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what-a-messsss · 4 years ago

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2x3 rewatch

I keep forgetting that Brach is still in S2. Oops. Also, I apparently went to check something in S6 last time I watched something, so it started at 6x2 instead of 2x3 and I yelled. But anyway, on with this mess. “Death Came in Like Thunder” apparently. It sure did.

Ah yes, let us not forget that Branch is MANLEH. This shall be proven to us by him murdering his cousin, Trunk, with big ax. Chop chop, Branch, kill Trunk. But oh no, must also show that he is People Smart, so must also lose because this makes him likable. And many white people clap. Yaaaay. But be sure to say, “I let him win, Ferg,” while your competitor is right next to you, so he almost surely heard you. Good good.

Oh Ferg. Could you look more gormless if you tried? (I mean, probably not, since presumably that was the goal of the actor, so he would have been trying. But still.) Bb.

Heh, nice thematic cut to Walt also chopping wood. And YAY, Henry’s gorgeous truck (and gorgeous self). I’m just going to take a moment to appreciate the fact that Henry rolls up and just helps himself to some of Walt’s thermos of coffee. Because of course he does. But I do so love these touches that they put in that do underline the fact that they are married have been besties for going on 40 years. Also, I love this jacket of Henry’s. The woven top, jean jacket sort of one? Yeah, top 5 costume pieces of his for me. (Also on that list, all basically tied with each other, basically any pants he wears. I am reminded, when they cut back out to a full body shot. Because I am very shallow, and he is very pretty.)

Haaaaaa. And of course Cady talked to Henry before she talked to Walt. Walt is a butthead. And, yeah yeah, she just found out that he’d been lying to her for over a year, but that just proves my point that Walt is a butthead. And we’re back to this whole idea that she left her phone, which just... ugh. No. But Henry’s face when he says that she said that she is safe, and he’s so worried, but still willing to respect her boundaries.

“She is an adult, Walt.” “She’s my daughter.” For fuck’s sake, you jackass, your ADULT daughter; that’s the whole flipping point! Also, that little emphasis on my daughter, pfft. If you didn’t want to feel like she preferred her cool dad to you, maybe try being less of an AAAAAAASSHOLE. And, like, respecting her. Even a weensy little bit.

“Etta Place” I don’t remember if we find out why that’s the ‘assumed name’ that Cady chose, but I’m intrigued. Wait, I just googled. Looooool. She spent years with Butch and Sundance. Nice.

Walt is such a soft touch with teens. *snack crackle pop* that kneecap back into place. Vic starts this scene saying, “The 911 operator,” though, which is interesting, because I was kind of under the impression that Ruby was the main dispatcher, so it would be kind of heartening if she actually had back up with that. ...Or maybe they’re just far enough out that a cell call made would be picked up by a tower farther out and have to be routed back in to the station/them. I have no idea how that actually works. Another rabbit hole for me to totally not go down. Hopefully. Shit. They’ve apparently upped the fine for trespass since the show, though, because it’s $750 (or 6 months in jail) now and Walt says it’s $500.

And once again, we see Vic actually wearing gloves while investigating a suspicious death, and Walt just squinting into the distance helpfully. I suppose “things got bad” in Basque country around WWII, but there has been friction there that dates back before the Spanish Civil War, or even the Carlist Wars the previous century. It did get gnarly with the dictatorship of Franco, and the formation of the ETA in retaliation, though, so yeah. (Francisco Franco is also on the list of people who anybody with a time machine should go back and beat the shit out of.)

Shit, I forgot about the animal death.

Knock knock, no answer. Better just wander in without a warrant. I know that the guy who they know lives there is dead, but still, no fricking warrant; I suppose the worry of a poisoning could count as probably cause?

Gods, but there are moments when I do absolutely adore Vic, and they are usually when she’s taking the piss out of Walt. “Reclusive bachelor chic; you and Marco have the same decorator.” Looool. But also, sad, because Martha has only been gone for a little over a year, and Walt is not the kind of person who would, like, change stuff and get rid of her things, so that’s kind of odd. Maybe Henry and/or Cady went though and put away some of her things to try to help Walt move on? But damn, the ‘excuse you’ look on Walt’s face when she does say it, pffft.

AND AGAIN, Vic wearing gloves, Walt with his bare ass hands picking up the picture of Picasso’s Guernica; can you at least *pretend* you’re a cop, *some* of the time, buddy?

Lol at the barrabilak; they are pretty well by the Rocky Mountains, so it’s probably not all that surprising that Walt’s had some “Rocky Mountain oysters” before.

I had forgotten that Vic had four brothers. But her comment about Sal going off to look after the sheep and how if someone had told her that one of her brothers were dead she “wouldn’t care about any damn sheep,” I don’t know. It kind of annoys me. It’s totally in character for her, which is good, but I think it’s part of what can annoy me about her character. Different people grieve differently, but also, I know she’s only been in Wyoming for a year or two, tops, but how is it so hard to fathom that someone one would be concerned about their livelihood, even in the face of personal tragedy? Just, seeing beyond her own very narrow experience doesn’t seem like something she’s very good at. It would be one thing if she’d framed it as “this is suspicious, and here’s why I think so as a cop,” but it was, “I wouldn’t react that way personally, so it’s sus.”

Sure, be suspicious because there’s a suspicious death and family members are always suspects until ruled out, but approach it like a cop. Or at least think about it from more angles than just your own, not terribly similar experience. You’re a white city cop who can’t (or won’t) adjust to being in BF rural-ville, but these are immigrant shepherds whose family come from a homeland where the cops were just as likely to kill you as answer questions, and you’re side-eying a guy for going to make sure that their meal ticket doesn’t get obliterated?

I need to keep reminding myself that I really did want to like Vic. I really did. She just... they don’t make it easy for me. Maybe she’s serving as an avatar for audience who don’t know about some of the culture stuff, and the audience get answers from her ignorance? But honestly, I wish they’d picked a different way to handle that, if that’s what they were trying to do. Her response to Henry being salty about Thanksgiving still really pisses me off. Because it was shitty and racist, and... do we really need a character basically rolling their eyes and saying, “It was so long ago, why don’t you just get over it,” about something that is intrinsically tied to the genocide of so many people? Why are Indigenous people just supposed to “get over it” but “Remember the Alamo” and “Southern Pride,” and shit? Fuck’s sake. Honestly, that might have been the moment when they lost me on her character. She has moments where she’s awesome, but they never really address her being fucking racist or give her a chance to grow into a better person. Which sucks a lot. Fuck. Ok, that was a lot. Sorry. Back to the actual ep.

AH, nice of you to beam in from the campaign trail, Brancheroo!

Uh, so I paused it to look at pic in the newspaper, and then being me, started to look at the articles surrounding the pic. And the one with the headline “Fans Injured At Local Game” is actually about the Stewart case? From 1x3? I’m guessing that somebody went to the trouble of writing up an article for that for some S1 ep after it and they just plugged it in because when not paused, you might catch “Sheriff Longmire” there and that’s all they need. Especially since the text starts to repeat after the first paragraph. (I am the worst pedantic little shit.) Ooooor, maybe even though it’s S2, it’s hardly been any time since 1x3? The date on the newspaper is March 31, 2012, so there’s a timeline hint.

Awwwwww, once Walt points out the bird, Ferg knows exactly what it is. Occasional twitcher, are we, my lad? “A red-tip meadowlark,” indeed. Oh bb; Ferg’s face when he sees Walt looking at the pic of him with Branch in the paper.

“You go too fast, you miss the little things.” Every once in a while, he actually sort of mentors Ferg. I wish he did more of that, especially since we see later how capable Ferg can be.

Go suck an egg, Branch. Why does she get all the “good” assignments? Maybe because she was actually on the job when they found the body, not campaigning.

OPE. Lizzie’s gift. Yeah, I’d probably choke on that coffee if I were you, too, girl. Better hope that there wasn’t perishable food stuffs in that gift, because that has been in there for a whiiiiiile, hasn’t it. Wait, was Ferg in the office when Lizzie dropped off the gift? Because his face said more than just “Did somebody give Vic a present?” Suuuuper subtle with that whole pushing the drawer closed with your foot there, Vic. Pfffft.

“Cyrano Caballero” How daaaare that skeeve take Cyrano’s name in vain?!?! (I have a thing about Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s quite possibly my favourite play, and I adore the character, and have exactly 0 chill about it at all. I find Brian Hooker’s translation of “The Ballade of the duel at the Hotel Bourgogne Between de Bergerac and a Boeotian” with “Then, as I end the refrian, thrust home,” vastly superior to any other translation that I’ve heard or read, though for the rest of it, I will grant that there are others to be preferred. But that version of his Ballade is exquisite, and I will not be swayed. Holy shit, FOCUS. That is so very much not the point.) It’s not even a throw away line in this ep, it’s just a random, very well chosen, if utterly appallingly insulting, company name. It’s actually incredibly clever for what the business is, and if it didn’t make me so stomping mad, I would applaud whoever came up with it heartily.

Vic’s face listening to this jackass’ spiel is a thing of beauty. “A good woman goes a long way of easing the obvious stresses of your daily life,” the jackass says, cutting his eyes at Vic when he says “obvious stresses,” and I caaaackle.

What is it about this guys’ horrible glasses that just makes him so much more hate-able? I’m not entirely sure, but kudos to whatever costumer put those on him, because they are perfect. In the ‘I want to punch him’ way of perfection.

And after all of that about Walt’s “lady friend,” Vic brings Lizzie’s present. Womp womp. That went super well. Yuuuup, run while you can.

Poor Ferg. Branch manipulates him, Vic ignores him, Walt shuts him down... Poor guy just can’t get a break.

I actually kind of like this motel manager--the one who “doesn’t judge people” and is a stickler for warrants? At least somebody in this county cares about warrants. Also, those doors are actually really pretty. Nice colour, and the carved scrollwork designs are nice.

What an odd shot: the one when they’re coming out of Walt’s office after talking to Skeevy McGrossFace and Rosa. It’s a weird sort of shaky-cam stepping back, just preceding Branch walking, and then turns to follow him when he sit’s on his desk. But it’s a really different style of shot than I can remember, so much so that it’s a bit jarring, especially after the series of nearly stationary close ups that we just had. Weird. [18:42-18-50]

Cady! I haven’t made much note of her costuming before this, but it seems notable that’s she’s only in monocromatics. Especially next to Fales in muted tones, but still some colour, and surrounded by the colourful grafitti of the alley where her mother was stabbed. Nice way of setting her apart from everything.

SHEEPIES! Ooooo, that wagon is so cool. Ah dang, the way that Sal corrects Walt’s pronunciation of his brother’s name is so gloriously passive aggressive. Good for you, my dude. Names are important, and people should have the respect to make the effort to get them right.

Aaaaaand Walt, the definition of Do, Don’t Tell, just shoves the guy to keep him from drinking the possibly dangerous water, rather than, like, using his words. Walt’s gonna Walt.

Iiiiiiiii am a mess, truly. It cuts to an architectural model and I start giggling like a 6th grader, because I know it’s going to be a Jacob scene. He’s not even on screen yet, ffs. HANDS. I’m fine. Totally fine. (That’s totally a lie. I just rewound to the beginning of the scene because I kept giggling too much to pay attention. What the hell.) First time we’ve seen one of the chips, which at this point must be a marketing mock-up, since nothing is built yet. And he actually types, not just doing the hunt-and-peck thing that is sometimes easier on a tablet.

Looking at the weaving that is up on his wall (maybe a rug?) I’m hoping that the prop people actually did buy from Northern Cheyenne artisans. They apparently did most of their filming in New Mexico, so I hope they made the effort to get the patterns right, and buy from the actual tribe they’re supposed to be portraying, I guess? And now I’m distracted by the fact that the random hanging light behind Jacob is at a weird angle?

Look, ever since I realized that the “Hey,” that Jacob does is apparently just A (thanks to it also happening in That Damned Xmas Movie) I am endlessly amused (and charmed) whenever Jacob does it. I don’t know why it makes me so happy, but it does. (This is legitimately embarrassing. How much trouble I am having focusing. Beyond my normal focus issues, which, as shown above, are already impressive. Because thiiiiirst.)

“My boys at the lumber yard did just throw you a campaign rally.” I love how Jacob is basically apparently not just his secret angel-investor, but also a sneaky campaign manager. Did Branch just think shit like the rally just happened? He’s not fricking Ferris Bueller; somebody organizes those. And apparently it’s either Jacob himself, or someone who Jacob appointed to do so.

“I thought you were just a casino developer.” You have noooo clue, Brancheroo. “I prefer to remain a silent partner. White people get nervous when Indians start taking back their land.” Oooooope. Especially interesting because there are previsions for the Tribal Council to purchase land to be Tribal land (Section 6 of Article IX of the Tribal Constitution), but this seems more along the lines of personal acquisition. Though maybe not, because “on the board” doesn’t necessarily equate to being the owner.

The set up of Jacob’s office is so interesting. Functionally for the show, it’s probably for better shooting angles, so that we can see more of Jacob behind the desk while Branch is sitting in front of it, but from an in-the-verse decorating standpoint, bit’s fascinating. He has this focal wall with the gorgeous wall hanging, flanked by floor to ceiling window, but instead of having his desk centered on that wall and directly facing the bulk of the room, it’s at an almost 45 degree angle on a huge rug, and it’s so unexpected. I kind of love it, and want to analyze it for days. Also worth noting is that pride of place is given to the Hotamétaneo’o headdress which is on a stand centered in front of the wall hanging.

How fucking tired must Jacob be. He’s used to Walt... Walting, but then Branch comes in, who he is literally spending his own money to support in his bid for sheriff, and he pulls the same shit of assuming that he’s behind Bad Shit. And then Branch frames it as “bad P.R,” so he’s there to “discuss it with [him] privately.” And then basically threatens him with Walt. I swear. ...there is something a little amusing about Walt being used as the stick in the carrot and a stick method of negotiating. He certainly is enough of a blunt object most of the time.

Oh fuck you so much, Branch. Playing the “can’t give you details about an ongoing investigation” card as though you have some professional or moral leg to stand on after basically blackmailing Jacob with Walt’s vendetta is just such shit. You don’t get to look down your nose at Jacob’s quid pro quo pragmatism when you were the one who came to him for financial backing. You sanctimonious little shitheel. If you didn’t want to deal with Jacob, you shouldn’t have taken his $100k. He’s a business man, and you’re an investment, and not a quixotic one.

“He’s probably the only person to have died from [hemlock] since Socrates.” And then Walt’s incredulous look and her, “Alright, I googled it,” were subtle comedic gold.

Ooooooo, that was a nice little shot. Not quite foreshadowing, but showing Branch’s suspicions and sort of inviting the audience to share them. Walt says his bit about the Army poisoning “Indian wells” to kill them off and get their land, and then we see Branch fiddling with the Four Arrows chip and narrow his eyes considering and slip the chip into his pocket, looking suspicious. It’s a really neat little moment of visual storytelling, no lines, literally three seconds long, just sort of snuck in there, but super effective. Really nicely done.

And again, Cady is in monochromatics. And, shit, just gave Fales Henry’s name. Aaaaaand right after, she realizes that the junkie was killed and realizes that it had to have been one of her dads (or so she thinks).

Sal’s monologue in the cell is a good emotional payoff that plays off of Vic’s comments towards the beginning of the episode. I see the narrative worth of her making them, and how the structure of the episode benefits from it; but seeing those writing elements from the outside of the show doesn’t make me able to like her as a character who said them in-universe. And then the threat Sal makes of vengeance on someone who killed one he loves also underscores the stuff with Cady’s investigation into her mother’s death very well. As much as I gripe about the writing *cough S6 cough finale cough* there really is some damn good writing in this show, and I don’t show enough appreciation for it.

Huh, and now there’s a sort of inverse of that weird shot preceding Branch from earlier, but this one is much more effective and less off-putting. This one [33:00] precedes Walt as he walks back into his office, still a medium close up, but it’s much steadier, and the way it is framed, it does quite a bit to convey his mindset, and he walks out of the shot and we see the three deputies following him in like baffled ducklings, making the shot serve another purpose, too. Which honestly makes that earlier shaky follow shot of Branch even weirder, because this one was so much better.

And then Walt has his creepy little speech about how someone would want to watch the light go out of their eyes and not caring if you get caught. I do appreciate that when he’s talking about the psychology of killing with poison he doesn’t just call it a “woman’s method” which media so often does. It might have been the writers keeping who the killer was abstruse, but it was still more gender neutral. Especially since according to The U. S. Department of Justice's report on Homicide Trends in the United States (1980 to 2008) of all poison killers in that time period, 60.5 percent were male and 39.5 percent female. (Table 5 on page 10.) So that long held idea that even Sherlock Holmes was written to have that poison is “of course” a woman’s weapon is pretty crap.

Awwww, the good old days when Walt paid attention to animals. ...I am still bizarrely salty about the fact that he never named his horse. What a good pupper!

And then we have a classic example of Sneaky!Walt, which always takes people quite by surprise, because he’s usually as subtle as Miley Cyrus.

Also because when he does this, it tends to be pretty fucked up, in a Make Someone Think They’re About To Die way. And then he does His Thing, where he just lays out all of his suppositions, with no proof, only the terror of her thinking that she’s been poisoned and you’re withholding medical intervention to get her to confess. And is, irritatingly, correct about his theories. But I’m pretty sure this qualifies as coercing a confession? She thinks she’s fucking dying. Even Vic looks at him like it’s fucked up, and her moral compass where he’s concerned is... skewed.

They way this reveal was played out, (”How’d they find her so fast?” “Hard to say...”) is somewhat ambiguous as to whether it’s supposed to be that Branch went there to tell Jacob or not, but I kind of doubt it? I kind of figure that the meeting that Jacob was having when Branch rambled in was already with Rosa signing the paperwork. Jacob is smart. So, HAH. Little good your “can’t comment on an ongoing investigation” schtick did.

And then the news that someone in law enforcement has been asking after Henry.

“Lizzie was waiting for you here tonight. You should talk to her, Walt. She seems to think she is in a relationship with you.” ....omgs. The tone. I mean, yes, the blisteringly glorious SASS, but how does one not read that as incredibly shippy? Howwwww?

“You are an honest man, Walt. I would like you to stay that way.” Oh Henry. When did you decide that you weren’t? Was it when you hired Hector? Or was there something before? ...I feel like there were things before that. Hello darkness my old friend.

“It is not your job to protect me.” “It is my job...” THOSE WERE THE DAYS. Those were the fucking daaaaaays. And the emotions on Henry’s face after Walt says, “That was my right,” as though Henry cheated him of something. I am so deep in OT3 feels I cannot even see daylight here. The feels of them having been an OT3 and then Walt pulling this shit, and Henry having to defend his own “right” to avenge Martha? It wrecks me. “A good woman was murdered. A bad man is dead. End of story.”

#Longmire #Walt Longmire #Cady Longmire #Henry Standing Bear #Branch is such a tool #Jacob Nighthorse #The Ferg #Victoria Moretti #Episode commentary #How many tangents did I manage to go on this time?#so many #Martha Longmire #I ramble about shots and framing and narrative too.#It took me so long to do this.#I am such a mess.

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mantra4ia · 4 years ago

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Desires: Lucifer season 5 on Netflix

Created: August 21, 2020. Last Modified: August 22, 2020.

Preface: Alright my Lucis, here’s the sitch: it’s been a minute. Life got a bit chaotic I wasn’t able to start season five quite on time when it premiered on August 21st because I haven’t finished the great 2020 Lucifer rewatch. I’m nearly done however and should be able to jump into it either later today or tomorrow, which is why beforehand I want to — as I’ve traditionally done for a few seasons — create a desires list and keep a tally throughout the season to see how many are met. I am going to try to pace myself, not binge, and watch a single episode a day so don’t spoil me. Likewise I will tag my spoilers. Here we go... #21DaysofLucifer

Season 3 and 4 Roundout - Desires Fulfilled / Questions Answered

✔We’ve seen other demons “like Maze” and a bit of what havoc they can reek. Well sort of. To be quite frank, although it was cool to see them possess the recently deceased, it wasn’t as impending doom as I was expecting. They didn’t seem nearly as disciplined or intimidating as Mazikeen, even Dromos, more bored and desperate.

✔ We’ve seen a little more or the heavenly host in Remiel. Remi was cool, if a bit intense. Her character, and her affinity to Amenadiel was a nice foil to see how far his character has come in evolution. But again like Uriel was for Lucifer, she kind of became a driving force character device to push Amenadiel’s growth. So I wonder if we’ll get to see more of her or not.

✔ (s3) The backstory of Lucifer’s arrival in LA, finding LUX, and making a deal with Amenadiel.

✔ (s3) Cain finally went to hell, YES! Not that I didn’t like Marcus Pierce/Tom Welling, there were some great interactions there, but I just think he was a wishy-washy antagonist based on how he was written and I can’t wait to trade up for Michael.

✔ Maze finally had some happiness and attachment to this silly mortal coil and it slipped away! Why Eve why? I love Maze’s bonding with humans, Linda, Trixie, Chloe. But I love that after a Millennia of serving, and then watching Amenadiel and Linda be happy in a family unit, that she might actually make her own and my hopes were dashed.

Things we got that we didn’t even know we wanted. SO GOOD:

Season 4 ep 8: Amenadiel bonding with Caleb and confronting community violence, police brutality, and systemic racism. It was a rough episode to be sure, but absolutely needed,

Chloe talking Lucifer down and out of a self-hatred spiral and his transformation into full-fledged devil and back again.

Lucifer playing Creep on repeat while missing the detective (even after insisting in a therapy session that “he’s not a teenager playing Adele on repeat) and Mr. Said Out B**** trying to rob Lucifer and gun point and ultimately get rich. What a fun twist.

The Dan and Maze Los X’s fight. They are wicked good at laying down the hurt on the criminal element and I was wondering when they’d pair up again after dispatching Warden Perry.

The devil in a bar fight! I mean, it’s only fair since the ladies had their brawl. I love how this fight sequence was filmed in bursts of slo-mo from various angles, involved everything from fists, to tasers, knives, bottles, and the infamous pool cue, and they picked the perfect song for pacing (Jake Bugg, Lightning Bolt, could listen to it all day on repeat.)

Time for all good demons to go home / Enough, you will bow down to your king. Go home! (aka appropriate use of Devilish intimidation face)

Amenadiel vs Remi

A Rocky montage with Lucifer and Amenadiel / Amenadiel’s face the first time Lucifer drives the Corvette

Lucifer at the roller derby

Chloe the YA fangirl

Maze teaching Trixie about knives, with each handle decorated in a different toy.

Amenadiel and Chloe catching up: your father is so proud of you. Like and angel BOSS!

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

★ (s3) Amenadiel taking Charlotte home

★ Dan being comforted in his grief by Amenadiel

★ Amenadiel’s wrath and the brotherly duo tag team to lay the hurt on the drug dealer that got Charlie killed. It’s been a while since we’ve seen warrior angel ready to dispatch anyone in his way. And it was glorious!

★ (s3) Lucifer’s almost driving lesson with Trixie “Morningstar”

★ (s3) Maze torturing Lucifer by making him think he’s the Angel of San Bernadino

★ (s3) Amenadiel and Lina helping to dispose of Lucifer’s wings

★ Lucifer kicking Julian, Tiernan’s son, through a glass pane window

★ The goodbye kiss between Lucifer and Chloe

DIDN’T LIKE:

☒ (s3) Cain playing guitar and singing. What is he, a crime lord, a top cop, or an act that the improv club wouldn’t take?

☒ Eve. I liked Eve, but we mostly got to see one side of her around Lucifer, and a kind of floundering an confused side when she was with Maze. The side that I would have liked to see more of was the maternal side that came out when she briefly talked about Abel or was interrogated by Trixie. That made her more layered.

☒ Father Kinley. That dude is just meh.

☒ Dan’s broken heart and rebounding with Ella. Don’t get me wrong, its a good arc, but I don’t see it lasting

☒ (s3) Abel and Reese. Those were two side stories I could have done without, although they had great moments of humor. I quite enjoyed Reese’s character, and although I didn’t like Abel Lucifer’s stick-figure comic illustration of Cain fighting with him over a rock was quite enjoyable.

WHAT I TRULY DESIRE: SINFUL SEASON 5, my BURNING QUESTIONS, and SPECULATIONS

Obviously, don’t spoil anything for me, but if any of my desires end up coming true in any of the first eight episodes maybe drop me a hint in the comments...

A big time jump. We need to see the lasting impact of Lucifer’s absence. I know that time in hell works differently per that episode where Lucifer saved Chloe and almost got stuck in a loop, but we still need enough time to elapse that the impact is felt on the mortal side. Or, we need to see the passage of time through a series of events without Lucifer, like a montage of character development. At least a year or so, if for no other reason then Trixie is growing up and I actually want to see her take driving lessons with Lucifer.

Last season Maze gave baby Charlie a gift, something she’d wished she’d had growing up, and previously had alluded to the language of demons, her many siblings, and teased her mother, the mother of all demons. Will we finally get to meet Maze’s mom Lilith (or however they address her)? And, in spite of Mazikeen’s found family, she still has restlessness and abandonment issues. Will her mom finally finally bring her peace, or will clashing with her resolidify Maze’s purpose on earth?

A Decker/Mazikeen team-up or girls night out 2.0 would always be appreciated. At this point its probably 4.0 if you count the bar fight and the bachelorette party.

Will we see tougher, scarier demons, or are they just warmup to the really scary depths of hell?

Speaking of hell, more hell. Tons of hell. I want to know the minutia of all the mechanics. If Lucifer’s gotta be down there in self-imposed exile, he may as well show us around. Pour us a drink.

Will Lucifer see Cain in Hell? Not that I’m dying to see more of “sad Cain” but it would be interesting to see a more dark or desperate or cunning side to him at least now that he’s actually neck deep in torment. Or, alternatively, I’m hedging my bets that he could be a good candidate to light the fire under Lucifer’s *** to get of hell back to the earthly realm. Even in hell, I’m betting Cain would have a soft spot for Chloe, and if news reached Lucifer that Michael were trying to abscond with his life and with Chloe, it would give Cain and Lucifer one last bit of “A-Hole brothers” common ground to bond over. Like “Brothers, am I right? Go kick, get Chloe back, I’ll still have enough guilt to torture me with in a few thousand years when you get back,”

Will Lucifer fall into peril in hell of once again potentially getting distracted and stuck in a hell loop? Will his servants be satisfied with his return? Will Amenadiel bust him out.

Mr. Said Out Bitch needs a role reprise. He’s been in every season opener 2-4, we’ve gotten to know his undergarments very well. Its high time we get to know his name and story. He’s put in the work!

Amenadiel should be running LUX in Lucifer's absence. We got a tease of that in previous seasons (remember when he asked what would Lucifer do?) its time for that to come to fruition. Plus, any excuse to put DB Woodside in a suit, just because he wears them so well. It would also be interesting if, after that tragedy he’s experienced, Amenadiel will start taking after Luci. Maybe not the punishing, not yet, but wanting to seek out evil and corruption. It has been teased since s1 “fall as I did.” Perhaps he’ll start developing a taste for his bother’s line of work whereas he found it repugnant in the early days

Dan and Maze or Dan and Ella pair up. Both Dan and Maze are due for some happiness.

An Azrael reboot, when need more of her. She’s the angel of Death for pity’s sake. I don’t know if the original actress is still available or if they would have to recast, or if the character concept by Netflix would even be the same, but I need Azrael to be capable of sweet and unassuming and on a coin flip downright menacing.

More of Lucifer as a godparent, bless! And maybe a cool montage of “cousin” Trixie and Lucifer co-babysitting Charlie please.

Whilst on the subject of Lucifer and parenting, and without putting Trixie too much into harm’s way, I need to see what “I would do anything to protect that little urchin” looks like. Trixstar ride or die.

Father Frank, come back! I need a cameo or recurrent role pleeeeease.

Trixie in every episode. This is non-negotiable, much like chocolate cake. Beatrice is an all-star. In fact, I’ve decided that when Dad/God finally does show up, Trixie needs to be the one to get to know him / introduce him first. She’s been captain on the celestial cheer squad for four seasons, she’s earned this.

Who's going to see through Michael's facade first? I mean, I know that trailer shows Maze torturing it out of him, but as far as intuition goes, I've got a 50/50 split between Trixie and Linda, with an honorable mention to Dan.

If Michael is Lucifer's twin, does he have the same angelic compulsion skill set? Or something different? And will it work on Chloe or is she universally immune?

A “be like Mike” pop-culture reference. ******Spoilers: ******* all the trailers have revealed Michael already, so they owe us this for letting the steam out.

As far as pop-culture, how many movie and TV references will we get from Lucifer and ensemble this year? I expect A-game, from sci-fi to 80s action, on par with the previous likes of Parent Trap, Star Wars, Home Alone, Kim Possible, and Rocky.

Will Amenadiel’s necklace make a reappearance, even after he put it around Caleb’s neck in the morgue? Heavenly artifacts have a way of causing trouble in this show.

Will what finally learn what, if any, significance there is to Lucifer’s ring? Again, as all my fictional writings will attest, I really kind of want it to be a stolen little trinket from him Dad.

Plot twist: will we get to see Hell and the silver city all in one season, or is that too devilishly good to ask? It would be intriguing if Lucifer fell from Heaven for rebelling and now some threat like, for example, the mother of demons would pose a threat to the gates such that Lucifer was called upon to defend them. Not expecting anything Endgame level with a host of Angels popping up like sorcerers...but it is food for the imagination.

Plot twist: will Michael, duplicitous twin that he is, be revealed as the reason that Lucifer does not lie and can’t stand liars? Will be get a Michael back story? Is he perhaps the true rebellious son? see: my original fan conjecture here.

Additional links to previous recaps, roundouts and wishlists:

Season 1: Best Moments // Season 2: Predictions, Desires, Roundout, Best Moments // Season 3: Speculations, Quick-shot summary

#21 days of Lucifer #Lucifer season 5 #lucifer on netflix #Lucifer s5 desire #Lucifer Morningstar #trixie espinoza #Chloe Decker #amenadiel #trixtstar #deckerstar #lucifer s5

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gunterfan1992 · 4 years ago

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Episode Review: ‘BMO’ (Distant Lands, Ep. 1)

Airdate: June 25, 2020

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, and Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Hanna K Nyström, Iggy Craig, Laura Knetzger, Anna Syvertsson, & Adam Muto

Directed by: Miki Brewster (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)

I just watched a new episode of Adventure Time...

That, dear readers, is a sentence that—after the airing of “Come Along with Me”—I never thought I’d get to write again! And believe me, it feels great to be proved wrong in this instance.

In October of last year, we were all treated to the news that four new Adventure Time specials—collectively identified as Distant Lands—would be airing in the next year or so. For months, the Adventure Time fandom has waited with bated breath for these specials to drop. Would these episodes be good? Would they live up to the series that came before? Would they undo the emotional satisfaction of the Adventure Time finale? These were the questions. And now, the first special—entitled “BMO”—is here. Does it live up to expectations, proving that Adventure Time always bounces back? Or is it toast-bread for sure? Read on to hear my thoughts!

Beginning in media res, "BMO" opens with the titular character on its way to Mars to terraform Mars. After running into an errant service droid named Olive, BMO is transported to a fantastical space station known as the "Drift." It is here that BMO becomes acquainted with a humanoid rabbit named Y5, and together, the two help reveal the insidious plotting of the station's capitalist overlord, Hugo, and his henchman Mr. M (who, it must be noted, is almost certainly Finn’s father, Martin, up to one of his many schemes). After much mayhem, hilarity, and poignancy, the special ends with BMO traveling back to Earth and meeting up with Finn and Jake for the first time—revealing that this entire special was a prequel to the main series, explaining how BMO first met up with his good friends in Ooo.

The first thing I'd like to comment on is the fact that many of the show's former crew members returned to work on this special. In addition to Adam Muto (Adventure Time's hard-working executive producer), this special saw the return of: storyboard artists Hanna K Nyström, Laura Knetzger, and Anna Syvertsson; storyline writer Jack Pendarvis; character designers Andy Ristaino and Benjamin Anders; art director Sandra Lee; and composer Tim Kiefer. I was actually quite surprised (and delighted!) that so many of the show's old guard returned to help out. And while this special also saw several new creative voices helping out (including folks like former OK KO! storyboard artist Iggy Craig, former Steven Universe board artist Miki Brewster, and writer Kate Tsang), the overall product was recognizably Adventure Time. I must admit, this was my biggest worry going into Distant Lands; without folks like Tom Herpich, Kent Osborne, or Cole Sanchez, would this feel like the show I know and love? I’m happy to say that the answer is yes!

BMO really is in fine form in this episode—from their singing the "Potatoes (More Exciting Than Tomatoes)" ditty in space all the way to their hitching a ride to Earth on a space lard. (Indeed, the sheer number of humorous remarks the little robot gets makes me think that many of the shows writers were saving up goofy one-liners following the show’s cancellation, just in case.) I’m quite pleased with how the episode handled the character, and, in truth, somewhat relieved. Initially, I was worried whether the character would be able to coherently anchor an hour long special, given BMO’s unpredictable and somewhat unreliable nature (see: “Ketchup”). Would 45 minutes of BMO’s seemingly boundless goofiness work? Thankfully, the other characters in this special do an excellent job counterpoising the lovable robot’s more, shall we say, unorthodox personality features (Y5 perhaps said it best when she noted that BMO tends to “expend energy for no apparent purpose”). The end result feels remarkably balanced, with BMO’s chaotic, goofball energy complimenting the very real plight of the Drift’s residents.

Speaking of other characters, Y5 served as a workable straight man, whose half-heartedly pragmatic personality contrasts nicely with BMO’s boundless and wacky optimism. I must give the writers and producers credit: it was extremely risky for them to feature a brand new character as one of the main players (rather than one of the show’s many beloved side characters), but for the most part, they stuck the landing. I think much of this success is due to Y5’s voice actress, Glory Curda, whose performance really breathes live into the character, giving her an earnest believability. That said, the fast-paced nature of this special precluded me from developing the strongest emotional connection to the character, and as such, Y5′s “my parents don’t appreciate me” subplot did not resonate with me as strongly as, say, “It Came from the Nightosphere” did. (But then again, not every character can be Marceline!)

Strictly in terms of story structure, "BMO" is not exactly groundbreaking, and the special follows the standard "buddy movie" formula fairly closely (You know, the structure that goes: "Two individuals from different walks of life are forced to work together. Despite a rocky start, they begin to function as a team. Alas, they are split up, but reunite just in the nick of time to save the world"). But unlike Grace Z. Li of Vulture, who wrote that the special plays out "expectedly" and as such "is simply unimaginative in its structure," I cannot say that the standard plot structure torpedoes "BMO"—it simply gives the special a solid story frame that supports the characters while also providing an opportunity for the show to drop some timely social commentary.

Adventure Time has never been one to shy away from such commentary, but I do not know if it has ever been more overt than in “BMO.” As Alexander Sowa of CBR puts it, Hugo—the alien-human overlord of the Drift—is a “futurist reminiscent of Steve Jobs or Elon Musk” who long ago used a spaceship to escape Earth during the final days of the Mushroom War. After “biohacking” his DNA with the genetic material of the grey aliens who flit around the Oooniverse’s infinite cosmos, Hugo and his ilk founded an Amazon-esque empire in the Drift, inculcating its inhabitants with a love for rampant commercialism. As a villain, Hugo really is the wombo combo: a selfish capitalist hell-bent on stealing riches, colonizing new lands, exploiting conquered peoples, and then leaving when the situation looks bleak. It is not hard to see Hugo and his followers as stand-ins for the leaders of today, who refuse to acknowledge the reality of thinks like climate change or income inequality—problems that, if left unchecked, will lead to cataclysmic societal collapse. It is a bleak topic for Adventure Time to meditate on, but at least the episode ends on a positive note, with BMO's actions proving that with the right leader(s) and enough people working together, otherwise powerless individuals can topple oppressive regimes and begin to right the wrongs that have been made by the bourgeoisie (if you’ll allow me to invoke the ol’ Marxist term). Now, "BMO" admits that such reformation is one that will require many sacrifices, but nevertheless, the special does emphatically assert that it is possible. And in the hellscape that is 2020, this is a message of hope that so many need to hear.

In addition to social depth, there's quite a bit of existential nuance to this episode, too. Perhaps the most striking scene in the entire special is the scene wherein BMO is torn apart and—for all intents and purposes—dies. It is a chilling scene made all the more haunting by the return of BMO's rainbow personae (last seen in season seven's "The More You Moe, the Moe You Know"), who urge BMO to accept death ("Now your job is to be dead") and recognize that the robot has failed in its mission to be a true hero. (As pointed out to me on Reddit, the scene stylistically echoes an eerie bit of dialogue from Portal 2, wherein GLaDOS tells you: “I have a sort of black-box quick-save feature: In the event of a catastrophic failure, the last two minutes of my life are preserved for analysis. I was ... forced ... to relive you killing me. Again and again. Forever." Talk about horrific!) Thankfully—in the spirit of the hero's journey—BMO bounces back from the brink of oblivion, proving that even in the bleakest of moments, all of us can be heroes.

Or something like that.

All in all, “BMO” was an enjoyable romp that dropped us back into a magical world we all love. While I wouldn’t say that the special was mind-blowing, it succeeded in its mission of telling a new story in a new place, while focusing on a character whom Adventure Time fans care deeply about.

Here’s looking to “Obsidian!”

Mushroom War Evidence: When it comes to the Mushroom War mythos, this episode was full of a lot of little details. CGO’s monologue reveals that, indeed, Earth was ravage by numerous nuclear weapons; what is more, it seems that some sort of doomsday weapon vaporized part of the Earth, leaving that gaping scar in the planet that has for so long fascinated the show’s mythology-junkies. It is also explicitly state that Hugo and his ilk were humans who fled Earth during the Mushroom War to escape certain destruction.

Final Grade:

Also, while I have your attention: Book update! As some of you might already know, over the last year and a half, I’ve been working on a book all about the history and production of Adventure Time! It’s been an absolute blast, and I’ve been lucky enough to talk to quite a few of the folks who worked on the show (including people like Tom Herpich, Jack Pendarvis, Pat McHale, and Rebecca Sugar). I’m in the final stages of type-setting, and should hopefully have the book ready to go within the next few weeks. Here’s a sneak peek of cover (please ignore the faint InDesign lines; they won’t be in the finished product):

Originally, I was going to publish this work through McFarland and Company, but then Cartoon Network got all pissy (long story short: I reached out to Rebecca Sugar and Adam Muto, got in contact with both of ‘em, and asked some questions about Bubbline. Rebecca responded and and confirmed that Bubbline was intended to be canon when she boarded “What Was Missing” but structural homophobia prevented it from being explicitly declared as such. This revelation made CN PR reeeeeaaally uncomfortable and they threatened to sic the lawyers), so I’m now going to be publishing through the University of Kansas Libraries. The good news is that the work will be free to download, and easily accessible! Yay! That said, if you want a hard copy of the book, I’ll post details about that in a bit. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled!

#adventure time #atimers #distant lands #adventure time distant lands #bmo #hanna k. nyström #iggy craig #laura knetzger #anna syvertsson #adam muto #miki brewster #sandra lee

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spookyspaghettisundae · 4 years ago

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We All Pay for Power

Even at sunset, the yellow fireball in the sky was scorching hot. Not a single waking soul around for miles, save for a dusty old pickup truck roaring down the lonesome road. Its driver and passenger traveled closer and closer towards an even dustier, even older tour bus. The unforgiving desert winds swept over them.

Layers of grit and grains of sand caked the windows of what looked like a steel whale, beached in the Nevada desert. Far away from the road, in a circle of cacti, resting in a place invisible to natural eyes.

But the truck’s driver knew how to find it. The wheels spun and screeched as she veered off the thin strip of cracked asphalt, cutting through the landscape of red sand, sparse vegetation, and rocky hills. The tires found traction and dug into the dirt, carrying the truck closer to the old abandoned bus.

With each inch the truck drove closer to the bus, the sky darkened. Defying nature’s laws. Devouring the sun before it even set in due time. The black void of a nightly sky opened up overhead, and the darkness between the stars loomed ever-darker in between the tiny lights.

Watchful, and hungry.

The driver cut the engine. The pickup truck continued rolling until she hit the brakes and rocks and dust ground underneath the wheels, stalling the machine till it lurched forward and fully stopped.

She was the first out of the vehicle, grabbing a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun and slamming the car door shut behind her—the noise echoing through this pocket of Otherworld, hidden away in the desert. Paying no mind to how the starry sky had appeared before sunset and the sun vanished. This was not Kim’s first time of crossing over into another dimension that looked similar to our own on the surface.

Unlike Javier, who hopped out of the car next, leaving the passenger seat open. He stared up at the sky in disbelief.

“The fuck?” he asked. Getting no answer.

Kim did not reply. She approached the dusty old tour bus with steady steps.

Javi’s gaze wandered, coming to rest on the cacti nearby. Their thorns took the shape of wicked little knives; crooked and jagged and sharp-edged. Their stalks twisted to elongated, thin shapes that did not belong on Earth.

“Hey, Kim, seriously. What the fuck?”

He got no answer from her. She held the shotgun in her hand and slowed down before she arrived by the tour bus’ open door. Something echoed through space and time, as if it had just burst open mere moments ago. But now, the door leading inside the bus swayed gently in the wind. The metal of its hinges creaked eerily.

A dark presence waited inside. Palpable. Watching. Born from the void between the stars, coalescing in the bowels of this steel giant, taking familiar shapes. Silver eyes that peered outwards, that Kim could not yet see, but eyes that saw her clearly before she entered. Piercing through matter, through the veil between worlds.

Having spotted something that vaguely resembled a vulture, Javi backed away from the truck and towards the bus, following Kim without looking where he went. The winged creature on the rocks glared at him and he broke out into a cold sweat as their eyes met and the thing’s stare locked onto him.

It crept closer, like a four-legged predator, crawling over the bend of the rock, stopping on its perch and flapping its leathery wings twice. It didn’t look too much like a vulture anymore, owed to many sharp teeth in its beak and the eight eyes on its unfathomably hairy face.

Kim raised her weapon and entered the bus, oblivious to Javi’s panicked breathing as he stumbled backwards and caught up to her. He had his hunting knife and revolver out, ready for the winged thing to pounce, but it just waited. And watched.

Like the entity inside.

They entered the bus, back to back.

Plastic clicked, and Kim swept her flashlight’s cone of illumination across the darkened interior of the abandoned bus. The leather on the seats had been chewed up by time and tiny teeth. Piles of trash littered the place all over, making it look like a hurricane had hit someone’s belongings and scattered them about.

Someone had pinned vast amounts of newspaper clippings to one wall. Everything from serious reporting to lousy tabloids had found its way here. Reports of two missing men, Brent Carver and Rick Sutton, members of the indie rock band The Lost Number. The only remaining person in the group was Kevin, whose mugshot adorned one of the cut-out articles.

Kim remembered the story from her research: how two of the three band members vanished mysteriously out here in the desert, how no bodies were ever found, and how the police eventually released Kevin into the wild where he started a new life.

The punchline of the articles continued on from there, following Kevin’s ensuing career trajectory. The flamboyant, cross-dressing bassist player of a dead-end rock band had transformed into a successful stage magician on the Strip with a cult following. A snippet from a Rolling Stone interview book-ended the assortment of notes.

In red color, someone had spray-painted over the tail end of this creepy collage:

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Javi gasped when something cracked and he spun around. The plastic of a CD case broke underneath his boot; an autographed copy of the EP, Sexy Vampire in the Basement by The Lost Number. He stepped away from it, stumbling over empty cans of beans and bacon and other assorted canned food, kicking loose a brief cacophony of clattering and clanking.

Kim glared at Javi, silently imploring him to stop being so jumpy.

The wind outside picked up, resembling a coyote’s howl. But unlike a natural animal’s howl, it petered out into a ghastly screech. Something flapped its horrid wings to underline the ungodly origins.

From the darkness, deeper inside the bus, silver eyes stared out, watching the two new arrivals.

“Did he live here?” Javi asked. His voice trembled. So did he—his entire body.

Even if he couldn’t see the presence, he felt it.

Kim refused to answer. This was not a place to answer redundant questions.

“How can anybody live like this?”

Kim set her jaw, shining the flashlight down the narrow corridor of the bus into its deepest parts, where the silver eyes awaited them.

Finally, she answered, “Power always has a price. We all pay for it in our own ways. And this—this was his way.”

Someone cleared his throat and Kim pointed her gun in that direction. The darkness swallowed the cone of light, though a set of two eyes reflected it back as they blinked. A man in black sat there, in the bedroom at the end of the bus. Lounging on the beds, legs crossed, hands folded behind his head. Not a care in the world.

Bright white, clean teeth bared, a wide grin plastered across a face of handsome features. Chiseled, sharp jawline, symmetrical. A glint of the devil’s own confidence in his eyes.

“Can I help you?” he asked. Smooth voice—like smoke and velvet rolling over sanded stone.

Kim and Javi approached with careful paces, stepping over the trash heaps strewn about the floor. Both of them had their guns pointed at the stranger.

He budged not one bit, sitting like he belonged here. Garbed in black leather boots, dark jeans, and a crumpled old duster over a fancy black cowboy shirt with red patterns on it, this guy had the air of both a rich man and a vagrant.

“Are you Michael?” Kim asked him.

“No,” he lied. His smile widened. His steel blue eyes turned silver for a split second of the flashlight blinding him. He didn’t even blink this time. Lapped up the attention. Drank in their anxiety, thirsting for their fear.

Sprawled out in front of him was a circle of odd objects. Kim scanned over them with a quick glance, not quite registering what all of them meant or represented.

A circle of rice grains outlined the circle clearly, framed by a square of metal legs broken off a chair. In a pattern inside these shapes rested a tourist trap postcard from the Grand Canyon, a coyote’s skull, a tiny crucifix fastened to an old-timey alarm clock, a pill bottle of Alprazolam filled with black-painted fingernail clippings, a spiked dog collar, a folded piece of paper stuffed with a dark powder spilling out of the seams, and a pile of paperback novel covers glued together. Blue paint chippings covered the various objects.

“Please, let me know how I can help. Are you looking for Kevin?” asked Michael. “So am I. Perhaps we can help each other.”

“Don’t listen to him. He’s fuckin’ lyin’,” Javi said. He emphasized that by taking a threatening step towards Michael, but Kim elbowed him to stop him in his tracks.

“Stay outta the circle,” she growled at Javi.

Michael raised his hands, displaying his open empty palms. He brought his hands together and steepled his fingers like some sort of discount villain.

“You might as well put those lil’ peashooters away. Even if you manage to waste me, you gotta deal with Smokey out there,” Michael said, gesturing at the way they had come from.

The cawing shriek pierced the air, followed by more flapping of the wings. Something heavy landed on top of the tour bus, thumping. Sharp claws scraped over the metal, and one of its many beady red eyes peeked in through an old bullet hole in the roof. It kept moving, thumping until it stopped, out of sight. Right above them.

Both Kim and Javi found they had been holding their breath all the while.

“You spill one drop o’ blood in here, then Ol’ Smokey’s gonna be all over this place like flies on shit. And none of us are gonna look pretty at the end of it,” Michael said. The smile slowly faded from his visage, lending credence to the visceral danger lurking just outside.

“We can find your friend if we join forces. Work together,” Michael lied again.

Javi’s lips curled into a sneer but he swallowed any remark, and Kim picked up on the subtle cue. He could sense Michael’s lying. He smelled bullshit five miles against the wind, which is why she had brought him along.

“Alright, whaddya got?” she asked the sorcerer.

Michael smiled again. Like the wolf inviting Little Red Riding Hood inside.

He raised a hand, index finger outstretched, cautioning them away from shooting him and indicating that he was not about to draw a weapon. Digging his other hand into his coat’s pocket, he produced a small silver object.

A flip-top phone from the early 2000s. He held it out for a second, and then gently tossed it across the room to the two. It clattered onto the ratty carpeted floor in front of Kim’s boot. She handed Javi her flashlight and picked up the phone.

Flipped it open. Didn’t question why it still had juice, because nothing needed to make sense in this pocket space adjacent to Earth. No network, all sorts of little arcane symbols blinking on the display. Memory full. The buttons triggered ridiculous little beeps as she thumbed her way through the phone’s storage, browsing through a set of photos.

Kevin was on each of them, striking different poses in front of a mirror, dolled up with make-up and wearing women’s clothes. She always knew him from his stage performances as a magician to pull off the androgynous look quite well, so it did not surprise her that he looked rather pretty as a woman.

Without looking up, continuing to click through them in hopes of finding anything unusual, she asked, “Anything else?”

Michael pointed to something behind the two.

“Yeah. What do you see in there?”

She clapped the phone shut and pocketed it in her jacket then followed the cone of light that Javi shone on the object behind them.

A heavy-looking safe with a digital lock, its display dull and deactivated, its door open. It was empty except for a mirror sitting in it, pushed up against the back wall of the safe’s hollow belly. Kim and Javi only saw themselves inside of it.

Then Kim spotted the silver eyes creeping up behind them, closer and closer. Shining out from a cloud of darkness, billowing out and growing and preparing to engulf them.

She spun around and the deafening shot from her gun made way for a vicious ringing in their ears. Kim frantically pointed the gun around, looking for a target, but she had hit no person, only blown a hole through the back wall of the bus where Michael had been sitting mere seconds before.

“This how you thank me for helpin’?” Michael’s voice spilled out. Everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. Like a voice in the back of their heads, like he was telepathically communicating with them.

“Run,” Kim breathed.

Javi didn’t need to hear it twice. He tripped over some of the junk on the way out but was out of the bus within a matter of heartbeats, kicking up sand as he sprinted towards the pickup truck.

The cloud gathered, swirling and pooling in the corners inside the bus where silver eyes opened in its center, staring at Kim.

“You’re just as messed in the head,” Michael said. His laughter erupted, revolving and booming and growing in volume like the stifling black fog that filled the bus.

Kim coughed and held her breath, stumbling away from the bedroom. The thing outside cawed. Thumped, thundered, as it climbed down the side of the bus. Claws sliced through steel, causing the metal to screech under the pressure of the creature’s tremendous weight.

Michael’s laughter swelled to a crescendo and stopped abruptly.

His voice right in Kim’s ear, “He tried to cheat his way outta the deal. And if you try to help him, you’re just gettin’ in on the cheatin’. And you don’t wanna know how I’m gonna deal with you. You girls don’t know what repercussions you’re lookin’ at.”

She fired another shot, blindly at where his voice had come from. The wind howled, and so did Michael, one of them expressing otherworldly hunger, the other incredible pain. He tripped and slipped on old magazines and fell. Blood had sprayed against the walls inside the bus and he coughed.

“Bitch—”

He groaned and held his side, collapsing onto one of the chewed up couches. In his hand he held a mean-looking knife—something straight out of a horror movie, all jagged and meant for unholy rituals.

“See you in hell,” Kim muttered, scrambling away from him. The junk around her clanked and she tumbled down the short set of stairs leading out of the bus.

The pickup truck’s engine roared and its wheels kicked up sand as it spun around, sliding to a halt next to her. Kim’s eyes went wide but she hoisted herself back up onto her feet. Ripped open the passenger door as it banged against the frame without engaging and Javi hit the gas pedal, making the ragged old engine growl and roar again.

The truck sped off before she even slammed the door shut, and the vehicle kicked up more sand. The distance towards the bus rapidly grew. The winged thing peered after them with its eight red eyes.

With trembling hands, Kim blindly reloaded both barrels of her still-smoking shotgun, craning her neck to observe what the creature would do next.

It defied her expectations—did not leap or fly after the pickup truck. It instead swung around the edge of the bus, moving like molten, living shadows. Folded its wings up behind its back and crawled inside the yawning door, leading into the bus.

Michael’s screams of agony pierced the heavens, louder than the wind, and the old tour bus of The Lost Number shook violently as a struggle for life and death ensued inside there.

The radio in the truck screeched, almost like the creature, followed by garbled static and white noise. Kim hit buttons on it until she silenced the device.

A gust of wind kicked up a huge cloud of sand, sweeping over the truck and causing both driver and passenger to cough until the air cleared.

The sky had changed, the starry night making way for the warm orange tones of the sunset. The natural one. Earth.

Kim and Javi looked into the rear view mirror, seeing no bus, no alien-looking cacti, no winged monstrosity that belonged in another world.

They allowed themselves to breathe, emitting sighs of relief, knowing they could put this experience behind themselves. Maybe get a good night’s sleep some day.

They wouldn’t even talk about it for the next ten miles. Dealing with these sorts of things took it out of you. The unnatural always gave you that extra little oomph to unpack later on.

For the entire ride back to Vegas, they failed to notice the disgusting, football-sized egg stuck inside the back of the pickup truck.

They would only find it after it had hatched.

—Submitted by Wratts

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trulycertain · 5 years ago

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Thoughts on the Netflix Witcher:

Not many people are tossing a coin to their Witcher, are they? Geralt still has to buy his own drinks, it seems.

Jaskier’s lyrics need, er, work, but Joey Batey has a lovely voice.

Love the wardrobe design, Yen’s in particular. It’s distinctive, not always “pretty” in that it sometimes feels like medieval experimental haute couture, and combines sexuality with hard lines. It feels very her.

I love Freya Allan’s Ciri. Allan’s a really good actress, in my opinion, with a really hard arc to carry, and also apparently show!Ciri has the same effect as games!Ciri - that of me turning into Geralt and muttering “must protect” a lot and wanting to stab anyone who tries to hurt her. Her eyes are very cool.

I think it's interesting that in the books, Yen is clearly based off Polish archetypes and the wild raven curls are part of that; in both the games and the show, it's played down. (Not least because I've seen her in other stuff and Chalotra naturally has pretty poker-straight hair, so curling that for any length of time without the curls falling out, even with a ton of product, would be a pain.)

My one issue is that I still think she looks a bit young and I would've been perfectly happy to chuck out the whole "sorceresses enchant themselves to look early twenties forever" thing, but actually... I also kind of really like the "soft-faced, soft-voiced enchantress is actually hard as nails" idea. It lets her presence speak for itself, which Chalotra does very well, and means people tend to underestimate Yen, which is also handy. I mean... I will always be frustrated by “somehow, conveniently, they look like a 22-year-old actress and a 35-or-so leading man”, but Chalotra’s work itself is good. It's different from the Yen in my head, but I like her performance and interpretation.

I like Triss, and I like seeing her here. I hope they’ll go more into their friendship. It’s been rocky at times, but I found it quite annoying how the games treated all that, as opposed to the books. This is one of those things where I’m really glad it’s adapting the books in particular.

Critical stuff, written in December, with warnings for discussions of consent and stuff:

The Last Wish is the short story where Geralt and Yen meet, with the capture of the djinn. I read it once, coming up for four years ago? now, so I'm really muzzy on memories and it might well have been like that originally. Now, knowing Sapkowski, who does pull this shit, it probably was. (I love his female characters as characters. It’s just that often, his gender worldbuilding bothers me. The two shouldn’t be different, but they often are.)

All right, so the sexual dynamics going on are... uncomfortable, and perhaps you get a bit inured to it in the books because there's just so much uncomfortable stuff, but it stands out a bit more starkly in the show, which has been better for it. (I do not like rapey canons. At all. I have no idea how I got into the Witcher; really liking the female mains and liking Slavic mythology? And the fact that the games and show were pretty good with how they treated it as part of someone's story rather than a "haha, look, so titillating" on-screen scene? And certainly, Calanthe and her people killing themselves to avoid enslavement, torture and rape is depressingly historically accurate. Anyway.)

Things I'm bothered by:

The implication that the orgy is basically sex pollen/a possible humiliation tactic, rather than her manouvering her way into circles with everyone's embarrassing secret being "we like to willingly fuck the whole village," which would also have been political humiliation. I mean, you can make a point that she's had a background of being sexually and romantically manipulated most of her adult life - look at the Istredd thing, for a start, with the rectors - and is just shrug about it all, but. It's different from Stregobor's illusion because these are real people. They all look like they've just come out of a trance and scrabble panickedly for clothes and their reputations, they look like didn't know quite where they were, and spells for that kind of thing had been established an ep or two earlier in the series.

So the first time Geralt and Yen meet, we've got non-con sex played for laughs, or at least played off as "yeah, she does that, don't worry about it" (which is fed into by Geralt's later enchantment, which I actually don't mind, humiliating him and then sending him to hang because he's in the way is somehow less objectionable to me? Maybe because i just hate non-con storylines that much, or maybe because it's less of a direct attack). And then when they meet, you've got: strong-arming him into a bath (sure, he says yes and I guess you can say he figured there'd be sex, but he seems surprised about it all), getting naked in front of him when he's already in a position where it'd be difficult/awkward to leave, the first kiss which has a pretext but was very specifically a kiss and which again, he's kind of too taken-aback/assessing to reciprocate... I mean, if all this sounds kind of OK, swap the genders; heck, even watching it at the time, some of it was pinging me as "hey, this sounds too much like rl things that have happened".

Now, one can say, "Well, he stuck around, didn't he?" - hmm, OK, but you've got the trickier things of magical intimidation at play (even before the enchantment, he knows he's dealing with a powerful sorceress who fucks with people's heads) and just "eh, I guess I'll go with the flow" that can kind of characterise Geralt. And even Witchers freeze. And you can say, "Well, she could probably tell he was attracted to her, with magical mojo if not just through observation." Aye, but dude was kinda busy and on-duty and clearly mistrustful of her, so he would probably never have acted on it - and didn't, because of all those factors. The later thank-god-we're-alive/angry sex when they actually get it together? Totally fine with that, that seems about par for the course with those two.

I also feel like the fact that Geralt, who I fondly say is the biggest horndog in Temeria a lot of the time and will rarely turn down a bit of afternoon delight, doesn't make a move and stays questioning her, albeit amusedly, says a lot about where their relationship is at that point and the fact he's still trying to figure her out. (Not that that implies he's not interested; quite the opposite, mistrustful boffing is kind of a thing he does at times, and heck, look at Renfri.) And on Yen's part, it's definitely more of a power play than needing to save bathwater (I mean, she's pretty rich).

Now, as said, the original story was prob at least a bit like this, because Sapkowski *eyeroll*, but considering the amount they changed (Istredd's entire backstory! A whole bunch of Yen’s! Yennefer's transformation! A bunch of other things), they could've probably adjusted this and/or at least put a different lens on it in the script. It's also frustrating because a lot of people I've seen make this argument are using it for "Yen is such a bitch, Geralt deserves better, I hate her." I'm not interested in char-bashing. No, I love games!Yen (one of my favourite characters in... anything) and what of books!Yen I've read, and I really enjoy Chalotra's version... aside from these scenes.

And aye, one can say that Geralt/Yen is about two people who've been shaped by a truly awful world learning to be better and of course they have their flaws (uh, completely ignoring consent is a pretty darn large one), but it's definitely played as intriguing/romantic/casual mischief.

Update, as of January, when I went back to it:

I literally love every single other scene with her. Hmm. Also, I’ve spoken to a couple of people about this, and neither one of them had it ping to them as coercion. Perhaps I’m just overthinking things or not being good at romance storylines again. Just... not sure, I guess. Nothing else bothered me. Is this my books knowledge being wonky? Am I being daft? If anyone else has thoughts, I’d be glad to hear them.

#tru watches the witcher #netflix witcher critical

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survivor-mesopotamia · 4 years ago

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Ep. #1 - “hail santa that is all.” (Chrissa)

Nothing much really so far. We got into tribes so far everyone seems cool ans all so can't wait to see what happens from here.

Opening thoughts: I'm very much downplaying my knowledge, making it seem like I care most about challenges, know nothing about how online Survivor works (I played and hosted one) and not a massive amount about the actual show either, asking a lot of questions. Trying to find people with the most similar personalities and let others propose any alliances.

boy am i overwhelmed

Day 1; So I'm sitting here, eating dinner, a salad with garlic bread and a mike's hard pineapple strawberry lemonade, and I decide to do a confessional! Lets talk about my tribe, first and foremost. We're the "Second Chances" tribe. Fitting, we're all FLOPS. Imma do this in the order we were REVEALED to the world. Because that's cute, right? We're basically the beauty tribe bc everyone is lowkey real scrumptious lookin. Eric; Before this game, Eric and I bonded in the Ahkmim VL about how we never get cast for tumblr survivor, and how we're waiting for redemption, and I'd feel bad leaving him as the first boot. So hopefully he'd also feel bad, and wanna talk to me. I don't think the two of us have much in common yet, he's into anime, and reading, which is like, two things I'm not really down for, but I'm definitely gonna give Spirited Away a try sometime soon so I can talk to him about it. I kinda wanna ask if the red in his hair is naturally like.. blood red. But maybe that's the lighting in the room, or maybe he died it even MORE ginger, because I often hear to him referred to as GINGER Eric, but also i don't wanna have an awkward "No, this is just like.. normal ginger" conversation. Megan; Ohhhh Megan.. my girl Megan. We've had a rocky road in our friendship, and I wish I was just talking about ice cream. Something about her though just makes me have infinite patience for the things the two of us deal with, I can't help but just want to be with her all the time. I scouted her out from FaceBook to play my Whodunnit, and we've been extremely close ever since, our game relationship has been rocky enough for me to worry slightly about her, but all I can do is trust her, and build good enough relationships with other people that if she tried to fuck me over, I would know, and strike first. Its still unclear to this day whether she had a hand in my elimination in a Big Brother game we played, 1984. What is crystal clear, is that we cried together while she cast her vote to evict me. I love her, won't never stop lovin her. I'm hoping this can be OUR season to dominate, because I feel like we're almost evenly matched when it comes to a jury vote. Will; "Whoop-de-do" iconic king of not getting his haircut. Uhh.. idk what all to say, because before the game, I knew nothing of this man. However, Monty said something about him being alive and on Skype, and my mind immediately goes to "Is he hot?" and I check his profile, and publicly announce that he's hot. Which isn't FALSE, but then we both get revealed for the game, and put on the same tribe. So now we're vibing, and relating on the fact that tumblr players hate us, and we've deemed each other, "Heather". He's currently petitioning to call our tribe "The Heathers" instead of Enlil. We get on really well, and he's pretty damn cute. Also, he goes to bed SO early, I hope we get enough time to talk and get close on this tribe. Julian; Well. This is a lot to unpack, but I found out he was playing about 3 days before the game, and since that point. He's gotten unnecessarily aggressive with me, and a couple others over non-tumblr related matters. Julian and I have a rocky history, between me being recruited, and auto-casted for his ORG, Trinity Survivor, his ex-co-host/current-best friend berating me, and deleting messages to make me look bad. To Julian throwing passive aggressive low-blows about my social ineptitude in my face if I'm angry about something, to us making final 3 together in minis. Overall, I'm constantly at odds about how I perceive our relationship, I want to be able to assume the best of him, and say that I'm good in his book, no matter what happens. I think a lot of the time, our friend group isn't the most mature, and it is really difficult to have an adult conversation with someone from within that friend group, without someone else having an opinion to share on it, so I've heard things that he's said about me, that I'm not necessarily sure if its true or not, but I try my best to hold a strong, level head and smile whenever I see him, but sometimes its difficult wanting to approach a conversation with someone head on, but knowing that you can't do that with him is definitely a struggle of mine. We have very different communication styles, and its difficult to see past it sometimes. For now, I'm going to be working with him, but I'm not sure how long that can last, as he admits it himself, he can only handle my personality for short periods of time. Jack; Well, Jack hasn't said a single word for the last three hours, since the game has begun. I don't WANT to have to stay up till 5-6 in the morning to try to have a conversation with him, but if that's what I gotta do, then that's what I gotta do. Chrissa; Chrissa, Todd. My LOVE. Chrissa is someone that I owe something to, she's amazing, beautiful, talented, show stopping, never before seen, etc. Our game relationship is not great, because I organized her first boot in Ascendance Season 4; Back to the Future. However, it was because she was attached to someone that kept accusing me of having powers behind my back. So, hopefully Chrissa forgives me, and gives me another chance, because I'd love to work with her. I feel like Chrissa is someone who is extremely intelligent, and loyal, and that's someone I want on my side. I love my tribe, lets win every challenge until the merge!!

Well... I’m back again... not going inactive this time! Let’s just do a quick roundup for now: JJ seems to think we’re in a showmance already which is either great or bad for my game, Megan’s a sweetheart and I could see us aligning, Eric is definitely a gamer and I have a feeling he’ll be a loyal, jack and Julian are both pretty straightforward and seem on the quieter side, and Chrissa straight up vanished already so we’ll see how that goes! Basically somebody thinks I’m their husband but I don’t know if I ever signed the prenup, but if it means JJ is gonna spill on how he feels about everyone then that’s some good insight. Nobody really wants to talk game yet but that’ll change soon!! Kk bye for now

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Night 1/Morning 2: Everyone on my tribe seems extremely cool and I'm loving the way the tribes are divided. The only name I recognized on the cast was Monty's and he's on my tribe! I don't know him personally but I think he first played around when I was hosting a season. I have hit it off with Johnny the best so far I think, and definitely Isabelle as well. I seem to have a lot in common with both of them on a personal level. Strategically, I haven't locked anything down yet. I don't want to come right out and blurt "ALLIANCE?" with anyone; for right now I'm just trying to play it cool, get to know people as well as I can, and be a likeable presence in the tribe so people just wanna have me around.

I just asked Collin to talk to Adam about forming a four person alliance, which Collin will "bring" me into while Adam suggests someone. This might secure me in a four person alliance which would be ideal, but if it backfires, it will backfire on Collin, not on me. I'm trying to get myself into a majority while insulating myself from being seen as the strategic threat

First confessional before first IC

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I was thrust on a good tribe we have JJ and Eric and hopefully this group of people won't make us last in competitions atleast lol maybe if we lose though hopefully i can argue why jack needs to go with his timezone but hopefully i don't have too.

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im ngl idk why i decided to play tumblr survivor again and the instant paranoia of just caring about my PLACEMENT is going to keep me up at night *shivers*

It's been a day in and so far I really like our tribe! I'm vibing with a few of them and it looks like there's been alliance formed between myself, Julian and JJ. JJ has said that he owes it to Chrissa not to vote her out if we lose, and I think he has something with Megan on the side based off what Julian has told me. That leaves Will and Jack, and I've talked with Will a ton. Tomorrow I'm gonna try and see if he wants to work with me too because I feel like to win this season, you will need to keep all your options open.

Day 2: I got to talk to Jack last night, he was talkin about how he did some funky fresh survivor statistics on how tribe swaps affect tribe line loyalties, which I found super interesting. Then I decided to share a statistics thingy I did on how the Final 3 format doesn't produce an even ratio of male / female winners, but the Final 2 format does, and how potentially something about the final 3 format in survivor could be a factor in why we haven't had enough female winners in the last few generations of survivor. But he didn't even believe there was a female bias in survivor.. which kinda threw me off. Oh well, we ended the conversation on a good note before I went to bed. Well, the tribe seems to be getting along well, I tried to get a tribe call going, but it ended up just being me and Megan helping Chrissa with strategies to get higher scores in the challenge. She can't seem to break 100, and I feel really bad for her, I hope the rest of us can carry this competition, because I would feel like the worst human being in the world if I gave someone first boot twice in a row. Not to mention I'd consider Chrissa a friend of mine. Maybe I'm playing this game a bit too emotionally, before we even have our first tribal. What a concept.. Will and I are only getting closer and closer, we continuously refer to each other, affectionately, as "Heather". But he really lied to me today, pretty hard core. He said he was gonna order his weight in mexican food when he got off work... but he ate Thai instead...? How dare he ??? Rude. Anyways, if he's lying about that, what else could he lie to me about? Smh. Fuckboys amirite? I think that if we lose this challenge, Jack would be an easy vote off. He's in a different timezone, and his age unfortunately would make it really difficult to have a decent social game. If we lose more than once, there's one of two things that could happen.. 1.) There's a standoff between Julian, Megan and I, trying to maneuver this tribe to remove each other. Which is exactly why a friendship / showmance / whatever with Will is so important. Will would likely be the swing vote they try to get, I don't see Chrissa voting me out if I prove my loyalty at the first tribal our tribe faces. 2.) The three of us dominate the premerge portion of the game, and it becomes an impossible to maneuver situation for me at the merge, because all the connections I have outside of my own tribe, both Julian or Megan also have a hand in, with the exception of Jay, who I don't find myself falling that closely to. I feel like I might be thinking too much, too fast. I guess I just can't show the rest of my tribe that. I'm hoping my reads on the tribe are at least somewhat correct this time around. :/

Collin never ended up messaging Adam, and I was worried about falling behind the 8-ball, so I took alliance building measures into my own hands. I messaged Zach about joining up by stating that Collin had told me he also had a good conversation with Zach, and I made sure Zach didn't just feel "brought in" by asking him which person he would want to be 4 in our alliance. He suggested Cameron, which is fine by me. He hasn't officially reached out to Cameron yet, but our plan is to bring Cameron in if we end up losing, and I will probably want to vote Kyle or Grace in that scenario. Hope we don't lose though!

I don't really (or at least usually) stress about challenges and definitely not this early in the game, but some of these people are so stressed and panicky. Will (who I talked to about aligning earlier today like I had said I would in my last confessional) is stressed about not being able to beat his current high score of 199 and feels like he's on the lower end and might be eliminated. I was telling him though that this isn't necessarily about your score, but your ranking. You can get 209 or 189 and still get the same ranking. Chrissa on the other hand is totally panicking. She has an admittedly low score of 89 which she forgot to screenshot which is really rough. She same flash games aren't her thing (and I believe her) but when I tried to calm her down and say there's lots of time to improve and that we can win this, she continued to panic. There's not much I can do for her. I'm not aligned with her right now and she's just really scared to get first boot, which I don't even think will happen. JJ feels obliged not to make her first boot should the scenario present itself, and I'm aligned with him and Julian. If anyone's going home right now, it's probably Jack unless he has connections I am unaware of. I would really like to win though because I love our beauty tribe xoxo

I managed to find the idol clue, and in telling my formed trio of Collin and Zach, Zach accidentally revealed that he had found it too. I don't think he intended to tell me, so now I am not sure if I fully trust him. I'll work with him for now, but he is going to be a big move player and I'll have to watch out for that

Forgive me father for i have sinned it's been a day since my last confession I've made some progress me and grace knowing each other well pregame means i have an instant ally coming in to help not be first.....or second out and me and Collin seem to be kinda working together I guess?? I hope not fully sure but I feel confident I'm not going if we go to tribal.

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hiiii so glad to be back in the game!!!! So thankful I have the opportunity to redeem myself after my huge flop in 94, but lowkey worried about being on the An tribe? Only because it is filled with people who have done well in the past I’m not sure how to measure where I fall within them, but everyone has been very nice and seems to get along with me so far! Also it seems like there is no suspicion from them about Zach and I being siblings which is STELLAR. From looking at the cast I think the only person who knows for sure is JJ, and perhaps Megan? But thankfully they aren’t on a tribe with either of us so that might work in our favor. I’m a little nervous about this first challenge but I have one of the highest scores on my tribe atm, so I feel like if we go to tribal it might be okay. Fingers crossed hehe ;))

FUCK entanglement! FUCK IT IT IS THE WORK OF THE DEVIL hail santa that is all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBoZlL8ZWzY

Zach is playing super hard out in the open. That is good for me, he can make connections to help our alliance, and if there is ever a moment where our alliance gets exposed, he will probably be out in the forefront as a target. The flip side of that is that I might not be able to go to the end with him if he could be perceived as the leader of my alliance, so I'll need to see how the game develops

We came in second in the immunity challenge by ONE POINT. Thank the lord because our group seems very cohesive at the moment, and going to tribal would have put everyone into scramble mode. I've been bonding the closest over the first 4 days with Isabelle, and I am hoping it can lead to a strong game relationship. Right now, we seem to be very social with one another and we have gone as far as to say we wouldn't vote for one another, but I'm still sort of waiting for that defining confirmation (as much as you can get that in Survivor). After that, I'd say I've been pretty chatty with Johnny and Monty equally (but I think I have a slightly tighter personal bond so far with Johnny). Abrielle I talked to more so over the first couple of days but I would say between her, Jay and Madison those are the ones I've made the least connection with. They all seem like good people, just haven't had as much traction chatting with them. I don't want us to go to tribal for as long as we can help it, because for me the best case scenario heading into a swap would be if our tribe had the numbers advantage and some sort of tribe-wide unity going into it. I feel like that way I could be in a good spot but also not in the forefront of the tribe alliance (I'd hope that would sort of fall on Monty or Johnny maybe because of their Tumblr Survivor experience). For now though, just continuing to get to know everyone as best I can and try and make sure people want me around, and have me in their plans moving forward.

https://youtu.be/2ix-llpzUOQ

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https://youtu.be/bwCjV8my_Zc ok my mom walked in so i didn't get to finish my thought, but i guess the full thought is just: what the fuck? like i'm really gonna be watching this vid on repeat while y'all are just trolling us. this will end up in my nightmares. know that. also my paranoia is once again setting in. as i mentioned in previous confessional, i feel like ben and i have bonded the most, and we've both pointed it out to each other, but now i feel like he's pointing it out... almost too much? he's basically comparing our convos to his with the rest of the tribe and that they're much better (which i lowkey agree), but something feels fishy because again IM PARANOID. AM I BEING PLAYED?? like literally the scenario in my mind is that everyone's aligned except me and ben has been chosen as the bug to make me feel comfortable. okay yes im crazy. and it's only day 2 whew! im going to bed goodnight.

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ok now ive found a video about spectograms the channel has liked. this hunt is getting me anxious bc slowly but surely the amount of views on the immunity idol vid is increasing. AHHHH

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ok i found the spectogram and it literally spells out "SINK." (also this shit is scary so again, my nightmare comment holds.) so there are 5 other followers, which makes me know for sure that at least 5 other ppl have found this vid. also i have no idea what to do with the word. i assume that it'll come in handy eventually (maybe a password? send in a chat? comment on the vid? something?) and i really really hope im the only person to find this. i know that's unlikely tho.

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oh my god. oh my fucking god. the clue is at survivor-mesopotamia.tumblr.com/sink . im screaming. proud of myself. BUT of course it says... "clue Though you have found it, No clue has emerged. UNDER CONSTRUCTION, Come back when you’ve merged." i- i have to wait until i've merged. HA. we'll see if bitches get that far. and im bitches. anyways sorry for the spam, now back to your regularly scheduled programming

Day 3: I almost forgot to do this confessional. But here I am, in bed, watching Avatar, and drinking butterscotch milk with Irish cream, which is surprisingly good? Anyways, here we go! First, you’re telling me that we LOST the challenge.. what the hell :( I thought I did so well having 188, but apparently even 256 wasn’t going to cut it. The fact that if Jack could improve his score by 30 points, means we’d be safe from tribal, it annoys me that it felt like he didn’t try as hard as Chrissa in the flash game? Julian, he says we can beast through this game and make final three. This is something I’d really love to be able to trust that he has in mind, but I just am unsure at this moment. He gave me information towards the idol search that I appreciate, and probably wouldn’t have figured it out myself. That felt good, but I feel like he wasn’t giving me everything he knew, just enough to make me feel comfortable. I’ll have to continue to keep my eye on him.. Next, Heather, or Will, my potential showmance. We’ve finally got the opportunity to call each other, we talked about the idol search, and our potential moves in the future. He told me he likes the idea of not playing with Julian, but right after he told me this, Julian asked if we were good? Which was kinda sketch. But I’ll do my best to trust Will, and call it a weird coincidence. Megan hasn’t talked to me much today, but she was a room moderator for sequester, and was visiting a friend today, so I can’t blame her. Chrissa is hopefully safe, I can’t give her first boot in back to back games together, I refuse to be that heartless. She’s so good I can’t do it. Eric hasn’t talked to me much either. For someone who should probably know that his name is on the block, I’m surprised Jack isn’t talking too much to me? Maybe it’s because I’m on the chopping block and I don’t know it. I’d be really heartbroken if I were the first boot.

So we lost the challenge by ONE FREAKING POINT, which sucks ass. But not me doing the best in my tribe on the challenge. We stan improvement. Anyway, it looks like the discussion for the vote is between Jack and Chrissa, namely Jack. Though Chrissa performed worse in the challenge, she's done a better job connecting with the rest of us than Jack has. As of now, that's what the general concensus is. I talked to Julian and he agreed, and we are aligned with JJ. Chrissa would vote our way to make sure it isn't her. Another thing that's happening is the idol search. The video made literally no freaking sense, but when the channel liked this video about spectograms, Julian put the video into it and it spelled sink. It turned out that by putting the word sink into the blog link, it says a clue will be there but at the merge. I guess this means for now there will be no idols, so as long as the people im with are truthful, the person who is planned to go home at tribal will go home without a shadow of a doubt.

https://youtu.be/ury1fLaZQec

Right now everyone on the tribe is at peace and getting along, but we all know that’s gonna change when we go to tribal council.

I'm sad we lost the first challenge. I came back to do better than i did the first time, so the idea of being the first boot would suck. I'm not that close with Chrissa so 100% she's my vote. She has played more seasons than all of us & the second chancers deserve their time. Also, Chrissa did the worst out of us in the challenge so it makes it easier to convince everyone to vote for her, but i also dont want to be the one who targets her first because that could come back round to me, and i would hate that as i've waited over a year for a 2nd shot at this. At the moment i'm closest with JJ & Will F, they are 100% my final 3 right now. I like Megan & Eric as well. I've only had 1 comversation with Julian and we did get on well but we havent talked about anything since then. I've tried to talk to Chrissa but she's never really tried to talk to me.

Hi!! Megan for my first confessional!! Yall are gonna have to remind me throughout my time in this game to do these because I'm SO bad at remembering to do confessionals lmaooo. So this first round there's been a lot going on. There are three tribes- newbies, flops, and a tribe of vets who have played well. Clearly I am on the flop tribe, because I was a SAD pre-merge boot in Svalbard. I was feeling really excited about my tribe and definitely thought we could do well and at least not lose the first challenge - we don't want to be flops again!! But alas, after a long day of doing that stupid entanglement flash game, we have proven our labels and FLOPPED yet again, getting last. SO. now we have to go to tribal council tonight. I am out of town this weekend so I haven't been able to talk to many people but I hope I can make it through this first vote. All I've heard so far is that people want to keep the tribe strong so we don't lose another challenge, and based on the first challenge scores, the two bottom challenge players would be Chrissa and Jack. So far I have heard that people want to do Jack instead of Chrissa, which I am fine with. I haven't talked to him that much and I think the time zone difference unfortunately puts him at a disadvantage, so honestly, we should probably vote him out first. I am nervous of course though because people have been fairly quiet and that's never a good thing, but I am hoping and praying that nothing crazy happens and Jack is the first boot and all is good and fine with that. Okay now I'll talk a little about the players on the tribe and how I feel about them- Okay so obviously I know JJ and Julian fairly well from previous games & also being in various group chats together. So far we are planning on working together as a trio and I am GOOD with that so far. Chrissa I have played with once before but she's not very social or talkative, and tbh, I haven't had a DM with her in this game yet, but she seems sweet. Eric I like a lot, he is funny and outgoing and a little chaotic and I love that in him. I think I know him from something previously but quite honestly I don't remember him, but he remembers me LOL. I hope they're good memories. Jack, again, I haven't talked to him much because of the time difference I think. Also isn't he like a minor? Oof that's weird. Anyway onto the final member of my tribe - the king, the legend, the literal love of my life - WILL!!!! I had never met Will before this game but we vibed IMMEDIATELY. We get along so well and we have a lot of things in common and we like the same kinda things. We've had a lot of really good conversations already and I feel the closest to him in this game by far, even though I have known other people on my tribe longer. I adore Will and I will do everything in my power to make sure we both get as far in this game as we can. Okay I think that's enough for a first confessional, bye!!!

Things have been pleasant and slow so far. Everyone on the tribe seems nice and at this point I’m still just hoping that we’ll all get as far in the game as possible at the expense of the more experienced players. I’m a little concerned because I haven’t really been party to any strategy talk yet; I think that’s just because no one has thought it necessary while we don’t have to go to tribal, but I’m still worried I might just be on the outs and not know it.

I’m SCARED I’ve been out of the loop for TOO LONG.

from what I've heard i am safe i won't be comfortable until i heard the votes not being all me.

https://youtu.be/oX4-_QPoqNk

https://youtu.be/YviOufmjmps

My brand is having 4 minute confessionals

from episode 1 https://youtu.be/VqDkCGLTARU

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from episode 1 also https://youtu.be/mklfEHtGp04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9UqNr3fbiE

Jack voted out 6-1

#nomorethings

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sheikah · 6 years ago

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Dying to hear your opinion/recap from last nights ep!

I’m so sorry for taking four days to write a review haha but here you go! My thoughts on 8.01 :)

Ok so a fair warning going into this: I’ve endeavored to be more positive on my blog during this season because it’s the final one. It’s the last time we will ever get this rush of new episode premieres, the active fandom, all of it. I also still love the show in spite of its flaws and mistakes, and I don’t hate D&D. But this episode made a lot of character mistakes that I don’t feel I can overlook. I spent the past few days making positive show content hoping to mitigate my negative feelings about the episode, but they’re still here, so I’m going to post this analysis and be honest about it. If you don’t want to see any GoT negativity, turn back now! There’s good and bad in my review, but a lot of bad. There’s also a lot of tangents to past episodes and plot points, and a healthy dose of ranting. But it’s all relevant, I promise :P Also, please don’t interpret any of this as character hate. As I try to make clear in my analysis, I feel the problem is that people are being written OOC, so when I don’t like what they do, it’s because I feel it’s not true to who they are. I love all of the remaining characters, so this isn’t “anti” anyone. Except maybe David Nutter lol.

The episode opens on the procession into Winterfell, and I loved the callback to 1.01 where we saw Arya rushing to see Robert’s forces marching through the gates. This time, Arya is all grown up and watching another child excitedly reacting to the soldiers.

I really enjoyed this opportunity to see the scene through Arya’s eyes, because it was so clear to me that she was happy for Jon, and that she was thrilled by the dragons. The moment where she sees Jon and beams with joy, but is too nervous to call out to him, was an early gut punch to my feels and really set up the suspense for their eventual meeting. I also liked that even while the other Northerners were running around panicking about the dragons, Arya was calm and looking up at them in wonder. It was an important moment to the tone, because it established that the Northerners’ fear is misplaced. Arya, who trusts Jon, knows he wouldn’t bring anything dangerous to Winterfell.

I also liked how this scene showed little clues of the intimacy of Jon and Dany’s relationship. The last we saw them was boatsex, and there were a lot of unknowns about the time skip and where they would stand as a couple or partnership in the aftermath. But the scene (and the whole episode) really put their romantic relationship front and center. They ride side-by-side as equals, a total “royal couple” image. When the Northerners are wary of Dany, Jon is right there to comfort and reassure her, basically telling her he expected this reception, and trying to keep things light. I also love that when she seems down about the Northerners’ glares, the dragons do their flyover and it brings a smile to her face. The dragons have been a source of comfort to Dany in rough times since 1.01 with Drogo, way back when they were just little eggs :) I’ve seen some antis saying her smile at the flying dragons is a sign of madness because she’s smiling while people scream. But I disagree. The scene is showing that even when she’s sad, the reminder of the dragons–her children–strengthens her and lifts her spirits.

We also get to see Missandei and Grey Worm during the march, and this scene in particular really struck me. @goodqueenarya made a great gifset of the moment and rightly captioned it as racism and xenophobia from the Northerners. I realize it’s uncommon to apply those terms to a medieval context but it is clearly what’s at play here. The close-ups on Missandei’s face, her uneasiness bordering on fear, Grey Worm’s concern, and the open hostility of the Northerners in the crowd, are all working together to show that this moment is upsetting to Missandei and Grey Worm and possibly reminiscent of their time as slaves. Remember, the entirety of Dany’s army is made up of people who aren’t only foreign, they look it, and this clearly seems to be a factor in the Northern hatred. It effectively set the tone for a whole episode of tension between Team Dany and the North.

When the shot cut to Tyrion and Varys, I was excited, but the very first bit of dialogue is about Varys’s balls (or lack thereof). This was the beginning of an episode fraught with weird writing that didn’t deliver imo. I love the humor on this show but Tyrion’s joke wasn’t actually funny so I wouldn’t even qualify this as effective humor in this instance. There are so many things they could have been discussing at this moment that would have been interesting exposition: Jon/Dany, how Tyrion will react to seeing Sansa again, the Northern hostility, ANYTHING. But we got balls.

The scene when everyone finally arrives inside Winterfell was kind of an emotional rollercoaster for me. I noticed the musical parallel–the same music was used during Robert’s arrival. It made Jon and Dany seem even more the royal couple, which I appreciated. I also liked how the arrival was much more informal than Robert’s. There was no kneeling involved, which emphasizes Dany as a different sort of ruler. Jon seeing Bran and immediately dismounting his horse and kissing his little brother on the forehead … it was beautiful, and we saw so much raw emotion and happiness from Jon. I didn’t love Bran’s response, though I do think it was fitting writing in-keeping with his robotic characterization since s7. Still, that characterization makes me sad. I wanted Jon to have a warm reception from his family, at the very least, and for there to be at least some catharsis in seeing Bran for the first time since 1.02.

This brings me to one of the things I most hated in the episode, the reception from Sansa. I was happy to see Sansa and Jon hugging, showing that things haven’t completely deteriorated between them despite the long absence and her disapproval of his choices re: Dany and bending the knee. But when Dany comes over to greet Sansa, and greets her with what I considered to be genuine kindness, I absolutely hated Sansa’s response. Jon and Dany are in love. That much is certain, and even from this early in the episode, both Jon and Dany have been happier than we’ve ever seen either of them in the whole long history of the series. I bring this up because I fully believe that Dany was eager to make a good impression on the sister of the man she loves. I don’t think her greeting to Sansa was an empty courtesy. And for Dany to attempt genuine kindness and be rewarded with Sansa’s prolonged up-and-down glare and reticent “Winterfell is yours, Your Grace,” is just unnecessarily cold.

I understand that Sansa cares deeply about Northern Independence. I also understand that she doesn’t know Dany or what she stands for, who she is as a person, or what she’s achieved. She doesn’t know how Dany saved her brother’s life, or how Dany will be invaluable in saving every life in the North and beyond. Regardless, Sansa is smart. She’s studied under political masterminds like Cersei and Littlefinger for the greater part of her adolescence and she’s learned hard lessons. I was surprised to see her display such obvious dislike to a visiting monarch right out of the gate. Additionally, I believe that Sansa does, to some extent, trust Jon’s judgment, so I expected her to use that trust to give Dany the benefit of the doubt. And as we can see from later moments in the episode, she doesn’t. This is what I was talking about when I mentioned above that I have problems with the writing. I don’t think this level of pettiness is actually in-character for Sansa.

Going further into the episode, I feel the same way about Sansa’s other scenes as well. The scene in the Great Hall exasperated me for multiple reasons but I’ll talk about the issue with Sansa first. Again, I want to emphasize that I believe Sansa to be intelligent and good with political maneuvering. She successfully covered up Lysa’s murder in the Vale. She successfully saw through Littlefinger’s treachery in s7. I would think this would lead her to approach her dislike for Dany with some delicacy and subtlety. Instead, the writing decides it would be more fun to have her unleash petty and biting remarks at Dany for fun. The bit about how she is going to feed the army was incredibly stupid writing for two reasons:

Dany is coming from the South, an area with more agriculture. She would have easily been able to collect and then transport food to feed her own armies. Additionally, she was able to feed her armies while on a literal rocky, mountainous island at Dragonstone. If she managed it then, she obviously would have planned for the North. For the writing to insinuate that Dany didn’t plan to feed her people is ridiculous since Dany has been a queen feeding the Unsullied and Dothraki who follow her throughout their travels since season 3. By failing to acknowledge or mention this the writers essentially guaranteed a conflict that makes no sense.

Similarly, Sansa has known that they would need Southern allies since 7.02. Her line about how she didn’t plan to feed Dany’s forces doesn’t line up with past events. She knew that more armies would eventually need to come North, AND she knew specifically that Dany and the Unsullied and Dothraki were coming North ever since Jon’s letter in s7. So it is similarly bad writing for Sansa, and also another example of unnecessary cattiness on her part. The delivery of those lines was clearly directed the way it was for a reason, and it makes Sansa come across as spiteful and not the professional noblewoman we saw in s7 lining breastplates and planning grain storage. And whether she planned for the Targaryen forces or not, she needs them. Treating them with scorn is stupid and helps no one. Additionally, I found it oddly telling that the sequence of dialogue goes something like this: Tyrion mentions the Lannister army is also coming North.This is when Sansa interjects. When she complains of feeding the greatest army ever, she complains of feeding the Unsullied and Dothraki only and doesn’t mention the Lannister army, even though the Lannister army is what Tyrion was talking about at that moment. Gotta love how it’s only a problem when it’s Dany’s forces and brown people. That’s the issue for her, not the Lannisters, the family who have been killing and oppressing the Starks for the better part of a decade. Where is the logic for this dialogue? I genuinely feel Sansa was written out of character in this sequence because I think of her as kinder and more tactful.

After this bit Lyanna Mormont steps up to berate and belittle Jon Snow, because why not? I found this scene to be ridiculous. These people in the North purport to want Jon as their king, and yet they treat him with no respect. I’m not saying that subjects shouldn’t be allowed to disagree with a ruler, or that there shouldn’t be open discussion in meetings like this one, but the way she talked down to him was just absurd. When have we ever seen any leader addressed this way? No monarch has ever been spoken to this way. Even at the Night’s Watch, Jon wouldn’t abide being spoken to this way. But because it’s Lyanna Mormont and it’s cute, it suddenly makes sense for her to stand up and shame Jon and say he is “nothing at all?”

And this is one of the things that makes me so angry: no one ever really listens to Jon. This particular point isn’t one I consider a fault of the writing because it isn’t anything new so I believe it’s consistent and is done on purpose, but I hate how selfish everyone around Jon is. Jon Snow has lived selflessly for the entirety of the show. He meekly accepted secondhand status in the Stark household as a boy, and quickly acclimated to the fact that he wasn’t special at the Wall, either. While at the Wall he protected Sam, something that he did for no reason other than his inherent goodness and concern for others. After learning about the Freefolk he treated them with respect and forced the Night’s Watch to do the same at great personal cost. After his death he agreed to take back Winterfell FOR his family. He had no desire to enter into the Battle of the Bastards. He wanted to head South, but he stayed and he fought for the Starks to retake their birthright, something he believed he would never really be part of. When he was named King in the North he didn’t want it but he accepted it and did his best to rule with honor and bravery. When Dany asked him to bend the knee, it would have been easier to immediately agree, but he was thinking of his family and his people first. He endured political tensions with a possible ally and spent a great deal of time in the South because he was trying to do what he thought was best FOR OTHERS. He only swore to Dany when he became certain that she would be a good queen to his people. Regardless of how the fandom wants to spin things against Jon, he’s always put other people first. And after everything Jon has done, and everything he’s sacrificed, he is still constantly being criticized and attacked by his people. Dany’s people, by comparison, trust her judgment for the most part. There have been exceptions, but her core group–the Unsullied, Dothraki, and her ruling council–see her actions and they follow her willingly out of admiration for her deeds and her ideals. Jon’s people see his actions and his kindness and take advantage of it, constantly questioning his judgment and speaking against him both behind his back and to his face. I literally don’t understand why these people are mad that he bent the knee when they so obviously do not have trust or faith in him as their ruler.

Anyway, I appreciate Jon doing a little to defend his choice in bending the knee to Dany, but I didn’t like the way that was handled either. Because what Jon said isn’t completely true. He didn’t bend the knee only to save the North. Dany agreed to save the North BEFORE he bent the knee, so he did it because he believes she would be a good ruler for the North. He did it because he admires her leadership and because–as he has now expressed at least five times–he doesn’t want to be king. That’s what I wanted to hear from him, not, “Oh, I had to do this to save the North.” He is saving the North. He is. But he wasn’t forced to bend the knee, and the Northerners need to know that. It would help ease them into trusting Dany.

I also would have liked to hear from Dany herself in these moments. I realize that she didn’t want to overstep or make things worse, but other people spoke for her all throughout the episode, and it irritated me because I believe Dany’s natural leadership and pragmatism could appeal to Northern sensibilities given the chance.

Additionally, I also think it was out-of-character for Dany to sit back and let Jon be harangued on her behalf this way. I have brought up this scene dozens of times now but it bears repeating here: in season 6 Dany granted independence to the Iron Islands and allowed Yara to be a sovereign monarch, a queen. She allowed this after knowing Yara for all of five minutes. And when Tyrion asked her, “Are we going to give everyone who demands it their independence?” Dany replied with something like, “She didn’t demand, she asked. Others are free to ask as well.” This, coupled with Dany’s last line of dialogue from s7, “I’m not going to conquer the North, I’m going to save the North,” led me to believe that Dany would, in fact, allow Jon to remain King in the North, or allow the North to remain an independent kingdom.

Let me be clear to all my fellow Dany stans reading this: I don’t think there is anything wrong with Dany wanting to be queen of all 7k. If she decided never to allow Northern Independence or even Independence of the Iron Islands, I would be fine with it. There was one, absolute ruler of all 7k for centuries. Dany deserves to want the same thing, and I know she would be a good queen. BUT Dany has consistently said she wants to make the world better than it was, to “break the wheel.” Those ideas, coupled with the dialogue mentioned above from s6 and s7, make me think it’s more consistent with her character at this stage for her to decide that it doesn’t matter if Jon is King or Warden of the North, so long as there is a good person leading the North. And let’s face it, Jon is a good person, Dany knows this, and she’s in love with him. Additionally, she has seen the Army of the Dead firsthand. She’s one of the only people who has. I think it would make far more sense if Dany, being the person she is, and having seen the Night King, would put the Northern bickering to rest by assuring them that she isn’t taking their sovereignty and that she will allow them to be an independent kingdom under Jon if they so choose after the war.

I realize that Jon doesn’t want to be king. But if he is so averse to it that he would say no to a crown even if Dany offered it to him, then he needs to say that. That needs to me made clear, so it doesn’t appear that Dany is taking away Jon’s and the North’s rights or independence against his will. By keeping her silent on these matters the writing left a lot unsaid that needed to be said. And when Dany did speak I didn’t always agree with what the writers chose for her, either. I’m talking specifically about her saying, “I’m her queen. If she can’t respect me …” about Sansa. Did they really need her to ominously trail off? I mean, really? Dany is not this scary, ominous person. She just isn’t.

Moving on, Jon’s reunion with Arya was absolutely beautiful and made my cry. The running hug, Jon’s face, all of it was what I wanted. I’m glad they got the moment alone they deserved. I also loved them comparing swords, and the dialogue about Jon not surviving the knife in the heart. When Jon asked her if she’d ever used Needle, Maisie’s acting was so perfect because it showed Arya’s reluctance to remember just what she’d used Needle for. The past hurts her just like it hurts Jon. They’ve both been through hell and grown and changed, but they still love one another deeply. Which brings me to my one issue with this scene. Why did Jon and Arya’s reunion have to turn into Jon insulting Sansa so that there is an opening to Arya defending her? Jon and Arya were always ride-or-die bffs, they were each other’s favorite. The way Arya said she and Sansa were defending their family as if Jon isn’t doing the same just rubbed me the wrong way and I don’t feel it was necessary to the scene, and neither was Jon’s negative comment about Sansa. I’ll be interested to see how Arya handles Dany’s presence moving forward, since Arya wasn’t around for the scenes addressing everyone’s explicit displeasure at Dany being in the North.

Arya’s reunion with the Hound wasn’t what I wanted, but it could’ve been worse. Being who he is, I do think Sandor calling her a bitch was something of a grudging compliment. He hides behind a mask of cold callousness himself so to recognize something similar in Arya was meant to be the closest thing to kindness he could manage, I guess. But I loved their dynamic in the past, and the moment when Arya was in the House of Black and White and Jaqen hit her for lying about wanting the Hound dead. I knew she didn’t want him dead, not really. I knew they cared for each other. I would have liked to see a little more of that. I’ve liked the little interludes of people who were mentor figures in Arya’s life, like how Lady Crane resembled Catelyn. I think Sandor was something of a weird father figure for Arya so I was expecting a bit more warmth in their reunion.

Her reunion with Gendry, though, was PERFECT. It was absolutely everything I wanted and more. Everything about it. I wouldn’t change a thing. It was shippy without being cheesy, cute and flirty while still completely in-character for both people. I was smiling so hard the whole time and I literally can’t want to see more Gendrya. 11/10 would watch again haha. Joe Dempsie is sexy and Arya is getting Gendry in his prime and I am 100% here for it. Arya flirting is something I never knew I needed in my life but I’m so glad it’s here haha.

Speaking of shippy things, I can’t believe I’m saying this as a rabid Jonerys stan and mainly Jonerys blog, but I didn’t love the dragon scene. It felt incredibly sudden to me, and wildly out of place in the episode. Everything about the dragons in the episode confused me. Earlier in the episode when Bran told Dany about Viserion, the moment was all but ignored. I feel like it was literally added in post. Like they forgot to include it in the original script and didn’t film a reaction, so they just had Isaac say it later and added it in lol. It was that weird to me. That should be a huge bombshell, to EVERYONE. Yes, Dany in particular, but everyone should be distraught that there is now a DRAGON on the enemy’s side. But only Dany reacts, and she barely reacts at all beyond a brief moment of concern.

She seems much more concerned when the Dothraki tell her the dragons aren’t eating much, which leads me to the dragon scene. The whole reason that Dany and Jon are approaching the dragons is apparently because they aren’t eating, but that subplot is completely dropped, she doesn’t address it beyond saying “they don’t like the North,” and then she mounts Drogon as if nothing is wrong. As a shipper, I loved the cute teasing that came next, and Dany trying to keep a dry sense of humor about it while messing with Jon as he considered riding Rhaegal. It was absolutely adorable and I can’t overstate how much I loved seeing them happy. I was basically yelling every time either of them smiled. But that doesn’t mean the scene made sense. I’m sorry, but it didn’t?

Jon and Tyrion are the only people in the show aside from Dany to ever even touch the full-grown dragons. Jon touching Drogon in s7 was a HUGE deal. Dany was amazed, Jon was literally crying with wonder, the music was serious and emotional. It was a beautiful and momentous scene and the directing made sure it felt that way. But when it comes to riding a dragon, everything is suddenly slapstick humor, and the scene has literally no setup at all?

I am NOT opposed to Jon riding a dragon. I’ve always wanted him to ever since I found out about R+L=J in like 2011 lol. But I wanted there to be a reason he attempts it. Dany is the only person in over 100 years to ride a dragon, and for no reason other than her teasing, Jon is suddenly going to attempt it? Ideally I would have liked it to be AFTER the Targ reveal, but I do understand why it was before. In “Inside the Episode,” Benioff comments that only Targaryens can ride dragons, and that Jon is “slow on the uptake.” So they did it beforehand to make it more believable for Jon when Sam tells him he is a Targaryen. That’s fine. But couldn’t they have at least contextualized why he attempts it beforehand? Couldn’t Dany have said, “Hey, we now know the Night King is riding Viserion into battle. The stakes are somehow even higher. We’re going to need all the air support we can get, and I trust you to try and ride Rhaegal. I need you to try it so we have a better chance in a fight.” That would have taken literally 30 seconds and it would have made a lot more sense. Instead, we are given, “Hm. My dragons aren’t eating and are unhappy. I’m going to ride one though. You should do it to. Learn by doing. XD”

And the scene itself felt so cheesy. Again, I’m not opposed to humor, but to have Jon dangling off and everyone in the Winterfell battlements gawking at him was just … silly? I wanted it to be a badass moment, I guess. A memorable and intense and iconic GoT moment. And I was let down. I do appreciate that they show dragon-riding as an acquired skill, and that Dany’s an expert. But I didn’t appreciate the silliness.

Anyway, when they landed at the waterfall I liked it better because it was the fluff I was waiting for. The dialogue was cute, and the makeout was super hot. I was grateful for that, even the goofy cutting to the dragons watching them. It was only the dragon riding that rubbed me the wrong way. But as a shipper I couldn’t be happier that they gave us fluffy, happy, totally in love, beaming-with-joy Jonerys. I’ve probably watched that bit 20 times already haha.

But of course, that joy just has to be short-lived. This leads me to my least favorite part of the episode: the Tarly drama. Randyll Tarly is a piece of literal garbage. He sent Sam to the Wall on threat of death. He used to chain Sam up in a dungeon. In the show, we’re shown that in addition to this, he is racist toward wildlings (despite living nowhere near the Wall???) and he calls Gilly a whore, as well as constantly fat-shaming and verbally abusing Sam. He also betrays the Tyrells and sacks Highgarden with little to no urging from the Lannisters. In the episode preceding his death, he encourages Bronn and Jaime to flog tired and wounded soldiers who can’t march fast enough. There is almost nothing else that could be done writing-wise to establish how badly Randyll Tarly sucks. And Dickon Tarly, for all his supposed innocence, bore witness to all of the above. He was complicit in everything that happened to Sam and fine with it because he would receive Sam’s inheritance. So after s7 finished up, John Bradley, who plays Sam, gave an interview wherein he said that Sam doesn’t even consider himself a Tarly anymore. He also said Sam would never get between Jon and Dany about his father and brother’s deaths because he wouldn’t be that upset. This was, of course, before Bradley was given an s8 script. But I think it’s worth noting that these were his thoughts before being given a script and forced to stand by the show’s writing. It makes no sense for Sam to be as upset as he was at receiving the news of Randyll’s and Dickon’s deaths. He can be sad about his brother, sure. I understand that. But it’s what he did next that drives me crazy.

Jon’s parentage is one of the biggest bombshells of information in the entire series, if not THE biggest. I’ve been waiting for eight years to see this scene. But Sam isn’t prompted to tell Jon out of the goodness of his heart or concern for his friend. He goes while emotionally compromised about his family’s deaths, and that motivates the conversation and taints his entire message. He doesn’t even tell Jon the circumstances of Randyll’s and Dickon’s death. Hell, the writing doesn’t even give Dany a chance to tell Sam the circumstances. Sam just tells Jon that Dany executed them, without giving a reason at all. It’s not because they refused to bend the knee. She doesn’t just burn people for refusing to kneel. They were TRAITORS!!! Why is that being ignored? In 7.01 Jon and Sansa argued over traitors and how seriously they must be punished. It was established that the penalty for treason is DEATH. Why is Dany being maligned for that? Why are people discussing the incident without using the word treason? WHAT IS THIS WRITING????

And since the writing doesn’t mention the important underlying circumstances of the Tarly deaths at all, Jon’s Targaryen heritage becomes more about opposing Dany than it is about Jon, his identity, or his feelings. Literally what prompts Sam to tell Jon, is that Jon says Dany is the queen, and Sam says she “shouldn’t be.” This is so beyond fucked. Sam is Jon’s best friend, and he isn’t selfish. Sam is one of my favorite characters. But it is so wildly out-of-character for him to use this moment for his own personal anger and bias against Dany. Yet he does, and when Jon finally believes it, when he tells Sam that he isn’t/doesn’t want to be king, Sam presses even further insisting that Jon is and must be king.

I know that in the past Sam showed faith in Jon’s leadership by nominating him as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, but this is different. Jon has said so many times how he hates ruling. Even Robb didn’t want to sit on the Iron Throne. No one who knows Jon would think he would ever want it. No one who cares about Jon would push him toward it. So this ties back to a point I made earlier in this post about Jon being surrounded by selfish people. It seems everyone except for Dany and Arya and Davos want to use Jon for their own ends. Sansa and the North want him to maintain Northern autonomy and Sam wants him to usurp Dany’s claim because he’s mad about his family. Everyone is selfishly ignoring Jon’s own desires for how he wants to live his own life, and more importantly ignoring Jon’s strategy for literally saving the world and fighting the Army of the Dead. It’s getting very old.

What Bran said early in the episode should have been the title of the damned episode, because the episode skips so many important conversations and facts that I feel like the writers themselves were the ones who decided “we don’t have time for all of this!” Yet, at the same time, they’re wasting precious time with conflicts that shouldn’t even exist. I wanted to scream with relief when Davos finally suggested a marriage alliance with Jon and Dany. We all know that if the writing weren’t trying to milk every drop of drama out of Northern Independence and the parentage reveal that they possibly can (drama they’re milking at the expense of YEARS of characterization and development) that Jon and Dany would already be engaged. S6 ends with Dany breaking up with Daario to form a marriage alliance when she arrives in Westeros. She arrives in Westeros and falls in love with Jon Snow–a king, her equal, and an honorable man. Jon wants to help Daenerys and wants her help, and Jon falls in love with her, too. The only problem is her desire to be queen and its conflict with Northern Independence. If they married, all of this would instantly go away because they would both become royalty and the North would have its chosen representative literally ruling alongside the queen as a king himself. And again, I can’t repeat this enough, the fact that they’re literally in love should only make this solution even more obvious.

But until that solution is reached I fully expect the Northern plot to continue being out of character for literally everyone involved, and I fully expect to continue being upset about it lol. And where the hell is Ghost?!

Anyway, I don’t have as much to say about the incidents outside Winterfell. The Theon/Yara scenes were actually my favorites of the episode. Gemma and Alfie are honestly amazing and their expressions in every scene were perfect. I cried when they hugged on the deck and Yara told him their house words and added “but kill the bastards anyway.” THAT was good writing. Perfect. A+. It was everything I wanted and more and I’m excited that Yara is still going to be in the game somehow (which I assume since she mentioned aiding in Dany’s forces’ retreat from the North if needed) and that Theon is going to Winterfell.

The Cersei/Euron bits just made me sad and confused. I was sad for Cersei because she looked so miserable and reluctant to sleep with Euron. The idea of even more sexual coercion on this show is sickening to me. But then I was confused because afterward it felt almost like she was kind of into him? Until the end of the scene, anyway, when he mentioned wanting to get her pregnant. I do believe she is pregnant already, so I guess they’re setting up something where Euron might think her pregnancy by Jaime is his (assuming her pregnancy lasts)? I do think it’s funny how the elephant thing became such a meme. And I also expect her to send the Golden Company–elephants or no elephants–North immediately. When Qyburn mentioned other plans for Dany, I assumed Cersei was going to try to kidnap her when the Golden Company attacks the North. We have multiple stills from the next episode but none outside Winterfell. I’m thinking maybe they can’t show anything elsewhere because it might spoil the GC leaving to head North. But this is just a theory.

Speaking of Qyburn, the Bronn scene was trash and I can’t believe in s8 we’re still having to look at pointless prostitute sex scenes. But the bit about Cersei asking Bronn to kill Jaime or Tyrion was chilling and I guess I expect him to at least attempt it at some point. That’ll be interesting.

The scene at Last Hearth was another I actually really enjoyed. Edd’s line about Tormund’s blue eyes was hilarious and I love both characters so much. Most of all, the gruesome display of Ned Umber’s corpse and all the severed limbs was genuinely terrifying and I was so scared when he woke up and started screaming haha. It was great horror and a necessary reminder that the White Walkers are still around and are still a serious threat.

The ending with Jaime and Bran was a great sign-off to the premiere and provided excellent meme fodder all week. I have to say the one good thing to come from robo-Bran has been the memes. The Curb Your Enthusiasm one is my personal fave of the week.

Tldr, the good: Jonerys kisses and smiles, Jon and Arya reunion, Theon and Yara, Last Hearth creepiness. The bad: Everyone up North is OOC, with Sansa, Sam, and Dany standing out to me especially in this regard, pretending Viserion didn’t get turned into a wight basically, weird jarring tonal shifts throughout

Overall I obviously didn’t like the episode but I don’t want to dwell on that. I’m looking forward to more and hoping they will be better. I hate to be this negative about it because I love Game of Thrones. It’s my favorite show of all time and writing and talking about it is pretty much my favorite hobby these days. I went into the season expecting to love it, and I still do, but even after sitting on 8.01 for days, I still feel let down by it and I want to be honest about that. That being said, I don’t want to simmer in negativity so this is hopefully the last I’ll be complaining about it. I don’t want to answer a lot of negative asks on it (sorry for being so behind on asks, by the way :( I’m trying to balance making content and working and it isn’t going well haha). Here’s hoping Sunday’s episode is better.

If anyone actually read this far, thanks and I hope you enjoyed the episode more than I did do disagree with me, that’s ok, too! These are just my opinions, and they took hours to write. So please be civil haha.

#game of thrones #got #8.01 #episode review #got negativity #got critical #answered #if brevity is the soul of wit #then i'm an idiot lol

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nicol3houghts · 5 years ago

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STOP WATCHING THE OFFICE: other things to watch this summer

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE ZIE OFFICE!! But as much as it pains me to say, the office isn’t a personality trait, so I’ve decided to make a list (e.g. Buzzfeed lists) of my top 16 recommendations for TV and podcasts to watch and listen to—since we all need to stop being basic bitches and FOCUS!

I hope you listen to me when I say these shows are amazing and actually watch them if you have the time. I'm doing this because I care about you and your TV preferences.

I'll break it up by streaming service, starting with Netflix then Hulu, YouTube, then Podcasts last.

*I apologize in advance for the lousy grammar and lack of editing, but also not really sorry bout it.

-----------------------------------------

On NETFLIX:

1. Arrested Development

Number of Seasons: 5

Number of Episodes: 91

Hours to Binge: 35

Okay, number one on my list is Arrested development. A lot of people I talk to, especially in my age range, don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about, but this show is GENIUS... on G*D. I’ve watched it around four times now, and each time it gets better and better. I read somewhere that it was created as a satire of Bush-era incompetence and idiotic hanky-panky during the Iraq war. But at its heart, the show’s about a rich family with four adult children—who are all goofy and quirky. Their dad get’s thrown in jail for doing business with terrorists or something like that and Micheal Bluth (Jason Bateman) has to get them out of weird ass situations.

youtube

Above is one of my favorite scenes (Best clip I could find on youtube!!).

This show has a LOT of jokes and long running bits that you kind of have to pay attention to to get the storyline. It’s hella META, and at times, can be really weird (see George Micheal Bluth and Maeby Fünke’s little Les Cousins Dangereux). In conclusion, however, Jason Bateman is hot, Micheal Cera is hot, and Tony Hale is ~super~ hot.

P.S. a lot of memes come from this show that you would know but don’t know that it’s from this show.

2. The Haunting of Hill House

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 10

Hours to binge: 9

youtube

Scary as f*ck! Do not watch yourself or u will die. I warned you.

I'm not going to spoil it too much, but it's about a family living in a spooky house and crazy ass shit keeps happening to them. They eventually move out, but even 20 years after--when the kids are all adults--the haunting of the house follows them.

There's even a 17 min scene that they shot in one shot!!!!!!!! That's wiLD.

3. Schitt's Creek

Number of Seasons: 5

Number of Episodes: 66

Hours to binge: 25

Yet another show about a rich family loosing all their money. A bit different than Arrested Development. This show is about a rich ass family loosing all their money and resorting to live in Schitt's Creek--a town in Nowhere, U.S.A. the family bought as a JOKE. It's a really easy watch. The characters in this show are SO un-relatable and mean it's hilarious--only if u f*ck wit dry humor tho.

Here's my favorite character, Alexis Rose just being iconic:

youtube

Give it a try, the first few episodes are rocky, but it gets better. That's a guarantee.

4. American Vandal

Number of Seasons: 2

Number of Episodes: 16

Hours to binge: 9

A lot of people already probs watch this show, but it's honestly so beautifully written. The show is an homage to Making a Murderer, a true crime mockumentary of sorts. It follows two guys, Sam and Peter as they try to figure out a mystery: WHO DREW D*CKS ON THE TEACHER'S CARS?

Also, JIMMY TATRO!!!!!

Season 2 follows a different crime and it's... it's poopy.

5. Mindhunter

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 10

Hours to binge: 9

YUH. Just started this, already on ep. 8, very interesting. Mindhunter is about the first FBI agents to use profiling to catch serial killers. THE CHARACTERS IN THIS SHOW WALKED SO THAT HOTCH AND REID COULD RUN.

This show is no joke and based on true serial killers like the coed killer, the shoe fetish killer, and BTK, it's very.... very creepy.

ALWAYS carry pepper spray on ya, that's fer sher.

6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

pinot noir, caviar

7. John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid

eat ass, suck a dick, and sell drugs

8. The Good Place

is it really the good place?

---------------------------------------------

On Hulu:

9. Broad City

Number of Seasons: 5

Number of Episodes: 50

Hours to binge: 18

One of the greatest television series of all time about two baller best fraaands who get into the schemes of the century in New York City. Illana, a ferocious kween wit ZERO f*cks, and Abbi, an aspiring artiste with a great ass. The two work min-wage jobs in NYC (so they're broke) and they're just trying to find luv and a good bacon egg and cheese.

Think Sex and the City but fresh and new and wild. Abbi and Ilana's dialogue and schemes are relatable af, it makes it seem like you're there with them. Their co-dependency is so powerful... yet at moments, a lil destructive. I once had a friendship like this.. and let me tell you... co-dependency is a wild ride.

youtube

Some of the funniest scenes in this show is just of them talking on the street. Sometimes, when I'm walking with my friends, I pretend like I'm in the show lol.

I recommend you start from beginning to end because of the endless callbacks and running gags, but if not start with season 3, episode 7 B&B-NYC. Blake Griffin is in it.

10. Community

Number of Seasons: 6

Number of Episodes: 110

Hours to binge: 41

What can I say about this show to make you watch it? Well first of all the fact that Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) is in it should already have you clicking over to Hulu by now.

Community is about seven quirky misfits: a disbarred lawyer, a failed housewife, an activist everyone hates, a racist old man, a stupid jock who lost his sports scholarship, a high-strung know-it-all who took too much adderall, and abed. They all end up at Greendale Community College with a phsyco spanish teacher and a colorful dean.

This show is kind of a parody of a sitcom, and it is VERY meta--often referring to themselves as TV show characters. The seven get into hilarious adventures and obstacles along the way. The show also genre hops from time to time. For example, they have a whole pillow fort vs. blanket fort episode (Pillows and Blankets, season 3, episode 4) in a Ken Burns documentary style, an episode in claymation for Christmas (Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas, season 2, episode 11), and a bunch of paintball episodes in style of Quentin Tarantino and StarWars.

Again, you should start at the beginning, but if you want to get into it quickly, I really loved Pillows and Blankets (season 3, episode 4).

11. The Mindy Project

As a "petite asian woman" who is not petite, this show is very relatable. About finding love and eating good in the big apple.

P.S. If you don't like Kelly from the office, you're dead 2 m3.

12. Brooklyn 99

Cool. coolcoolcoolcool. Jake Peralta is the greatest detective/genius.

13. Superstore

If Walmart and the office had a baby and it was incompetent.

---------------------------------------------

On YouTube and Facebook Watch:

14. The Real Bros of Simi Valley

Number of Seasons: 2

Number of Episodes: 14

Hours to binge: 4

You straight up know these guys, fool. Four stoner/burn-outs who think your hometown's Mexican food is the best in the world. Amazingly written and surprisingly good acting. Lightweight lowkey thought they were speaking another language at first.

Jimmy Tatro, Cody Ko, Getter, and Nick Colletti. What more do you want? LITERALLY WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?

The unnecessary drama and endless quotable jokes in this show leads you wanting more with only 14 episodes totaling at around four hours.

Watch the first season YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybcPQVipNAw

---------------------------------------------

Podcasts:

15. Tiny Meat Gang

Aha hah bro last night was a movie bro ON GOD.

Noel Miller and Cody Ko talk about literally anything, but goofy. I can listen to them talk for straight up hours.

I usually listen on Apple Podcasts, but you can also watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/ZCMs4FrC_c0

Just start listening, bro.

16. My Favorite Murder

No shade to Codel, but My Favorite Murder is my all time favorite podcast. Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are two hilarious women who love murder. Not murdering, but the psychology of murderers and survivors. Each Thursdays each of them tell a story about a murder. They don't make fun of murders, but it's their banter that makes it fun to listen to.

If you're a fan of true crime at all, please listen so I have more people to talk about it with. shouts outs Jenna for putting me on to the show!

Here are my favorite episodes!

*tip: skip the first 15-20 min to the first murder when first listening.

150: How Dare You Kill Kelli

The Hanging of Alice Riley and The Murder of Reyena Marroquin

131: The Uninhibited

The Murder of Standford White and The Case of the Boys on the Tracks

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undocarly · 7 years ago

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THE INTERVIEW: THE 1975

The 1975 have been a long time coming. The four met at secondary school, started jamming in each other’s bedrooms throughout their teenage years and finally got around to releasing an EP last year – nearly ten years after writing their first song – before signing to a mate’s record label ‘when they were ready’. Their debut album is due out this summer and with 2013 touted as the ‘return of the guitar band’ we decide to get to know the frontrunners a little better.

TALK US THROUGH HOW THE BAND FORMED?

We didn’t really start a band per se, we were friends and we just started picking up instruments and messing about. None of us had picked an instrument particularly, we were all big fans of music and just tinkered with lots of different things. So when we all started playing music together it was a natural evolution, an organic process really. We started playing in punk cover bands and by the time we were 18 or 19 we were supporting our mates who were in more established bands – but we never felt the necessity to put anything out until August last year.

SO AT WHAT POINT DID IT BECOME MORE SERIOUS?

We’ve always believed that we could do it but retrospectively, when I think about it now, we’ve had quite a lot of foresight, we were very aware that there was no rush. We’d seen bands put music out too early and it came back to bite them in the arse. It was just a stage in our lives that felt right, we were signed by an indie label – and before that had been winded and dined by some major labels when we were very young and not ready – and because we had big songs, everyone was very excited. But nobody at major labels has any balls and that was proven to us so we signed to our mates’ label in the UK and Vagrant in America and it just felt right. We had enough material that we were proud of as well. I don’t know if we would have worked if we were signed to a major. We have to pride ourselves on our conviction.

There’s a brilliant Kafka quote that’s: a camel is a horse designed by a committee. If you’ve got the idea of a horse in your mind and you then give it to twelve people you’re going to get a camel back. And that’s very much how I feel about this band. The devil’s in the detail – it’s the intricacies that make us who we are.

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NAME HAS BEEN QUITE ROMANTICISED – WHERE’S THE TRUTH IN IT?

It’s become quite idealised, yeah. It’s a romantic story though. I was on holiday in Northern Majorca and I went for a walk and met an artist out there. We hung out a bit and I left with loads of literature that he gave me – I was a very impressionable 19-year-old boy. So I got the books home and read them and one had been treated like a diary by the previous owner, covered in scribblings. It wasn’t a suicide note as has been reported but it was obviously the demise of someone, you could tell from the writing, and the note was dated 1 June the 1975. It was the use of the word ‘the’ that stuck with me. I didn’t instantly think ‘oh I’m going to name my band that’ when we were trying to come up with a name I remembered that story.

A LOT OF YOUR MUSIC IS QUITE AMBIENT, AS WELL AS THE INDIE AND POP THAT WE’VE HEARD. HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR SOUND YET?

That’s the question that we’ve become fascinated with, and that has defined us recently. With the Facedown and Sex EP it brought quite a lot of critical acclaim upon us but also a lot of criticism because people were saying ‘do they know who they are’ or ‘what do they want to be’ and we got fascinated by it. We don’t listen to one type of music or consume any media in one linear format so we find it difficult to create in that way. It’s not even a conscious approach it’s just that our musical vocabulary has developed in that way. We’ve been living in each others pockets for ten years so our tastes and influences are the same, which makes it very coherent. The idea of searching within yourself to find what you want to project, or suffering from a lack of identity – everyone can relate to that. It’s a reflection to who we are as people. If you can manage to not have a defined sound over 16 tracks then you’re doing okay. I’m not harboured by that way of thinking.

DO YOU VIEW ANYONE AS COMPETITION?

I haven’t really thought about it you know. I’ve never really worried about the competition, it feels like the pressure is kind of off us a bit because if you are investing in our band you are investing in us – this is the only thing that we know how to do. It’s our only form of expression. We’regrouped in with the usual suspects – Palma Violets, Peace and Swim Deep but I would put us more along the likes of AlunaGeorge or the Weeknd. The people that we know and are close to musically are all in the R’n’B scene like Bareface or Tourist, so we don’t feel that much competition because we don’t see our sound the same as those we’re compared to. We’ve been called guitar ‘n’ B before and I love that.

WHO’S IMPRESSING YOU IN MUSIC RIGHT NOW?

Laura Mvula is great and we love A$AP Rocky more than belief. I met him outside our hotel – he recognised me from the Futures festival which was amazing but weird. And also Kendrick Lamar, Tourist and obviously Aluna George and Disclosure. Our heads have always been buried in R’n’B and dance music so we identify with that.

DO YOU THINK CURRENT R’N’B IS GOING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THIS DANCE SOUND THAT IT’S LATCHED ON TO?

Hopefully there’ll just be a move towards something more organic. But currently I think music moves in waves, something wishy washy always follows something good. Look at what you had after Blur and Oasis – Travis! And then the Libertines came along and then the Arctic Monkeys which was great but then what did you get after – The Hooisers and the Wombats. The David Guetta scene has to die at some stage. We can live in hope at least.

YOU WORKED WITH MIKE CROSSEY ON THE ALBUM – HOW WAS THAT?

He’s now one of my closest friends. He understood how we worked and he understood that it can be quite unsettling moving away from a way of working that you’re used to. We were originally just going to do that album ourselves but he came on board after falling in love with the band and he didn’t steam roll over anything we did, and we listened to him because of that. I learned so much from him about producing. His technical understanding revitalised our creative process.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE ALBUM?

It’s very broad you know, and very ambitious. It doesn’t sound like the EPs even though ‘Sex’, ‘The City’ and ‘Chocolate’ are on the album. I’m not very good at retrospect, I have a lot more conviction about what I’m saying in the moment so most of my lyrics are quotes, like in ‘Sex’, most of that song was spoken at some point. That song was about four or five different girls, and a lot of them have picked up on it because they remember me saying those exact words to them!

YOU’RE ALSO SIGNED IN THE US TO VAGRANT. DO YOU THINK THE US WILL GET YOU?

I think they’ll get us more. They love the accent so that’s a start. Musically I think our album will work really well in America because even though it feels like a happy record most of the lyrics are not, they’re quite unsettling – like ‘Chocolate’ which is about my relationship with a particular drug and our relationship with the police in a very small middle class town.

WHAT ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR?

I’m hungry for seeing a really emotional validation in people through our music. What we’re starting to get now from people is a direct emotional response which has been quite moving. We’ve been writing music for nine years but before this tour hadn’t really performed our own music to people. I’m hungry to hear a story about how our music has affected somebody’s life – whether they listened to a song to get through something or whether they were inspired by listening to us, I’m hungry for a human connection.

Interview: hunger tv, feb 26th 2013

#interview 2013 #the 1975 #matty healy #adam hann #George daniel #ross macdonald #2013 #archive

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hetmusic · 7 years ago

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Dot to Dot: Stand Together | HumanHuman

This week the music industry has been rocked to its core. The attack on innocent audience members during Ariana Grande’s concert at the Manchester Arena was a senseless tragedy and the city of Manchester are still very much feeling the effects. Many bands and artists across the UK and beyond have postponed shows out of respect for the victims and many more have come together, united by music, hope and love, to carry out gigs as planned and even spontaneously announcing fundraising events in support of the victims and their families.

One such event that will proceed is Dot to Dot Festival, who gave the following statement:

“We are shocked and saddened by the terrible tragedy in Manchester. Our thoughts go out to all those affected. From ongoing discussions with venues and relevant authorities, and in solidarity with the resilience of the amazing people of Manchester and the power of live music, Dot to Dot Festival will be going ahead this Friday. Dot to Dot is a festival about bringing people together and enjoying a day out watching live music. We have taken stock and thought deeply about whether it’s appropriate for us to go ahead in the light of what’s happened – and we have decided we will hold the event. We can’t forget what’s happened, but we don’t want to let fear and hate stop us.”— Dot to Dot

This Friday, this highly regarded new music festival will commence. More than a platform for the best who’s who on the emerging industry radar, Dot to Dot has become a show of solidarity, a way to say that we are not a defeated and we will not forget either.

Whether you’ll be heading to Manchester on May 26th, Bristol on May 27th or Nottingham on May 28th, we would like to recommend a few of our favourite acts.

Bad Sea

Night And Day, Manchester on May 26th, 5:45pm

Thekla Top Deck, Bristol on May 27th, 2:30pm

Red Room, Nottingham on May 28th, 7:45pm

Who are they? Dublin-based duo Ciara Thompson and Alan Farrel met through a popular dating app and although they abandoned any chance of romance, they did pursue a creative partnership.

Why should you see them? Bad Sea’s refreshingly classic approach can be heard in their precious trio of singles, “Solid Air”, “Tell Me What (I Mean)” and “Over My Head”. Each one is breath-taking and the pair must also be commended for their bare-faced sound on latest single “Over My Head”, but as we hear on “Tell Me What (I Mean)” Farrel and Thompson are also partial to those fuller, Americana rock sounds.

Cosmo Pyke

Band On The Wall, Manchester on May 26th, 6:15pm

02 Academy 2, Bristol on May 27th, 3:15pm

The Bodega, Nottingham on May 28th, 6:00pm

Who are they? Hailing from Peckham, this 18-year-old is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, skater and model.

Why should you see them? While Cosmo Pyke was raise on an enviable diet of blues, jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul, his own fuzzy, relaxed songs are less about following genre lines and more about going with the natural flow. Tracks like “Great Dane” paint with “spacey, beautiful, and lazy” strokes that produces a realist image of everyday life in East London.

Honeyblood

The Albert Hall, Manchester on May 26th, 5:00pm

02 Academy, Bristol on May 27th, 5:45pm

Rock City, Nottingham on May 28th, 5:00pm

Who are they? Noisy garage rock duo from Glasgow with a pinch of shoegaze.

Why should you see them? Over the years, the band’s line-up has taken a few different forms, but these days it’s all about the wild guitar playing of Stina Marie Claire Tweeddale and the ferocious drumming of Cat Myers, plus that wonderful middle ground where the pair’s vocals meet. Honeyblood have also been on an extensive tour across Scotland, Ireland and England over the past two months, so you can be sure on one tight set this weekend.

Kudu Blue

The Peer Hat, Manchester on May 26th, 8pm

HY Brasil Music-Club, Bristol on May 27th, 8:45pm

Stealth Live Room, Nottingham on May 28th, 3:45pm

Who are they? Eclectic sounding band from Brighton with four members Clementine Douglas, Owen Crouch, Tom Peterson and Creeda Kirkman.

Why should you see them? Over the past two years, Kudu Blue have had regular spots at hometown festival The Great Escape and this year their heading out to Dot to Dot to deliver their unique combination of electronics, alternative-pop, R&B and dance to new audiences. If you after an energy boost this weekend, get down to Kudu Blue’s show for dynamic tracks like “NGFM” and “Sugar Lemz”.

Liv Dawson

Band On The Wall, Manchester on May 26th, 7:15pm

Thekla, Bristol on May 27th, 3:00pm

Rock City, Nottingham on May 28th, 3:00pm

Who are they? At just 18-years-old, Liv Dawson is one of the most promising, emerging R&B talents on the circuit right now.

Why should you see them? Don’t be fooled by this singer-songwriter’s young years, as this artist has displayed a sophisticated self-awareness through her increasingly noted R&B-pop singles and live sessions. Dawson’s super power has to be that voice, it’s every bit Destiny’s Child in its youthful tone and wise aura. She’s also fresh from a performance at The Great Escape’s Vevo dscvr stage, which always seems to be on point with picking up the year’s rising acts.

Matt Maltese

Band On The Wall, Manchester on May 26th, 8:15pm

The Louisiana, Bristol on May 27th, 4:30pm

The Bodega, Nottingham on May 28th, 7:00pm

Who are they? London-based musician Matt Maltese with a notable gift for writing timeless, piano-led, blues ballads.

Why should you see them? As one of three artists selected for HumanHuman’s Showcase last year in Antwerp, we can guarantee that Maltese is truly a talented performer. His voice beckons from an era of golden age jazz fingers, while his songs themselves are sparsely lit and question meaning in everything and anything. Do not miss.

Miya Folick

SWX Room 2, Bristol on May 27th, 5:15pm

Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on May 28th, 3:15pm

Who are they? The Oakland-based artist whose music spans riot grrl, punk and indie-rock.

Why should you see them? “Trouble Adjusting” is a real gift from Miya Folick, as it was written and recorded to capture the magic of her live shows. Safe to say we wouldn’t be disappointed if any gig contains as much energy, fantastically fun melodies and full-blooded drums and guitars as this single does.

Nilüfer Yanya

Soup Kitchen, Manchester on May 26th, 5:45pm

Thekla, Bristol on May 27th, 2:00pm

The Bodega, Nottingham on May 28th, 3:00pm

Who are they? London singer-songwriter in her own groove of indie acoustica, jazzy blues and new wave shimmer.

Why should you see them? This twice featured artist has managed to rise from a handful of demo songs to the blogosphere’s indie music sweetheart with recent releases like “Golden Cage” and “The Florist” being highly praised across the Internet. In the live realm, Yanya performs with the same intimate sense of delicacy that comes across on the recording, just check out this out take of this 21-year-old musician playing her cover of Pixies’ “Hey” for NTS Radio.

Parcels

Soup Kitchen, Manchester on May 26th, 9:45pm

Thekla, Bristol on May 27th, 9:00pm

Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on May 28th, 12:30am

Who are they? Purveyors of disco for the modern age.

Why should you see them? This Berlin-based Australian band are a pretty rare find. Not only do they look like they took a Delorean from the height of ‘70s glam-rock, but their sound also takes many cues from a past where disco grooves were essential to any good night out. While, watching their set, it will be absolutely impossible not to dance (or bop or foot tap or ever so subtly nod your head) to “the slick musicianship, the rapturously rhythmic, Nile Rodgers-worshipping guitar,” as The Guardian put it.

Pinegrove

Old Granada Studios, Manchester on May 26th, 8:15pm

SWX, Bristol on May 27th, 7:45pm

Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham on May 28th, 8:15pm

Who are they? With a various combination of musicians, this New Jersey band creates uncomparable and emotional left-field Americana.

Why should you see them? This isn’t the first time we’ve recommended Pinegrove as a must-see act. Last year, the Brooklyn-via-New Jersey outfit built around two central figures Evan Stephens Hall and Zack Levine was on our list for the new music extravaganza SXSW and now the American alt-rock band are hopping the water to give UK fans a taste of their singularly brilliant live renditions. There’s an abundance of live sessions out there (such as NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert) to wet your appetite over the next few days.

Pixx

Gullivers, Manchester on May 26th, 6:30pm

The Louisiana, Bristol on May 27th, 6:30pm

Stealth Live Room, Nottingham on May 28th, 10:45pm

Who are they? Pixx is the moniker of Surrey musician Hannah Rodgers.

Why should you see them? Pixx first popped up on our radar around the time of her debut EP, Fall In, which was accompanied by a string of eerie, elemental music videos perfectly suited to her modern New Romantics style. Since then, the artist has become bolder in her style, songwriting and seemingly her live shows too. One thing to listen out for would be her cover of Joe Jackson’s 1979 single “It’s Different For Girls”.

Tender

Ruby Lounge, Manchester on May 26th, 6:15pm

Thekla, Bristol on May 27th, 8:00pm

Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on May 28th, 4:15pm

Who are they? Self-described as “dark grooves with room to breathe,” pair Dan and James create everything at home in their North London basement.

Why should you see them? Two years after Tender’s first appearance on HumanHuman and the initially anonymous project are beginning to drop the veil further as they approach the release of their debut album, coming this summer. On first LP single “Erode”, the self-sufficient deliver that R&B vibe, minimalist guitar work and luscious electronics that we’ve loved all along. Hopefully more album tracks to be heard at their festival sets.

Tom Grennan

Ruby Lounge, Manchester on May 26th, 9:15pm

02 Academy, Bristol on May 27th, 4:45pm

Rocky City, Nottingham on May 28th, 6:00pm

Who are they? Solo artist Tom Grennan strikes the balance between acoustic songwriting, bluesy lyricism and indie-rock frontmanship.

Why should you see them? The charismatic songwriter possesses a mighty blues vocal and knack for lyrics that permeate your soul and stay there. It’s something that translates wonderfully into his live versions of “Sweet Hallelujah” and “Something In The Water” and if the word of The Independent is anything to go by, the backing of a full band adds “more weight to his music but [doesn’t] distract from his great charisma or that astonishing voice.”

Vagabon

Gullivers, Manchester on May 26th, 5:30pm

Thekla, Bristol on May 27th, 4:00pm

The Bodega, Nottingham on May 28th, 4:00pm

Who are they? Finding her feet in New York’s underground rock scene, Lætitia Tamko, continues to wow with her anthems for weird girls.

Why should you see them? You only need to listen to Vagabon’s “The Embers” to be convinced that this indie-rock heroine is well worth going to see this weekend. Her songs vibrate with indignation and ferocity. Throughout all of them, Tamko unleashes biting lyrics with that sweet, unassuming vocal which contrasts against the punk-rock instrumentation.

Yellow Days

Soup Kitchen, Manchester on May 26th, 6:45pm

Thekla, Bristol on May 27th, 6:00pm

Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on May 28th, 6:15pm

Who are they? George van den Broek is the young songwriter-producer featured in our 20 Under 20 list for his incredible debut EP, Harmless Melodies.

Why should you see them? Reminiscent of King Krule and Only Real, Yellow Days is a relative newcomer and yet since the release of debut “You Are Nothing That I Can’t Get Over”, this 17-year-old has punctuated the new music consciousness. The turning point came with “Your Hand Holding Mine” when listeners woke up to van den Broek’s wonky, lo-fi strings and synths with a gravelled, left-field soulful vocal rich in mature emotion. Surely not one to miss out on.

https://humanhuman.com/articles/dot-to-dot-2017

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everythingrosslynchr5 · 7 years ago

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From teen sweetheart to serial killer-to-be.

If Lorde ever had an image in mind when she wrote White Teeth Teens, it’d probably have been Ross Lynch. With his beach-blonde hair and all-American image, he’s captivated young hearts across the globe with his performances on Austin and Ally and Teen Beach Movie. Between acting and touring with his pop band R5, he’s accumulated the kind of social media presence big brands can only dream of. He’s also one of America’s most notorious serial killers. Kind of.

Ross’ latest acting role sees him cast as cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who captivated the US’s national attention in 1991 when his 13-year streak of necrophilia-inspired murders finally ended with an arrest. Despite his death in 1994 at the hands of a fellow inmate, the four films, three TV specials, and 11 books focused upon his life testify to Dahmer’s firm grip upon the US psyche. My Friend Dahmer is the latest artistic project to focus upon one of America’s darkest men – but what exactly is America’s sweetheart Ross Lynch doing taking part? It’s all a part of Ross’ plan, apparently. Read on for our interview with Lynch about his band, his acting, and just why exactly he’s playing a notorious serial killer.

What’s going on with the whole image change from wholesome to gruesome?

This was always the goal, even when I was doing Austin and Ally stuff. I knew I wanted to do a weird indie film next. That was always the goal. But that [image change] definitely threw a few people by surprise when I chose to do My Friend Dahmer. The film is basically Jeffrey Dahmer before he’s killed anyone, and it’s him becoming the monster we know him to be. It’s quite a sad story, actually. People usually come to me and ask if it’s a horror film, and they’re a bit like “Do you have a knife and you slash people up?”. The film is actually more about the people that abandoned him, and how that made him who he was.

How did you prepare for the role?

It was a lot of research, a lot of preparation, a lot of watching videos and trying to get his physicality down. We looked a lot at how he behaved with others. He had two sides to him, and that’s how he persuaded people to come home with him. He did have a charm. But obviously, most of the videos we see of him today are videos where he explains why he killed people, so it’s charismatic Dahmer. But I played Dahmer when nobody was looking, when he was alone.

Do you see your preparation as similar to how Heath Ledger prepared for The Joker?

No, not the same kind of way. Heath Ledger, or from what I know of him, hid himself away for months. He was getting into The Joker. I was playing a high school kid, someone who’s trying to figure out who they are. Part of our process was trying to forget the fact that he’s going to become one of America’s most notorious serial killers. Instead, we just played the high school kid.

Will we see these darker themes in music from R5?

There’s a song that Rocky, my brother is working on right now. It’s a working title, but we’re calling it Mrs Nova. It’s not about killing people or anybody, but sonically it sounds a lot darker. Within R5, we’re trying to create a smooth transition in our music. Our first record was a small record called Louder. It had a lot of pop songs, not all written by us, but now we’re in a place where we’re writing all the songs, producing all the songs, and they have darker themes that we want to explore. It isn’t a harsh 180° turn - we’re trying to make it a smooth transition for the fans and make it a smooth ride. With our new EP called New Editions, you’ll definitely hear the sonic growth and darker themes. It’s really started to get up the alley of the songs that we’re talking about.

What are the plans for the summer?

We’ve got an American tour that’s booked. We’re going to Mexico, we should be going to Europe in September/November, all whilst hopefully keeping on the same creative path. It’s a lot harder to write whilst on the road.

Bands such as St Lucia have talked about how hard it is to write songs whilst on the road. How do you find it?

I love that band! It’s so different writing on the road compared to writing in the studio. You have so many different things inspiring you because you’re not necessarily living an everyday life? You’re on the road. The things that you talk about are so different. You also don’t have the same set-up - when we go on a tour, it’s just like a laptop and a few interfaces so we can record audio.

St Lucia’s lead singer Jean-Philippe Gruber discussed losing his cultural identity when we chatted to him. Do you feel the same way?

A little bit? It’s so hard when you tour. Like, it’s the same thing for me. I don’t know if I’m 100% American, just because I don’t spend my whole year here. If anything, I’ll spend a few months here, and then it’s a few months in Europe, and then a few months in South America. What do they call it, an ex-patriot or something like that? I’m not really an ex-pat, because I don’t have another passport, but in a sense I feel like I am.

Where’s the best place that you’ve visited?

I think that the most surprising place, when I tell people, is Tel Aviv. They’re a bit surprised that a pop band from LA could go to Tel Aviv and sell a few thousand tickets, but we were too. We had this whole fundraiser online where people could type in their city and then whoever had the most votes for their city we would go to their city, and Tel Aviv had the most votes.

Do you prefer acting or singing?

Recently, I’ve been growing fonder of the music. Notoriously, I’ve always been more a fan of the music. With the acting, I kind of have to wait for somebody to book me to be an actor, but I can always be a musician.

Would you ever give up acting full-time?

I don’t really know what the future holds, but I don’t think I’d ever do that. Acting is such a great outlet to do something outside of music. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t necessarily want to do the same thing all the time, so to have something like acting is great to break the mold.

Do you prefer to shoot movies or TV shows?

I think I like movies. TV shows are fun, because you really get to develop a relationship with cast and crew, and you get such a good bond from people. But a movie is fun, because you get two or three months to live in a fantasy world and you’re in a different country with. It’s a time in your life. Whenever I think of Dahmer, my brain just gets filled with all of these different memories that happened when we filmed Dahmer. Whenever I think of Austin and Ally, it was four years, so it’s a huge block of time in my life rather than just a few months.

You’re currently working on a new film called Status Update. Can you talk about that?

We haven’t sold it yet, but it’s an indie film and we’re looking for distribution now. I like to describe it as 17 Again; you know that movie with Zac Efron? It’s the same director, but it’s just me in Zac Efron’s spot.

And finally, what’s the go-to order in Starbucks?

Recently, it’s been cold-brew. Just because it’s simple and to the point. It’s kind of like black iced coffee, but it does have a little twang? You can just taste that it’s stronger than your average coffee.

Check out the video to the R5 track ’If’ below. For all the latest on Ross head to www.r5rocks.com.

Words by Danny Judge

@flapjackradio

Photography Joupin Ghamsari www.joupinghamsari.com

#r5 #ross lynch #my friend dahmer #austin & ally #teen beach movie

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hug-a-mermaid · 6 years ago

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glee for the fandom ask :)

omg yess, thank you for asking! ♥

the first character i ever fell in love with: okay I’ll be honest here and say that I started watching this show so long ago that I literally can’t remember who it was

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: I used to like rachel a lot more than I do now!

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: I used to be such a puckleberry stan, but now they’re just okay to me

my ultimate favorite character™: santana lopez!!!!! she owns my entire heart and I love her so much

prettiest character: pretty sure I loose my mind every time I see quinn fabray

my most hated character: oooooooooh I think it’s will shuester

my OTP: puck/kurt!! this is honestly not a ship I expected to like, but on my latest rewatch I got curious and found a fic about them and now I’m completely in love. there is so much good fanfic for this pairing and it’s awesome.

my NOTP: okay, this is glee, land of awful ships, but I gotta say finnchel. I make santana’s disgusted face™ every time they’re on my screen. OH, and I absolutely hate that plot between puck/shelby, it’s way worse than finnchel, so let’s add this too.

favorite episode: blame it on the alcohol! it’s so funny, the party at rachel’s basement is hilarious but my favorite scene in the entire show is when the club is hella drunk talking to will after their performance. but of course, it’s glee so I gotta point out the obvious biphobia on this episode, among other problems. other eps I really like are the sue sylvester shuffle and the rocky horror glee show.

favorite season: season two!! the humor was at it’s peak and all of the brittana

least favorite season: big yikes for season four! the characterizations really got on my nerves, I didn’t care for this season’s newbies, and I don’t like a lot of plots on this season. but the highlight was santana starting to live with rachel and kurt at the loft.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: I don’t feel like the glee fandom has every agreed on anything, but I gotta say that I don’t really like blaine or finn.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: I recognize that a lot of times santana and quinn were just mean, even after they were supposed to have “evolved”, so I feel like it’s important to put this out there. but the highkey answer to this is noah puckerman! the writing really messed up his character development, so while some times he was really nice, other times he was an awful person, again even after he was supposed to have “evolved”. however, I see so much potential in him (which is well developed in so many fics) that I just can’t not love him. he’s right behind santana on my faves list.

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: all my faves deserve better than this writing!! but the sweet cinnamon rolls are brittany and kurt

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: emma/finn is an awful hill to die on but that’s where I am

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: santana/brittany/quinn, a.k.a. the unholy trinity! a little bit more lowkey, it’s quinn/rachel.

send me a fandom and i’ll tell you… ♥

#this was so much funn to answer!!#*fun #thanks again for asking honey #asks #jennaush

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wanderingkat · 7 years ago

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Velvet Echoes Interview

Loud and ready to bring back a British Invasion, I interviewed the Velvet Echoes who have an infinite intention to scale the Indie/Garage/Rock genre with cut throat beats and vocals you'll remember years from now. Without another sordid tale of love lost, Velvet Echoes bring forth a fulfilled testament of incendiary melodies and iconoclast ambition.

1.) First off, how did the band name come about?

George: The name came about through messing around with words we thought sounded cool. We came up with an awful name 'Velvet Indarma' which made me die inside every time someone asked what we were called. So, in the end, I came up with Echoes and wallah...velvet echoes were born.

Luke: I actually have no idea (laugh) I wasn't part of the band during the naming process (hysterical laughterJoss: We had a vote on various band names that we felt suited the future of the band, and Velvet echoes was a blend of the two winners. Or at least that's how I remember it.

Simon: Well, early on our name was ‘Velvet Indarma’… I don’t think any of us knew what ‘Indarma’ meant we just found it on a random word generator… The word ‘Velvet’ I think came from us thinking about great bands like Velvet Underground and the image the word conjures… it’s a soft and classy material…also, it’s a juxtaposition as we can also be quite heavy, raw and dark with our music. We had a line-up change and wanted to drop ‘Indarma’ so we replaced it with the word ‘Echoes’ when we started taking the band more seriously.

2.) Simon, Luke, Joss, and George could you tell us more about your backgrounds in music? Were all of you in previous bands before?

George: I was in a band called Marmalade Sky and before that, I was in a school band called Open Doors. Both were a right laugh but this has definitely been the most intense but enjoyable. Never really got into reading music or proper guitar lessons. Just use to watch the guitarist in my last band and learn from him. Then the rest has just been learned by ear, I reckon.

Luke: I've actually always played as a solo acoustic act, just covering bands like The Courteeners, The View, and the occasional Kooks track. But I've always been writing and incorporating my own songs into my sets and playing with a lot of other musicians just randomly.

Joss: I've been playing guitar since I was about 11. I remember listening to Nelly Furtado on the radio and thinking " Yeah I'm going to be a musician". I don't know why. I'd always been into biology up till then. I've since played in all sorts of bands ranging from jazz to heavy metal because I enjoy experimenting and learning new techniques.

Simon: I started playing the drums when I was 11 and have been in multiple bands playing different genres. All of them fell apart after time and before we started this band I drummed for a short amount of time in Georges previous band ‘Marmalade Sky’ in which we became better friends. That time also opened my eyes to the level of standard you have to be at to make things work. Each musical project I’ve been a part of, even when I’ve not been the drummer. Has come to shape the way I play in Velvet Echoes which is pretty cool.

3.) As far as influences go (Oasis, The Stone Rose, The Jam, Led Zeppelin and etc...) are there any other influences that would be a bit unusual that the band has incorporated into the sound you have now?

George: For me, a Spanish band called the Hinds have influenced me more recently. Bowie and the last shadow puppets also.

Luke: Well I listen to a lot of music so I imagine some of it does come through. But I think because each of us has a different taste we all bring something different to the table making the sound our own I guess. (wink)

Joss: I suppose each of each brings our own influences and interests to shape our sound more than anything. I was always told a good bassist is a solid bassist so I focus more on being rhythmically tight with Simon more than anything. I do love the Beatles though so Paul McCartney is definitely an influence.

Simon: Everyone in the band has different influences which are great, especially when we are able to merge them into our music. I’m influenced by artists like Taking back Sunday, Falling in Reverse & I am really into a band called Boy jumps ship at the moment which has shaped my drumming on some of our newer songs. Since our first E.P; which was probably more in the stylistic realms of the bands you’ve listed we’ve defiantly gone more anthemic. I think the choruses have a slightly more pop influence and some of the more musical parts have a more atmospheric and epic sound.

4.) What do you feel happened to British Indie-Rock? Because I'd say within the last handful of years there has been a definite quiet surge among this particular genre and area.

George: I'd say it's been a bit shit since the 90's. People got bored of guitar music but I feel like that's slowly changing now bands like Catfish & The Bottlemen are doing well. Even though Ed Sheeran isn't indie he's still bringing the guitar back into fashion which I feel will have a positive knock-on effect with the indie scene. Fingers crossed anyway.

Luke: I think it's gonna be huge. We're leading the charge and indie-rocks gonna be in the top of the charts instead all that bullshit that’s in there now. I mean what the fuck is a Nicki Minaj even supposed to be? Rank.

Joss: I think it just progressed as does any fashion, fad or scene. It never really ended, it just changed.

Simon: Bands like Oasis, The Stone Roses & Blur paved the way for the Brit pop scene which had massive success but naturally more modern music has since taken the limelight. I think you’re right that the British indie-Rock is starting to come back around. It’s similar to fashion I guess…things that are timeless become popular again and are revisited and often with a twist.

5.) While working with John Cornfield at Sawmills Studio, did Cornfield help bring out the Velvet Echoes natural sound or stir up some unknown territory?

George: John was great. He got the best out of us for that moment in time, and he has the sound we asked for in terms of production. Having said that, I think next time we will be a bit more experimental and try out new territory.

Luke: We actually learned a lot with John, it was a real eye opener of a week. He made the sound we already had bigger there's so much experience to be taught by him so I'm pretty sure he rubbed off on us a lot without us realizing.

Joss: John was a beast in the studio. His experience allowed us to just relax and play creatively. We let John put his own stamp on our sound and I think for this E.P it's the right sound.

Simon: Working with John defiantly brought out a sound that we already had and displayed it to us in a way that we never imagined. His initial playback sounded massive and that was really exciting for us. It allowed us to relax a bit more because we were reassured that we were moving in the right direction. This encouraged us to put forward even more ideas. It was such a privilege to work with John and a real highlight of the band's career so far. I think he just brought out the best in us.

6.) Even though Velvet Echoes is still a young band, what would be two major critical components you've all learned being in a band?

George: I'd say have a laugh even when it's hard. You're in this because it's your passion and your dream, but I know personally I can take shit too seriously and that ruins it for me at times. But I'd also say you all need to work together. You're in a band because you don't want to do it alone. That goes for the good times and the bad, so you have to stick together and be a unit.

Luke: the first would be how much work we all have to put into being in this band.The second is the exact amount of beer I can drink before being 'too pissed' to play a gig (laugh)

Joss: Teamwork. We're a bloody team. We're brothers and we act like it. Love, hate and everything in between.

Simon: At this stage, everything is still a learning process. I would say one of the main things is self-discipline and trying to use the creative time we spend together productively. When you are four good friends it’s easy to get half way through a band practice only to realize that you have spent three hours ‘Mooing’ like a small herd of lost buffalo which we can all agree isn’t overly productive in the studio…. Other than that, balancing everyone’s work schedules with practicing, gigs, studio time and general promotion commitments is always a challenge.

7.) With the release of an EP soon which means new material of course, in what direction is the band taking? More chorus based songs, catchy riffs, etc...

Luke: Just massive sounds and massive chorus I guess, there's no one same sound to our music really, one song will be a wall of sound and epic and another could be funky bass lines and sleazy lyrics.

Joss: We're looking at developing our hooks. Memorable lines in a piece that you can just hum or whistle to a mate, and they can instantly recognize, are what make classics in my opinion.

Simon: The new material is more upbeat and I think is more reflective of the band's personality. We will still include songs that are dark in subject matter and rocky in origin but we are also experimenting with lighter ‘hook based’ material which has evolved in our songwriting recently which is a contrast to our previous darker material.

8.) When can we expect a full-length album to emerge? And is there a possible album title being thrown around at the moment? George: I'd say that this EP we concentrate more on being as epic as possible and having quite an anthem-esq kind of sound. But as one of the main songwriter of the band, I'd say that's going to change again in the future. But for now, we will your this EP and try and get our name out there as much as possible. Next time we might be rawer though! Who knows.

Luke: I think we're thinking about it individually but I still think we've got a lot to learn about ourselves as a band before an album is going to be ready (lol)

Joss: Best not ask me for an album title, you won't know whether I'm serious or not! As for an album itself, I don't think it'll be on our agenda till there's a need for it. At the moment there's a shift is the public's listening patterns and I think the number of people who listen to an entire album start to finish is declining. I could be wrong but I don't know many people that listen to a full album nowadays.

Simon: We have talked about a full-length album and have enough material to make one. However, I don’t think we will produce a full-length album until we are absolutely confident that it will be the best that we can do. We still have a lot of developing to do as a band before we reach that point. We haven’t discussed a name for a full-length album but we have decided on a title for our latest E.P… That said when you take into account the impact pf E.P’s, YouTube and iTunes the necessity for a full-length album at this time doesn’t seem to be at the top of our priorities.

youtube

#Velvet Echoes #interview #brit pop #indie #rock #music #listen #music on tumblr #artists on tumblr #musicians on tumblr

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brooklyndrinksandgoeshome · 8 years ago

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It’s embarrassing, the last three written entries on here have mostly been about people passing away as if I’m surrounded by the all-encompassing grim reaper everyday at every turn. I mean, this is what happens when you write about the past and naturally the people who are no longer with us will get a bit of extra space because all we have from them now are memories, but for fuck sake, I’m not mister doom and gloom all the time. If anything, it seems as if I’m surrounded by a self-contained bubble of early 90s Japanese wrestling, 70′s power-pop, Radio Garden, this Oliver Sacks book that I’m hoping to finish before the end of the week and curling. No really, curling. Seriously, curling rules.

I haven’t written that much about music in the last several years mostly because of burnout and if I’m not careful, it’ll start to feel like a job and I’ll want to put it off until my non-existent deadline creeps up on me which I can push back to infinity without any consequence (hell, it’s taken me a week and a half to finish this pointless exercise anyway). Besides, critiquing music as a serious profession, I’ve come to realize as the years have past is, well, kind of stupid; like if you don’t have anything nice to say, just ignore it and all the bad music will all hopefully vanish, right?

That being said, I do wonder why a lot of bands from yonder past never never got the credit or recognition they deserved. Usually from a DIY perspective, I’m quick to blame poor distribution deals from a company run out of their mom’s basement, or a local band who never played beyond the same 20 people at the same club for their entire existence, (this plagued almost every Detroit band from the early-80s until the late-90s) or just plain old self-destruction that still bites people back, whether if it’s drug addiction or a fear of failure/success. My personal favorite --and I can’t find it on the internet to save my life right now, was when a jilted ex destroyed all but a hundred copies of her boyfriend’s first and only EP of his band, thus making it an instant collector’s item with their tracks being discovered fairly recently on a Killed By Death bootleg.

I also think my own opinions on music have always a been a bit left of center as I get bored way too easily and I quickly turn into a crotchety old man whenever Pitchfork creams their jeans over another Garageband produced dance track that sounds as boring and milk toast as any song put together from laptop bloops and bleeps.* Feeling this old out of touch makes one resort to the jazz or country section of any used record store, or when anyone asks me what I listen to these days, I usually say “podcasts.” But something about the aforementioned 70s power-pop obsession has arrived after a brief yet expensive summer of Northern Soul collecting that got put on hold as I have a hard time paying more than $20 for a 45; yeah, this phase didn’t last very long. Before that, it was Sun Ra who has literally hundreds of releases under his always spotty discography and after awhile, it became overwhelming search through scores of, I’m sorry, no disrespect, bin fillers, to eventually find a reissued gem like Sleeping Beauty or Lanquidity. Before that, it was electronic, sci-fi synth soundtrack sounding 70s prog made by the guy who use to drum for The Shadows. Did I mention that I get bored way too easily?

Even by record nerd standards, I know I have some unpopular opinions on popular unpopular music: Big Star weren’t going to be next Beatles ever and they probably have five good songs top. As much as I love The Jam, Style Council have a handful of tracks that blow away anything else Paul Weller’s ever done (oh snap, fighting words). With a few exceptions, The Yellow Pills comps are wildly overrated with a lot of tracks sound more like a second rate Rick Springfield --even if it was the point for a band to be the next Rick Springfield. Also, it still bothers me that The Fastbacks, mostly ignored for their entire 22 year career, got more recognition when they opened for The Presidents of The United States of America when “Peaches” was in heavy rotation. Seriously, I’ll take Answer The Phone Dummy over any 90s Sub Pop release any day.

The Keys: I Don’t Wanna Cry

Produced by Joe Jackson and still managed to have only found a recent audience from the depths of obscurity thanks to a Youtube hero. Not bad, but probably too nice and squeaky clean as The Buzzcocks and Undertones already did this way better and louder. Still, the singer hits those high notes with ease and could have easily been a hit if it was written for, I don’t know, Elvis Costello or someone else a bit more angsier.

The Letters: Nobody Loves Me

Again, way too wussy and self-hating even by pop-punk standards, but I still love this track as it’s bouncy pogo energy and raw production more than make up for the shitty lyrics. One and done, never heard from again until a 2002 CD reissue of their mostly unreleased discography, or is it a reunion record? I don’t know.

The Tours: Language School

Another one and done from the UK who got plenty of hype from John Peel, signed to Virgin and imploded within a year never to be heard from until Cherry Red reissued their unreleased album a few years ago which is now also going for a steep price on Discogs. Nice short, poppy number here that if anything, makes you realize how much (again) the Buzzcocks influenced a generation of UK bands in the late 70s-early 80s.

20/20: Remember The Lightning

I first remember hearing about these guys from the well meaning Radio Heartbeat Records who reissued a single that quickly went out print along with the rest of the labels discography --some moved on to form Captured Tracks who eventually went on to re-release all of Milk ‘n Cookies output on a (sorry) completely unnecessary 2xLP box set, huge picture book included. 20/20’s first album got lost in the shuffle of another busted label (notice a trend here) that got swallowed up by Epic Records, which is a shame because we could have had a punkier younger brother of the Knack.

De Cylinders: I Wanna Get Married

Spontaneously heard a live set of these guys on the always fantastic, very missed Cherry Blossom Clinic on WFMU and rushed to see their record release/only American show ever in front of a dozen others at a random Brooklyn bar. The wonderful Sing Sing Records reissued this single and naturally, there’s a way out of print CD discography compilation that’s only available in Japan for like $40 bucks on Discogs. Uh, I have to find a job first.

Nasty Facts: Drive My Car

God, I love the internet. This gem would have never been discovered if it wasn’t for some Youtube hero who posted a vinyl rip of a bootleg as the original pressing is long gone --cheapest one I found on Discogs going for $70 and it’s tough being a cheapskate and a record collector at the same time. Anyway, punky rocky from New York with a singer who sounds like less gruff but equally badass Joan Jett; America’s answer to the Rezillo’s! Get on it, weirdo!

Ail Symudiad: Garej Paradwys

Probably never made it farther out than Cardiff because everything’s in Welsh, but they put out a surprising number of singles that were all pretty consistent throughout the 80s --I’m pretty sure this is their third one. Full of energy despite the weird guitar effect pedals used throughout the song and if you’re curious, they’re called Second Movement and according to Google Translate, this songs about partying in their garage. I don’t know, I didn’t go farther than their “Paradise Garage” song title.

The Elevators: Your I’s Are Too Close Together

The least punky song on here, but it did make me laugh out loud the first time I heard it. I mean, of all the reasons why he won’t go out with her, and he lists everyone one on here, her facial structure was the final straw. Probably a wee mean spirited, but the lyrics go perfect with the chorus, high notes on the lead guitar and all.

The Records: Starry Eyes

Saving the best for last. There’s no excuse, this should have been a huge hit. I mean, it’s great that we have our own song to share with our closest friends --for example, a heartbreaker of an ex or whatever it was you want to call it when we had an on and off again thing in 2012 introduced me to this and well, all it did was prolong some coulda-woulda-shoulda feelings that lasted a bit longer than it should have. Anyway, this song’s a power-pop masterpiece that, unintentionally or not, sounds like an unreleased Big Star track and it makes me angry that these guys got swept under the rug for whatever reason.

I’m tired and I’ve run out of adjectives, just like how I use to back when I (barely) made a living writing about music, no benefits, no thesaurus. Will try to write more about something like Atsushi Onita or how much I love The Great British Bake Off or something.

*Nothing made me feel more out of touch with underground/contemporary music when I had a hard time understanding what the big deal was with The Fiery Furnaces, but when I couldn’t get away from Animal Collective, that’s when I get up and settled into a WFMU k-hole. I can tell you the exact moment sometime around the end of 2007, on the 7 train heading into Long Island City for work, reading The Metro --I’m a sucker for free daily newspapers no matter how badly written, and came across their best album of the year list with Strawberry Jam being number four or something. “This album rules” the brief review started and once again, I just didn’t get it. I don’t always take part in any schadenfreude, but I’m glad significantly less people give a shit about them these days.

#welovepowerpop #the rezillos #big star #20/20 #radioheartbeat #the great british bake off #atsushi onita

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