#Review And Download (12

[wafrn]

Tumblr will not die, but this post is Wafrn propaganda

I dont think tumblr will shut down. It may go the "twitter way", it may get worse service, worse moderation (EVEN WORSE YES), and worse support and worse performance.

But it wont suddenly shut down forever. Outages will be longer and more frequent but thats it.

Now, the wafrn propaganda I promised: if you care about a social media that doesn't overtarget the baning of trans people, you should give wafrn a try.

A website inspired by tumblr, that connects with mastodon and bluesky (ok mastodon, fedi etc but you get it)

It allows custom CSS themes, asks, and lots of stuff.

You can do more than like a post, you can EMOJIREACT to it!

An important bit, since it connects with mastodon and bluesky, you can follow other people you know from tumblr. I will keep this linked post updated

We also have a phone app in beta, both for iphone and android wich you can download here

Registrations are manualy reviewed by the small modteam. Depending on the timezone it can take a few minutes or 12 hours. For safety reasons we do not allow registrations with VPNs (they get abused for accounts dedicated to harrasment and other stuff that I will not disclose for your mental health).

You should give wafrn a try:

How do we plan to host everyone without money? THATS THE NEAT PART, WE DONT! If for any reason you dislike how we handle stuff, you can always host your own wafrn for you and your friends (we are working on the documentation, this is after all a hobby project atm). You can host your own wafrn and still connect with people at bluesky, mastodon and our wafrn server :D

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Link 1, Link 2 :)

Digital Good Omens 2 Sountrack is coming out in 4 days! 🥳 CD version in October! :) ❤ Coming soon on vinyl…

Out to Stream/Download from 25th August. Out on CD 13th October. Coming soon on vinyl…

David Arnold’s ‘end of the world’ complex and multi-genre soundtrack.

From the Award-winning composer of Sherlock and Casino Royale comes a follow up to the hugely successful, Emmy nominated Good Omens soundtrack.

Good Omens series 2 premiered on Prime Video on 28th July. The series follows the odd couple, angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in their quest to sabotage the end of the World. The six-episode sequel to the popular adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, concerns the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) arriving without his memories to Aziraphale’s bookshop. Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to find out what happened to Gabriel, whilst hiding him from Heaven and Hell, both eager to find him.

The Soundtrack

David Arnold’s soundtrack to Good Omens was first released in 2019 to favourable reviews, with BBC Music Magazine calling it “a rollicking trip to hell and back”. Blueprint Magazine described it as “a great listen” and Sci Fi Bulletin commented on “plenty of memorable themes” to conclude that “This is another work of art from Arnold”. At times nostalgic and eerie but always varied, beautiful and full of excitement, the Good Omens 2 soundtrack showcases Arnold’s every skill from his composer arsenal. Featured here are orchestral arrangements with sprinkling of Sugar Plum Fairy pizzicato and percussion, jaunty strings and mighty choral sweeps from Crouch End Festival Chorus. Added to the mix are rock guitar riffs, and psychedelic 70s sounds and all together they create a haunting otherworldly feel, complementing the fantasy and the quirky humour of the show. The spirited Waltz of the opening theme is also present in the second series and it wonderfully sets the scene for fantastical mayhem. In series 2, this robust, evocative, and funny music entity, becomes yet again another character in the story. Award-winning composer David Arnold is well known for his blockbuster scores, including Stargate, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Hot Fuzz, Paul, Independence Day, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Casino Royale as well as for his TV work such as Sherlock and Dracula. Also available: The original soundtrack to the first series of Good Omens >

Tracklist

– Disc 1 – Chapter 1: The Arrival 1. Before the Beginning 2. Good Omens 2 Opening Title 3. Into Soho 4. Something Terrible 5. To The Bookshop 6. Maggie and Nina 7. He’s Smoking 8. Tiny Miracle 9. Heavenly Alarm Bells Chapter 2: The Clue 10. Avaunt! 11. The Song is the Clue 12. It’s What God Wants 13. A Mighty Wind 14. Whales 15. Gabriel Returns 16. His New Children 17. Am I Awful Now? 18. Fallen Angel Chapter 3: I Know Where I’m Going 19. Police Arrive 20. Scotland 21. We’re Going to Hell 22. People Get a Choice 23. My Car is Not Yellow 24. Beelzebub in Hell 25. The Book 26. The Fly 27. Mr. Dalrymple 28. We Need to Cut 29. I’m Going to Save Her 30. Crowley Goes Large 31. Not Kind 32. Beelzebub Isn’t Happy – Disc 2 – Chapter 4: The Hitchhiker 33. Hell-O 34. Nazi Zombies 35. March of the Nazi Zombies 36. Crowley Pep Talk 37. The Magic Shop 38. Catch The Bullet 39. Zombies in the Dressing Room Chapter 5: The Ball 40. I’ll Let You Have It 41. We’re Storming a Book Shop 42. Monsieur Azirophale 43. The Candelabra 44. Here Comes Hell 45. Gabriel Gives Himself Up 46. Shax 47. The Circle Chapter 6: Every Day 48. Bin Through the Window 49. Gabriel Leaving Heaven 50. The Halo 51. Gabriel Revealed 52. Gabriel’s Love Story 53. Leaving The Bookshop 54. Gabriel and Beelzebub 55. Crowley and Muriel 56. I Forgive You 57. Don’t Bother 58. The Biggest Decision 59. The End?

[ascendance-bookworm]

Ascendance of a Bookworm Musical

Musical Ascendance of a Bookworm

本好きの下剋上 ～司書になるためには手段を選んでいられません～

The live-action stage musical at Tokyo and Osaka in Fall 2024.

Ascendance of a Bookworm Wiki

Ascendance of a Bookworm Musical Official Website

There were two versions, an A Team and B Team for the double roles for the kids in the play.

Adult Cast is the same for both versions.

Urano Motosu / Myne's inner voice (seiyuu): Yuka Iguchi

Gunther: Yuhi Tanaka, Effa: Yuka Ishibashi, Benno: Tōma Yano, Otto: Yusuke Anazawa

Bezewanst: Koichi Miura, Ferdinand: Kento Tsuji

Ensemble

Sora Fuji, Daiki Saitō, Dai Satō, Kento Tachibana, Chiaki Watanabe, Kana Sakurai, Sakura Nishio, Maisaki Ōkubo, Otowa Koyasu, Yuki Asano, Maho Takemura, Yuhei Iriuchijima

Children

Team A: Aoi Ikemura (Age 8) Matinée Show

Myne: Aoi Ikemura, Lutz: Ayumi Misaki, Tuuli: Sakura Mikami, Freida: Yurika Matsui

Ensemble (children): Otowa Koyasu, Yuki Asano, Mayuka Motoki, Hana Edamura

Team B: Akari Miura (Age 12) Soirée Show

Myne: Akari Miura, Lutz: Seiran Ina, Tuuli: Shimoriha Ikuta, Freida: Seizora Kusumi

Ensemble (children): Maho Takemura, Yuhei Iriuchijima, Kanano Isogawa, Mizuki Konishi

I finally watched both versions of the musical and I thought I would give a little mini-review of my thoughts on both performances. I downloaded the musicals from nyaa.si and I would recommend them to anyone interested, but take note that they clock in at about 3 hours and 15 minutes each, there are about 30 minutes before each play starts and a 15-20 minute intermission in the middle that are simple title markers (this was streamed online and I think that is where the copies were made), but still it is a long watch - and there are two of them! I do recommend both as the different performers brought something a little different to the roles and I think both teams did a great job.

The musical covers part one of the light novels, and the songs and voice overs are often used to speed thru the material and cover large segments of the story. There were no subtitles, but if you know the story it really isn't difficult to follow along, at least it wasn't for me. It was clearly made for kids and families, so the language is simple. I was actually pleased at how much of the story it covered, not all the characters get as much focus, but all the basics are covered pretty well.

This is typical of the anime to Japanese live-action musicals I've seen before, these are not big productions like a broadway show, they tend to stick to the story and try and adapt it pretty closely, but are definitely done on a budget ^_^

The play is structured with Ferdinand learning about Myne's life thru the mind-reading device as she (Adult Urano) tells him the story of her life as a commoner. I can't help but think that if this was the real Ferdinand, Urano choosing to tell her story thru song would be most annoying to him, lol

Yuka Iguchi, the voice actress for Myne in the anime, does the voice over work. I really like how they captured the various moments, and the voice over aspect really worked well, as so much of the time we are in Myne's head, so including it was a smart choice as her original self's feeling and thoughts are a major part of Urano/Myne's story. I also liked how they displayed the mana powers throughout the show.

Gunther and Effa were just as you would imagine, both well performed. I really liked Effa's voice, and Gunther fits the bold and brash Gunther to a tee.

Benno was fun, I think he was captured pretty well, his song is funny. Mark was appropriately Mark, I like how the actor committed to his closed eye look, lol. Otto was is his cheeky self, I missed Corrina though.

Gustav / Bezewanst is played by the same actor, and he really hammed it up, lol. I kinda like how they go all out on his less than scrupulous 'tastes' as the High Bishop, the actor clearly had fun with his dual roles and Ferdinand's frustration with him is funny.

Ferdinand was appropriately stern, didn't like the wig on him though, felt unflattering to the actor, I don't know the wig was a miss, maybe it was the hair behind the ears. The actor did fine, not much for Ferdinand to do in part one. He is basically used as a frame work to ask questions and receive exposition when needed. He has a few numbers at the end that were fine, but well he is Ferdinand, too subtle to be 'entertaining' at least in this part of the series.

The main difference between the two versions are of course the kid performers: Myne, Lutz, Tulli, and Frieda - everyone else is the same. I don't want to compare the kids too much, but I thought it I should give a few thoughts.

Team A was essentially the Matinée Show, or the one with the younger, less experienced kids. Team B was the Soirée Show, which would be the main show, all the kids in the Soirée show are lightly older and give more 'mature' performances. I feel both have their charms, the younger kids feel more like kids, and the older kids feel more seasoned and professional in their performances, definitely stronger, more confident singers all around too. If the quality of the singing is important to you, then you will prefer the Soirée for the singing.

The main character Myne is played by Aoi Ikemura (Team A, Age 8, perhaps 7 when it was filmed) and she is a real cutie! Honestly, she made for a perfect Myne in age and size, she is so tiny and yet full of gremlin energy that she captures Myne really well in her on stage performance. She did a really good job with the dramatic moments too, you could hear the emotion in her voice. I was really moved by her performance overall, she is obviously so happy to be there (on stage, probably her first lead performance) that it rubs off on you. She is very likable.

Aoi Ikemura feels more raw and natural in her performance, especially as a singer - she goes in and out of tune often, doesn't sound bad, but it is noticeable in that it sounds like a regular kid who hasn't mastered their singing voice. I don't mind her singing, but then again I don't mind a raw singer, especially if it fits the characterization, but if you prefer a more professional sound, Akari's voice is much stronger.

Akari Miura (Team B, Age 12) is also very good, she is a better, more consistent performer, and is the far better singer. She is older and it shows in her more seasoned performance overall. If they were to make a recording of this, her voice work and singing is already record quality. It feels like a CD worthy performance, imho. Honestly the only negative I can come up with is that she feels too old by comparison, but that is not really a knock on her or her performance, but just the reality of any child roles. I liked her performance, but I think I liked Aoi's Myne slightly better, simply because she fit my image of the role so perfectly (I also watched it first, so perhaps that's influenced me too). But hands down, Akari is the stronger performer, she never missed a note and is also likable in the role.

Of course Myne has to carry the entire show, there are few moments where she isn't on stage, but Lutz also plays a pretty big secondary role. Ayumi Misak (Team A) plays Lutz more like how I think of him, a kinda quiet, serious kid. Seira Ina (Team B) has a lot of charisma, the boy can't help letting his charming self shine through, he is a little too smilie, lol (Is that too harsh? he always has a smile on his face :) They both give good performances and handle the emotional parts well.

Tulli didn't get much to do, she didn't even get a solo song, or anything. She is mostly included in the group or family numbers. Both actresses are cute and perform their roles well.

Frieda gets a couple of song and scene highlights, I like the outfit they give her, and both actresses do a fine job.

Overall I really enjoyed watching the musical, even if it was a tad long, lol wish it was subtitled, but I know the story so well that I really didn't have any problems following along with the story. Will there be musicals for any of the other parts? I really can't see how they could pull off the other parts, part one is short and a simple and the easiest to adapt in this format.

It does make me wonder if we will ever get a live-action drama for AoB, would it work or would it eventually need too big a budget to pull off, at least for the later parts? Asking too much?

Anyone else watch these?

[madamlaydebug]

CRITICAL WARNING!!!! Radio talk show hostess, Kim Komando, did some digging about TEMU and this is what she found!

Seemingly overnight, everyone’s talking about Temu (pronounced “tee-moo”), an online shopping app that boasts deals that seem too good to be true, like $17 wireless earbuds, $1 “gold” necklaces and $23 wedding dresses.

Over 50 million Americans have downloaded Temu since it launched state-side in September 2022, after it gained traction with expensive Super Bowl ads promising to let you “shop like a billionaire.”

Today, Temu is the most popular shopping app in the U.S. behind Amazon. But most of us don’t know much about the app’s true origins. Reader Daniel Mayer asked an important question, “Is [Temu] something we should be concerned about?”

So, I did some digging. And as it turns out, yes, you absolutely should be. Here’s what I found:

Where did Temu come from?

This isn’t some fly-by-night operation. Temu is based in Boston, Massachusetts, by PDD Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: PDD). PDD is headquartered in Shanghai, China.

PDD also owns the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo headquartered in — you guessed it — China. So, Temu is a Communist China-based app and site.

What you need to know before using Temu

First, you’re buying goods directly from manufacturers in China and other parts of the world. That’s why shipping times are often 12 days or longer. The prices are low because the goods are cheap. The pictures of what you see advertised may not be what you actually get.

Temu’s BBB rating is 2.21/5. Reviews at TrustPilot are interesting, with 38% 5-star reviews and 41% 1-star reviews.

But that’s not the worst of it.

Temu is downright dangerous.

The app is a clever, pervasive digital stalker. As you shop, Temu monitors your activity on other apps, tracks your notifications and location and changes settings.

🛑 It gets worse. Temu gains full access to all your contacts, calendars and photo albums, plus all your social media accounts, chats and texts. In other words, literally everything on your phone. This is scary

No shopping app needs this much control, especially one tied to Communist China. If you’re using Temu, delete the app from your phone ASAP.

On iPhone, Long-press an app, then tap Remove App > Delete App. Tap Delete to confirm.

On Android, touch and hold an app, then tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete.

Pro tip: If you downloaded Temu, to be safe from Chinese spies, you really need to do a full factory reset.

But wait, there’s more! Temu’s sister app was removed from Google Play because of malware.

Do not buy from this company, or use their app!

COPY AND PASTE PLEASE

[d-criss-news]

‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Makes Top 5 Debut on Billboard’s Cast Albums Chart

The original Broadway cast recording of Maybe Happy Ending – led by Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winner Darren Criss and Helen J Shen – scores the year’s highest debut on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart, as the set enters at No. 5 on the list dated March 29.

Maybe Happy Ending was released on March 14 via streaming services and to purchase as a digital download album, while its CD release is slated for May 16 and a vinyl release is due on June 13. Will Aronson and Hue Park wrote the show’s book, music and lyrics, while the album was produced by Deborah Abramson, Ian Kagey and Aronson. Maybe Happy Ending began its life on stage in Seoul, South Korea in 2016 and was later produced in Japan and China as well. It opened on Broadway at New York’s Belasco Theatre on Nov. 12, 2024, starring Criss and Shen as obsolete Helperbot robots who meet cute and fall in love. The show has drawn rave reviews, with The New York Times calling it “supersmart” and “astonishing,” Entertainment Weekly said the musical “dazzles with its love story and astounds with its visual accomplishments,” and USA Today said it was “wildly inventive and profoundly moving.” Shen makes their Broadway debut in Maybe Happy Ending, while this is the fourth Broadway show for Criss – but his first originating a role in a musical production. He previously appeared on Broadway in the revival of the play American Buffalo (in 2022) and as a replacement in the revivals of the musicals Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015) and How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (2012). Billboard’s Cast Albums chart ranks the most popular cast recordings of the week in the United States, based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. The March 29 chart reflects the tracking week ending March 20. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

[readsofawe]

It's that time again! Announcing the #readsofawe Readathon 2024!

FAQ

When is it? Sunset 10/2 to sunset 10/12, from the beginning of Rosh HaShanah to the end of Yom Kippur, also called the Days of Awe (hence the name)

Who can participate? Anyone! Jews, non-Jews, big readers, one-book-a-year types, and anyone in between.

How do I participate?

🍎 Read Jewish books! You don't even have to tell anyone about it :) 📚 Follow the prompts on the bingo card, and post how many squares you fill 🍎 Share your TBR, reviews, and book photos on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and/or Twitter with the hashtag #readsofawe

What’s the deal with the bingo board? It’s a fun challenge to encourage people to read widely within Jewish literature! Download or screenshot the board and mark off squares when you get them. Feel free to use one book per square OR mark as many squares as apply to each book! Go for a single square, a bingo, a blackout, or just a random pattern! And don’t forget to post your marked-up board when the readathon is over.

[valgeristik]

sorry for a big post but i just found those again recently

huge throwback to these little things i did while bored out of my mind between calls on my tech support job i had in 2017 🌞 the phrases are whatever i could think of at the moment, from phrases i heard on calls to what i saw in google search to personal observations...

i did these with a mouse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have not been able to replicate this style since. it will forever stay there, on that imac with that weird apple mouse and a random art app i downloaded that they later locked me out of bcs u know ur not supposed to download third party apps on work computers but i was also not allowed to have paper like what are yououuuu expecting me to do GOD i hated that place they made me work for 6 days in a row then ONE (1) ☝ day off and then SIX MORE DAYS AGAIN with sometimes less than 12 hours between shifts but i was young and stupid and didnt complain. this went on longer than i thought it would.

I was also (unsurprisingly) sososososososo depressed and this song was a big comfort (and hey, its an english one for once!)

Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser List

E-sims donation

bonus thing i like but it didnt fit in with the rest of them

not. translating everything but if u really really want to know feel free to shoot me an ask i suppose. russian knowers will find some of these funny tho. esp the всё понял, иду нахуй (it was a positive customer review on one of the calls our trainer told us abt LMAO)

[recklesssimsstuff]

Carier

"Once just a collection of barracks for the workers of a nearby quarry, Carier has now transformed into a small community of individuals who made the bold decision to trade the hustle and bustle of big city suburbs for the serene tranquility of a town in the middle of nowhere. However, it appears that the newcomers have also brought along some unnecessary drama, causing slight concern among those who still remember when this place was nothing more than a pile of bricks on the sandy banks of the local river. Despite its peaceful nature, one can't help but wonder if this calm is merely the calm before the storm. Only time can tell..."

Since I promised to talk more about my neighborhoods, let's start with the very first one I created for public use - Carier. The name comes from the word "карьер," which means quarry. The reason for this name is that the town was based on a village my friends and I built on a pile of sand in my backyard when we were kids:

All 12 families in this neighborhood are based on the ones we used to roleplay as. Overall, there isn't much of a plot going on since this was my first attempt at creating a decent neighborhood (I've made a few before for personal use, but I didn't really put much effort into them) So, this time, I just focused on building relationships, writing dramatic backstories, and then called it a day.

There are 15 residential lots and 3 community ones, all created by me, including the map itself.

Now, of course since I was a newbie in this stuff (not like I'm a pro now, but I've definitely learned a thing or two since I started), there are a few issues with Carier that might turn some people off:

All the premade bin families and default Pleasantview NPCs are included because I didn't know about clean templates existence;

This neighborhood is CC free, but since I forgot to remove my DRs before taking screenshots, things might get a little bit confusing because of course everything will look different in your game. It's not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind;

What is a big deal, though, is that since my game isn't in English, you might run into NPCs with names in a different language. Based on the feedback I got, only a few players have had this issue, but if it happens to you, SimPE or SimBlender can help fix it.

Downloadable here at my MTS page.

You can also find a few more details about Carier there since I don't want to make this post into an essay lol.

P.S. I've made a couple extra lots for this 'hood, which can be found here and here.

P.P.S. Creusa Sims made a review of Carier, which I'm very thankful for <3

[clockwork-puppets]

Admittedly I forgot I can post things here

I've been making video games, and you should go play them! They're free!

This is Poltersprite! It's an arcade-style ghost investigation game for the original Game Boy (DMG!) 👻

Featuring 7 ghost types, 5 evidence types, 2 completely original and hand-drawn maps with 5 and 8 rooms respectively, a final score system, and looking at cat photos as a sanity mechanic 🐈‍⬛

It was made in roughly 12 days for GitHub Game Off 2024, and was just recently (May 5th) expanded on with a huge update including a new haunted carnival map, new ghost types and equipment, a complete rework of the inventory and journal, and some added accessibility features!

The game is entirely free to play and download, including a Game Boy ROM, a 3DS .cia, and a printable 1-page foldable instruction manual! The game's source code and project files are also available on GitHub for modding or tinkering, feel free to make use of it!

I am hoping to make physical cartridges by this summer, you can help make it happen by supporting the game! Leave a comment, review, and if you can, a tip to help me fund the first batch!

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"The Dragon Age: The Veilguard Digital Issue Is Now Live! by Kyle Hilliard on Jun 18, 2024 at 12:30 PM If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now learn all about our trip to BioWare for Dragon Age: The Veilguard! Following the cover reveal our digital issue is now live on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Alongside our 12-page Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story, you will also find big features on our trip to Warsaw, Poland to play The Alters, a deep dive on SFB Games the creators of Snipperclips and Crow Country, a look back at Silent Hill with with the developers it has inspired, a feature about how Sony and Microsoft created its specialty accessible controllers, reporting from Summer Game Fest, and lots more! We've also got previews for Assassin's Creed Shadows, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Undermine 2, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and reviews for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, XDefiant, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Crow Country, Minishoot' Adventures, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and much more! If you love print as much as we do, you can subscribe to the physical magazine: SUBSCRIBE NOW You get 10 issues for $19.91, or two years and 20 issues for $34.99. Individual issues are also now available for purchase at this link or in any GameStop store. You can download the apps to read the issue by following this link."

[source]

[consanguinitatum]

David as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (the first time he did it, that is!)

David Tennant fans are aware of 2011's brilliant Much Ado About Nothing, in which DT starred as Benedick, alongside Catherine Tate as Beatrice. Filmed at the Wyndham's Theatre in London and directed by Josie Rourke, the production was recorded and offered on Digital Theatre.

But did you know David had played Benedick before?

Yep - he sure has!

It was in 2001, a full decade before his production with Catherine.

Beginning in 1999, BBC Radio 3 launched Shakespeare For The Millennium, an ambitious project to dramatize seventeen Shakespeare productions in four years.

The project was done in collaboration with BBC Worldwide, which emphasized it wanted to take a contemporary, innovative approach to the Bard. It launched on 12 September 1999 with a Shakespeare discussion panel, and a new production of Hamlet -- starring none other than Michael Sheen as the Dane!

On 23 September 2001, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a new production of Much Ado About Nothing as the Sunday Play, with David in the lead role as Benedick and Samantha Spiro as Beatrice. Adapted by Sally Avens, it featured an introduction (as had all the previous productions in the Shakespeare For The Millennium series) by Richard Eyre, the former Director of the Royal National Theatre.

The production also starred a few other recognizable names. There was Chiwetel Ejiofor as Claudio, Emilia Fox as Hero, David Swift as Leonato, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Don John, and David Haig as Dogberry.

All original music was composed and performed by Simon Oakes and Adam Wolters.

Radio listings and announcements, and promo photos of David and Samantha Spiro

Here's a review of the prodcuction!

Much Ado About Nothing was commercially released by BBC Worldwide as part of the BBC Radio collection series in 2001.

The sleeve notes of cassettes and CDs of the production include a scene-by-scene synopsis, a full character analysis, and an essay on interpretation from the director Sally Avens.

Almost four years later, in November 2005, BBC One broadcast a television series called ShakespeaRe-Told, a set of four adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. Each play was adapted by a different writer, and all were relocated to the present day.

The first to be broadcast - on 7 November 2005 - was a modern-day version of Much Ado About Nothing starring Sarah Parrish and Damien Lewis...and Billie Piper and Nina Sosanya and Olivia Colman!

You can watch it here:

Six days after this television broadcast - on 13 November 2005 at 7:15 pm - BBC Radio 3 re-broadcast the audio version starring David and Samantha in its 'Drama On 3' slot.

Fast forward to August 2020.

The BBC released a set of four BBC Radio Shakespeare collections: Histories, Comedies, Tragedies, and Roman Plays. Much Ado About Nothing was included in the collection of Comedies, and became available as an Audible digital download.

If you want to listen, you can find this collection a lot of places. It might be at your local library or on Overdrive, on Google Play, or as an Amazon Audible book.

Or, ya know, just go here:

[alexandra-emerson]

Some Thoughts

(For readers horrified by what’s been going on in fandom who want to help)

Twats

I’m sad that some authors have been pulling their works from AO3, though I totally get it. But I’m not going to add to the “don’t sell fanfics” commentary much. I’m working with a lawyer to get mine taken down from Etsy, and it sucks, but I think this is an opportunity to talk about the fandom community as a whole. Specifically, what you can do to keep it alive and healthy.

I think it’s easy to sit at home, read about this illegal fanbinding drama with interest, run to AO3 to mass download your favorite fics, pat yourself on the back for not buying or selling fics illegally or not adding them to Goodreads, then move on with your life. But I would argue this passive attitude is just as harmful to the community, in some ways.

The Criticism Ratio

You all have probably heard that you’re supposed to deliver compliments and criticism with a ratio of 5:1. This is because negative comments stick in our heads more, so even if you were balancing the good and bad, or giving twice as many good comments as bad ones, the bad ones carry so much weight, they still seem to be winning.

With writing, I would argue this ratio is probably more like 10:1. Because it’s so personal. And most of us are so new to it. And it’s so much freaking work. I timed it once, and one chapter typically takes me 12 hours to write. That doesn’t include editing, or the hours my beta puts into editing. Then, to float all that work out into the world and get negativity back … oof, it makes embarking on the next 12 hours, and the next and the next VERY difficult.

My Experience

I’ve been an author of some popular fics in both the Harmony and Dramione spaces. On the Harmony side, I’ve dealt with personalized attacks, not just against my stories but against me as a person. And when that was going down, there weren’t a ton of fans speaking up on my behalf. I got a lot of DMs telling me those bullies were just the “loud minority” but from my point of view, with my supporters sounding like crickets, they felt like a majority. 

(Quick note to my Harmony readers: No I’m never writing Harmony again, get over it, and stop following me to every work I write next to ask me when I’m writing Harmony again. You had your chance to support me, and you fucking missed the boat.)

On the Dramione side, the public spaces are more moderated (thank God) so I’m less likely to stumble upon downright bullying. But this space is overwhelming in how BIG it is and how much conversation goes on about my fics. I always feel like the last to know when there’s some big Tik-Tok boom happening with one of my stories, when a story gets added to Goodreads, when there’s a reddit thread discussing the flaws in ��Timeless’, when it gets posted for sale on Etsy, when someone popular binds it. It’s very hard to keep up with this giant fandom and it’s too much to handle at times. Which means if people don't send us things directly, we don't see it.

I also get this thing in Dramione that I didn’t get as much in Harmony where people act afraid or embarrassed to reach out to me. They’ll say things like, “I’m so sorry to bother you…” or “I’m sure you hear this all the time, and I know you don’t need to hear it from me too, but your works are great…” I think in Dramione people assume because it’s so big, other people are taking care of things, but that’s not the case. There is a lot of activity, for sure, but not much of that is making it back to the author.

My Ask

So anyway, think about the role you play in fandom. Are you contributing to the compliment bank, or the criticism one? (Remember, abstentions go with the majority. And in this case, every negative experience holds x10 weight).

Good things can be as simple as sending a quick note like, “Just letting you know I thought about your story today” or “Here’s another kudos because I just reread this gem!” It can be correcting a negative comment or review you see out in the wild, so that if the author ever stumbles across it, they see that their people are out there, sticking up for them. Ten people can instantly negate a bad comment with ten positive ones. Then if the author ever finds it, no harm done.

We all know the bad things that harm fandom, so there’s no need for me to rehash them here. But don’t forget that the passive things can be just as harmful. Things like: Rating a fanfic on Goodreads, because it’s already there, and you really want it to count towards your goal. Downloading a story, loving it, and never letting the author know. Reading rude comments online, complimenting yourself for not being that mean, then scrolling to the next thing.

My challenge to fandom is this: Let’s fill that compliment and support bucket so full that when an author does encounter a negative experience with one of their fanfics, they have a giant, fluffy pillow of endless love to fall back on. Let’s make those rare moments of nastiness truly feel like a minority to our creators. It’s not a ton of work. Our fandom is so flipping large, it just takes a tiny comment from each person to keep our community feeling like a fun, positive place to play.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Download these now! They're free until May 2025.

[mostlyinthemorning]

A couple of years ago, I wrote a fic where David was a witch who runs a bakery. The elements of that story would become my first original novel, This Sweet Magic, which will be released on February 12.

I'm very excited for everyone to meet the characters and world I've created, which is filled with baking, magic, found family, and one opinionated cat. David and Patrick may not be in this story, but echoes of them are, and it wouldn't exist without them.

If you are willing to leave a review and would like receive a free Advance Reader Copy of This Sweet Magic, please sign up here. ARCs will be emailed the week of January 22.

Meanwhile, signing up for the newsletter on my website will let you download This Wicked Rivalry, a free Rosewood short story and will ensure that you're the first to know when This Sweet Magic is loose in the wild.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the Schitt's Creek fandom and to anyone who left kudos or comments on my fics - you're the reason This Sweet Magic is a reality. Thank you!

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: Official Laundry List (May 20th, 2025)

EA has just released a new Laundry List with bug fixes coming to The Sims 4 on the next game update.

This time, they also provided a little “behind the scenes” explaining how bugs are reported and then investigated by their team.

There is no confirmation on the exact date the next game patch will be available.

Hey Simmers!

Welcome to the Laundry List where we share the top community concerns that we’re currently investigating and hope to resolve in an upcoming patch. 

As it’s been a year since we first announced our team dedicated to tackling technical issues, we wanted to provide you with a quick update on their progress. Over the past 12 months we’ve provided 7 dedicated Laundry Lists, fixed hundreds of issues, both new and older, with a focus on those most impacting the community. We’ve been pleased to make meaningful improvements, and recognize that this work continues. Over the coming months, we will continue to experiment with new ways to provide more transparency into the top issues we’re working on and make it easier to get that info via our Discord. This starts today, as we’ve seen lots of great questions from the community and wanted to address many of them by sharing what goes into this process from start to finish.

As it’s been a year since we first announced our team dedicated to tackling technical issues, we wanted to provide you with a quick update on their progress. Over the past 12 months we’ve provided 7 dedicated Laundry Lists, fixed hundreds of issues, both new and older, with a focus on those most impacting the community. We’ve been pleased to make meaningful improvements, and recognize that this work continues. Over the coming months, we will continue to experiment with new ways to provide more transparency into the top issues we’re working on and make it easier to get that info via our Discord. This starts today, as we’ve seen lots of great questions from the community and wanted to address many of them by sharing what goes into this process from start to finish. 

🐞 Issue is Discovered & Verified

When a player reports an issue via our EA Forums, a friendly Community Manager or EA Forums superuser will see if help can be provided through troubleshooting and alternative methods to try, confirming if the game is working as intended, or if this may be an issue related to mods. If not, they'll check whether the issue has already been reported to merge it with an existing thread or start a new one. A ticket is then made for our Quality Assurance (QA) team to review. They may need to collect more information from players to reproduce the bug on their devices, which is critical for the next steps and why we always encourage players to provide as much specific detail as possible when reporting an issue. 

Our Sims teams are also discovering and reporting issues internally that get documented alongside player reported issues. Due to the wide variety of freedom with The Sims 4, plus the randomness and variation in playstyles and player options, it’s impossible to truly test every possible scenario. This means that some issues may only appear in specific environments, and while we strive to address as many as we can prior to launch, we appreciate your understanding. When QA is able to reproduce the issue, they will file a ticket for an engineer to review and give it a severity rating, which can depend on how many votes it has received and how disruptive to gameplay the issue is for players. Your votes matter!

🔎 Fix is Investigated & Created

A team of engineers will be assigned to work on an issue and figure out the cause. The scope, type, and risk of bug fixes can vary wildly, from relatively simple fixes through to complete code system restructures. Given the almost infinite variations of devices, operating systems, unique combinations The Sims 4 content installed, unique gameplay styles, and mods downloaded, it can be no small feat to identify the root cause! 

Once the engineer understands what’s causing the technical issue, they can start to plan how to best resolve it. Fixes can bring their own unique challenges, such as accidentally introducing more issues, which is the last thing we want to do. When the engineer has created a fix, the QA team comes back into the mix, to test each fix before it’s released to ensure the fix works as intended across all platforms. 

🚀 Fix is Deployed to Players

If that all looks good, the code is then submitted for review for final approval. Once approved, it’s scheduled to be deployed during a specific release. We understand that with each update, there’s the potential to disrupt your gameplay, and so our team takes care to group as many fixes together as possible to limit downtime.

This essential yet often behind-the-scenes work involves collaboration across multiple teams. We prioritize issues based on both the reports and votes from the community, as well as the bugs identified by our QA team. Thank you for your continued reports and votes on what issues you want us to address!

Here’s the player reported issues we’re investigating for our next update:

Fishing Spots in Sulani errors 

After finishing any quests, if the Sim travels to another lot, the quests reappear. 

Unable to place the 'Rock Solid Faux Wall' due to big foot print 

Back Plate of Toilet Does Not Hide In Wall

Leaves and branches become more visible when hovering and rotating the 'Olive You Forever' tree plant

Textured glass swatches are missing for the 'Wave Goodbye Privacy Screen' object 

The Throne of Stone toilet’s back plate is now properly hidden when placed against a wall.

The Olive You Forever plant now shows correct visibility when rotated.

There are other issues that do not have an EA Forum thread that we’re also working on. Please note that some topics can be complicated to replicate and require an extended investigation on our end, so even though we are actively reviewing, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll have an immediate fix for it in the upcoming patch. This includes the following top voted issues:

Issues Impacting Save Files

Status: 🐞 8+ related issues have been discovered, some require more player info to reproduce 

If you’ve been experiencing this, please add contributions to the relevant threads to help us replicate: https://forums.ea.com/idea/the-sims-4-bug-reports-en/please-read-save-game-corruption/5037272 

If your saved game has been impacted, we have a troubleshooting guide available that may help until we’re able to roll out a fix: https://forums.ea.com/idea/the-sims-4-bug-reports-en/please-read-save-game-corruption/5037272

Weather Effects Occurring Indoors

Status: 🔎 Fix is being actively investigated

This issue is being actively investigated. If you would like to add your experience to the active thread on EA Forums, that can be found at: https://forums.ea.com/idea/the-sims-4-bug-reports-en/s-weather-effects-occurring-inside-structures/5051547  

Please follow Sims Direct on X and in our Discord community where we will provide more updates when possible. 

Thanks for all your patience and valuable help in reporting! Please continue sharing with us any issues you’re experiencing on The Sims 4 EA Forums. We’ll continue to check in, and together we can make this game the best that it can be. 

Happy Simming!