doing an excellent job in hiding it. Another step. This time, Ochako flinched, eyes darting towards him. Bakugo could feel his pulse skyrocket as her lips parted before closing again, her eyelashes fluttering.

Ochako was not one to be quelled with tulips and carnations.

Her eyes were dark, lips pursed as she swept past him, coffee left on the counter. Bakugo didn’t need to turn around to know that she had left. With a heaving sigh, he ran a hand over his weary features, fixing himself a cup of coffee which he sipped, more to occupy himself with something rather than a genuine desire for the drink.

Denki’s party was today. Ironically, it was the anniversary of his and Kyoka’s marriage, which only served to form a pit in Bakugo’s stomach. Idly tapping the ceramic, he silently pondered if it was too late to cancel. He cringed, rationalising his thoughts. Denki was one of his closest friends, having stuck with him through him being an asshole for most of his youth, and he wasn’t planning on forsaking that relationship now.

Now, leant back against the cream walls in the corner of Denki’s living room, observing the carnage that was occurring he beginning to he almost wished he had. The bright blue lights and loud music was doing nothing for his headache, but he wasn’t about to leave before anything had really started.

Although they had arrived together, Ochako had left his side the moment they walked through the doors. He hadn’t seen her since, with exception of a few glimpses of her chatting with Asui and Momo in another room. He contemplated trying to talk, but it wasn’t the time nor place to start a confrontation.

Every once in a while Denki would appear- already hammered- thank him each time for showing up (which begged the question as to whether he was just that drunk, or if Bakugo was so unreliable that just seeing that he had stayed for more than 10 minutes was enough of a shocker) and hand him a drink. He had gotten about three beers this way, without even having to move from his corner.

Kirishima, Midoriya, and a few others had attempted to talk to him, but none of them had been particularly successful to withstand him relentlessly brushing them off after every sentence. After a while, they stopped trying.

Bakugo wasn’t going to act as if he wasn’t at least a little self-destructive.

He knew pushing away his friends, self-containing his pity into his own isolation was the perfect recipe to spiral, but he couldn’t seem to care. His mind would go blank on occasion, like now. He couldn’t move his eyes, staring at a singular point in the room. Bakugo wasn’t much of a drinker, but he couldn’t blame this on the alcohol.

The noise around his dissolved into a low static, ringing around in his head like firecrackers. Colours became bleak, and the faces of his friends blurred, the lines between them and the background becoming worryingly hard to differentiate.

For a moment, he thought he was dying.

“Fancy seeing you again,” The colours regained vibrancy and the faces snapped back into focus, the static fading away in favour of your voice, “you come here often?” You were teasing, he knew it, but he still couldn’t formulate a response. There was a beat of silence after your words, Bakugo’s eyes tracing your face as if he wasn’t quite sure you were real or not.

“Should’ve known you’d appear,” he settled on after a minute. He bit back a groan at his brash greeting, but it didn’t seem like you cared.

“Yep. There’s no reason I wouldn’t, after all,” You looked down at your nails, picking at your nail polish before glancing back up at the blonde, “beer? Really?” Bakugo frowned, looking down at his drink and swirling it around in his cup.

“Yeah? So what?” You hummed, taking a sip from your own beverage. It was an electric blue colour, glowing surreally in the low pink light Kyoka had settled on a couple of minutes earlier.

“It’s just a little cliché, isn’t it?” You grinned smugly at his groan, covering your mouth with the glass.

“Do you ever get tired of that bit?” He questioned, glare thinly veiled under a mocking questioning look. You shook your head.

“Not really. Do you ever get tired of being a basic bitch?” Despite everything, Bakugo chuckled, his chest lightening.

“I suppose. What would you suggest, then?” He took the bait, crooked smile gracing his lips as your eyes sparkled.

“Follow me.” With little reluctance, he trailed after you as you darted around the others that were in attendance, once in a while stopping to greet someone or another, before glancing behind to check he was still following and continuing on. He was a little shocked at the amount of people you knew, but figured as a close friend of Denki’s you would probably be accustomed to them by extension.

Out of the corner, Bakugo felt weirdly exposed. Logically, he knew that no-one was looking at him- or at least, for no longer than a passing glance sent in his direction, but his mind was playing tricks on him. There was a large population of the party that he didn’t recognise- heroes that Denki had met and befriended throughout their years in the field. It was unnerving to be in a house with who were essentially just strangers with the exception of about 10 or 20.

He knew had hadn’t exactly made the effort to keep contact with the new people he met during his time as a hero, so it wasn’t a surprise the only people he could really call friends were the ones who he had met during school, but god did this make it so obvious. Hell, even you knew more people here than he did.

Bakugo wasn’t sure at what point he became so lonely, when did he start isolating himself in this way? He glanced around. The fuzziness was beginning to blur the sides of their faces again.

“Hurry up, the night is young, but I’m not gonna be at the rate you’re going!” You yelled over the music, and Bakugo was brought back to the present. Right, he was following you. You were going to get him a great drink, and hopefully it would be strong enough for him to forget himself for at least a few hours.

In all honesty, your voice was a good anchor. He picked up on the fact this was the most animated he had heard you talk, and maybe it should have been some sort of warning that it came with the topic of becoming intoxicated, but Bakugo decided to gloss over it.

“So? What’s the drink of yours?” Bakugo asked once the two of you had arrived at the home bar he distinctly remembered helping Kyoka install for Denki’s birthday a few years back. The lights had faded to blue at this end of the room, the coolness easing the throb in his head only slightly. You slipped around the back of the counter, appearing at the other side with an easy grin on your face. For a startling second, Bakugo was brought back to you in your store, the air of professionalism you held in your disposition hard to ignore.

“Give me a minute.” You called over your shoulder, back facing him as you rummaged around in Denki’s alcohol cupboards. You re-emerged with several bottles in hand, drinks he hadn’t even heard of. With the trained practice of someone of skill, you mixed the drinks together, and Bakugo could only watch your hands move, colours swirling in a mix of pinks, greens, yellows and reds.

Mixing drinks. Add that to the list of things you could do that he couldn’t.

Tapping salt around the rim and sliding a lime slice onto the side for a finishing touch, you pushed the drink before him, the same self-satisfied smirk on your face. He squinted at your creation. It was a starling pink, almost unnaturally so, with a weird gleam of sparkles flowing around the liquid. He glanced up towards you in distrust, down at the drink, then once more at you. You merely levelled him with a composed stare, eyebrows raised expectantly. With an unconcerned shrug, and a sudden indifference to his own bodily autonomy, Bakugo knocked back the drink, taking a few large gulps before setting it back on the counter.

It didn’t burn as it ran down his throat as he expected (and half-wished for, to take the edge off). Rather, it had a bursting sweet flavour, spreading out a warmth in his chest the moment he swallowed. The buzz was immediate, dulling his senses and causing a pink haze the cover his vision.

“So?” You asked, seemingly satisfied as you watched him scan the room with an awe that he couldn’t hide.

“It’s… not like a beer.” You laughed, and Bakugo turned to look at you. Your face, clear as day to see, was silhouetted with purple, the lights mingling to soften your features with an unexpected gentleness.

“That’s sort of the whole point.” The two of you took a sip. He could feel a flush growing on his cheeks, the alcohol beginning to kick in much earlier than he would have liked. The numbness that was beginning to take over wasn’t a particularly unwelcome feeling, however, and Bakugo was for once grateful for his light-weightiness.

“How’s your lady-friend?” You were leaning on the counter, fixing Bakugo with an even stare. He sighed, sobering up slightly at the thought of Ochako.

“Not good. Those flowers I got from you barely survived two days, by the way,” he grumbled, the slight growl in his voice making you purse your lips.

“That’s not good.” You mumbled, taking another sip from your drink. Seeing you, Bakugo did the same, taking a few large gulps that made his thoughts hazy before slamming the glass back down. Wordlessly, you began fixing him a drink, deep in thought.

“Yeah, I know it’s not good! What kinda flowers die in two days?” He barked, cheeks going slightly pink. You shook your head, gesturing to something across the room that Bakugo had to squint to realise what it was.

Irises and magnolias.

Kyoka’s bouquet. One you had made in advance, older than his by at least half a week. It was perfectly alive, purples and yellows glowing almost brighter than the first time he had seen them.

“Hah?” He gaped. You shook your head again, displeasure written on your face.

“There’s a reason my shop is so popular, you know,” you spoke, drawing his attention back to you. Another pink, untouched drink lay in front of him, and he took a nervous swig of it. The taste wasn’t nearly as sweet the first time, but he just pinned that down to having an idea of the taste.

“Why?” He responded, feeling something more serious weigh on his mind.

“It’s my quirk. Anything I cultivate- like flowers- adapts to its environment.” He tilted his head, and you sighed, evident that he wasn’t getting it.

“It takes in the atmosphere. For example, you bring a bouquet of flowers home to a house of love, affection, and- above all- happiness, it will reflect that. Never dying. Looking even better than when you got it. On the other hand, if you bring flowers home to a house of regret, hate and sadness…” you bit your lip, looking away from the stricken expression on Bakugo’s face. His breath hitched in his throat.

“Don’t say it.” He gulped, “Please.” With a sad sigh, you crossed your arms.

“They’ll die.”

Bakugo’s drink suddenly tasted very sour.

“I gotta go.” He mumbled, patting down his jacket for his keys. The barstool screeched against the ground as he stood up, protesting against the sudden movement. You sighed; bringing his drink back into the mixer and combining it with yours before pouring it back out. He almost stopped to admire the purple shine.

“Where are you gonna go?” You asked, voice veiled by a monotone that he recognised as some sort of weird disillusionment you used to hide whatever you were feeling.

“Anywhere.” He growled, rifling through the pockets of his pants. You rolled your eyes.

“Ochako has your keys.” He did stop this time, shoulders slumping down in realisation. You frowned, “I saw her with them earlier, if it helps any.” There was a momentary silence, and despite the music, all Bakugo could hear was a ringing in his ears.

“Sit down.” It should’ve been a question, but your tone suggested anything but. With a sullen resignation, Bakugo did as you said, slipping back into his chair. You pushed the glass towards him, offering the purple concoction with a look of pity in your eyes.

Without a question, Bakugo gulped the drink. It was a weird mix of a coolness that washed down his throat and a fiery heat that bloomed in his chest, a burn in his lungs that he recognised from breathing in air far too cold. He didn’t bother to ask you what it did, but he could feel his muscles relaxing, grip around the glass loosening.

“Thanks.” He muttered. You waved a hand, moving back out from behind the counter and patting him on the shoulder.

“No problem. Let me make you feel better for a while. It’s the least I can do.”

Under the purple lights, he could only nod.

[thegracelessfaceless]

Hey! If matchups are still open, i’m a Hispanic/Native American guy. I don’t have a label for my sexuality but I have a very heavy prefrence for men, I’m 5’5 (unfortunately) and currently studying studio art! i have curly hair that I’m very proud of and do my best to take good care of, freckles that cover most of my cheeks and a very mild case of vitiligo that has only recently begun to affect my face, which I’m not to happy about but if It happens, it happens.

my current favorite hobbies are art, mostly painting and sculpture but I do some digital on the side, as well as writing which I will never have the confidence to post and I’m finally getting back into reading, which I’m very happy about.

general things I enjoy are music (although I’m actually not too fond of heavy metal, I more prefer indie rock and grunge) a good chunk of the horror genre with rob zombie being one of my favorite directors, oddly enough video essays? i struggle to do repetitive tasks without background noise so I often put on video essays in the background so i have something to listen to while i work, and more recently, books!

my main love language is touch, to a worrying degree. I have a bit of a habit of being overly cuddly and smothering past partners and friends in too much affection. A close second however is gift giving, I’m not sure what it is but I absolutely love getting my friends sentimental gifts or going it in search for things they might like!

im currently learning spanish and ASL, and I want to go to college to become an art professor, and hopefully go abroad one day! I definitely don’t want any children and most likely never will but one of my goals in life is to get married and eventually settle down with someone I love, which creates a surprising amount of conflict in my life.

I have no idea how exactly matchups work so I’m so sorry if this is formatted weirdly or contains too much/not enough information!

Thank you for the request and the follow! Welcome to the blog!

I match you with...

Robert Silva

(Art credit @marymar )

When I got done reading your description,

All my brain had to say was Robert, Robert, Robert

In fact, I took the weekend to figure out why because the words weren't coming to me

Then I realized the Robert in my head was excited to see you!

So let's unpack this

Robert doesn't want children either

He's not got the patience or responsibility to take care of a kid 24/7

Which is why he took Sal and the gang under his wing

They're kind of his surrogates

And

He didn't even have to go through the messy part

His teenagers just walked into his apartment, mostly grown

So that was pretty great

Do prepare for Robert to completely gas you up on your art professor dreams!

He's gonna help you with your studies

Doing flashcards and even letting you read your notes to him

Robert will go through extra lengths to create your ideal study/ working space

Adjusting the lighting and temperature

Lighting incense or oil burners or using essential oils meant to increase focus and vitality

Playing you music either on the stereo, or actually playing you songs and singing

Or he can read to you if you prefer

Robert has pretty good taste in books, preferring surreal thrillers, stuff like Lovecraft

Robert's music taste is similar to yours, grunge from the 90s, shock rock like Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, the cheesy 80s stuff, and some good punk thrown in

Think Misfits, Danzig, Black Flag, Rollins Band, NOFX, The Bouncing Souls, etc

Would love to take you on yearly dates to Warped Tour and Taste of Chaos

Loves to watch you create your art, no matter the media

He'll just sit, transfixed by your motions like a mouse hypnotized by a cobra, for as long as you're working

Might even start learning from you, becoming your first art student!

Robert is always super critical of his own work

It's part of being taught that you have to work hard in anything

Even though he's got the money to never work again

Robert values the feeling of a job well done

With your skin condition,

Robert thinks that it's very cute

He likes leaving soft kisses along the borders where the pigment is different

But he understands your feelings about it as well

If you have a skin care regimine to stave it off, Robert totally participates in it with you

If you don't have one, he'll help you figure one out

Spends literal hundreds in skincare products for you, after researching what works best

Calls you Fun Sized

Can be really protective of you, especially in public

No one is jostling Robert's darling around in a crowded place

He'll part a crowd like the Red Sea for you to pass through, just with a look

You don't ever really see that look though

Only out of the side of your eye

Because Robert is physically incapable of looking at you with that straight up murderous look he uses to create space for you

He just thinks you're the entire universe

And would be honored to settle down with you one day

[larissa-the-scribe]

Summer Showers

I mean, I had plans for today, but @meadow-roses gave me a prompt that wouldn't leave me alone, so instead you can have a semi-canonical snippet of fluff and Kathryn being a drama queen.

Not even remotely related to NaNoWriMo, no why do you ask

Story: Mercy, More Than Sacrifice

Characters: Lyn, Zo, Kathryn, Ben

There was something kind of surreal about this.

Lyn maneuvered the shopping cart into the next aisle as Zo appeared beside her, dropping off coffee filters and sliced bread before disappearing to hunt down the next list item.

They were just… getting groceries. They were staying in a house. They even had a car (kind of).

Even though she knew this was short-term, it felt so weirdly... normal. It was so mundane, after living hand-to-mouth, scrambling from town to town while trying to avoid magic-wielding bounty hunters. Or being holed up in that one rich dude’s mansion while trying to figure out the ghost invasion. Or working at a backwater inn in exchange for room and board while trying to apprehend a serial killer.

And now they were shopping for food in a grocery store, and earlier they had been arguing about what kind of breakfast foods to get—not what the best approach to handling the latest disaster was. Not discussing some variation on the ever-present quandary of “hey, if I know what is about to happen does that mean my moral responsibility is to make sure to change things for the better, or to rigidly preserve the coming events in order to maintain the known outcome.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about this. Part of her liked it. There was something calming about it, for all the bustle and fluorescents and chill, something familiar about the murmur of other shoppers, and the background music, and kids trying to argue their parents into buying more candy.

A bigger part of her felt… uneasy. This wasn’t the way things “normally” were, right? Not for them. This wasn’t their life. They were just pretending to be someone else for a while. The peace was false. Something was going to happen.

Sighing, she shoved that feeling away and examined the shelves for the best deal on rice. Kathryn had said something about knowing how to relax being just as important as learning how to be alert. Lyn tried to ignore the disquieting worry that that ability was no longer available to her; for a distraction, she muttered to herself about how that bag was cheaper, but if you looked at the weight it was actually more expensive per ounce than the one over there, but also it was a different kind of rice, so that meant…

Rice was the last thing on her list. Finally making her selection, she turned toward the front of the store; Zo reappeared with milk and accompanied her.

Up by the cash registers, they saw Kathryn deftly closing a refrigerator door with her foot, hands full with four cans of soda. As they pulled the cart closer, she tossed one in the air and began juggling all four of them in a precise, steady pattern, high into the air.

Zo smiled. “Is that part of the training regimen you’re wanting us to get started, or…?”

Kathryn changed the pattern into something more intricate—Lyn wasn’t sure if the cashier was watching because of fascination, or because he was worried he was going to have to clean it up.

“Well, my darling padawan,” she said, her accent smoothing over the ‘r’, “this is less training than practice. You see, it’s important to keep up your hand-eye coordination, and—"she caught the cans one by one with a flourish—“it’s important to be able to do things without special powers. I’m just double-checking that I haven’t made those into too much of a crutch.” She winked at Lyn, before reaching into the cart and proceeding to dramatically juggle the contents, item by item, onto the conveyor belt.

“Naturally,” Zo said, taking the gallon of milk before she could add it to the spectacle, “it’s the only way to check such essential skills.” He was not fast enough to save the eggs, but they made it on without damage.

“And, more importantly, it’s fun.” She finished, neatly placing a block of cheese on the belt, and Lyn noticed she had arranged them by size, weight, and what items needed refrigeration.

They paid, Zo and Lyn carrying all of the groceries for “training purposes.” Kathryn had fished the soda cans out of the bags and juggled them again as they walked.

“Here,” she said, tossing one to each of them, “might as well open them now.”

“Wait, Kath—” Lyn trailed off with a yelp as Zo stepped on her foot, and she looked up to see his lips twitch in an attempt to hide a smirk.

“Ahhhhhh," Kathryn declared blissfully, "nothing nicer on a hot summer’s day than a cold, refreshing drink.” She leveraged the pull tab open with a sharp click.

There was a rushing fizz, a crackle, and a stream of sugary, carbonated soda exploded out of the can into her face, drenching her hair and shirt in a matter of seconds.

Lyn froze, teetering between bursting out laughing or rushing off to find napkins somewhere, as Kathryn blinked, standing despondently with rivulets of pale, bubbling brown dripping from her bangs.

“Ah, right,” she said, staring off into the middle distance. “The laws of physics.” Her face was deadpan, but her voice carried such a tone of resigned disappointment and disdain, as if physics were an infestation of ants that she couldn’t quite manage to get rid of.

“Oh, no!” Zo said. He switched his groceries to one arm and took the can from her, tossing it in a nearby trashcan. “That’s too bad. It seemed like you were looking forward to it. Here, you can have mine.”

Lyn watched in a sort of fascinated horror as Kathryn thanked him and took the can.

“I would say that’s very kind of you,” she said, pausing with her finger on the pull tab, “except that I suppose you must think it amusing to make a mockery of my sorry state.” She glared at him in outrage, flinging the can into the trashcan without looking. “I see you deem my sufferings to be a source of your entertainment, and so you make merry at the expense of your mentor and teacher.”

Zo, unable to hold it in any longer, cracked up, nearly dropping his groceries, and Lyn herself couldn’t help but grin.

“Oh, you laugh, do you?” Kathryn sniffed. Lyn could see the clear amusement in her half-smothered smile, even as she drew herself up stiffly. “You insult me, sir, and call it a jest. But I see nothing of humor in perfidy, nor hilarity in my own apprentice carrying on Brutus’ ignoble legacy. As penance, you can go get everyone new cans of soda from the vending machine. I know you have the money.”

“I will do so,” Zo said, bowing, still laughing, “and beg your most gracious pardon for my atrocities.”

“And you go with him,” Kathryn said, pointing from Lyn to the vending machine with a dignified and ponderous flair, like the Ghost of Christmas Future pointing to Scrooge’s tombstone. “I see your silence as betrayal, ma’am, and so do sentence you as well.”

And with that, she jerked Lyn’s can out her grip with telekinesis and swished away in high dudgeon, streams of soda still dribbling from her hair.

Despite still carrying all of the groceries, Lyn felt lighter than she had in weeks.

Ben had seen the whole thing from his position in the car. He started it as Kathryn opened the door, meeting her with a pointed stare at her bedraggled appearance.

“What?” She asked, radiating innocence. She neatly dropped the two remaining cans into the nearest cup-holders. No sense in wasting them—they’d be fine after a while. Part of her regretted throwing the other full one away, but it had been necessary for dramatic effect.

“Even if you hadn’t seen that coming,” he said, “you could have easily dodged it in at least twenty different ways. And even if you hadn’t, you could have just phased the liquid out, or used water-bending, or any other number of things to clean yourself off.”

Kathryn shrugged, smiling. “I just wanted to do things the regular person way. Go home, take a shower, do laundry. It is about time I cleaned my jacket off.”

“Really?” Ben raised an eyebrow. “You hate doing things the regular person way. You always say it takes way too much time. What were you actually doing?”

Kathryn turned to watch Lyn and Zo, already on their way back. They were each trying to balance a can on their head—Zo said something to Lyn, she retaliated by swiping at him. He ducked away, avoiding the swipe but getting caught on the back of the head by a bag full of groceries. The can toppled. Catching it as it fell, he reached up and pushed hers over and then jumped away, laughing; Lyn, despite her typical quiet reservation, was grinning widely.

“They haven’t had much time for laughter these past few months,” Kathryn said, her smile smoothing into something much softer, fonder. Sadder. “Probably even longer. And that’s more important than any training they’re expecting from me. It’s worth taking a little extra time for.”

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Wet-Dry World

Debut: Super Mario 64

We’ve talked about Mario Enemies. We’ve talked about Mario Entities. We’ve talked about Mario Allies, Mario Power-Ups, Mario Games, Mario Mechanics, Mario NES-era Game Manuals, and even things that aren’t Mario at all! While the blog’s called “Weird Mario Enemies,” and probably always will be, make no mistake. We’ve covered just about everything under the Weird Mario Sun...

...except for Weird Mario Places. I don’t think we’ve ever dedicated ourselves to talking about locations within Mario’s great wide wacky world, but today is the day we change that! That’s right, we’re headed to...

Wet-Dry World! This place has been the talk of the town as of late, and it’s easy to see why... It’s all so... surreal! People describe it as having a “negative emotional aura,” and I have to definitely agree with that statement... though what is it, specifically, that makes Wet-Dry World like that? it’s hard to look at Wet-Dry World without something feeling weirdly off... let’s take a deep dive to figure out some of the possible reasons why!

An important part of Wet-Dry World’s negative emotional aura, I feel, comes from its aesthetic. While most Mario locations are bright, poppy, and fun, Wet-Dry World is a notable exception. The stage is largely drabby shades of blue, gray, and brown, and it’s not like the music is the most jolly music to jaunt around to, either. Even just from screenshots, it’s pretty easy to tell that something feels weirdly wrong about Wet-Dry World, compared to nearly every other location Mario’s been to. Even places like New Donk City, thoroughly grounded in realism, seem to have more “fun” aesthetics than Wet-Dry World!

But while Wet-Dry World focuses itself to dull, realistic “urban landscape” colors, that doesn’t necessarily mean the location itself is grounded in any sort of realism. While the “downtown” area looks almost exactly what you’d expect a primitive N64-era cityscape to look like, the “uptown” area is precisely the opposite, going for the Super Mario 64 level design favorite: “abstract shapes put together in a way that represent the concept of a level more than any sort of level itself!” Ahhhh, the old classic.

Heck, even the skybox so perfectly represents the clash between abstraction and realism! It’s genuinely a picture of an actual town in Spain, but the filters and background applied to it give the impression that it’s all underwater, which adds further to Wet-Dry World’s surrealism: everywhere you look around you, there’s these strange realistic buildings, but look up, and you’re underwater. But not actually, because despite everything, you’re still walking on dry land! Unless you go for a swim, in which case you are underwater underwater.

And it might just be me, but even Wet-Dry World’s base concept feels weirdly off-kilter. I feel like a lot of the late-game worlds in Super Mario 64 sort of have this thing where they don’t feel completely “real,” like Tall Tall Mountain and Tiny-Huge Island, but at least those feel like the kinds of CONCEPTS you’d see in Mario games! Heck, they even seem to be based on the athletic levels and Land of the Giants, respectively! But Wet-Dry World is based on the concept of wetness. I don’t know exactly how to explain it -- it’s not like a beach world, or a lake world, it’s a world based on the concept of “wet” and something about that just feels like it doesn’t really belong in the world of Super Mario. Granted, Mario’s world is so huge that really anything is fair game at this point, but I guess it’s Wet-Dry World’s presence in a mainline Mario game that makes it feel more strange than usual.

And while the gimmick of a world where you can change the water level DOES seem right for Mario, they decide to go and make that weird too, by having it activated by these weird crystals instead, apparently called Crystal Taps!

Wet-Dry World is such a weird, weird place. It feels almost... unnatural in a way. I guess it doesn’t help that despite resembling a town, it’s devoid of any actual life, and most of the enemies are notably mechanical ones, such as Chuckyas, Heave-Hos, Amps, and Keronpa Balls which don’t even work because they’re placed so low on the stage that they’re never not underwater. The only enemies that look natural at all are Skeeters, a type of bug. They’re featured in the stage’s painting!

Yeah, that sure is the first thing I’d paint to show someone what Wet-Dry World is like. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of Skeeters there! I’d probably just pay attention to like, the entire city down there first. Interestingly, this painting has a unique gimmick, where how high you jump into it influences the water level when you enter the stage! But once you’re in, what is there to do in Wet-Dry World? Well, how about trying astral projection?

While the “astral projection” glitch can be performed in a few places in Super Mario 64, can you really think of a better place to do it than Wet-Dry World? I mean, Wet-Dry World feels like the kind of place you’d astral project in. As you can see in this video, which is kind of low-quality, but in a way that only makes it more fitting, buddy up with your Chuckya Chum, and separate Mario’s soul from his body like never before!

In conclusion, Wet-Dry World is a weird, weird place. There’s really just a lot about it to point out, and chances are, I missed quite a bit, myself. Really, Mario 64 in general is a weird game, quite possibly the most “off” feeling of the main Mario series, maybe only beaten by Super Mario Bros. 2, but probably ahead of the Land games, which at least feel like traditional Mario platformers. Super Mario 64, being the genre-defining game it is, will always hold a point as being revolutionary to video games, even if half of the courses feel kind of like developer test areas.

Really, the primitive nature of Mario 64 seems to play into Wet-Dry World’s weirdness somewhat, it’s hard to imagine today a level being designed with the abstract geometry seen here, though I’d love to see a modern Mario game try to recapture its unique aesthetic, whether it’s in an HD remake, or even a Mario Kart track or something (because hey, Tick-Tock Clock got the treatment). Would it even be possible? Or is Wet-Dry World something that can only exist on the N64?

Either way, Wet-Dry World will leave a lasting impact on all of us... as the place seen in that weird Super Mario 64 milk commercial.

[filmsthatdonotexist]

The first thing you should know about this film is that, by all accounts, it should not exist.

It appears to be so expensive, so extensive in its use of locations, that surely some record of its creation should exist. But it simply does not. All names connected to the production appear to be aliases and It's location of production is unknown, presumed Italian due to many context clues, but with a few others within the film contradicting such, with a fictional rating of "H" described only on some copies as "Hastur," in a way totally unconnected to the MPAA, in a situation some have compared to a bizarre version of the situation surrounding the former "X" rating.

Its date of production is estimated at some time within the 1970s or 1980s, but the fact that  this is such a wide margin of time is telling in and of itself, as is the fact that the film mainly appears to only survive in the form of copies of faded prints or in widely bootlegged VHS tapes; for there was never any copyright information attached to it as far as we know.

The plot is seemingly simple, a woman is in love with a gargantuan monster, and mutilates people in a way that, when they appear dead, they are transmogrified to monsters themselves, as she slowly transmogrifies and, in the end, realizes she has become the beast she seeks.

And yet, it is at once difficult to capture with how it scatters through time and space at once, at one point cutting from what seems to be the woman's origins as victim of occult abuse in a dungeon; to a pseudo-documentary that appears to become more surreal and unhinged in its description of the things happening in the film, to a montage of clips from multiple strange silent films thought by most scholars to be totally otherwise lost.

It can be compared to immensely; deliberately transgressive films like Sweet Movie or Saolo: 120 Days of Sodom, with large amounts of nudity; sexual assault; and gore, but it relies less on the scatological in those films but rather on the flesh itself, conflating through cinematic language the mutilation of the flesh through violence to the transmogrification of the flesh into monstrous forms through the unknown force.

Even amongst the undoubtedly expensive sets; location shooting; casting of extras; miniature effects for the Beast's rampages; and even the other creature effects; the transformation effects are egregious in their ostentatiousness, infinitely more extensive than even many contemporary high budget films could have afforded, and while there have been some online attempts to dissect how the effects were done; most parts remain a mystery; and some have speculated that certain effects may have been impossible by the effects of the era, in particular the mass-murder-transformation-orgy scene in the theatre.

The enigma of how it could have acquired such a budget is further enhanced by the many pornographic scenes therein, some hardcore, some softcore, though for most it is difficult to judge which is which due to the strange editing style of these scenes. Which could be compared to a film like Tinto Brass' Caligula in terms of pornography with a budget except for the fact that; again; there appear to be no actual records of this film's production despite its likely considerable expense.

But, the final disturbing thing is the fact that, while the footage of the actual film runs five hours, the actual runtime is at seven, occupied by multiple "Intermission" slots. Given the fact that there appear to be multiple cuts of the film with different footage added or missing in ways patchworked with these "Intermissions", these "intermissions" appear to be covering for two hours of missing footage in the film

There have been multiple attempts to assemble a "definitive cut," but there s still remains a missing thirty minutes, and all attempted producers of such cuts appear to have had psychological breakdowns after or shortly before completion. This becomes more disquieting when one notes the multiple records of people having physiological feelings of illness at watching "normal" cuts of the film, only abating at those Intermissions, with further physiological effects observed at those "definitive" cuts.

There have been few studies into whether the source is simply a self-imposed nocebo or something further, but those studies that have been done have had... disquieting results...

...

... ...

Kayfabe aside, this one was partially based on a dream of mine, which I shall recount to you in full because it is perhaps even more disturbing than the fictional film that came from it.

The dream involved me and a couple of friends (Not any particular friends, just generic ones) going into this strange "movie theatre" which was supposedly at Six Flags but looked to me more like the livestock area at our county fair.

It looked very dingy, though I'm not sure in the way of a school or of a 90s-era movie theatre, it may have been a mix. There were multiple stories in that building, which was far more spacious than the weird, tucked-off corner would indicate. I remember seeing what looked like a gross mildew-y empty olympic swimming pool through some of the windows, in the center of the building, no reason why.

There may or may not have been something moving there.

The films they showed in each room were... odd. One of them I distinctly remember was this descent down what looked like a regular multiplex theatre seats but far longer, going slowly down like a weird hybrid of dark ride and film, with "people" around me that looked like 2d sprites and these "screens" floating around with stock-art-like images. It overall gave me the vibe of a combination multiplex and the feeling of a grainy photograph of a decrepit carnival ride and Shutterstock, if that makes sense. I think I recall there was a laugh track, and this weirdly stock old-timey dance music.

Another one I remember was a crudely drawn/animated Pearl from Steven Universe as a bee violently stinging other bees in what seemed to be a gory-yet-sexualized matter.

But the one I remember most in the halls was that one poster, just green text on a black background (more minimalistic than my recreation), The Ghastly Love Of Beauty And The Beast, rated H. In the dream, I understood that H was for Hastur, and that it signified something terrible.

I opened up the door to go in, and it was not a conventional theatre, but rather, a strange room that looked like one of those rooms in a fancy Victorian-type house, but made entirely of hand-sculpted pottery clay glazed with a blue checkered pattern akin to cloth, like a weird mix of lumpiness and elegance, with an crudely hydraulically operated (Think like a carnival ride, adorned with the stuff the room was made of) elevator in the middle that opened up for us. I almost went down with my friends, but at the last minute, as it was descending, I got out, and ran away.

My friends did not make it...

[thatwitchrevan]

happy midnight on valentine’s day, here’s Revan dancing with Meetra and Alek.

ao3 link

The music was lively, spilling into the night along with the sounds of laughter and voices. Revan had to blink as her eyes adjusted to the light inside the pavilion, a stark contrast to the dark and velvety night. 

This all felt surreal, dreamlike. The war itself always found a new way to surprise and unsettle her, but it made sense. It felt like reality. This - the celebration, the dancing? She'd never done this before. 

As she fumbled down the hill, it occurred that getting drunk before arriving probably didn't help. She'd needed the alcohol to take the edge off her nerves, but she was unused to drinking, too, and even out of all her fellow Jedi she was easily the lightweight. It was a good thing she'd still worn boots, or she'd have slipped by now.

Revan reached the massive canopy and stepped into the light. She gave a second for her eyes to fully adjust, looking around. Everyone was here - Nastha and John were dancing together, Selena and Annie were sitting with Alek at one of the tables, the soldiers were largely drinking and playing cards, and the locals were leading the dance and going around to shake everybody's hands.

Revan analyzed, simultaneously looking for the most strategic use of her time and the safest place to melt into the background. She was putting a foot forward to slink to the seat beside Alek when Meetra appeared.

"You showed!" Meetra said. Her smile was warm but not as full as Revan remembered from more lighthearted days at the Enclave. She looked amazing, though, her curly hair back in a loose bun, wearing a simple but elegant green dress with a straight skirt and no sleeves. 

"Alek said you were nervous," Meetra added, tilting her head at Revan as if confirming to herself that Revan was in fact still nervous.

Revan shook her head. "I'm just not a fan of parties."

Meetra rolled her eyes. "Revan. We've never been to parties. You can only use that excuse on people who don't know you."

She took Revan's arm, gentle but firm, drawing her closer to Meetra and closer to the dance floor. "Be my partner?"

It was a simple request, one that offered no pressure to agree. And a large part of Revan still wanted to go hide behind Alek. But she felt that familiar tug at her chest when Meetra looked at her, big brown eyes warm and soft and stronger than any tractor beam. 

Revan sighed. "Fine. Just one dance."

Meetra giggled. "You say that, but I'll bet you five creds it's more." She pulled her friend out onto the floor, wrapping one arm around Revan's waist and taking her other hand.

Revan rested her free hand on Meetra's shoulder and let her lead, breathing out with a little relief that she didn’t actually have to know how to dance. She just had to follow Meetra, who was confident and graceful. 

It felt easy, surrendering to the rhythm of Meetra's steps and spins, being pulled along in her orbit. They were so in sync Revan didn’t even worry about anyone stepping on anyone's feet, and she could just focus on the weirdly nice sensation of dancing with her best friend.

Meetra smiled at her, and it truly met her eyes this time. "You're a natural, Rev."

It was Revan's turn to roll her eyes. "Please. I'd be useless if I wasn't out here with you. This is nothing like fighting."

"Mmm," Meetra said. "You can be pretty ungrateful at fighting, too."

Revan moved her hand from Meetra's shoulder to punch her playfully in the arm, Meetra laughing. Revan ended up loosely holding Meetra's bicep instead of replacing her hand on her shoulder. After a moment, she shuffles closer and leans into Meetra, head resting on her chest. 

"Thank you," Revan said. She didn’t need to say for what, because Meetra knew she meant everything. Meetra's hand moved up from Revan's waist to her back.

"You too."

They stayed like that for a few moments, swaying in a gentle embrace. Revan let herself relax, held up by her friend. Meetra's arms were strong, and she felt safe there. 

Meetra rubbed her back a little and then pulled back. Revan frowned briefly until she realized Alek was walking towards them. He stood next to the pair of them as they stopped dancing and smiled.

"Meetra, mind if I steal your dance partner?" 

Meetra grinned. She gave Revan a meaningful look and twirled her when she scowled. "I wouldn't dream of keeping her all to myself." 

Revan stopped spinning and grabbed Meetra's arms, pitching forward a little, still frowning, and she knew both her friends could probably sense how her pulse quickened and her nerves started squirming again, but she looked up at Alek and her frown turned into a nervous smile. 

Meetra released Revan's hands and instead gently cupped her face, stepping close to drop a light kiss on her cheek. She pulled back and met her friend's eyes. "This is our night, okay? We earned this. Enjoy it."

Revan nodded, and Meetra smiled and let her go. She squeezed Alek's arm as she passed. "Save a dance for me, Squint."

And then Revan was alone with Alek on the dance floor. Her blood froze as he looked at her, a tiny, hesitant smile on his face. She should be so used to him that a smile would no longer have any effect, but sometimes when she saw him it was like those early fluttery feelings all came back. 

He held out his hand to her, tilting his head down a little. “Do you want to dance?”

What could she say? Of course she wanted to dance. She took his hand. 

Alek pulled her in, one hand on her waist, just like Meetra. Her other hand rested on his bicep, and she took small, regular breaths to keep her nerves in check as they started to spin. 

The song playing now was a lilting ballad. It was in Ryll, as far as Revan could tell, but she wasn’t paying enough attention to understand the words. She was too focused on meeting Alek’s eyes and following his lead without stumbling - he was clumsier than Meetra, and his stride mismatched with hers. 

“Your outfit looks nice,” Alek said. “Though you do know there’s colors other than black, right?”

Revan rolled her eyes. Her outfit was pretty subtle, if pretty. The black jumpsuit had wide legs, making it look a little like a skirt but feel more like her robes. Meetra had helped her pick it out, and had given up pretty quickly on suggesting dresses. It had less to do with feeling self-conscious or even dysphoric - a word Annie had taught her, and one that she was afraid of - and more to do with wanting to feel like her. And maybe that’s what Annie meant anyway. 

Alek squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the moment. “Rev. Relax. We’re doing good.”

Revan sighed, making herself nod. She wasn’t ready to celebrate. She wanted to do all the fighting at once until it was over. 

Alek grinned at her, released her waist, and spun her. He kept going until she laughed, getting a little dizzy from the blur of the party lights around her. When he caught her, she was a little closer to his chest, forced to turn her head up a little to look at him. The glow of the lights bounced off his hair, fragments of it flecked in his blue eyes. 

He was lovely.

Revan gave in and enjoyed the dance.

[reversemoon255]

Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution - Kizuna

I’ve been a fan of Digimon since I first watched it as a kid, but I’m also one of those weird fans where I’m more excited to see the series give us something new rather than treading old ground (I’m not very nostalgic in general), so I wasn’t actually that excited for Kizuna, especially after the terrible experience it was to sit through Tri. Still, the movie surprised me, and grabbed me a lot more than I though it would. I didn’t cry at the ending, but I did well up a bit. Still, this movie isn’t without its problems.

Rather than going over the goods and bads like I normally do, I’m actually going to go through this one chronologically, as I feel it’s the best way to tackle this film’s strengths and flaws. Sit back for a long one, folks.

Chapter 1 (Parrotmon and the First Adventure): We start out with the same intro music we got in the original Digimon Adventure movie. This first section is full of a lot of very purposeful callbacks, like Greymon VS Parrotmon and the recreated evolution sequences. This is the part of the movie where I think this works the best, grabbing people’s nostalgia right at the beginning, getting them to remember the good times with the Digimon before the drama starts. My only, very minor, nitpicky issue is that the Agumon to Greymon sequence is a bit choppier than the original, but it’s also not meant to play 30+ times over the course of two years, so it’s easily forgiven. Also, I’m gonna put PIN 1 in the aurora, because we’ll be coming back to that later.

The animation here is also fantastic (the few moments of off CG aside). It’s been a while since I’ve seen fight scenes this good, and this is probably the best they’ve ever been in Digimon. I also enjoy that Taichi and Yamato are immediately on good terms. So much of Tri was them arguing with each other, so seeing them as friends is nice.

Chapter 2 (The New Normal): Something I didn’t notice the first time, but did on a repeat watch was Sora’s Digivice with its timer ticking down in the opening credits. I’m not a fan of how little Sora was in this movie, especially considering her reinterpretation in the reboot hasn’t been that strong, but I do think the route they went with her was fitting for her character.

Seeing Taichi and Yamato in a rut while everyone else is pursuing their dreams is well done. I definitely feel like I’ve been there before in one form or another, and it’s easy to empathize with. Also, seeing the two of them drinking is so surreal. And them talking about how they have a hard time fitting their Digimon into their lives, only to almost immediately have the idea of losing on them thrust upon them hits very hard on the first watch.

Menoa’s voice... As a native English speaker, hearing people who are supposed to be American in anime only to spout obviously line-read Katakana is always a little vexing to me. I definitely weigh it a bit based on the budget of the show I’m watching, but this is a very big budget movie and they could have gotten a better trainer at the very least to go over the lines with her. Her character is well done, though. I thought she was certainly suspicious my first watch, but on a rewatch I caught more hints, such as her reaction after Izumi mentioned his database.

Chapter 3 (It’s in the Internet): This is where I started falling off a bit. Let me know if this sounds familiar, “Taichi, Izumi, Yamato, and Takeru must battle a Digimon inside the internet. Just as they seem to have the upper hand, it evolves and the children must rely on Omegamon to defeat it.” This particular part of the movie is recycled from Children’s War Game. Even Eosmon darting around the arena with a timer going, being difficult to hit and having to be forced to slow down is reminiscent of how Diablomon was defeated. This really took me out of the film, and it kind of gets worse, but we’ll get there.

Maybe this is me, but I can’t help but feel the whales during Omegamon’s evolution are a callback to Summer Wars >_> I do like the new version of his sword with the flared guard.

Chapter 4 (Some Old Yet Newer Friends): I don’t agree with Menoa’s explanation for why Digimon disappear, but my evidence as to why hasn’t appeared yet, so we’ll put PIN 2 in that. Menoa’s assistant on the other hand was a decent red herring. I wasn’t sure which of them it actually was until the full reveal.

I can’t properly express how excited I was to see Miyoko and Hawkmon after Tri. The 02 crew got so shafted that seeing them here and how involved they were in the plot had me legit excited. There’s actually a ton of 02 love in this movie in the background that I was very appreciative of. That brings me to another point, though, that this movie feels very responsive to Tri. The heavy inclusion of the 02 cast over many of the other original Adventure members, the number of cameos from the final episodes of 02, and a very certain plot point that we’ll stick PIN 3 in for now all point to this. Heck, it was even revealed to be in production near the end of Tri, which was supposed to be the series finalé, except people didn’t like Tri so they apparently didn’t want the series to go out on a sour note (though not a bitter-sweet one).

Chapter 5 (People Change): Can we talk about how Agumon finds Taichi’s stash? It’s a little too real, man. But this scene also brings up the point that the Digimon haven’t really changed since 1999, yet the children have significantly. The Digimon change their appearance and the humans change on the inside. It’s also a little weird how the Digimon aren’t that beat up about saying goodbye. I mean, they don’t want to, but they aren’t crying their eyes out. But we’ll talk about that more when we actually pull out PIN 2.

Also, seeing Sora at the end of this chapter, knowing what’s happening to her is really sad on the second watch.

As a little bonus, I was questioning the Digivice Smart Phones until Taichi turned his off and Izumi’s name popped up. Good show-don’t-tell. That scene also has some great lighting...

Chapter 6 (Better than Himekawa Maki): You definitely feel bad for Menoa. Her story is very (and probably purposefully) similar to that of Himekawa Maki’s from Tri, but in this case we feel more for her because she went through what our leads are going through right now. Her plan makes sense to her because of her tauma. And as we’re talking about the similarities to Tri, I’m going to pull PIN 3 and mention that Taichi and Yamato are going through the same thing that Meiko did. It’s strange that they’re recycling the Tri plot for this, but it works so much better here because our connections to these characters, that we’ve known for years, are so much stronger than those of the new ones introduced in Tri. And it’s 1/10th of the run time, too. It’s almost like Tri was terrible or something O_O

Chapter 7 (Touching Down like a Revenging Hurricane): So now we’re on to a Digimon trapping Chosen Children and reverting them back to children all for the sake of one Chosen Child who has aged up. Man, that sounds familiar. It’s almost as if this plot point was taken from another movie or something...

Look, I wouldn’t harp on it so much if every Adventure + 02 Digimon movie didn’t have plot elements recycled for this film. The beginning was Adventure, the first battle with Eosmon was War Game, Tri is sprinkled throughout, we’re currently on Touchdown, and everything from here up to the final is Revenge of Diablomon. Don’t get me wrong, this was probably on purpose, and they are well integrated, but it pulls me out of the movie super hard. As I’m writing this, I’m on the scene with the 100 Eosmon reveal, just like all the Kuramon. They also do the thing all the Kuramon do where they combine together and defeat Omegamon (by removing his arms, weirdly), only to have two Digimon achieve a new evolution to defeat it.

That being said though, it is, again, handled very well. The damage you see done to Omegamon in these scenes is heartbreaking, and you can certainly feel the weight of the situation.

I also want to pull PIN 1 here, because they bring up the aurora again. There’s never actually an explanation for it, is there? It just shows up one day. It helped Menoa make Eosmon, it drove Parrotmon and apparently other Digimon crazy, but where it came from and why it’s here is never actually explained. I feel like this is bait in case they’re ever at the point where they need another big nostalgia push again and a plot for another movie. But I also don’t want to see that. After Reboot wraps (even though I like it) I’d like to see a new cast, Digimon, and story please.

I also don’t believe a word of anything Menoa says in these scenes, but she does a very good job of pushing Taichi and Yamato’s buttons. I also want to point out, it’s Greymon that isn’t phased by all this and goes on the attack when they’re doubting themselves.

Chapter 8 (An Unreliable Narrator): Time to pull PIN 2.

This is the reason why I don’t believe Menoa. This scene. Menoa kept going on about children losing their infinite possibilities and being unable to supply their Digimon with power, but the Digimon we see going through this situation don’t reflect that. Evolution is a two-way street. We help the Digimon evolve, but in turn they help us evolve, and it is when we reach the pinnacle of our evolution, when the job of the Digimon is done that they disappear. Menoa sped through her evolution because she wanted to become an adult, and when she finally achieved the dream she had set for herself is when Morphomon disappeared, but she’s so traumatized by her disappearance that her views on the situation are negative. This has to be a bad thing, there can’t be a positive reason why the Digimon would disappear. But Agumon and Gabumon are happy. Happy that they could see the great people that Taichi and Yamato turned out to be.

Gotta say, the CG fight with Omegamon and Eosmon (Perfect) isn’t as great as the previous ones. Definitely gets better when we get to Eosmon (Ultimate). This is also a scene where they very easily show the stakes by having Taichi and Yamato getting injured, which we don’t see a lot of, not to mention Omegamon getting sliced up as I said previously.

Also, how many kids got stuck with Numemon as a partner?

Chapter 9 (We’re All Together): I hate that whistle. Every time I hear it in Adventure I start crying. And seeing Sora without Piyomon in these scenes is also heart wrenching on a repeat. I enjoy the others getting involved in the Eosmon fight, but I would have liked it if all the Chosen Children who were captured helped out (though I understand the nightmare that would be aging up all those 02 designs). Overall, just some good, back-to-back emotional moments.

Agumon Bond of Courage and Gabumon Bond of Friendship are decent designs. They definitely feel more newer Digimon than anything that would have appeared in the first season, but that’s ok. It took me a while to get used to Agumon’s new face (it’s kinda weird how human they get; makes me feel like wanted this to be a Bio-Merge). Though brief, their appearance is also beautifully animated.

Seeing Menoa lose Morphomon is also pretty emotional. Actually, this whole ending sequence (y’know, the part of the movie that’s the most itself rather than rehashing old material) is very good, and it’s constant heart-tugs one after another.

Chapter 10 (Goodbye for Now): As I said, there’s a lot of tug-at-your-heartstrings moments throughout the film (especially the ending), but this is the biggest one. This is the one that almost got me. I’m choked up a bit even writing this. It doesn’t help that they end it with a non-movie, realistic cry. But as Gennai said, as long as you have infinite possibilities...

This movie does feel like it embraces the epilogue from 02, and in that epilogue everyone has their Digimon again. And when’s the moment in your life when your life becomes chaotic and hectic and full of infinite possibilities again? The unifying thing everyone in the epilogue has? Kids.

I know that sounds weird, but it makes sense. I can totally imagine Taichi sitting on the couch, and his wife walks in and tells him she’s pregnant, and there’s this stunned silence for a moment, then Agumon pops out from under the cushions and says “How did that happen!?” I’m sure there are other ways it could happen, but that’s the most comedic and “Toei pushing having kids to help with the Japanese population crisis” way I can think of doing it.

I’ll also give special mention to the credits, where they go out of their way to show the 02 Crew with their Digimon, but the main cast without. But, again, we know they get them back. And hopefully they don’t make that movie anytime soon, because I’m sick of Adventure. I’d like new things, please!

Overall, this is a good movie, but it is, to me, heavily hampered by the fact that it is too nostalgic. The animation and writing is fantastic, but that writing is built on the back of elements from the previous movies. If you haven’t watched all those movies multiple times like I have, you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did (and I enjoyed it a lot, still), but be aware. Next time we talk Digi-Shop will probably be about Reboot.

Unless I manage to get my hands on the rest of the Xros Wars toys. (Where are you, MailBirdramon!)

[nobody-knose--archive]

well, today i figured i didn’t have anything better to do & liveblogged the pingry ep. it’s probably a better stepping stone further into the tally void than incomplete demos, coming right off of complete demos, at least.

-from what i know this one basically includes all the mmmm songs that weren't on complete demos (andrew singing ones wahoo) & the expected demos that didn't end up anywhere else + just a friend. i also believe this one was recorded similarly to complete demos so i really have no clue what to expect for taken for a ride's vocals. anyway here i go

-the bidding sounds impressively professional to start things off, but i suppose humming isn't a terribly complex technique anyway. the intro feels a little longer th

-whoah there if that aint a marked difference in audio quality here we go

-guitars also sound different & i don't remember if this album has steve or ross on it i now realize

-goodness the mixing is wonky for rob's segment. the backing vocals do not need to bounce between channels

-why do they have kinda weird voices for the chorus. sounds like they're trying an accent or something. i can barely recognize who's singing

-the keyboard backing in zubin's segment sounds the same as usual, as in, it sounds so stupidly similar to the questions answered backing music that i'm offended i couldn't pick up they're the same for so long

-less echo on disappear actually. at least they still had the brass section

-still a weird sound on the chorus but maybe i can chalk that up to different mixing & more red

-outro sounds not super different. still very good drumming on display which will give me the push i need to decide it's ross drumming

-however i don't hear him shouting out the auctioneer stuff, and given that it was presented as a video during the mmmm recording, i might assume it was done specially for the mmmm releases, so maybe he didn't drum for this album after all

-it does have a greater similarity to the live performances even if the keyboarding is using a different synth

-well now. that's a real piano

-and as any piano will be when played that low, it's out of tune. very

-and everyone's singing? i can't hear andy in the slightest. this is interesting

-i mean i can certainly hear him doing plenty on the piano. but. it's interesting

-i suppose given the ep's hallmanac description, as a compilation of acoustic/one-take recordings i shouldn't be surprised taken for a ride is this different. but boy is it jarring. sounds incredibly different without the heavy synthesizing and complementary instruments

-barebones certainly. not much more of a way to describe it. that's what i expected just not in this way. i like the sound of this bridge though

-do very much wish i could hear andrew's actual voice. even at acoustic live performances he would sing at the very least. then again, that was years later i suppose.

-and it's only now at the final chorus that i realize, somehow, this is a piano-only song. no guitar, no drums even. that's really interesting. even the album version had some drums & bass

-red's singing isn't as impressive here. not as many high notes. understandable. bitch

-different rhythm on the quick part! bet steve feels lucky he didn't have to drum this part although i am hearing some sort of. pants-slapping? now that would be a sight to behold irl

-and that's the end

-goodness. be born. considering how this song was always & every time performed acoustic live i really expect to hear nothing here i haven't from concert recordings

-we're missing whatever the hell that skittery little shaker is called. alas i am not a percussionist & do not know the name of every auxilliary instrument ever

-rippin it up on the melodica bay be. a suitable replacement for whistling considering that never was all that good live. nobody can compare to bora karaca at whistling

-there's extra bass harmonies on display here. swell

-also no percussion i'm realizing

-da-da-da!

-but yeah normally ross uses brushes on a box/seat drum (also don't know what that's called!) for some good gentle percussion & it's not here. really hoping this won't be a trend because i'm fond of drumming even if it's from stebev himself

-bah (chorus) bah

-wait a minute that's not a bah! that's a doo! big difference! what are you doing rob

-i can tell it's one-take because rob has to take a breath in the middle of that final long bah there

-ooh dropping off the guitar there real quick are you? and not even doing the full outro too. good way to spice things up at the end.

-honestly maybe the reason i & so many other th fans dislike be born so much isn't even the country sound and weird subject matter, it's the fact that this song lacks a whole lot of the variability that might separate it from other music. in the album versions there are violins/fiddles, and the live versions... don't have that. maybe some halfway decent whistling at best. it just is what it is. especially compared to the rest of mmmm- g&e could often be more faithfully recreated on stage, but mmmm got to mix things up most of the time, except for be born. food for thought

-anyway. of all the songs i would expect to be absolutely completely identical (other than be born) the whole world and you definitely takes the cake. a delightful song. i should listen to it more.

-but yeah it was a toy orchestra piece long before a tally hall piece, and toy orchestra was & is nothing but silly little live performances. how on earth could they make this one completely different

-other than. the "punk rehearsal" i've heard of from incomplete demos. that's just. a thing i think

-oh hold on i didn't even listen to the end of be born there was a tiny outro with chat at the end oh that's adorable

-hey i can hear andrew's voice! nice!

-starting off with a full ensemble vocals, all sorts of harmonies in action, and a normal piano instead of a toy piano, so already i'm being proven decently wrong on this song's inability to be greatly altered

-other than that. i kinda like how it sounds as if they're stumbling over their words at points

-boy has andrew's voice changed hasn't it. i know i haven't listened to the solo albums so i'm not exactly one to speak but he really developed his singing a lot over time

-clapping live & not in a studio sure sounds a lot worse, especially when it's like 4 people max doing it and not a whole crowd

-zubin (i'm pretty sure) flexing on us all at the end there. good for him

-ayyyyyyy

-it's the song that's sure to invoke an emotional response out of me >:}

-it's also the song i was convinced had andrew vocals in the background (the badadum's between verses) for a good while. still not 100% certain it's rob instead but it's not like i can ask them themselves

-yeah i'll admit it right here this is the song i listen to when i'm going through emotional turmoil. not this version of the song, and no, i don't mean i listen to i'm gonna win or even the tally hall rock version of this one. i mean i listen to the cover of it from we think we're playing in a band. and that's enough on this subject!

-however given the above information yeah i am pretty familiar with this song already. not a new experience right here

-i greatly appreciate the heavy piano work. it's one of my favorite parts about the song

-oh and i should stop talking about that subject right there as well. actually i think i should just say nothing about this song in general. you'll see why in about uhh pauses video

-this friday or so? damn that's sooner than i thought lucky me

-everything will be fine! i'll be making it through!

-oh hello there. "ALBUM" is not a word beamed directly into my brain with great volume thank you very much

-so. it's the outro to good day done with weird haste. looping. no actual chord pro-

-this is. is this some sort of radio performance? what the hell is going on

-steven!!! hello there thanks for the confirmation & god is it surreal to hear his name truly uttered in the context of red rob zubin andrew. wow

-pingry school spring fling. how the hell have i never heard about whatever the hell this track is before

-wait- is it over? song listed as good day but it's in fact the outro to good day done on. a radio program maybe. and now it's a really strange sounding performance of yearbook

-i genuinely can't tell if there's a filter on rob's voice or if the micro- shit that's loud

-what in the hell is going on is this another radio performance or something? like ok yearbook at least was on songs about girls by listedblack but i really want this to be made clear soon

-all i really think i need to know about yearbook is that it's another rob "heterophobic homophonic" cantor angsty boy band song and. listening to it for the first time her. that impression sure isn't going away

-at least i get to hear andrew twinkling those ivories in the back. got a good sound. even if the mixing here is all sorts of wack. a song this complex should not be performed live with only like one microphone

-alright rob i get it you were in love with a girl- and it's over? ok

-live performance of just a friend holy shit hell yes hell yes hell yes for some reason i thought this would be the studio version but no

-i cannot imagine what this song will sound like with steve on the drums hell yes oh will there be banter will rob forget his lines will red say some random 4-syllable phrase will zubin be the best singer in the whole damn band give me an answer now

-already hearing some banter :}

-they're moving weirdly fast and andrew's already got the piano playing even in the beatboxing part. wowie

-ooh kick it andy do those riffs hell yeah

-"that sounded fishy... zubin sedghi!" i'm in love

-KICK IT ANDY

-AND ZUBIN

-and there's the drums! go stevie. go stevie

-good ness andrew just will not let up on the sick as hell keyboarding will he fukc yeah bro kill it

-rob sounds unbelievably tired for this i'm half expecting him to trip up the lyrics at any moment

-"i don't buy it" "don't gimmie that!" you say it boys. oh classic zubin line right there preserved on an official tally hall recording for all eternity, what a treasure this is

-hm isn't this a bit early to go into the pseudo-breakdown chorus? no it works. andrew still rippin it up of course

-and there's the tambourine bay be!

-buildup to the "oh snap" isn't as intense as it could get in later performances which i will gladly blame in its entirety on steve <3

-boy oh boy does rob's voice just sound generally different here. so young so so young

-shooby-doo-wah. well i had low expectations which were not quite fulfilled but it's technically more than what we got on the studio recording so. i won't complain

-THERE IT IS

-BARBEQUE SAUCE BAY BE

-what a fool i was to pause the moment he said it. silly old me <3

-no, no, thank you for coming! but hold on one second. is there not... one more track? technically not a song, technically something i think i've heard before, but if i take a step over to the tally archive...

-cell phone call.

-circus you say? if i had to guess it's the whole world & you given the 08 version of the song but that's a vague guess. can't think of anything better but my current answer isn't that good on its own

-ah! it's joey jo joseph. this wouldn't happen to be that phone call spoken of that, like, invited joe into the band in the first place, would it? i remember that story from an old bio or something, but it doesn't seem like the type of thing that'd be recorded & put on an album. hard to say

-pj? like a certain rob cator frat dude voice JP!?

-well well well now. i'm not sure what to say. i don't recognize that song they're playing as the outro. it could either be some vague listedblack or miscellaneous early tally hall song lost to the void or a demo. i wouldn't exactly know. anyway that ends the pingry ep. shorter than i thought it be, lucky old me. hope you enjoyed!

[shemakesmusic-uk]

This segment features artists who have submitted their tracks/videos to She Makes Music. If you would like to be featured here then please send an e-mail to shemakesmusic@hotmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Bayleigh Cheek

Dallas native Bayleigh Cheek began her love affair with music at an early age thanks to her immersive upbringing. Both parents were in the music scene, exposing her to a variety of sounds ranging from psychedelic and folk to progressive rock and new wave. Some of her personal music influences include Patti Smith, P.J. Harvey, Radiohead, and Angel Olsen. Those influences led to the creation of her EP, Immortals, that was self-released in early 2020 which brought her DOMA nominations for Best New Artist and Best EP. Her latest single is ‘Release Me’. "This song is about what it means to realize you've believed a lie, or false identity of yourself, and the process of becoming free from it and knowing the truth,” explains Bayleigh. “Growing up listening to a range of genres, from psychedelic and folk to progressive rock and new wave, ‘Release Me’ opened my eyes to the world of synths and everything electronics can provide to create a whole new universe of sound. Taking something seemingly fun and cheerful on the outside, and revealing something deeper on the inside. Before I started writing my upcoming debut album, I decided to be more vulnerable, honest and raw. I've hidden behind surrealism, which is still a big part of my art and always will be, but in light of the pandemic, I felt I needed to really let myself be open and not hide anymore. I'm becoming the person I've always wanted to become, and art will always be there as gentle reminders." Listen below.

Bayleigh Cheek · Release Me

Cozy Slippers

Cozy Slippers have released their first new music since 2019’s single ‘A Million Pieces’ b/w ‘Will You Disappear?’ (Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten) and the band’s tour of the United Kingdom. Like everyone else, the Seattle indie band had to adapt to the challenges of 2020 and beyond. ‘When Will When Come?’ is the first release to come from a year’s worth of home recordings done by the band. “We started from scratch. We didn’t have any gear and hadn’t really thought about recording ourselves before. It was so great to escape the stressful outside world for a while by recording and meeting on Zoom to put it all together,” explains vocalist and bassist Sarah Engel. While the band couldn’t be in the same room at the same time, they made use of samples from their prior recordings in order to stamp their sound and personality on the song. “We did whatever we could to get this thing recorded. Some of the vocals I recorded into my phone while sitting alone in my car or late at night when everybody else was asleep. It was a challenge to find space to be creative and alone time to make the recording happen during the past year,” remembers drummer and vocalist Barbara Barrilleaux. The track was mixed by Dylan Wall (Versing, Great Grandpa, and High Sunn).  Lyrically, ‘When Will When Come?’ is a plea from one person to another to embrace life’s messy possibilities -- to live before it is too late. Instead of participating in their own life, the subject of the song stares out a window and fantasizes about pink flamingos.  “I remember the first time I heard Sarah singing the lyrics. I thought the idea of somebody daydreaming about traveling to see flamingos was weirdly sad. Flamingos look cool, but the world has a lot of other things I’d want to see before a bunch of birds. It seemed poignant to have such a relatively small wish and still be unwilling to make it reality,” recalls guitarist Steven Skelton. Listen below.

Cozy Slippers · When Will When Come?

Everstill

New York-based alternative rock band Everstill have released ‘In Your Dreams,’ their first single off their debut album, Longing. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sara Aridi (vocals, bass, guitars, keys) weaves her melodic guitars and haunting vocal harmonies with percussionist Luca Bertaglia’s pulsating drums to evoke sounds that are at once melancholic and euphoric. The group draws from disparate influences and genres including grunge, indie rock, jazz, metal, folk and more. ‘In Your Dreams,’ recalls artists like Warpaint, Wolf Alice and Chelsea Wolfe. Aridi wrote the song — something of a seductive plea to an unknowing crush — in 2015. A year later she met Bertaglia while playing in an alt-prog band, and the pair reconnected in early 2020 to bring her songs to life. They found themselves working on their debut album during the pandemic. Listen to ‘In Your Dreams’ below.

Everstill · In Your Dreams

No Lore

No Lore is unlike any other indie alt-pop duo. It all started when Manila-based visual artist Tita Halaman decided to make music out of her paintings and poetry with her brother Jerald. As an artist, she wants to elevate her audience’s experience by expounding the message of her paintings through the art of words and sound. No Lore’s goal is to continuously release a new song with a painting every month and to publish a book out of it. The band name No Lore comes from the concept of having no formal studies in visual art, music, and poetry. Both Tita Halaman and Jerald are self-taught and everything is D.I.Y. from ideation to audio and video production. New single ‘With Little Light’ is “a song about courage,” explains Tita. “I believe there is no such thing as complete darkness to a soul that thrives to seek for “light” everywhere. With all that’s happening these days, I hope that we can still see hope no matter how little it may seem. Hope prevails if we believe. I’m a visual artist here in the Philippines and my signature style is writing poems at the back of my paintings,” she continues of her creative process. “On top of that, me and my brother Jerald are also into music - we’ve been playing together and learning different instruments since we were kids. No Lore is our attempt to create a layered expression of our emotions. I’d say our songs are my art and poetry, but in sonic form. Every song is inspired by a specific painting of mine and the latter serves as the former’s cover art.” Listen to ‘With Little Light’ below.

Another Nguyen

Ngoc-Anh is a Vietnamese German independent artist from Berlin performing under the name Another Nguyen. She has just released her new single ‘My Friend’ which was entirely written, produced, mixed and mastered by women. She says of the song: “I wrote this song after a friend of mine opened up to me that her long-term partner was physically abusive towards her. Hearing her story was shocking because I had always perceived them as a very happy couple. With this song I want to tell my friend and anyone who has experienced intimate partner violence that "I see you" and "You are not alone". Listen below.

ANOTHER NGUYEN · My Friend

Noni A.

‘20s’ is the new single from the Berlin-based artist Noni A. Written in her bedroom and turned into a chill pop production by her brother, ‘20s’ talks about the aspects in your twenties that happen in the background but are not often addressed. 21-year-old singer-songwriter Noni A was born and raised in Prague in a German-Greek household. In 2020 Noni A. released her debut single ‘Losing Game’, an acoustic pop ballad. Currently based in Berlin, Noni dives into a different sonic direction in her new music. Inspired by the sound of Jeremy Zucker, Audrey Mika and Quinn XCII, Noni A. blends emotionally honest and unreserved lyrics with a clean and minimalist chill pop production. With her new single ‘20s’, Noni A. takes a new sonic direction. '20s' dives into the chill pop scene, including lo-fi elements, more samples, underlined by a strong beat. "I walked into my kitchen one evening and had absolutely no motivation to clean it,” says Noni A. “Apparently when you’re 20 that becomes a regular activity (cheers to my mom for letting me live blissfully unaware of this and cleaning up my stuff too). This realisation of my day-to-day life as a 20-something-year-old turned into the inspiration of '20s'. This song talks about all those things that everyone experiences in their twenties that happen in the background of our lives: moving out of your hometown, adjusting to life on your own, procrastinating (if you say you don't procrastinate, stop lying) and learning how to use your washing machine (in my opinion a straight-up mystery)." Listen below.

Noni A. · NONI A - 20s

Chrissie Huntley

One of Bristol’s most promising new artists, Chrissie Huntley has released her brand new single, ‘Supposed to Be’. Huntley decided to use the time granted by national lockdowns to her advantage. Collaborating with musicians across the globe and transforming her closet into a home studio, Chrissie has spent the past year equipping herself with a brand new body of work to return to the stage with later in 2021. ‘Supposed to Be’ is the first of a series of single releases set for release this year, and is one that the Brit School graduate holds close to her heart: “‘Supposed to Be’ is one of the first songs I ever wrote when I was a teenager and I just got dumped by the guy who I thought was supposed to be “the one”. I think we’ve all been in that position where you know that it’s over, but you just want to hold on and pretend just a little while longer…” Recorded in Bristol with upcoming songwriter and producer Laurence Fazakerley Buglass, the track demonstrates why Chrissie’s effortless vocals have had such an effect on her audience to date. Working with rising producers Jon Will, Gabriel Gifford (Harvey Causon, Maya Law, Lucy Lu) and Peter Beckmann (Gregory Porter, Laura Mvula, Marie Dahlstrom) to bring the song to life; ‘Supposed to Be’ is the perfect balance of collective ingenuity, creativity and talent...  mixed with the exposed, emotional honesty that comes with having your heart broken. “... It’s a very vulnerable track I suppose. It was very raw at the time of writing and I never had any intention of releasing it- it was more like a therapy to me than anything else. But, seven years later and here we are! Releasing this as an introduction to my new sound seemed like the perfect fit, as it holds the part of me that first turned to music at a time where I was struggling, which went on to become the entire premise of my musical journey..." Listen below.

Karen Harding

Weaving enchanting melodies straight from the heart, Karen Harding crafts, intimate heartfelt tracks that help us become ones with ourselves. The kind of one-to-one soul conversations that dig deep into our hearts and wake emotions once thought long gone. She specializes in helping people shed away their insecurities and finally feel again in a special moment of true authenticity. Drawing from a lifetime of experience, the Melbourne-based singer crafts bittersweet melodies that move and inspire. She gorgeously crafts an entire experience with every timeless track she creates. The emerging singer has just  released her debut track ‘I Didn’t Realise’. The heartbreak ballad talks on the struggle of an earth shatteringly painful breakup in a way so intimate it feels like we’re right there with her. It’s a reflective song that navigates us through every raw emotion during the healing process; from processing the pain to finally coming to terms with what’s happened. Truly a breath-taking journey that will leave you with a deep sense of wonder. The song was passionately penned in the peak of Covid-19 on a piano she played growing up. Like much of her music it came to her very organically. She had the chords already laid out and the words just flowed out of her soul naturally. It wasn’t created with the intention of being turned into a record. Rather it was a simple moment of self-expression based on the way she currently felt. The result is something deeply authentic that’s oozing in originality. She worked with acclaimed producer Josh Hennessy of Pivotal Music to bring the project to life. He helped add the magic to this simplistic yet innovative piano and vocal track. Listen below.

KarenHarding · I Didn't Realise

[houkagokappa]

Sarazanmai first episode impressions

OBS! There are spoilers in this text! Not that they’ll reveal a lot because this is an Ikuhara anime, but in case you want to go in completely blind don’t read this!

The episode starts out just like the main PV. It was really weird to watch the first episode for the first time and spend the first few minutes knowing exactly what Kazuki will say and what kind of visuals were coming up. That said they switched things around a bit. I thought the thing with the ア sign falling would be at the end of the episode, but it was at start as something Kazuki saw/experienced as a hallucination/vision sort of thing.

The opening song will grow on me. At first I got YKA vibes from its visuals, but it’s a lot more upbeat and action heavy later on. There was some sort of sound that escaped my mouth when Reo and Mabu appeared. Sara looks super cool and I’m loving that otter gojira!! I’m looking forward to it so so much. Also it ends on a rainbow lmao that’s gay!!!

The first of Kazuki’s three rules is apparently always carrying around that box. That explains why we’ve seen so much of it. 

I wasn’t expecting to see Sara this early. She’s weirdly casual, but I kinda like it!

The animation is looking super good. It was never something I was worried over since all Ikuhara shows look great, but it’s worth pointing out and being thankful for.

I’m a third into the episode and it’s really surreal to watch because I still recognize most of the lines and scenes from all the promotional stuff.

Oh now Mariya Ise’s character appeared!! Wait she’s their teacher??

A clinging sound starts playing and it’s funny because my first reaction was that this is Ikuhara setting up the mood or wanting us to pay special attention to something, but no Kazuki and Tooi actually hear it as well, it’s part of the world! They’ve been turned into kappa and it’s hilarious. I'm surprised to see the scene where they’re eating cucumbers be used the way it is, as a quick joke.

Next up we see the Kouban and it’s now called Kawauso Kouban! What happened to Asakusa Sara Kouban??? I was so excited to see the ReoMabu interactions, but we only get a small glimpse of them and they don’t say anything yet.

Then we see Enta’s home and it’s super cozy! It’s a traditional Japanese home which I LOVE, but it’s decorated and full of various different things so it feels warm and inviting. Mariya Ise’s character appears again and I love her so much. Her voice is the best ever!

Keppi appears and I’m loving this traditional Japanese vibe he gives off. It’s so soothing and aesthetically pleasing.

Then we get the shirikodama extraction scene which is uhhhhhh something I never could’ve imagined. IT’S WEIRD. They go further than I could’ve imagined, but it’s still not really explicit?

I’m happy I was kinda on the right track with the ghosts! Okay not really, but we can pretend!

Then we see Reo and Mabu again but STILL NO WORD FROM THEM, WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME SO???

I WAS DEFINITELY NOT EXPECTING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WHEN THE THREE BOYS MEET THE ZOMBIE. WHAT THE HELL??? But also, why does this make so much sense??? NOW I get the comments on Sarazanmai being a sound! Ikuhara has always included musical numbers, but I though Sara would stand for them, not the kappa boys!! I really really love it though!!! Random musical numbers are what I live for honestly!!!

The zombie shirikodama extraction scene is kinda gross. I don’t want to think about it that much, like what all those liquids are. 

The buttsex jokes are there. They’re not to bad, I don’t mind them that much, but I also think they’re kind silly and dumb and I could do without. However if you have to include them in any anime, Sarazanmai it the one to pick for them.

I don’t really follow this Sarazanmai connection thing. It looks incredible though! I love the animation, the sound, the symbols, just everything about it! It reminds me of a VN I once played, but I’m too embarrassed to say which one. It wasn’t Sweet Pool though (side-eyeing @empty-movement)

I wasn’t expecting Kazuki to dress up as Sara, but I think I’ve come across someone who might’ve said that? Or mentioned crossdressing at least! I’ll have to watch that sequence again to fully understand what exactly was going on and why he’s doing it and how it connects to everything else. If them connecting through Sarazanmai will reveal some secret each time that’ll be super interesting!!

I’m loving Haruka at the end, I’m super curious to see how this will develop!

The ending looks amazing! I was kinda expecting it to feature the live backgrounds based on a tweet by Tajima. Compared to the Tsunagaru PV this looks a lot more like his other work. It’s very unique and interesting. The song is also great, I’ll be listening to it a lot!

The after credits scene is so hype!!! I screamed when Reo pointed a gun looking thing at me. WHY REO WHY???? Also those poor kitties. 

All in all it was a strong first episode. There was a lot going on, but at the same time I don’t feel like I got that much new info/material because a lot of it was just from the PV’s. 

I can’t wait to see what’ll happen next!

[schmergo]

Okay, here is my full review of Richard III at the Shakespeare Theatre Company! As you proooobably know, Richard III is one of my favorite plays. I’ve seen five professional productions and directed one community production and one staged reading, as well as writing an entire novel-length story based on it. For seven years, I’ve checked my email when the STC season announcement came out, hoping to see Richard III, and when it finally happened this year, I actually began to cry.

So needless to say, my love for this material may make me both unreliably lenient AND overly critical of any production I see. On one hand, I’m always thrilled to see Richard III and my love of the text mitigates many issues I may have with the director’s and actors’ choices. On the other hand, I’m so familiar with the script— of a play so long that it’s almost impossible to perform uncut— that I have really strong ideas about which moments *I* think are crucial and which themes should stand out. They’re never gonna do a version that keeps in ALL of my favorite lines.

Would I recommend STC’s production? Yes, I would, especially to people who are less than familiar with the play. It keeps the story and characters as clear as possible and moves at a quick, crisp pace full of action and intrigue. There’s never a dull moment. But would I say I loved the production? I can’t quite go that far.

If you’re not familiar with this play, Richard III takes place in the aftermath of a massive civil war. A veteran of the wars whose ruthlessness was handy in battle, Richard is the youngest brother of the king and is restless during peacetime. So he hatches a plan to climb to the throne- no matter how many family members he must kill and friends he must betray to get there.

David Muse’s stark aesthetic for the play may seem weird at first, but it definitely kept things interesting. The stained, off-white, instutitional-looking box of a set was inspired by an abandoned morgue- a concept they took very literally with body lockers, gurneys, and creepy machines full of fluids and tubes. The blank expanse at the top of the set was handily used to project text- whether backstory at the beginning of the play or the names of each major character as they enter the scene- accompanied by bursts of hard rock music. I’ve never seen a play as devoted to making sure the audience keeps names and relationships straight.

Costumes are modern and generally in shades of greys (with brilliant white for the royal York family- I particularly loved Queen Elizabeth’s white gown), but with some gorgeously surreal twists. Richard wears armorlike bracing to support his body, with heavy corsetry, neck brace, leg and arm brace, and a matching cane. This exoskeleton operates as an extension of himself- his strength and physicality never seems very limited when fully clad, and he does cut a strong, powerful figure. Once he becomes king, the bracing doubles as a fashion statement as he dons a glittering gold corset to match his crown while other members of court wear stylish corsets and neck bracing that call to mind Elizabethan fashions popular at the time Shakespeare wrote the play.

In a notable scene near the end, though, Richard’s servant removes his bracing so he can sleep before the battle of Bosworth Field, and we see this indefatigable bulldozer of a man helpless and in pain for the first time in the play. It’s powerfully done and makes the audience realize this is how Richard always sees himself.

I was sitting near the very back of the house, which may color my impressions of the show (I plan to see it again in two weeks from the front row to see if I change my mind), but my overall assessment is that this is a show that paid so much directorial attention to staging, aesthetic, theme, and visual excitement that it left a lot of individual performances underdeveloped or emotionally unconvincing. Maybe it’s the sheer size of Sidney Harman Hall, which I almost think is TOO big to effectively communicate the subtleties of Shakespeare’s dramas.

The death scenes, for example, were incredible. Wow. Most of them took place offstage in the original play, but in this production, every single one is depicted with graphic originality, including onstage drowning, lethal injections, decapitations, and more. It’s brutal but thrilling. Richard’s nightmare sequence, in which the ghosts of everyone he’s killed come back to haunt him, is the best and spookiest I’ve EVER seen it done.

For the most part, though, individual performances seemed to lack a certain spark of life. Though most performers had memorable specific moments, none truly stood out to me as really exceptional performances. Across the board, the delivery style seemed slightly stilted, formal, shouty, and “Shakespeare-y,” which I not only felt didn’t fit the raw text but clashed even more weirdly with the modern rock-and-roll visual aesthetic.

Even Matthew Rauch as Richard seemed to be holding back in the first half of the play- he seemed almost cautious, formal. Richard in the first half of the play is written to be so charming and charismatic that he even brings the audience along for the ride until his terrible deeds reach a point of no return. Rauch’s Richard was the most serious I’ve seen in the first half- even his humor felt strained- and paradoxically, I found him less scary and less dangerous than other Richards because of that. When you have such brutal onstage deaths, juxtaposing them against Richard’s devilish glee in ordering said deaths really drives home how little conscience he has. Rauch has the bearing of a soldier and clearly understands Shakespeare well, but he almost faded into the background of many of his early scenes. Maybe some of this was intentional- the directors’ notes in the script emphasized the importance of the supporting roles, which overbearing Richards so often overshadow— but given that Matthew Rauch’s face is splashed all over posters for the show around town, you’d think they’d give him more opportunities for the ol’ Razzle Dazzle.

Rauch hits his stride in the second half, when Richard begins to become slightly unhinged and paranoid. With a manic energy and unpredictable temper, Richard felt fully realized and truly threatening- with moments of keen vulnerability. His confrontation scene with Queen Elizabeth (portrayed rather blandly though elegantly up to that point) felt electrifying even if I didn’t necessarily love the cut of the text. And this production dispensed with the portrayal of Richard as sexually perverted or predatory that you often see these days. Rauch’s Richard is a misogynist who sees women as disposable objects or tools to aid his rise, but he doesn’t lust after them.

Some directorial choices looked cool but were confusing or distracting, like repetitive chanting from an ensemble or the rhythmic sharpening of scalpels and snapping of leather straps every time Richard prepares to kill someone. It sets the tone but obscured the language... and not that it matters, but why DOES Richard have a large army of mad scientists in the first place?

I did appreciate the diversity of the cast, filled with performers of different ethnicities, ages, genders, and sizes. Richmond, the valiant and pious hero who ultimately defeats Richard, was a woman of color and was well cast in the role, commanding yet gentle. But the business about marrying Elizabeth’s daughter to Richmond was both mentioned once and failed to come up again at the end of the play, maybe to keep from drawing attention to the fact that there would be no Tudor dynasty with two queens on the throne? I felt they should have really leaned alll the way in and ended with Princess Elizabeth by Richmond’s side or else avoided the marriage subplot all together.

Richard’s end was also quick and anticlimactic after all of the exciting battle that had preceded it, but maybe they wanted to avoid portraying Richmond as being as brutal or ruthless as Richard. Still, they had blood-covered ghosts of Richard’s slain foes adding to the numbers of Richmond’s army. Maybe they could have taken that a step further by having the ghosts assist in finishing off Richard- after all, the historical King Richard’s body was hacked by a mob.

All in all, I felt it was definitely a play worth seeing but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by some of the elements. In particular, a lot of the funnier lines and scenes were removed from the script, as if the director wanted to keep things “Dark Knight style grim dark,” while to me, the black humor is one of the best things about the script. But the audience still laughed and reacted to the more humorous- or shocking- moments nonetheless— in fact, hearing gasps of disbelief or excitement or disgust from the audience at crucial moments was one of my favorite things about this production. Clearly, many people were seeing Richard III for the first time. And, like me, they felt it in their bones.

Richard III plays through March 10 at Sidney Harman Hall, the Shakespeare Theatre Company.