#Neo and Trinity Theme

[worstvideogamesong-poll]

Worst Video Game Song Tournament Masterpost

The tournament has begun! We are currently in round 4, and each poll will be open for a week. I will also be reblogging each poll 12 hours after it is posted so that people in different time zones are able to see them more easily. If you don't want to see these reblogs, block the tag #12th hour reblog. There will be a total of 8 polls in this round. 4 polls will be posted a day for a total of 2 days.

When you vote, I would recommend listening to as much as you can of each song before voting, but how you choose is up to you. Remember to be civil in the tags and replies! Some posts will have propaganda included with the songs, but feel free to add more propaganda in the tags and replies, or send it to me in the ask box and I'll try to share it as soon as I can!

View the bracket, make predictions and more on Challonge here

View the spreadsheet of submissions here

View the original introduction post here

Read the FAQ here

Listen to the full playlist on YouTube here

Full list of polls under the cut:

Round 1

Match 1 - Lavender Town (Pokémon Red/Blue) vs. Vs. Odd Yo-Kai (Yo-Kai Watch)

Match 2 - K.K. Synth (Animal Crossing New Leaf) vs. Bad Feeling (Mad Rat Dead)

Match 3 - This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy (Project Sekai: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku) vs. Morpho Knight (Kirby and the Forgotten Land)

Match 4 - Track 6 (The Ring: Terror's Realm) vs. Fallen Down (Undertale)

Match 5 - Rodeo Time! (Yo-Kai Watch 3) vs. The Fade (Dragon Age Origins)

Match 6 - Rivers in the Desert (mito Remix) (Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight) vs. Birthday Cake (Jet Set Radio Future)

Match 7 - Let's Start the Killing Game (Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony) vs. You've Got to Eat Your Vegetables! (Commander Keen 4)

Match 8 - Venus (Doom Troopers Sega Genesis) vs. GB Hunter Theme (GB Hunter)

Match 9 - Know What I Mean? (Mario Party 2) vs. Boss Theme 1 (Sonic Superstars)

Match 10 - Area 4, 8, & 13 (Santa Claus Saves the Earth GBA) vs. The Yoshi Clan (Yoshi's New Island)

Match 11 - Bomb Rush Blush (Remix) - Splatoon 2 vs. Mansion Basement (Resident Evil Director's Cut)

Match 12 - Monkeys (Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships) vs. Vacation Music 1 (The Sims 1)

Match 13 - Hazy Lane (Yo-Kai Watch 3) vs. Central City (Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood)

Match 14 - Mumble Blues (Armed and Delirious (Dementia)) vs. Crazy Bus Title Screen (Crazy Bus)

Match 15 - Striptease (Persona 4) vs. Professor Birch's Laboratory (Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire)

Match 16 - Oppression (Cave Story) vs. Spookwave (Undertale)

Match 17 - Nocturne (Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood) vs. Ancient Chozo Ruins (Metroid II: Return of Samus)

Match 18 - Diggity Dog (WWF No Mercy N64) vs. YZAP (Yo-Kai Watch 3)

Match 19 - Versus (Sonic Eraser) vs. Neo-Opportunist (Mad Rat Dead)

Match 20 - 50m (Donkey Kong '94) vs. Black Tar (Xenoblade Chronicles X)

Match 21 - Shadow World (DE DE MOUSE Remix) (Persona 4 Dancing All Night) vs. Mushroom Road (Tales of the Abyss)

Match 22 - Fest Zest (Splatoon 2) vs. Survival Instincts Kicking In (Bravely Default II)

Match 23 - Drawbridge Dilemma (WarioWare: Get it Together!) vs. Fight Theme 1 (Omikron: The Nomad Soul)

Match 24 - Thrifty Megamart (Pokémon Sun/Moon) vs. Metal Gear MS DOS Soundtrack (Metal Gear MS DOS)

Match 25 - NLA (Night) (Xenoblade Chronicles X) vs. Spooktune (Undertale)

Match 26 - Namco Arcade 80's Retro Medley (Super Smash Bros. for Wii U) vs. I Love Beijing Tiananmen (Hong Kong 97)

Match 27 - Stage Theme (1942) vs Red-Green-Yellow-Yellow (Mother 3)

Match 28 - Din's Power (Harp) (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword) vs. Wildfire (Honkai: Star Rail)

Match 29 - Midna's Lament (Remix) (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) vs. Tired of Life (Lady of Beestmeel Bro)

Match 30 - Holy Orders? (Guilty Gear XX) vs. Burning Men's Soul (Persona Trinity Soul)

Match 31 - Built to Scale (Rhythm Heaven Fever) vs. Main Theme (Beverly Hills Cop)

Match 32 - Just Leave Me Alone (OMORI) vs. Denegul (Lagoon)

Match 33 - Now or Never! (Remix) (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) vs. Crown Dungeon (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages)

Match 34 - Heart and Soul (Cutscene) (Sonic Frontiers) vs. Dungeon Man (EarthBound)

Match 35 - Resetti's Theme (Animal Crossing: Wild World) vs. Rise & Shine, Ursine! (Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony)

Match 36 - Belly Flop (Splatoon 3) vs. Lemon Jelly (The Sims 2)

Match 37 - mmm yess put the tree on my pizza (Pizza Tower) vs. The Moving Gigantic Ship (Tales of Xillia)

Match 38 - Comin' at ya, My girl (Yakuza 5) vs. Track 7 (Frozen Fruits)

Match 39 - Battle (Field) (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) vs. Title Theme (The Adventures of Rad Gravity)

Match 40 - Emphasis on Scat (BattleBlock Theater) vs. Shipwreckin' (Splatoon 2)

Match 41 - Tem Shop (Undertale) vs. Character Select (Marvel vs. Capcom 2)

Match 42 - Title Screen (Tagin' Dragon) vs. Path of Pain (Hollow Knight)

Match 43 - What's Your Name? (San Fransisco Rush) vs. Pathetic House (Undertale)

Match 44 - Mine: Zew (The Void/Tension) vs. Chocobo Theme (Final Fantasy 2)

Match 45 - Versus Giegue (EarthBound Beginnings) vs. Dragon's Den (Pokémon Gold/Silver)

Match 46 - Great Bay Temple (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask) vs. Sagat's Theme (Street Fighter 1)

Match 47 - Chocobo Theme (Final Fantasy X-2) vs. Honeylune Ridge (Super Mario Odyssey)

Match 48 - Close in the Distance (Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker) vs. Shrimp Shuffle (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

Match 49 - Desert (Super Mario Bros.) (Super Mario Maker 2) vs. National Anthem (Double Dribble Arcade)

Match 50 - Dubble Bath (DIY Remix) (Splatoon 2) vs. Fun House (Spider-Man the Animated Series)

Match 51 - Options (Sonic Spinball) vs. Welcome to Mario Cars 2 (Mario Cars 2)

Match 52 - Twilit Battle (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) vs. Confusion (Digimon World 3)

Match 53 - 25m (Donkey Kong) vs. Buying Goods at Palmira (Evergrace)

Match 54 - Crazy Shuffle Theme (Action 52) vs. Joke's End (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)

Match 55 - Treasure Caves (Wild Woody) vs. Long Elevator (Undertale)

Match 56 - Conspiracy (わるだくみ) (Muv Luv) vs. Opening (Sonic Blast 3D 5)

Match 57 - Digital Roots (Deltarune Chapter 2) vs. Lying in the Darkness (Tales of Graces)

Match 58 - Victory Road (Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver) vs. Title Music (Manic Miner)

Match 59 - Donut Plains (Super Mario Kart) vs. Nightclub (Sabotaged) (Payday 3)

Match 60 - Credtrap (Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill) vs. Cole Train Rap (Gears of War)

Match 61 - Tragic Prince (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) vs. Theme of Stardust (Yakuza 2)

Match 62 - Vital (Fornite) vs. Title Screen (Ballz 3D)

Match 63 - Emblem Engage! (Fire Emblem: Engage) vs. Sub-Tree Area (Kirby Super Star)

Match 64 - Maximum Power (After Burner (Amiga)) vs. Imp's Song (DOOM)

Round 2

Match 1 - Lavender Town (Pokémon Red/Blue) vs. K.K. Synth (Animal Crossing: New Leaf)

Match 2 - This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy (Project Sekai: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku) vs. Track 6 (The Ring: Terror's Realm)

Match 3 - The Fade (Dragon Age: Origins) vs. Birthday Cake (Jet Set Radio Future)

Match 4 - You've Got to Eat Your Vegetables! (Commander Keen 4) vs. GB Hunter Theme (GB Hunter)

Match 5 - Know What I Mean? (Mario Party 2) vs. The Yoshi Clan (Yoshi's New Island)

Match 6 - Mansion Basement (Resident Evil Director's Cut) vs. Vacation Music 1 (The Sims 1)

Match 7 - Central City (Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood) vs. Title Screen (Crazy Bus)

Match 8 - Striptease (Persona 4) vs. Spookwave (Undertale)

Match 9 - Nocturne (Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood) vs. Diggity Dog (WWF No Mercy (N64))

Match 10 - Versus (Sonic Eraser) vs. 50m (Donkey Kong)

Match 11 - Shadow World (DE DE MOUSE Remix) (Persona 4 Dancing All Night) vs. Survival Instincts Kicking In (Bravely Default II)

Match 12 - Fight Theme 1 (Omikron: The Nomad Soul) vs. Metal Gear MS DOS Soundtrack (Metal Gear MS DOS)

Match 13 - NLA (Night) (Xenoblade Chronicles X) vs. I Love Beijing Tiananmen (Hong Kong 97)

Match 14 - Stage Theme (1942) vs. Din's Power (Harp) (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

Match 15 - Tired of Life (Lady of Beestmeel Bro) vs. Holy Orders? (Guilty Gear XX)

Match 16 - Main Theme (Beverly Hills Cop (PC)) vs. Denegul (Lagoon(SNES))

Match 17 - Crown Dungeon (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages) vs. Dungeon Man (EarthBound)

Match 18 - Resetti's Theme (Animal Crossing: Wild World) vs. Belly Flop (Splatoon 3)

Match 19 - The Moving Gigantic Ship (Tales of Xillia) vs. Track 7 (Frozen Fruits)

Match 20 - Title Theme (The Adventures of Rad Gravity) vs. Emphasis on Scat (BattleBlock Theater)

Match 21 - Character Select (Marvel vs. Capcom 2) vs. Title Screen (Tagin' Dragon (NES))

Match 22 - What's Your Name? (San Fransisco Rush) vs. Mine: Zew (The Void/Tension)

Match 23 - Versus Giegue (EarthBound Beginnings) vs. Sagat's Theme (Street Fighter 1)

Match 24 - Chocobo Theme (Final Fantasy X-2) vs. Shrimp Shuffle (Rhythm Heaven Fever)

Match 25 - National Anthem (Double Dribble Arcade) vs. Fun House (Spider-Man: The Animated Series)

Match 26 - Welcome to Mario Cars 2 (Mario Cars 2) vs. Confusion (Digimon World 3)

Match 27 - Buying Goods at Palmira (Evergrace) vs. Crazy Shuffle Theme (Action 52)

Match 28 - Treasure Caves (Wild Woody) vs. Opening (Sonic 3D Blast 5)

Match 29 - Lying in the Darkness (Tales of Graces) vs. Title Music (Manic Miner)

Match 30 - Nightclub (Sabotaged) (Payday 3) vs. Credtrap (Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill)

Match 31 - Theme of Stardust (Yakuza 2) vs. Title Screen (Ballz 3D(SNES))

Match 32 - Emblem Engage! (Fire Emblem: Engage) vs. Imp's Song (DOOM)

Round 3

[misscammiedawn]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who genuinely loves Matrix Resurrections. I feel like the Wachowskis get a lot of flack for lacking subtlety, which is frustrating when those same people miss the point of what they were trying to convey in the first place.

And yes, Jonathan Groff absolutely understood the assignment.

CW: discussion of suicide

Ignoring the fact that Sleepyhead and I codified our relationship while watching it at least 4 times together in a single week (one while making out the entire time) a few weeks before the Orange Kit-Kat story, I legitimately have respect for the art at play.

Warner Bros are a company who seem to believe "a sequel made is cash in the bank" and have an embarrassing number of times allowed cynical productions to fly without really bothering to supervise the final product. Certainly Animaniacs making fun of WB as a company is a par for the course but Gremlins 2 and Space Jam 2 are both examples of scripts made with disdain for the fact they had to be made and actively placing a middle finger up at Warners for making it happen. Gremlins 2 being the better and more famous of the pair as Dante's been outspoken about the process of getting it made.

It's odd this company's executive decisions allow this history to continue repeating.

But although the board room scene with "our beloved parent company" making the next Matrix with or without the creator was a similar dig the true subject of the film's ire is of course... reality. Not the layers of reality within the movie of course. The reality where Red Pill was taken from being an overt reference to estrogen to a symbol held up by the very people who wish us trans people erased.

Can you even imagine how pissed off a person would be to have their (commercially successful) magnum opus, the expression of all that is in their soul co-opted by the very group it is out to decry? I can't. I have thought on it often.

Anyone who says they dislike Resurrections hasn't interacted with the idea of living as the woman from this meme tweet (wrong sister but they have a shared experience here)

I think it's easy to tell this "bullet time" system is pretty much the red pill. Get people angry, worked up, too caught up in a decaying society to even think about the ability to undo the capitalist structure that bleeds them dry.

This movie had a thesis and it was spurred from a deeply personal place of grief at the world the sisters tried to speak to...

And yet...

Made a movie of love and growth anyway?

Because they know that many, if not most, saw the message from the first films and understood. This movie is and will always be for them. It includes a middle finger or two but it is not itself a middle finger. It rejects some things which would reward those who refuse to engage with the material and then a glutton of messages to appeal to those who know and care.

The story makes implicit themes explicit with Trinity's role in the film and Neo literally trapped in another form which others who can see beyond the binary system of The Matrix can see through.

The story of Lana's suicide attempt being stopped by an elder queer at a train station is one that she clearly holds close to her heart. It was adapted in the first films and in Resurrections we see it from another angle. Neo, trapped in the programmers form, tries to jump off of a roof and Bugs sees through to Keanu!Neo. In a way showing younger queer people seeing Lilly and Lana's original material and finding their way out of the system, because art, representation and hope are all powerful enough to set people free.

The human cities coexist with machine life now, programs are not just being harbored as they were in the original trilogy they are being released too. Zion isn't just for the disenfranchised now, members of the oppressive culture are welcomed to be part of the world outside of the systems of control, capitalism or your metaphor here.

The movie screams hope and beauty and celebrates its queer nature, particularly its transness. It is SO full of love.

And I cannot understand anyone looking at a deep and rich piece of art with a lifetime of introspection and dislike it because the action scenes aren't as good as John Wick.

But that's just me, I suppose.

Glad y'all enjoy it too.

[synthient]

there's an article about his band where Keanu talks about what bass Neo would play and he mentions that Neo would play jazz with Morpheus on drums and Agent Smith on keyboard. truly a powerful image. NeoSmith band au when.

au where Morpheus and Smith have both been trying to recruit Neo into their dueling bands: Morpheus' cool indie-grunge acoustic band Nebuchadnezzar, and Smith's sleek corporate sellout synth band Agent. Through some form of anime rival conniving, Smith manages to destroy Nebuchadnezzar (get all Morpheus' bandmates except Trinity to drop out). But in turn, he gets dropped by his corporate sponsors and abandoned by his two bandmates.

Then they form an unexpected alliance, combining their acoustic/synthy sounds into a joint act called Room 303. Part of the gimmick is that there's four of them, but they rotate the lineup so only three of them perform at a time (this is as much to lower the risk of anyone trying to bite each other on stage as it is for theming reasons). I haven't decided what Trinity plays but I'm open to suggestions ("the triangle" is funny but not cool enough). And rest assured that the band IS a messy polycule (it's called Room 303 because that's the first hotel room where. where they)

[ratwavegamehouse]

Terminal, The Matrix and Inspirations

I'm in a weird mood (like high energy but also a bit moody but not actually sad, I think I had two much caffeine after accidentally missing my meds yesterday) so I'm gonna try and write a post I was meaning to do during the Terminal kickstarter but didn't get around to: discussing the explicit influence of The Matrix on Terminal.

Terminal is a Matrix game, like obviously. The central premise; the world as you know it is a lie, a simulation operated by machines, is the exact same. In diverges in other elements of the setting (the pirates of Libertatia are very different from the rebels of Zion for instance) as well as in semiotics (the Robot Authority as written are shaded with themes around coercive control, that's something I'm bringing to this story rather than adapting from the Matrix).

The starting point for writing Terminal was "hey I bet this Inevitable system could be used to make a game like The Matrix films" but I quickly decided I didn't want the setting to just be The Matrix with the serial numbers filed off. I don't think that approach is like "wrong" but it didn't feel right to the kind of game I wanted to make.

(An interesting quirk is the characters who feel like closer analogues were definitely the ones I wrote earlier in the books development, whereas characters developed later don't cleanly map in the same way.)

I think of Terminal more as pastiche than fanfic (those distinctions aren't being expressed as a value judgement, just a difference). In some cases it's using that pastiche as a vehicle for new stories and some elements of the pastiche are in part commentary (the inner workings of the pirates are partly a reaction to finding it interesting how Zion has such a heirachal structure for a civilization founded by people who rejected conformity or for a more critical example I avoided the slavery metaphors that the original Matrix uses because I found those shallow and poorly conceived). I see the relationship between Terminal and The Matrix as like the relationship between Superman and the various characters inspired by or otherwise riffing in him.

Anyway that's a lot of preamble and naval gazing. I was planning to just run down some characters and who they ended up inspiring. Let's do that now.

Let's do Neo first. Neo's in the game in a few senses. One is the character of Atalanta in the startup operation (the scenario for you first session of play that kicks off the campaign. Atalanta is someone you're trying to free from the Terminal. She's channelling a similar mood to Neo in the first film before he meets Trinity. Basically the scenario is you getting to be Atalanta's Trinity. Atalanta isn't a programmer, partly that's differentiating the character from her inspiration but partly it's as I don't know enough about coding to make it a meaningful character trait. She furthers differs in that she's not fated (at least by the text) to become the Omen, instead the crew drop her off in Libertatia and she starts to make a life for herself from there. The crew can check in on her and perhaps I fluence whether she returns as a major character (this beat maybe brings in some of The Kid from 2/3 but I don't know if that was a conscious influence). Oh also Atalanta is trans, like so's Neo but I mean textually, cause I liked the idea of doing a trans metaphor narrative with a canonically trans character.

Speaking of the Omen that element is obviously an analogue to the Path of the One. This is an interesting case study in small changes in a pastiche having far reaching impact. In early development I wondered whether my equivalent to this would have been a major NPC I didn't love that idea but I also didn't like the idea of one player getting to be the Most Important Character. This eventually led to the idea of the Omen code being shared amongst people throughout a campaign as significant connections are formed. I liked the emotional through line this can create; this a game about breaking away from manipulative controlling forces by forming healthy meaningful connections. It's Neo choosing the door that leads back to Trinity.

The other major change was that the pirates of Libertatia are aware of the reboots the cycle of reincarnation has contributed. This was firstly a practical change; if I'm making a game inspired by the Matrix I assume a decent chunk of people who will play it will be familiar with the plot of the Matrix so trying to house the same plot point as a twist wouldn't work. But it had a transformative knock on effect. The Omen's arrival is significant but it isn't heralded as a possible victory. It's the sign of being close to failure again. The cycle has always ended in failure and everyone knows that but everyone keeps trying in hope this time might turn out different. There's a melancholy to it.

These two decisions ended up influencing the creation of Transmit, the last Omen. They did something to the code that's changed reincarnation, they've created a deviation in the cycle, a chance. They're also kinda Neo, or at least how people might feel about Neo after the original trilogy. They're also kinda Chris Pine Spider-Verse Spider-Man, someone perfect you not only have to love up to but also hope to succeed where they failed. They're also kinda Akira; one of the most significant characters but their involvement as an active player in this story was finished long ago.

God that was just one character. May e the reason I put this off for so long was I knew I would ramble.

Let's talk Smith. The major story arcs in Terminal are called Crashes, and each could serve as the game's eventual dramatic finale. One Crash concerns 0, formerly a special agent, an enforcer of the systems will, now turned living virus whose hatred will eat the world. So yeah 0 is Smith. Well a Smith. (Remember the thing I said about the closer analogues being the earlier written ones? 0 was maybe the 5th or 6th character written). But they're interesting for that knockon changes stuff. In this case both from other elements that are different between the two texts but also the medium. 0 doesn't have a built in relationships with the protagonistsnand as such their origins are more mysterious. The arc focuses much more on the specifics of people who know who are assimilated into 0. I think playing this part of the story will be a very different experience from how The Matrix sequels play out.

0 isn't really the only Smith though. Thinking about Smith got me thinking about the agents overall (additionally I was also thinking on the Smith/Morpheus composite from Resurrections and the idea of freeing agents). What does it mean for someone whose only purpose is enforcing a systems will to reject that same system? This lead to Special Agent 5, an agent with the urge, but not the tools, to rebel after their corrupted partner was corrupted. This thought process also influenced, in a more subtle way, another, more secretive character.

The Oracle is a character who honestly influenced the whole creation of the game. Inevitable is based heavily around prophecy and certainty. That's what linked it to the Matrix in my mind. The Seer is a characters whose role in the story is very similar to their influence but their execution and styling is different. A butch mechanic rather than a kindly aunt. Liminal stops on a lost highway rather than a routine apartment. Similarly she kinda probes the question of how the pirates feel about having an ally they are aware is a program. That fact seemed likely but unexplored for their analogues and was something that is brought to the forefront of the Seer, as well as the linked question of how her conflicting loyalties might endanger her.

The Director is the core shaper program of the Terminal. Their role is analogous to The Architect and this did make them harder to distinction. One way of drawing in difference was placing The Director more within the Terminal itself, more focused on its minute perfections. (This was kinda influences by the scene in the first film talking about chicken and Cipher talking about stake, influence isn't always the straight lines between characters.) Another new focus was on the inner workings and power struggle within the Terminal's maintenance. There's focus on why programs are rendered obsolete, and the desperate positions that pushes some of them two. They have a usurgent rival, The Puppetter, whose focus on psychological torture is influenced by the Analyst from Ressurections but whose execution plays more like villainous sorcerors in fantasy stories.

I wouldn't consider their to be a direct analogue to The Merovingian, though aspects of their character and the wider world of the exiles influenced two major figures. The first is The Hedonist, the principal obsolete programs in Terminal who operates a night club. This is influenced partly by Club Hel, and a detail about abilities they had taken from them was probably lightly cribbed from the mention how the Merovingian used to be powerful. They focused more on questions around how programs might deal with breaking from the system, being hunted by it, but being stuck inside it all the same. She, as well as some of the characters in her club like the Carver, also bring up stuff about programs self images within the Terminal and their conceptions around gender. None of this is really about the Merovingian, it's just where the character developed.

Similarly the Archivist and their associated Crash were intially drawing in the Merovingians scene in Reloaded. The Archivist was once responsible for cataloging all that held value in the Terminal. Now rendered obsolete they've grown bitter and want to posses every program and person of "value". This character developed of thinking first how this story arc could, in a possible campaign, evolve into a worlds ending stakes finale. It also developed from what would motivate the characters and those motivations became something very different from their original kernel.

Programs with clear analogues are significantly greater than humans. I think that's probably because the wider changes to the setting and the core beliefs of the pirates meant analogues didn't serve a purpose. There's no clear Morpheus. Instead there's character who came from answering questions the setting asked. Characters who doubt the Omen are coming from a different perspective than character in the Matrix who doubt Neo as the One so they don't feel like pastiches in the same way. The greater time you'd spend in a setting in a TTRPG verses the comparitively smaller scenes you get on Zion in a film means there's more nooks and crannies shaded in so characters can spend time their.

There are other ways certain things influenced parts of the book less directly. The scene in Revolutions of Rama-Kandra talking with Neo about love influenced a lot of the themes for program characters.

I'm gonna try and wrap this up now. But yeah that's Terminal and The Matrix. It's also not just The Matrix. One character is a Wizard of Oz reference. The Hedonist is also kinda Carrie Ann Moss's character from Mass Effect 2. The Crash arc The Dying Dream is me doing Paprika. Two characters are a Twin Peaks homage and there's over influence there in aesthetics of certain domains as well as in characters like the Puppeteer and the doppelganger element. I'm pretty sure I probably was took the double meaning of wake for waking up and also a funeral afterparty in naming the real world the Wake from Sandman and I didn't realise until I finished writing the book and was packing up to move flat and found Sandman volume 10: The Wake. The Hedonist is also a friend of mine. Atlanta is me, aged 19. The Stranger is me, aged 28 (sorry that's a secret bit, you'll have to read the game). Making art is a conversation.

[ghcstpyre]

guys I'm doing an 80s/90s fancy dress theme for my bday party this year and I can't decide if me and my fiance should go as bill and ted or trinity and neo HELP ME PLS

[smww4ever]

Take the Red Pill…💊

[letterturner]

this post is just me going on a long tangent for an aesthetic im nostalgic for and a bunch of examples of it so click keep reading at your own discretion cause long post ahead

so what im talking is this sort of mid 2000s to like around 2011 neo-victorian aesthetic that also utilized a sort of gothic-circus meets cabaret style. the essence of the 2000s is there even if its not initially visible from the surface because its important to this aesthetic. i think some motifs for this are typical gothic elements like graves and crosses but also things like stripes, butterflies, ragdolls, playing cards, checker patterns, hearts (both whole and broken), chess, circus imagery, roses and rabbits. aesthetics like emo, gothic lolita, circus, goth, mall goth and even steampunk to a small degree are kinda like the cousins to this.

some artists that i think visualized this are mizna wada,

yoh

and gekidan inu curry

plus a whole bunch of others like hanamushi and dollcreep

i'd say the music genres associated with this style would be dark cabaret and baroque pop. the most popular examples would probably be panic! at the disco's first and third albums

but you also have other acts like emilie autumn

rasputina,

the dresden dolls,

and there were quite a few vocaloid song/mvs that also fit like dark wood circus, trick and treat and the riddle solver who can't solve riddles. plus i feel like a large amount of songs by kikou also match this sort of vibe

clothing wise i feel like thick stripes were really popular, especially as striped stockings. other things like victorian boots, fingerless gloves and corsets as well. i cant name just one specific clothing style but i def feel like gothic lolita and the neo victorian look really embodies this.

video games also were kinda influenced by this aesthetic but i dont think it was nearly as prominent. i think the path and alice: madness returns are probably the closest to what im talking abt

but interestly enough i think the kind of games that utilized this style the most were flash point and click games like gretel & hansel

and speaking of alice: madness returns it really does seem alice in wonderland and alice in wonderland inspired themes with a darker more gothic-y look became really popular (which think i also plays into the popularity of the neo victorian influence). this is why i think things associated with alice in wonderland like roses, rabbits and playing cards became such popular imagery with this aesthetic. i find it kinda funny when people say the 2010 version of alice in wonderland wasnt good because the color palette was "too dark/gloomy/whatever" cause it really was appealing to the aesthetics of the time which is why it did so well when it came out

for movies of this aesthetic i know tim burton is probably gonna be the most associated with this which is fair but i credit a lot of it to the costume designer for most of his movies, colleen atwood (who fittingly designed the costumes for 2010 alice in wonderland)

and even toy wise this aesthetic was visible with dolls like bleeding edge goth

living dead dolls too (and once again the alice in wonderland theme is present)

and while the style of pullip dolls is generally lighter they also produced a few dolls like this (*cough* alice in wonderland inspired yet agaain *cough*)

and last but not least,,VAMPLETS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH; i wish the original vamplets site was still up but i digress.

there are plenty of more examples like ruby gloom, black butler, the music video for fashion monster, trinity blood, shiki and monster high

[thesinglesjukebox]

TWST - "OFF-WORLD"

Our own Hannah begins the D&B t.A.T.u revival...

[7.25]

Hannah Jocelyn: This gem was produced by Mike Spencer, whose maximalist EDM work graced Rudimental and Ellie Goulding's best music in the early 2010s. "Off-World", which TWST wrote with Lauren Aquilina and Marcus Anderson, brings that sound back to life with headier lyrics. The vocal sound is SO bright it's almost fatiguing, but that adds to the song's urgency; Chloe Davis will break through time, space, and the capabilities of de-essers to be their true self. Aquilina's previous song "Empathy" was about the perils of lacking emotional boundaries, but here, dissolving boundaries is a path to romantic transcendence: "Wanna float, wanna fly, wanna try to ascend this skin/Wanna feel what you feel, but I can't feel anything." I have a whole playlist of songs that attempt to verbalize that need for all-consuming intimacy, and in those songs it often ends up toxic. Davis is aware of this, which is why "I wanna give you it all" comes with the necessary caveat "...without giving myself away." Still, the most prominent queer art of the last quarter-century depicts this ache for a reason, whether it's Genesis P-Orridge and Lady Jaye using their bodies as performance art, Neo and Trinity becoming The One in Matrix Resurrections, or everything involving Steven Universe. As "Off-World" careens into its drops, TWST approximates what that bliss must feel like. [9]

Aaron Bergstrom: A warm-hearted, techno-utopian update on "All The Things She Said," which unfortunately means it isn't quite as good. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: "All the Things She Said" deconstructed into its three elements. One: The hook -- well, one of them. Two: Ethereal yearning, and the desire to escape into the fantasy worlds and heightened emotional reality found in saturated pastorals, cities at night, dark chromed spaceships, or whatever other AMV aesthetic you personally want to get isekai'd into. Three: The frantic, obsessive pace of that yearning, which takes physical form here as a drum-and-bass break (probably the next sound to bubble back up to mainstream offline pop). [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The Expanse AMV-type beat [8]

Jackie Powell: It's been awfully hard to figure out why "Off-World" sounds so familiar. Is it similar to a video game theme? Or is this more like the theme to the French animated series Code Lyoko that ran on Cartoon Network for a few years in the 2000s? Sonically, not exactly. But what links them all is how they fit together as science fiction, with world-hopping. TWST explained that "Off-World'' is about "a cyborg girl who descends upon Earth, yearning to break free" who finds liberation in another place. TWST is best in the pre-chorus; the yearning and the struggle are there. But I question the potency of the chorus. Where is that conflict? Where's the payoff? It seems a little monotonous compared to the rest of this three and a half minute journey. The percussive elements in that hook, however, are exhilarating. Well done, Mike Spencer. [6]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: An epic about a cyborg girl descending upon earth and trying to find liberation, personal freedom, and authenticity sounds amazing, but it shouldn't take TWST's long statement about the track for me to understand the story. The musical experience of "Off-World" doesn't speak for itself, and despite how pretty it sounds, the track's immense ambitions are let down by the hook's flatness. [5]

Taylor Alatorre: How do I justify not slapping an automatic [10] on what is essentially Springsteenian cyberpunk? In part it's that "Off-World" suffers from its own success. The pre-chorus is substantially more stirring and anthemic than the chorus, which leads to the latter feeling like a deflation of energies, or an artificial limit on the possibilities the song wants to conjure. Songs about escape, whether from the "swamps of Jersey" or from the burdens of meatspace, are more dependent than usual on structure and momentum, on both mapping out a compelling journey and ensuring the destination lives up to expectations. But if "Off-World" falls a bit short in its goal of ferrying us to a frictionless utopia, that cliché about the journey and the destination isn't wrong here. "Meet me at the borderline" -- most of us are there already, but TWST knows how to make it sound like an undiscovered country. [7]

Will Adams: There's a point at which desire transcends the bounds of a standard crush, when the promise of being with someone seems so out of reach it becomes science fiction. They exist in a whole other world, you think. How could I ever meet them there? This is what that feels like: swirling synths that conjure the cosmic chasm separating you from them, but a breakneck d&b pulse that launches you into that open space. "Off-World" embodies the feeling of reaching out your hand, unsure whether your fingertips will ever meet theirs. [9]

Frank Falisi: The pre-chorus is the most sci-fi of all song parts, tipping into the transformation that comes next but unfolding with what came before still rattling in the air. A lot of pop invokes sci-fi imagery, but to treat the parts of a pop song as linguistic elements might suggest actual future-facing strategies of realizing a speculative electronic. In the meantime, comics-brained love-borgs promising the kiss of a world beyond this bad rock is a sweet time fizz. [6]

David Moore: A lovely take on one of my absolute favorite tropes in pop music: escaping the burden of society, and maybe corporeality altogether, in outer space! My personal standard-bearer is t.A.T.u.'s "Cosmos," which is to say I'm missing another dollop of melodrama, and I have minor quibbles with the words tilting more toward metaphor than they need to -- can I get one reference to a spaceship or something? But that's probably just a taste issue. [7]

Kayla Beardslee: Pop music is escapism, and hyperpop is pop music taken to the extreme, so why not interpret hyperpop to mean escapism so extreme that it creates an entirely new world?="margin:> [7]

Alfred Soto: Drum 'n' bass skitters! I run lukewarm on 'em, but when the track has a solid hook and okay lyrics they function like a laugh track in a pretty good sitcom. [6]

Micha Cavaseno: The last couple years have had drum & bass-style breaks wreak their revenge on pop in both the mainstream and the sub-stream (oh my god all the precious kids making "breakcore"), and it's reminded me of the worst aspects of the genre: unimaginative chopping of the same two or three loops. "Off-World" is a delightful whispy yearning little piece of leydrift, and I can't imagine it without that little baby's first junglism flourish. But I wish it had something that would make it feel properly unearthly. Of course, it's just that I don't know what I'd want that makes the sense of an unknown future so tantalizing, and that's what I'd hope this song could've gotten. [6]

Ian Mathers: I know I've heard the drum break that gets used in the chorus many times over the years, but it absolutely works for me every time. The sci-fi stuff only sorta coheres, but I'm a sucker for that too. [8]

Brad Shoup: Look, Mike Spencer did "Feel the Love". He will see heaven. I dunno that the venerable breaks contribute anything to the sci-fi metaphor--maybe they make things cyberpunk--but I still love 'em. Everything that happens between the verses is exquisite: the long bass notes that are practically detonated, TWST's perfectly urgent adult-alternative chorus (I'm hearing... Paula Cole?), and even the title itself. Just a really evocative thing to sigh. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: thank u Chloe Davis. [10]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[darkcrowprincess]

The Matrix series: Neo and Trinity headcanons(and just my general headcanons for the matrix series as a whole)

(Don't like don't read. Post hate and I'll block you)

Trinity is a trans woman, Neo is trans man

Trinity loves fixing bikes, motorcycles, and just any type of mechanics. She especially gets lost in welding things. It's comforting and familiar.

Neo loves(Sorry don't know the proper terms for this. So excuse me if I get it wrong), Computers, creating video games, and writing.

Both Neo and Trinity were hackers before they discovered the truth. And were online a lot.

Neo and Trinity where both lonely even before they found out the truth.

When you get unplugged from the matrix you're automatically become an orphan. That's why creating a found family and finding love is outside of it is important. It keeps you sane from knowing the truth.

Neo and Trinity are soulmates.

There is an instant attraction between. Almost like love at first sight.

There's a lot of fairy tale themes in the matrix series. Sleeping Beauty, Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland.

Neo aand Trinity's love story is a reverse sleeping beauty story. Where the princess must be the one to wake up the sleeping hero.

Both Neo and Trinity are uncomfortable in crowds. The prefer soft intimate moments, or just small group gatherings.

Neo and Trinity if they were in our world would go on these type of dates: coffee shops, Chinese restaurants, noodle shops, Netflix and Chill, or just like playing video games together. They like staying home together more than going out. And if they go out it's mostly just to get coffee.

Trinity prefers audio books to real books, Neo likes real books.thry both love to read.thry both also love manga.

They very rarely like going the club, and it's usually clubs like in the movie.

Neo is a cat person, Trinity a dog.

They both like watching the sky after it rains to see if they can catch a rainbow.

They both love flying.

Their love is the strongest thing in the world.

[kuwdoravids]

Year End Vid Review: 2022

Year-end round-up/meme: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

March Memory Leak (tumblr) (The Matrix Resurrections, Neo, Neo/Trinity)

June Come Back For You (tumblr) (The Witcher, Istredd) Wild Green Yonder (tumblr) (Shrek/Witcher, Shrek/Fiona/Donkey, Geralt/Yen/Jaskier)

August Control (tumblr) (The Witcher, Ciri)

November Brother (tumblr) (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, Vesemir)

Read the meme questions beneath the cut!

Random process notes:

I actually made 4 vids this year. "Brother" I made in 2021 and just didn’t post until 2022. But I gotta have Brother show up somewhere in one of my vid review lists so here it is.

4 vids in one year is the fewest vid I made since 2022 and 2018 but that’s mostly because I’ve had like, four mental breakdowns and have been hyper fixating on writing Witcher fic so I did not finish as many vids as I usually do. I didn’t even start that many new vids either.

Overall thoughts:

All of the vids except one are Witcher related. The non-witcher vid is Matrix Resurrections which was more of a soul statement vid that I got to make about the themes of the movie and mental illness.

My Witcher hyperfixation remains strong. I’m very pleased with all the vids I finished and started this year. They’re all quite different, musically and different characters, too. It was a good vidding year even if I didn’t finish a few other projects before December closed out.

Favorite Vid:

Come Back For You. I fucking adore Istredd and Royce Pierreson’s face is so lovely. This vid is all about the vibes for me, but I really enjoyed playing with the visual cues in this—Istredd sitting/transitioned into the monolith, the shadow puppets/Yen and Istredd, so on and so forth. It was a delight to cram all my Yen/Istredd and Geralt/Istredd feelings in here while also managing to touch upon the scholarly aspect of his character since we got a few great scenes with him in season 2.

Hardest to make:

Memory Leak. I had the bulk of this made in about a week in January but I got stalled out in the last 25% of the vid because I couldn’t figure out the flow. But I took some time away from the vid and was able to come back with fresh eyes and manage to finish it in time for VidUKon.

Most successful:

Memory Leak. I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to do with this vid- touch upon the visual narrative of the past/present/reality, showcase Neo’s yearning for love and surviving through the psychological torture he’s been under for decades. And I was able to do that with a very specific song choice—Albert Salt’s cover of Blink182’s “Adam Song” remains one of my most favorite covers I’ve worked with. It does wonders for this vid. I’m so proud of it. And I had a blast watching folks lose their minds while watching the vid at the convention, too! So much joy.

My best vid:

Wild Green Yonder. Aka the Shrek/Witcher crossover that people have gif’ed but I watched all 4 Shrek films and was delighted to discover even more parallels. Everything about this vid is everything I wanted—the joy, the squee, the parallels. The surprises. It really is my best this year.

Most fun vid:

Wild Green Yonder. Not only is using Joey Batey’s music from The Amazing Devil great but the very specific fantasy tropes that happen in both Shrek and Witcher is just so goddamn fun to play with. Especially when it came to Geralt fishing the djinn out of the water for his wish and Shrek trying to also get his wish for everything to go back to normal. I adored playing with the internal motion and eyeline of the characters so that it appeared Shrek was looking at Jaskier and Fiona was smiling at Geralt in bed.

I just wanted to escalate my squee because I really enjoy this trio dynamic a lot and it is my happy place. And I am sure that anyone who watches this can feel the fun!

Also it’s my hope that everyone who watches comes away shipping Fiona/Donkey because the Yen/Jaskier parallels were SO FUN.

Things I learned in 2022:

The more that I write, the less that I spend time vidding. Simple as that. I had a few other vids I wanted to finish in 2022 but my brain meltdowns and anxiety made it hard to follow through.

That being said, I also learned that it is a lot of fun to keep chasing my Witcher joy.

In 2023:

I want to finish my Moonhaven vid and probably start my season 2 Witcher vid and probably a Witcher Blood Origin thing that all of 13 people will watch but it’s what I want to make so that’s how it’ll be. I have a few ideas here and there that I might tackle but it really is a matter of how much anxiety brain I can stifle to focus long enough for clipping again.

I also keep meaning to archive the rest of my catalog on AO3 and Tumblr, so that’s something I am going to attempt to do over the coming year. Over 200 vids to go…

[synthient]

Being a non-coffee drinker myself, I had to google what this thing even is beyond Hipster Coffee Machine.

But apparently, it's a manual espresso machine. They're the "traditional" option that fell out of style after the 1940s, when they got overtaken by automatics.

So that ties in with the minor running gag where, despite being a machine, Smith seems to be a bit of a luddite about "modern" (to the 90s/2020s) technology. It's also funny that he's a traditionalist when it comes to paper vs digital/manual vs automatic/etc, but his motives are otherwise all about change/the future/disrupting the status quo at any cost.

Manual espresso machines are more difficult to use, but they give you what this source describes as "undeniable, complete control" over the outcome. There's a bit in the dvd special features where Lana reflects that she and Lilly tried to control every aspect of the trilogy's production (with meticulous storyboards, studio lighting instead of natural light, etc) because their lives felt so out of control otherwise. So there's maybe something to this (and Smith's original Take Over The World plan) about Smith grasping for control in the face of its absence.

It's also interesting that Neo uses coffee as an excuse to escape his office (and go stare wistfully at Trinity). But Smith has ensured that he doesn't have to go outside or interact with anyone for his caffeine fix. One less reason to ever leave his cage.

On the other hand, Smith's hipsterism is a sign that coffee drinking isn't just a pragmatic, caffeine in/productivity out deal for him. He cares a lot about the process, the flavor. So there's a link to the pleasure/sensation theme.

And there's maybe also a subtle joke setup: he takes over that barista's body at the end, because he is an amateur barista. He's probably been snubbing the Simulatte because he thinks he could do the barista's job better than him. And in the end, He Does :)

[tieflingkisser]

Bomb Threats Target Pride Month Events

During the second week of Pride Month, several drag show events were the target of bomb threats. Patriot Front, neo-fascist White Nationalist group, was among the groups that targeted Pride events.

Protests and Propaganda Targeting Pride

Nampa, Idaho: At Canyon County’s first ever Pride Festival, and members of the Idaho chapter of MassResistance, a far right anti-LGBTQ group, stage a protest outside the event and held signs that read “No Pride in Idaho.”

Indianapolis, Indiana: Members of the Operation Save America, a radical anti-abortion and anti-LGBTIQ group, proselytize to attendees of an Indy Pride Festival event.

Flower Mound, Texas: Local law enforcement is reportedly investigating the distribution ”hundreds of antisemitic and homophobic flyers” in a Flower Mound neighborhood, and the flyers, which included the insignia of the neo-Nazi White Supremacist groups Goyim Defense League, include the statement: “Every single aspect of the LGTBQ+ movement is Jewish.”

Vandalism and Violence Targeting Pride

Seward, Alaska: The Seward Community Library & Museum was “evacuated after a caller threatened to bomb the place in response to the pride-themed event,” however, the drag story hour relocated to parking lot of a nearby business which “served as a gathering space for various events throughout the weekend.”

Boise, Idaho: Local law enforcement is reportedly investigation multiple incidents in which “over 20 pride flags that have been damaged or stolen.”

Chicago, Illinois: Beverly Unitarian Church (BUC) was the target of vandalism as unidentified individuals reportedly destroyed the “chapel’s LGBTQIA+ pride flags and decorations,” the decorations were thrown “into a pile in front of the church and set on fire.”

Newton, Massachusetts: Newton's New Art Center reportedly “received a bomb threat that nearly derailed its Drag Queen Story Hour,” and while there was not an explicit anti-LGBTIQ statement, the center’s staff said they believe the drag performance “was the catalyst.”

Missoula, Montana: Outside of the Import Market “several pride flags were torn down and cut up,” and surveillance video shows several unidentified individuals participating in the vandalism.

Woodstock, New York: The Woodstock Public Library received a bomb threat via email reportedly in “response to a drag-story hour held the previous day.” The email read: “We placed a bomb in the library that will detonate soon — fuck you and your drag queens.”

Newberg, Oregon: A Pride flag on display at the Newberg Public Library was reportedly “was shot at with a pellet gun,” and local law enforcement is “investigating it as a possible hate crime.”

Austin, Texas: A drag event at the The Brewtorium Brewery & Kitchen was canceled “after a bomb threat targeted the event,” and reportedly “the person who made the threat cited the drag show as the reason.”

Far Right Groups Targeting Pride

Fort Worth, Texas: Far right anti-LBGTIQ activists held a meeting co-hosted by Latinos United For Conservative Action and the Tarrant County chapter Citizens Defending Freedom, included speakers from organizations including the Texas chapter of MassResistance and the Texas Coalition for Kids, and attended by members of the New Columbia Movement.

Indiana, Pennsylvania: Members of Patriot Front, the neo-fascists White Nationalist group, staged protest of Pride Month event in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and a post in group’s Telegram stated that LGBTIQ “events are an affront to the family, to virtue, and antithetical to the necessary morals of the nation.”

Possible Future Targets: Trinity Pride Fest in Fort Worth, Texas (June 15th); Mount Shasta Brewing in Siskiyou County, California (June 15th); Our Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken, New Jersey (June 23th)

[bieberfeverradioshow-blog]

You know what save it. It’s just like my brother

Swifties what do you think of my Easter egg theory

and Sam and everybody telling me I’m crazy. And I was right about everything. You don’t have to acknowledge it I’m just telling you. Your not the only one who does it it’s common practice in the church when they anoint things. Guierilmo de Teri or whatever makes Pinocchio  which is a rip off of Johnson in the bible. So hogs makes me to replace Jesus with then we get away but in a twist I get blown up by a land one. That’s what mahogany is about in midnights. Because you made a rare tweet about joes the hero.. it that was out of character and you mention the end. You know the hero dies so why keep score.. so I’m the anti hero and.. and in lavender haze Ashley is wearing a sun on its elbow..Rey  sunshine Lana del Rey or is ghosts gag in be anti hero..or is it Marylyn Manson..or Trent reznor..reptiles is about you Taylor.I think Manson because Rita was in bejeweled..and Trent to Manson on his first big tour..I went to it in St. Louis..royal arch..red lodge..and I’m linked to Trent..Trent just did a song with ghosts..bones calls himself the weatherman..they made Francis pope changed out benidict because I had a papel line to Peter..no Dylan will have a closer one..Lana del Rey Dana Lynn Hudson..Dana names her first born Mitchell a folk singers last names...Joni Mitchell bob dylan Taylor swift..fuck they were plotting against me at 8 years old my family was... Eliot’s I’d sings in bury you alive..we got a runner a roadrunner..Forrest tump I ran..the bar i go to is roadrunners..they substitute krylon for nylon..i could go on get into west side connection..1 pussy and 13 dicks..we got probate faces fighting federal cases:.or ghost idiot and mercury and feet but I’m done guess what I don’t have any books by the night standitokd you that’s why I does it..when I come out everything is clear..better with a girl but you know..that’she can see into a mother time thru a computer and he gets framed..the change out his eyes..John Anderson neo is mr anderson..neo 1 trinity 3 terminator 3 John Conner goes off the grid..but comes back and he can’t stop fate.like when I disapeeeard until prison..ghosts she is tattling kill the machines on people e faces at lolapaloza a theima concert..the techno world lace i went to was called hore e Horus Hudson son of an Horne wise the o and the u are opposite on Hudson and Horus e denotes and attachment to something else son of a hor us..

Come on that’s pretty impressive..just think if we were together..I’m not tripping out about it I’m just teaching a master class..

Maybe I’ll give Phil smith a call it’s in Florida..I have a feeling I have something to do with it..warren buffets management firm..and vanguard.,I own cable television and all theme infrastructure that’s why they are trying to get rid of me..

I am so sorry to have you suffer so badly from your...whatever I can lay it out from delaymar to me..I can trace the my confirmation to Benedict.. his coat of arms has a Moore.. the popes did do that..st Louis has the arch royal arch.. John Paul came there when I was there as a marker. Regali was the bishop Burke and Dolan were there. Regali moves to Knoxville I find transfiguration because of him. He’s the archbishop of Philadelphia.. to the angel of the church of Philadelphia rev 3:7 37 the zip code in Tennessee starts 37 the zip code in Vegas starts 89.  Oh yea and everywhere I go music comes out of the sky. The angels sing sorry to ruin your plans. Ai is artificial intelligence IAM is God. iA is Adam the opposite of AI Satan. I’m Adam ISIS is Adams sister ISIS.. OSIRIS IS OR SISI meaning the other halF ISIS SPELLING SISI  I SIS OR SISI MY LITTLE SISTERS NICKNAME IS CCWE CALL HER SIS..some of its fate it’s not planned.. Osiris gets killed and is wrapped in a nun tree when Isis saves him. He raises from the dead. Joshua in the Bible who fights AI IS NAMES IS Joshua Son of Nun Hudson Horus Son son of Hor ..In judges a left handed EHud is leader of the Benjamin . EHud JOSHUA REPLACE THE VOWEL WITH THE ONE THAT ISNT THERE AN E JOSHE JOESH GHOSTE MANE HORSE JO DELI  JOSH OSIRIS  ITS DELICATE  IAM  IA IM ADAM  ITS IM TAYLOR SWIFT DELICATE DELI CAT LANA DEL RAY DANA EL RA GET RID OF FIRST AND THE LAST LETTER  am a 10th level @sw black mage yet..lmfao @swiftie-stephanie. @swiftsecretsquestions @swiftclass @swiftgallery @lanadelrey @eminem @espnpr @catholicliving @catholic-inspiration @wordonfirecatholic @archdiocese @archbishop

@archbishop-bisharp @archdioceseofawesome @notredame-dedouleur @thebleacher @fallontonight @madonnaciccone @popefrancis

@royalfamilyprincess @idfonline-blog @unitednationssystemcop21-blog @potissa-ths-nuxtas @potus @reprovador @billie-eilish-is-an-idol @joealwyndaily @tayswifttrade

[ehronlime]

My Favourite Movies I Watched in 2022

The Matrix Resurrections

We did a re-watch of all the Matrix movies in the lead-up to Resurrections, which reminded me how much those movies ruled. I don't think I've seen any of those movies since I first saw them as a teenager, so it was really nice to revisit them and find that they still hold up. I know there's been a critical re-appraisal of the Matrix sequels in recent years, and I'm 100% on board with that. Even with some awkward pacing, I think the sequels really do a lot to build up the themes and ideas of the original Matrix.

The Matrix trilogy didn't need another entry. It told a great story, played with a bunch of fun ideas, and had a nice, hopeful ending. It didn't need a sequel. And yet, the wheel of franchise moviemaking keeps on turning. I was curious about Resurrections because surely they couldn't pull it off. Yes, yes, wouldn't it be nice to go back and give Neo and Trinity the happy ending they sacrificed for but could not live to enjoy? Sure, I get the impulse to do that. What I wasn't prepared for was how much of the "resurrections" implied by the title was about the franchise itself; about the pressures that lead to franchises being made, about dealing with a legacy that you don't really have control over, about living up to ideas about yourself and your work. I loved the first half of Resurrections so much, and the audacity of putting that level of metacommentary into an entry of a franchise this huge, this beloved and awaited.

I had issues with the back half of the movie, mainly in how they handled Agent Smith. His relationship with Neo, his interiority, his drive were such a huge part of the original Matrix movies, as important as Neo's relationship with Trinity, and I felt he didn't get enough focus in Resurrections, to the point of confusion about the reasoning behind his actions. Ultimately, I still really enjoyed the movie, and Smith already had a whole trilogy to explore his character. However, if you have some insight into Smith's characterization in Resurrections, please do send them my way.

Luca

I missed this when it came out in 2021, and I haven't really heard many people talk about Luca but it's really such a charming movie and probably my second favourite Pixar movie (Ratatouille is still my favourite, because I love media about food) though I haven't done a proper re-appraisal of the earlier movies. It feels like what people seem to think Ghibli movies are when you talk about a "Ghibli aesthetic". It has that same "Japanese Europe" feeling of something like Kiki's Delivery Service or Porco Rosso, and the low-stakes yet everything is really important feel of something like Whisper of the Heart or My Neighbour Totoro. It's really nice comfort-viewing times and sometimes that's all you need.

Everything Everywhere All At Once

I'm just going to repeat what I said on Twitter, since it's still true and I've got a bunch more of these to write, so thank you past me:

"Everything Everywhere All At Once is like a really solid 3 volume Image miniseries, in the best way.

Thinking back to Swiss Army Man as well, I really appreciate how the (Daniels) movies ease you in to their visual and metaphoric language, step by step until you are ready to accept supposed surreal situations as logical extensions of what came before. I feel like it's a very empathetic approach to the viewer. There's something they want to say, in a language that seems strange and incomprehensible out of context, or in a way that seems "crude" or "lowbrow" but they also want you to have the best tools to accept and decipher it. It's never "lolrandom" or "look at how I'm going to blow your mind" or "look at how clever we are", it's more like "I have a way I want to express this, but it might seem weird or obtuse if you don't have my context so I'm going to try and bring you there".

I also really appreciate their commitment to the so-called "lowbrow" and how depth and humanity can be found in any situation, because the human experience encompasses all of it, the gross and uncomfortable and taboo deserves the same gravity as the loftiest ideas and symbols.

This is anime, this is comics, this is zines, this is cartoons, this is graffiti, this is speedrunning, this is tumblr posting, this is all art and humanity.

Also, the way the leads talk to each other is perfect. I'm sure this has been and will continue to be highlighted many times, but this way of language mixing and switching is true to how we talk. So Malaysian, but also so every immigrant and immigrant family."

Honourable Mentions: Glass Onion, RRR, Baahubali 1 & 2, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Venom, Turning Red, Onward, From Up On Poppy Hill

[mccarthawrites]

Couples Costume for the Non-Couple

Relationship: Natasha Romanov & OC!Liv

Rating: General Audiences

Summary: Liv drags Nat along to help her choose a costume for Daisy’s Halloween party.

Author’s Note: I know that this is going up in December, but it was written in October.

Words: 569

Marvel Masterlist || Nat & Liv Masterlist

Olivia and Natasha had become nearly inseparable since they met at that party on campus. It seemed Liv spent more time with Nat than she did with her own boyfriend, Grant. So Liv asked Nat to accompany her to their local Spirit Halloween to look for costumes.

“What costumes did you have in mind?” Nat asked as they sat in the Uber. “You and Grant doing something together?”

“No. He vetoed doing a couple's costume.” Liv replied. “I wanted to be Anakin and Padme from Episode III, but he said it was lame.”

“Boo. He’s lame. Is he not dressing up?”

“Who knows?” Liv shrugged. “All I know is I’m not letting him kill my excitement. I want to do something nerdy.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” Nat couldn’t hide her smirk.

“Are you dressing up? More importantly, are you going to Daisy’s party?” Liv asked.

“Yes and yes. I was thinking of just pulling out my Catwoman costume from last year.”

“Catwoman? Michelle Pfieffer or Halle Berry?” Liv asked.

“Eartha Kitt.”

“You have taste.” Liv laughed. The Uber pulled up outside the store. “Thank you!” Liv and Nat got out of the car and walked into the store. She made her way straight to the wall of costumes.

“If you want to do something nerdy, why don’t you just look for a costume online?” Nat asked.

“Because I’ll be heartbroken if I can’t afford something good.”

“What did you dress up as last year?” Nat asked, scanning the rows of costumes.

“Waluigi.”

“Seriously?” Nat looked at her, not believing it.

“My group of friends went as Mario Kart characters. It was so lame.”

“Yeah. Why Waluigi?”

“Because that’s who I play in Mario Kart.”

“You strike me as a Daisy player.”

“Nope. Waluigi all the way.” Liv laughed. “I should just cut some holes in a sheet and call it a day.” She didn’t see anything that caught her attention as a choice. “This sucks.”

“You could do Wonder Woman.”

“No thank you. My shoulders are blindingly pale.”

“So everything slightly sexy is out?” Nat asked.

“Definitely. I want lame boring nerdy where I can cover most if not all of my body.” Liv explained. “Something like Trinity from the Matrix.”

“I don’t know. Trinity is kinda sexy.”

“That’s fair. She is hot. Grant and I would make a great Neo and Trinity. I should have suggested that to him. But he made it clear. He doesn’t want any couples costumes.”

“We could do a couples costume.” Nat suggested, grabbing two costumes.

“We’re not a couple.”

“No, but friends do themed costumes all the time. Look. Daphne and Velma.” Nat showed her the costumes.

“Dibs on Velma! You already have the red hair for Daphne.” Liv took the Velma costume.

“It’s still nerdy, which is what you wanted, right?”

“Yeah. Does it come with glasses?” Liv looked at what the costume came with. “Awesome.”

“I’ve never done a couples costume.” Nat told her.

“You’ve ever done a group costume?”

“Clint and Laura always invite me to join them, but I refuse to be their third wheel on Halloween.”

“What are they doing this year?” Liv asked.

“No idea. He hasn’t told me yet, but it’s going to be lame in the best way.” Nat laughed. “So are you satisfied with our choices?”

“Yes, but I also wanted to find some decorations for the apartment.” Liv replied.

“Lead the way.”

[barnesmickey]

Neo and Trinity Theme (Exomorph Remix) // Johnny Klimek & Tom Tykwer (The Matrix Resurrections)