#WHO WAS A GRANDPA SINCE THE 70s (these are all 70s vibes and i mean that in the worst way) IS

[bunnyb34r]

Why did after having had the same 3 designs since August, and are now DAYS away from liquidation, did we finally find/get the boxes with new designs of baby pj's 😮‍��� like come on man...

And theyre so fucking uuuuuuuuugly too lmao like for the love of god stop making camo brown and green baby clothes Sharter's !!

Last year we had this fucking ugly ass camo onsie pack with ugly mud brown pants and surprise! They didn't sell well!

[seancamerons]

20 Descriptions of childhood preschool shows in the 90s. I posted these on a nostalgic page on fb. See if you remember some of these?

1. A group of animated baby versions of puppets based on a short, like maybe 2 minute musical segment in a film from the 1980s. They sang a lot and never left the room their sitters face never was seen.

2. Reading books with epic theme

3. A city vibe with puppets on a street, a enormous bird a giant shag carpet looking elephant a literal trash man in a bad mood, a little red dude who is super happy, blue dude, purple monster, random cast of humans, who never get recast or leave and we watch grow up and older, random shorts with letters and numbers of the day bc its educational. Been around literally since the '70s at the least.

4. A dude who writes his ordiniary maginative life in a journal with a blue food named dog his overdramatic thespian older sister, his blue neighbor, stuck up jock and mayor's daughter classmates and Principal who hates him and i vaguely remember perminant records mentioned as a scare tactic. Has a crush on his neighbor who has a name of a condiment. Super hero persona in his dreams. Antagonist of main character of series for a bully who has a feline sidekick. Loves burgers and also he stans a band who is named after a variant of vegetable akin to radish used for salads.

5. Babies and a mean 3 year old cousin. A dog, screw driver escapees from a playpen, twins a redhead afraid of every thing, adults who leave their kids unsupervised bc their elderly babysitting grandpa falls asleep and the kids destroy the house and have a vivid imagination.

6. A giant dog, a girl with two names, a series of books, films, and animated shows.

7. An arrdvark with animal friends and a library card to make life easier.

8. A show set in a train station about trains and random people. I believe the woman who Frenchy from grease (1978) was in the cast and ringo from the beatles? I haven't seen it since I was a youngin'.

9. Fruit twins in striped sleepwear.

10. Children singing and dancing to kiddie nursery rhymes because they somehow convince a network to greenlight their project. They had 2 pink and blue mascot friends. I don't recall their names.

11. A limber clown couch potato with a shy doll best friend have some cozy adventures.

12. A spooky show with a spooky opening theme, always starting at a campfire club story.

13. A man who lives in two worlds. The first is a house, and he feeds his fish, switches his attire and footwear, and sings with his friends who live in close proximity. Then he takes a trolly to a creepy castle of puppets. One is nightmare fuel. There's people there sometimes. I believe there was a king.

14. A blue dude who is manifested when kids of the world with rings join forces with their own strengths.

15. Seemingly ordinary teens turned super aided by an anxiety ridden robot friend and a powerful wall dude. They fight big bads and bosses with their secret personas and identity. Sometimes, they join forces like a transformer, and all their powers combine, and they become giant robot thing and defeat said people.

16. Bill Bill Bill at school.

17. A family living on an island and a giant yellow, inverted voiced, weird named frog hybrid creature.

18. Animated ponies from the 80s.

19. A purple dinosaur who loves you and goes from a doll to full sized. He likes pumpernickel bread. He sings songs. He has elementary school friends and dinosaur friends. One of the dinosaur friends' names is an abbreviation for oral sex. 😉.

20. A rraspy voiced woman with puppet friends who happen to be animals, that can sing songs that are like the energizer bunny. annoying children everywhere since the '80s.

[my-weird-news]

🔥 Unbelievable Eurodance Anthem! DJ Crazy Times Nails It!

Planet of the Bass: A Eurodance Odyssey that Hip-Hopped Its Way to Stardom 🎶 Hey there, party animals and groove enthusiasts, gather 'round for a tale of unexpected musical alchemy! It's like that time when your grandma tried to make a cake, but accidentally baked a disco ball instead. 🕺💃 So, imagine this: TikTok, that vortex of viral trends, is the birthplace of peculiar fame fusion. Like, who could've guessed that two regular folks, comedian Kyle Gordon and the mystical-sounding Audrey Trullinger, would morph into pop sensation creators? If TikTok were a genie, it granted their wish to turn their "Every European Dance Song in the 1990s" parody video into a surprise musical hit! The only thing that didn't surprise anyone was the world trying to groove its way to an early Spotify release. I mean, even grandma was spotted shimmying in her orthopedic shoes. Picture this: Kyle Gordon, the man who knows how to impersonate "the kid who's no fun" better than your actual cousin, unleashed his alter ego, DJ Crazy Times. And boy, did DJ Crazy Times really time travel! Back to a time when people couldn't resist dancing like malfunctioning robots on ecstasy while singing about, well, who knows what! Seriously, the lyrics sound like they were written by a malfunctioning translation app after a few too many tequila shots. 🤖🎤 Now, where did they shoot this surreal masterpiece? The Oculus, the world's most intergalactic shopping mall, it seems. Seriously, it's white, sleek, and looks like it was designed by aliens who binge-watched MTV from the '90s. And let's talk fashion! Audrey Trullinger's crimped hair was like a love letter to the '90s beach vibes, and Kyle Gordon rocked the ultimate "I'm here to party" look with a burgundy wig that says, "I mean business, but also, not really." 🛸🕶️ Hold up, the birth of this sensation has a backstory! Turns out, Kyle had been perfecting DJ Crazy Times since college, which obviously makes him a DJ veteran. He'd been cooking up the idea while jamming to Eurodance, the kind of music that's so quirky and fun that it could out-dance a squirrel on caffeine. And let's not forget the lyrics! "All of the dream / How does it mean?" Uhm, profound question, DJ Crazy Times. And then the rap verse drops, teaching us about life, sex, and bass that goes zoom! It's like your grandpa's advice about life, but on an EDM beat. But wait, the '90s weren't just about dancing like you're trying to fix a glitchy robot. Eurodance was all about uniting East and West Berliners post-Berlin Wall crash, and apparently, techno music was their love potion. Who knew that beats could mend walls and break dance battles all at once? 🚧💃 Here's the irony: Eurodance started in the US, and yet we shrugged it off like a disco ball in the corner of a roller rink. It was born from queer and POC communities, but the disco stigma in the '70s gave it an early curfew. Thankfully, Europe adopted it like a lost puppy, and it grew up to be the Eurodance we awkwardly swayed to at school dances. Fast forward to today, Eurodance is having a renaissance, thanks to artists like Nicki Minaj and Bebe Rexha giving it a much-needed spotlight. It's like finding that old glittery jacket in your closet and realizing it's cool again. 🌈✨ So, there you have it, folks! "Planet of the Bass" is not just a bop, it's a time-traveling, genre-bending journey back to when techno was uniting cities and making the world dance, even if we didn't quite get the lyrics. Let's all raise a glow stick and salute the promised land of no wars, lots of sex, and some really groovy "everybody movement"! 🌍🎉# Planet of the Bass: A Eurodance Odyssey that Hip-Hopped Its Way to Stardom 🎶 Hey there, party animals and groove enthusiasts, gather 'round for a tale of unexpected musical alchemy! It's like that time when your grandma tried to make a cake, but accidentally baked a disco ball instead. 🕺💃 So, imagine this: TikTok, that vortex of viral trends, is the birthplace of peculiar fame fusion. Like, who could've guessed that two regular folks, comedian Kyle Gordon and the mystical-sounding Audrey Trullinger, would morph into pop sensation creators? If TikTok were a genie, it granted their wish to turn their "Every European Dance Song in the 1990s" parody video into a surprise musical hit! The only thing that didn't surprise anyone was the world trying to groove its way to an early Spotify release. I mean, even grandma was spotted shimmying in her orthopedic shoes. Picture this: Kyle Gordon, the man who knows how to impersonate "the kid who's no fun" better than your actual cousin, unleashed his alter ego, DJ Crazy Times. And boy, did DJ Crazy Times really time travel! Back to a time when people couldn't resist dancing like malfunctioning robots on ecstasy while singing about, well, who knows what! Seriously, the lyrics sound like they were written by a malfunctioning translation app after a few too many tequila shots. 🤖🎤 Now, where did they shoot this surreal masterpiece? The Oculus, the world's most intergalactic shopping mall, it seems. Seriously, it's white, sleek, and looks like it was designed by aliens who binge-watched MTV from the '90s. And let's talk fashion! Audrey Trullinger's crimped hair was like a love letter to the '90s beach vibes, and Kyle Gordon rocked the ultimate "I'm here to party" look with a burgundy wig that says, "I mean business, but also, not really." 🛸🕶️ Hold up, the birth of this sensation has a backstory! Turns out, Kyle had been perfecting DJ Crazy Times since college, which obviously makes him a DJ veteran. He'd been cooking up the idea while jamming to Eurodance, the kind of music that's so quirky and fun that it could out-dance a squirrel on caffeine. And let's not forget the lyrics! "All of the dream / How does it mean?" Uhm, profound question, DJ Crazy Times. And then the rap verse drops, teaching us about life, sex, and bass that goes zoom! It's like your grandpa's advice about life, but on an EDM beat. But wait, the '90s weren't just about dancing like you're trying to fix a glitchy robot. Eurodance was all about uniting East and West Berliners post-Berlin Wall crash, and apparently, techno music was their love potion. Who knew that beats could mend walls and break dance battles all at once? 🚧💃 Here's the irony: Eurodance started in the US, and yet we shrugged it off like a disco ball in the corner of a roller rink. It was born from queer and POC communities, but the disco stigma in the '70s gave it an early curfew. Thankfully, Europe adopted it like a lost puppy, and it grew up to be the Eurodance we awkwardly swayed to at school dances. Fast forward to today, Eurodance is having a renaissance, thanks to artists like Nicki Minaj and Bebe Rexha giving it a much-needed spotlight. It's like finding that old glittery jacket in your closet and realizing it's cool again. 🌈✨ So, there you have it, folks! "Planet of the Bass" is not just a bop, it's a time-traveling, genre-bending journey back to when techno was uniting cities and making the world dance, even if we didn't quite get the lyrics. Let's all raise a glow stick and salute the promised land of no wars, lots of sex, and some really groovy "everybody movement"! 🌍🎉 Read the full article

[avinaccia]

A Completely Objective and Logical Ranking of Every Hetalia Character Song

New character songs are dropping,  I have too much time on my hands, let’s go. 

Also here’s a Youtube playlist for the ~✨nostalgia✨~

Bring it on in the tags 

71. Ah Legendary Class⭐The Awesome Me Highway [Prussia]: Absolutely tearing it up on the drums and on the vocal cords alike (I pray for Atsushi Kousaka). Great for the memes. 

70.  Happy Thoughts Museum [???]: This is listed as an official song but I had literally never heard of the title. Then I listened to it and BAM! Smack back to 2013 watching the teasers for the show on Funimation. Not sure I’d count it as a character song though...

69. (Nice)  My Song that is written by me for me [Prussia]: Deafened me but I can appreciate the industrial grind.

68.  My House is...Quiet. ~With the Trolls~ [Norway]: I have never heard this song, nor can I find any version of it online. By default it goes here and I am so sorry Norge.

67.  Make a Wish to Santa♪ [Sealand]: The discordant notes and childish exuberance only serve to make this sound like a demonic plea to Santa to eliminate the singer’s enemies.

66.  Heaven and Hell on Earth [Rome]: Rome sounds like he’s been in the corner of a restroom. Extra points for the metal version, minus points for the fact that the beach scene was replayed like 1764 times.

65. Canada Complete Introduction [Canada]: Quiet af until Kumacheerio shows up and blows out your speakers. they did you dirty my darling 😔

64.  It’s Easy!!! [America]: I don't think any video of this has ever stayed up for more than 20 seconds. Sounds cool, but like I was listening to 20 different genres at once, someone make him calm down.

63.  Bù Zàiyì the Small Stuff ☆ [China]: I cannot for the life of me find the complete song anywhere, clips have a cool beat though

62.  Let's Boil Hot Water♪ [Italy]: Exactly what it says on the tin..though a bit too close to elevator music for my tastes.

61.  The Fragrance of Early Summer [Japan]: Very ‘from the books’ Japan-esque song

60.  Peace Sounds Nice…[Baltic Trio]: All well and good until the radio demon shows up

59.  W●D●C ~World Dancing~ [America]: How a song can sound like it’s from 4 different decades at once is beyond me

58.  Overflowing Passion [BFT]: This is just drunken karaoke and I have 0 clue what’s going on #iconicforallthewrongreasons

57. Ren●Ren●Renaissance♪ [Rome+Chibitalia]: Wholesome Grandpa with Grandson content - barring the fact that Italy sounds on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Rome has had too much wine.

56.  Roma Antiqua [Rome]: Similar energy to any one of China’s songs - there’s a part of the song where it sounds like he’s singing in the shower, and I will never not laugh at [CENSORED]

55.  Country From Where the Sun Rises, Zipangu [Japan]: Very chill, very Japan, but just meh for me.

54.  Moon Over Emei Shan [China]: Good message, okay song.

53.  My Friend [England]: What a mind palace you must have Mr. Kirkland

52.  With Love, from Iceland [Iceland]: Three words: Heavy. Metal. Puffin.

51.  Having Friends is Nice...♫ [Russia]: Russia is the cutest thing ever

50.  Mm. [Sweden]: Smooth transition from WWE Smackdown to shopping at IKEA.

49.  Why don’t you come over? ~Beyond the Northern Lights~ [Iceland]: I don’t want to be mean but...this does sound like the second closing theme to an anime whose first closing was much more popular (à la Soul Eater)

48. Gakuen☆Festa [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Sounds like a 60s song of the summer but oh dear their voices do not go together. Hella cute though.

47.  Wa! Wa!! World Ondo [Main Cast]: One time I travelled 10 hours in a coach bus with a bunch of teenagers to a city of note in my country, and the only souvenir I bought was the fucking PAINT IT WHITE DVD. Perfectly chaotic, UN ĐĕùX~~

46.  In the Bluebell Woods [England]: In the album cover for this song he’s holding a guitar but this is not a rock song. Still has ‘running through the hills’ levels of dramatism though.

45.  Poi Poi Poi♪ [Taiwan]: You’re telling me that Taiwan, someone whose has *ONE LINE* in Beautiful World (which is criminal tbh what kind of representation-) managed to get an eNTIRE CHARACTER SONG???????

44.  White Flame [Russia]: There’s something to be said for a song that is 3x the length of any Hetalia episode

43.  Ich liebe… [Germany]: Baking cakes for your friends has never been so wholesome.

42.  We Wish you a Merry Christmas [America, China, England, France, Russia]: Nice to see they’ve gotten their shit together since United Nations Sta-hmm.

41.  Ah, Worldwide à la mode [France]: Sounds like a Disney Princess song, hard not to picture France frolicking in a field of flowers.

40.  Che Bello! ~My House is the Greatest!⭐~ [Italy]: Would not be out of place in an advertisement for Sea World.

39.  May You Smile Today [Japan]: THE feel good song of the summer

38.  Let’s Look Behind the Rainbow [Italy]: I will protect you.

37.  I'm your HERO☆ [America]: “Anyone who’s sad or sullen will be arrested” did NOT age well.

36.  Mein Gott! [Prussia]: Alternating headphone effect at the beginning is cool, so is the confidence...the actual singing on the other hand...

35. Nihao⭐China [China]: Listen, all of China’s character songs are great, I just can’t vibe with this one like some of the others.

34.  Pechka ~Light My Heart~ [Russia]: I’m still having difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that this and Winter were released at the same time.

33.  Pukapuka⭐Vacation [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Seems just a bit too much like they’re running on a treadmill that’s picking up speed and trying to sing at the same time. Peppy.

32.  Santa Claus is Coming to Town [Germany, Italy, Japan]: This is unironically the best song sung by this trio; can only vibe with for two months out of the year though.

31.  Excuse Me, I Am Sorry [Japan]: Japan’s character traits speedrun. Gives me barbershop quartet vibes for some reason but is catchy as hell.

30.  The Story of Snow and Dreams [Russia]: A superhero anime opening in the making

29. England’s Evil Demon Summoning Song [England]: Sir that is not how you roast a marshmallow, don’t cut yourself on that edge.

28.  Moi Moi Sauna♪ [Finland]: Exactly the type of song you’d expect and it’s wonderful

27.  United Nations Star⭐ [America, China, England, France, Russia]: This isn’t as much of a song as it is a four minute struggle for everyone to sing without America yelling every 5 seconds...Like a particularly musical episode of Hetalia.

26.  Paris is Indeed Splendid [France]: Paris-pa-pa-pa-paris

25.  Absolutely Invincible British Gentleman [England]: Poppy, rocky, polka-dotty

24.  Vorwärts Marsch! [Germany]: To quote the comment section: “This sounds like a German version of I’ll Make a Man out of you.” There’s some truth to that.

23.  Hamburger Street [America]: The product of America’s rapper phase. 8/10 because he’s trying so hard and because I can unironically sing along to all of this.

22.  Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy [Hong Kong]: A song that would absolutely destroy the ankles of anyone in DDR.

21.  I Am German-Made [Germany]: There was once a version that had Germany and Prussia singing at the same time and it sounded positively demonic and Broadway could never

20.  La pasión no se detiene ~Unstoppable Passion~ [Spain]: Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping...

19.  Fall in Love, Mademoiselle [France]: Sounds like it should be in Mozart Opera Rock, I have kiss kiss falled in love.

18. Embrace the Très Bien Moi [France]: This is the definition of SELF LOVE PEOPLE. 

17. Carrot and Stick [Belarus&Ukraine]: Absolutely DRIPPING in 2000s power ballad energy. The type of song that plays on repeat in the mind of the widow whose millionaire husband ‘mysteriously disappeared’ (and the only legit character song ever acknowledged by the anime)

16. C.B.C (Cowboyz Boot Camp) Vol. 1 [America]: AH MAH GAWWDDD

15. Winter [Russia]: Heavy metal fever dream and the perfect song for an angst-ridden teenager

14.  Seychelles Here ⭐ Vacation Island [Seychelles]: UN👏DER👏RA👏TED SONG👏OF 👏THE 👏SUM👏MER👏

13.  Nah, it will settle itself somehow [Romano]: One day I aspire to reach this level of chill

12.  Let’s Enjoy Today [England]: I will never not feel happy when listening to this.

11.  Einsamkeit [Germany]: Ludwig manages to air every single one of his worries about not being good enough compared to his friends and always being perceived as mean or uptight when he’s actually just a softie and now my heart hurts. 💔

10.  Aiyaa Four Thousand Years [China]: A very poignant and beautiful song about the passage of time and the inevitability of its passing; comparable to an ancient ballad complete with explosive crescendos and meaningful lyrics.

9.  Bon Bon Bon❤️C’est Bon C’est Bon! [France]: Peppy, cheerful, adorable, groundbreaking; has been my alarm tone for six years and I’ve yet to tire of it. 9/10 The moaning interspersed throughout has been an interesting wake-up call.

8.  Let’s Enjoy! Let’s Get Excited! Cheers! [Denmark]: This is on par with Everytime we Touch by Cascada in terms of rage potential unlocked (the good kind)

7.  Dream Journey [Japan]: Whoever’s playing the shakuhachi is absolutely KILLING IT. Dramatic, wonderful, great metaphors.

6.  Gourmet’s Heart Beginner Level [China]: Absolute banger, I’m a vegetarian but this would inspire me to eat shumai.

5.  Always with you...Nordic Five! [Nordic FIVVVVVEEEE]: Everyone harmonizes beautifully except for Denmark. Extremely catchy, number placement seemed appropriate. 

4.  Pub and GO! [England]: I love this trash man

3. Maji Kandou⭐Hong Kong Night [Hong Kong]: If you thought Denmark’s song was a banger JUST YOU WAIT. I WILL BLOW OUT MY SPEAKERS LISTENING TO LO-HA-SU.

2. Steady Rhythmus [Germany]: THIS SONG IS METAL AF. Seriously, if it can be classified as ‘hardcore’ by my father and his group of 50-somethings who have decided to single-handedly gatekeep the metal and hardrock genres, it can do anything.

1.  The Delicious Tomato Song 🍅 [Romano]: Beautiful, absolutely awe-inspiring, poignant, catchy lyrics with an extremely deep meaning that only years of meticulous research and analysis can unlock, Romano I love you.

BONUS: Closing Songs

5. Hatafutte Parade (World Series) 

4. Hetalian⭐Jet (The World Twinkle): The song is good, the dancing is cursed 

3. Chikyuu Marugoto Hug Shitainda (World⭐Stars)

2. Marukaite Chikyuu (Hetalia: Axis Powers): nE NE PaPA

1. Mawaru Chikyuu Rondo (The Beautiful World)

[monkey-network]

My Issues with Butch Hartman

Call this the sequel to my post on Mr. Enter. But honestly compared to Enter, Butch Hartman has made himself look far worse in so little time. Not only with how he uses his influence, but he basically showed his true colors not long after he left Nickelodeon. With Enter, the worst you can say about him is his opinions on media and his politics. With Hartman, there is a surprisingly lot more under his belt that made the hate towards him .

To preface this, while I’m gonna shit on this dude, I’m not shaming anyone who still likes his past content. With that said, bibbity Boppity boopity. Let’s look at the fucking scoopity.

The Telltale Oaxis

This really takes the cake as the scummiest thing Butch has done. Words and opinions can be one thing, but using your platform to basically trick some people out of their money for a project you abandoned for the most part grinds me gears a lot more. As bad as his marketing strategy was, at least Enter provided effort in his indiegogo project beforehand for god’s sake. Oaxis is one of the most pitiable crowdfunded projects I’ve seen.

It’s nearly two years since Butch got Oaxis funded and what have gotten beyond pure dead silence. Nearly two years and little to no significant updates for Oaxis’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, his Youtube, or the site’s official account. No wait, that last part’s kind of a lie. They had monthly updates on the official site up until September 2019. Could’ve posted this on their social medias but you take what you can get. 

The major takeaway from the updates, in all fairness, was that the kickstarter wasn’t enough and they still need to raise more funds for the service. The “capital-building” stage he calls it where he’s looking for more investors in addition to getting actual programs onto the service. That and Oaxis is a big vision for Butch and his wife in spite of not only giving up the monthly updates and basically secluding any mention of Oaxis from any place else. That’s basically it and I legit feel sorry for everyone that couldn’t get their refund back.

This isn’t HBO Max or Disney+ where you just expect them to have something together after their initial announcement because they’re already media conglomerates, this is an independent project. One that people, your fans included Butch, put over 200K thinking you would at least give people something. But beyond a “sizzle reel” that said nothing aside from Oaxis going to be a thing, you have presented jack after two years. I don’t expect the ins and outs of every business meeting with executives, but staying silent about everything except for monthly newsletters that offer very little encouraging progress and hasn’t updated since September of last year is not a good sign. And I’m especially hard on this topic, Butch, because this is the biggest point where it is seriously hard to trust you. It’s not criticizing your ego when after having too many cracks in your story, you really haven’t put your money where your mouth is.

I don’t wanna presume the guy’s given up on it, hoping everybody would forget it after a while, but he’s really put the effort in to make Oaxis feel like a afterthought. I’m not an expert in business, but even I can believe that after his non-apology for not being upfront with his initial intentions, that he’d try to provide updates on the project to not come off as the scam artist people have accused him as. Even with his Youtube channel that I’ll get to later, I don’t think it’s hard consistently posting about your so called vision if you have that much faith in its success. You’ve already gotten thousands of bucks initially with the crowdfund, people deserve more than your pitiful wishful platitudes and I unfortunately can’t believe you’ll have anything after a few years. It’s not that everyone forgot about it, but you mostly took the money and ran. If Butch pops up with something if he sees this somehow, I’ll eat that crow, but I sincerely doubt it after this long. Like at least post something on the Twitter, I get depressed just looking at it; that account is the textbook definition of famine.

The Childhood Reposter

I’ve brought up Butch’s youtube channel a couple times, and it’s when every time I look at it, it’s a little sad. When it comes to major creators, I typically think that after finishing their projects they’d move to newer things. People like Lauren Faust, Mike Judge, CH Greenblatt are all continuing to make new works under differing studios while new creators are getting the spotlight. Butch though? I mean, he has a new cartoon that I swear you’ve never heard about but other than that, the dude looks like he has little to say for himself nowadays beyond the 2 shows he’s famous for, Fairly Odd Parents and Danny Phantom. I would’ve added TUFF Puppy and Bunsen is a Beast but I can see that those two aren’t his major players seeing as how they’re rarely ever mentioned on the channel.

If it’s not some watchmojo level meme video, almost every other video is about either two of those shows in some varied fashion. I get that he “created your childhood” and made credulous bank from Nickelodeon, but it’s like Danny Phantom is all that stands between him and having an audience. That and drawing anime characters in his style which is... y’know, I’ll leave that to you. It’s like he retired and yet goes on about the good old days like a fluctuating ego. He’s still making a cartoon but to him that’s hardly a factor compared to his known successes.

Personally, I wouldn’t want to just be known as the guy who made two of your countless beloved cartoons. Not that that’s all he talks about, but it’s the insistence of his legacy that unfortunately gives me Bojack Horseman vibes. He no doubt has a good thing going but I believe that this isn’t gonna last. Just saying, dude has 850K subscribers and unless it’s a real hook like with the recent Danny Phantom/Jake Long death battle, he’s hardly getting a good fraction of views anymore. There’s only so many times you can milk Danny Phantom as your masterpiece before everyone moves on.

The Holy Boast

I wanna make this short because I’m not a huge talker of religion, but I stand to say that you should NOT, under any circumstance, believe BPD, PTSD, autism, fucking heart & kidney failure can be “cured” or “healed” through sermons of prayer. This here? This is genuinely something else.

https://www.healingjourneys.today/

For clarity, this was a gospel conference hosted by Butch and his wife and yes, they openly proclaim that BPD, austism, and heart disease can be cured through prayer of holy worship.

Now, I’m gonna give a full disclosure right here because this most certainly biases my point here, like I’m gonna own this. But my grandpa was a religious man that suffer from health problems. He notably prayed to carry on, yes, but at the same time he sought medical help. Even he told me that prayers wasn’t gonna keep the pacemaker going, he went to the doctors and actually did more than read the bible to improve himself. He unfortunately passed, but he was in his 70s and I honestly couldn’t believe, as hard as I try, that he was gonna live forever. My grandpa would’ve no doubt died far earlier if he followed this conference’s logic.

My point is that this is personally unsettling. I seriously cannot believe this is how autism and religion works and it blows my mind that him and his wife thought this conference was a suitable idea. I’m not bashing them as christians, but thinking mental disorders and bodily diseases can be done away with motivational seminars because that’s basically what they are is a legit slap to the face. And the seedling idea that they’ve done this before blows my mind.

The Financial Flaker

This is very recent and everything is generally explained in the 12 minute video but long story short: Butch hired an artist and never paid them for their work. The artist in question, Kuro, describes what happened between him and Butch in this video and provides receipts. Can’t really add anything to this myself beyond this just builds to the idea that Butch cannot be trusted as a professional business maker. I believe he still has people working for him but from this video, it tells me that Hartman will gladly use those lower than him in favorable pursuits and will gladly throw ignorance when he wants to because his cartoon veteran status presents that shield from thinking he can do no wrong, which can mean throttling his hires.  Let’s end this.

The Conclusion

When I get down to it, Butch is almost a Machiavellian character in a way. It’s amazing how much the trust people have had with Hartman have evaporated in less than a couple years. It’s amazing how much his ego has truly shown after he stopped being a namestay in Nickelodeon. Haven’t even mentioned the times he arrogantly deflected criticism because he was a namestay at Nick and how a couple who’ve worked with are well aware of his ego. I can’t help but believe that even after everything, he claims ignorance to his fall from grace and keeps going. Even when more and more are knowing his true self, he’s mostly just doing what he’s been doing for the past few years.

It’s respectable in a way, but shows that the world will move on without him. Again, if you like Danny Phantom and Fairly OddParents, I won’t judge you for it nor say you should be ashamed. This isn’t about cancelling Butch, or get him to stop spreading whatever wacky things he believes in. It’s my personal take of how this man whom I once respected because of what he made before has lost every bit of that from me. It really feels like he grew up with that “I Created Your Childhood” mentality being a 4 time showrunner for almost a couple decades. And when he finally left Nickelodeon, I guess the chance to be that stand out self-made success got to his head and he finally showed his true colors. I now find it hard to believe Butch cares about the little guy that were his fans as much as he rides off his success and others who tolerate him. As such, like JK Rowling, more are seeing this side of him and leaving him behind. Meanwhile Butch is gonna chug on until he just loses steam. It’s kinda like Icarus where the guy will make every effort to fly to the sun. But sooner or later, he’s gonna fall, and in the end I doubt anyone’s gonna care to see it. I know he won’t.

[molly2140]

I feel like showing off my vinyl collection, feel free to show me yours!

I'm an avid 70s/80s/90s collector, and deeply wish I could've been alive for all of that, most of my vinyls are 70s/80s, some older, some newer. Some are 100% vintage, others are newly made/released. My dad (who brought me up on literally everything 70s and 80s) got me a record player for Christmas and helped me start my collection, since then it's grown rapidly.

First I must show off my RDR2 vinyls, with Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads", his songs are perfect to listen to while playing RDR2, "Big Iron" being one of my favorites.

Dad got me all 3 of my Queen albums for Christmas, as he knows that Queen is perhaps my favorite band of all time, I've been trying to find vintage vinyls of their albums rather than the newly remade ones, haven't had much luck yet but we will get there. :)

Did I mention that my dad and I are diehard Gordon Lightfoot fans? "Summertime Dream" and "Sundown" are perhaps my favorite albums. Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" holds a special place in my heart. While the song is based off of a true story, about the tragic sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior, this song has a deeper connection with me. My dad, my Uncle Rob, and my Uncle Rodney, they loved this song so much, they would sit and listen to it on repeat for hours and hours mesmerized by the story that it told, along with Lightfoot's iconic voice, and the instruments itself. This was their group song essentially. Unfortunately, on July 25, 2019 (a year ago this coming Saturday), my Uncle Rodney lost his battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), he was only 49 years old, a year younger than my dad. It was something we would never expect happen to any of us, let alone him. Uncle Rodney went out of his way for everyone, he'd help everyone whenever he could and would never ask for or expect anything in return. He put his family first, he loved and cared for his kids the best he could, he worked his ass off hand crafting furniture out of cedar wood, and adding onto his home and designing it just the way a true country boy could ever want it, he was dedicated to his job, his family, and his friends. Hard to believe it will be a whole year this weekend, not a day goes by where I don't think about him, he was like a second dad to me, and I greatly wished that I'd had more time with him, especially hugs, he gave the best hugs.

However he'd want me to carry on and continue to be happy, and it was hard the first few months after he passed, I went into a depression spell, and starting coming out of it in February, and then I met the man who is now my boyfriend. I don't know if it was just coincidence, or if Uncle Rodney had a hand in all of it, but I shit you not, my boyfriend reminds me so much of him, including my dad. My family absolutely loves him and has taken him in already, and I've never been this happy. But alas, this isn't supposed to be my life's story, but some of these records mean so much to me, and Lightfoot's records will forever hold a special place in my heart, for the very sole reason you just read about.

Moving on! These are some great records I found on a clearance rack at a record store, all under $5 a piece! My grandpa is a huge John Denver fan, so he very much appreciates it when he stops by our house and hears me blasting that album from my room haha. My boyfriend loves The Oak Ridge Boys, and let me tell you, he can sing the oom poppa mow mows in the song "Elvira" perfectly, and I melt everytime haha. Rosanne Cash, her music gets played constantly whenever we are having a party at my Uncle Rob's house, so when I hear her voice, it makes me want to go down there and have a great time. The Outlaws, I only recently discovered them but I really enjoy this album in particular, "You Are the Show" is perhaps my favorite song on the album, I sing this one a lot no matter how terrible I may be at it, I can't help it lol.

Ah yes, more classics. My dad really enjoys when I decide to blast my CCR album (a birthday present from my boyfriend). "Fortunate Son" is probably my dad's favorite CCR song, and it is definitely his theme song. Boston and Molly Hatchet are two of my other favorites for sure, including Chicago, it has been awhile since I listened to them, but they sure are fun.

Oh these three here I love talking about. I mean, who doesn't love Footloose and Dirty Dancing? The Footloose record is vintage, the Dirty Dancing one is a newly released version, but I ended up buying it anyways as the record itself is that purple color of awesomeness. The Quiet Riot one I found at an antique store, my favorite album of theirs, and because it's a picture vinyl, I had to have it. It looks kickass watching it on the record player.

Any Fleetwood Mac fans? My witchy sisters, this is our music. I can actually sing Stevie Nicks pretty decently, my boyfriend absolutely loves it when I do. "Tango in the Night" is my favorite Fleetwood Mac album, I listen to this record religiously. Once I listened to it on repeat for about 3 days straight, and my dad eventually had to tell me to switch to a different record because he was ready to hear some other great music 😂 The song "Twisted" which Stevie sang with Lindsey Buckingham, was part of the 1996 movie "Twister" with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. My favorite movie, and my favorite Stevie Nicks song, might I also mention that I'm a weather nut and also studying for a degree in meteorology? Yeah, I also chase tornadoes, hence why "Twister" is my favorite movie.

And last but not least, these two little guys. Tiësto is perhaps my favorite DJ of all time, his classic hits and even the new ones, always give me such a vibe that is so enjoyable. My favorite mix of his? "Silence" by Delerium with Sarah Maclachlan, this was one of Tiësto's "In Search of Sunrise" mixes, and I still get absolute chills hearing it.

Oh yes, I forgot to add, a bunch of the vintage vinyls I bought, I got at Guestroom Records in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma while I was there back in May. They have a giant clearance section with records under $5, and of course they have all the newly released music, and even full collection sets. My favorite part? They also have a beautiful kitty cat that lives at the store and he/she is such a lovely kitty. So if you're in OKC and wanna buy some vinyls? This is your place.

So that's all of my vinyls I have so far! I hope you enjoyed seeing my collection, and reading about why they mean so much to me, I hope I didn't bore you too much with them haha. Again, feel free to show me some of yours! Tell me why they mean so much to you! :)

[kiritonarukami]

rules: answer these 85 statements about yourself, then tag 15 people

tagged by: @kashimasyuu (thanks for the tag Nat!!!)

tagging: @touka-tsuwamono @dominantecode @hachikenz @hexagon431 @taikos (Only if you want to!)

LAST

1. drink - Water (gotta stay hydrated!)

2. 📱 call - My aunt called me asking about the photos I took during our California trip lol

3. text - I was texting my cousin about her trip while she’s in Colorado!

4. song you listened to - KODO by nonoc (Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka OP)

5. time you 😢 - WHEN I WATCHED “I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS” IN THEATERS A MONTH AGO

HAVE YOU EVER

6. dated someone twice - Noooooope

7. 😘 someone and regretted it - Never regret LOL

8. been cheated on - Nope

9. lost someone special - I lost my Grandpa back in 2000 but that’s a long ans sad story...

10. been depressed - COLLEGE

11. gotten drunk and thrown up - I tend to party hard but I’ve never thrown up! *Knocks on wood*

FAVORITE COLORS

12. Blue

13. Black

14. White

15. Grey

in the last year have you

16. made new friends - Tons! 

17. fallen out of 💛 - Never fell to begin with lol

18. 😂 until you 😢 - Only at my own puns

19. found out someone was talking about you - not in a bad way

20. met someone who changed you - Does EMT count?

21. found out who your friends are - I think they’ve all stayed the same?

22. 😘 someone on your facebook friends list - Ain’t nobody got time for that!

GENERAL

23. how many friends from your fb friends list do you know irl - 90%?

24. do you have any pets - I have 4 fish! 

25. do you want to change your middle name - I mean......it’s my vietnamese name so no? 

26. what did you do for your last 🎂 - I had a birthday WEEK! Went to like 2 raves (Dillon Francis/Alison Wonderland & Excision), watched “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas”, and then ended it with a birthday/Vietnamese New Year party with the family! 

27. what time did you wake up today - 9AM because I’m currently drowning in so much homework I might throw up. 

28. what were you doing last night at midnight - Catching up on anime because I didn’t want to do my homework (please don’t judge me). 

29. what is something you can’t wait for - GRADUATION HALLELUJAH

30. what are you listening to right now - Right now it’s We Might Fall (Absent Remix) by Ghastly x Matthew Koma 

31. have you ever talked to a person named tom - I had a cat that was named Tom

32. something that gets on your nerves - Probably when you ask people about something and all they say is “sure”. LIKE DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS OR NOT. Sure is the worst thing you could use with me :/

33. most visited website - Tumblr and my anime blog tbh 

34. hair color - Black! Although I did have blonde highlights at some point in my life.... lol

35. long hair or short hair - Short, I have my sides shaved and the top long (neck length?).

36. do you have a crush on someone - Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

37. what do you like about yourself - I like how ambitious and adventurous I am, I’m always taking up new hobbies and trying to get good at all of them! 

38. want any piercings - Hmmm I’ve always wanted to pierce my ear lobes...

39. blood type - .....good question

40. nicknames - It’s usually just Dennis, though my co workers like to reference me as “YA BOIIIII”. Oh and I was known as the “Asian Sensation” back in high school lol 

41. relationship status - SINGLE AS A PRINGLE

42. zodiac - aquarius 

43. pronouns - he/him

44. favorite 📺 show - Outside of anime, I remember being super into NCIS oh and I enjoy How I Met Your Mother and The Office lol As for anime, Gintama will always e number 1! 

45. tattoos - I would like one! just not sure where or what lol 

46. right handed or left - LEFT

47. ever had surgery - Other than my wisdom teeth, nope

48. piercings - currently none :(

49. sports - Volleyball! 

50. vacation - Just came back from my California trip (maybe I should post photos?) and will be going to Anime Expo in July ! 

51. trainers - I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST, LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS *Instrumental*

MORE GENERAL

52. eating - No Rice, No Life

53. drinking - H20

54. i’m about to watch - I think I wanna watch the Non Non Biyori Vacation Movie tonight! 

55. waiting for - This semester to be OVER.

56. want - my tac refund so I can finally buy my DJ Controller :)))

57. get married - 

58. career - Architect! (but on the side a game developer, music producer, and artist)

WHICH IS BETTER

59. kisses or hugs - Hugs are easier to pass around LOL

60. 👄 or eyes - Eyes

61. shorter or taller - Shorter, although I don’t mind taller

62. older or younger - Younger

63. nice arms or stomach - hm.....stomach? 

64. hookup or relationship - relationship

65. troublemaker or hesitant - Troublemaker for sure!

HAVE YOU EVER

66. 😘 a stranger - I might’ve? lol

67. drank hard liquor - TOO MUCH

68. lost glasses - No, but I’ve broken like.....4 pairs hahahaha.....

69. turned someone down - Yes

70. sex on first date - Eh. 

71. broken someone’s ❤️ - Yes

72. had your 💔 - Not yet...

73. been arrested - Nope (Surprisingly)

74. 😢 when someone died - Yes

75. fallen for a friend - No?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

76. yourself - As much as I can

77. miracles - Yeah

78. 💛 at first sight - only in anime 

79. 🎅 - It’s been a minute since I did...

80. 😘 on a first date - If the vibe is right! 

81. angels - Everyone that goes out of their way to help other people is an angel in my eyes. 

other

82. best friend’s name - this would be a pretty long list....

83. eye color - Brown

84. favorite movie - At the moment, “Black Panther” but also “I Want To Eat Your Pancreas”/

85. favorite actor - Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. 

[libralita]

Title: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Illustrations: Hayley Lazo

Summary: On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things.

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

I really regret reading this book because now it’s going to be a stiff competition between this and Oathbringer for my favorite of the year. I forget if it was a review or someone told me that you should wait until you’re familiar with Brandon’s humor. I will also recommend that. I’ve read all of Brandon’s other books and this was just beautiful. I have a love for meta humor and sarcasm. I love Deadpool and this is basically Middle Grade Deadpool in the best way possible. If your kids have grasped sarcasm then read them this book, they will adore it and so will you.

If you’re a childless Cosmerenaut then I also recommend you read this. It has A Series of Unfortunate Events vibes but I liked it better because it was just funnier. Part of it was because Alcatraz is familiar with our world and is being thrust into this weird world so he has hilarious reactions. Also, weird and hilarious things happen more often in this series. A Series of Unfortunate Events is more dry wit while this is just blunt sarcasm which is more my type of humor.

Also, I highly recommend the audiobook for this one. The narrator has perfect comedic timing.

“In the Hushlands—those Librarian-controlled nations such as the United States, Canada and Eland—this book will be published as a work of fantasy.”—Page 11

I…um, okay.

“Then I went inside my house and set the kitchen on fire.”—Page 16

Well, that escalated quickly.

“You realize, of course, that you are worthless.”—Ms. Fletcher, Page 24

The realism in this book is amazing. Also, considering that Fletcher is revealed to be Alcatraz’s mother is a little concerning…Like, you just called your son worthless.

“I’ve been many things in my life. Student. Spy. Sacrificed. Potted Plant.”—Page 25

Potted…?

“However, at this point, I’m something completely different from all those—something more frightening than any of them. I’m a writer.”—Page 25

Brandon is having way too much fun with this book.

“Now, looking back, I realized that this was a silly thought. Everybody has a grandfather—two of them, actually. Just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. In that way, grandfathers are kind of like kangaroos.”—Page 29

Kangaroos? But…this book is weird.

“Hyperventilating Hobbs”—Page 31

Like, Robin Hobbs? Cute.

“Obviously, you are a person of very poor judgment. I would ask you to kindly refrain from drawing conclusions that I don’t explicitly tell you to make. That��s a very bad habit, and it makes authors grumpy.”—Pages 34-35

Now, who would ever do that?

“Instead, his dogs will die. Or, in some cases, his mother will die. If it’s a really meaningful book, both his dog and his mother will die. (Apparently, most writers have something against dogs and mothers.)”—Page 58

Brandon knows what’s up.

These Talents are hilarious. Breaking things, arriving late, tripping and falling to the ground.

“Grandpa Smedry laughed. ‘Bad aim! He didn’t have a chance of hitting me. I arrived late to every shot. Your Talent can do some great things, my boy, but it’s not the only powerful ability around! I’ve been arriving late to my own death since before you were born. In fact, once I was so late to an appointment that I got there before I left!’”—Page 70

Okay, that last sentence doesn’t make a lick of sense but I love how Sanderson makes these stupid Talents awesome.

“Remember, despite the fact that this book is being sold as a ‘fantasy’ novel, you must take all of the things it says extremely seriously, as they are quite important, are in no way silly, and always make sense. Rutabaga.”—Page 74

I laughed so hard at this and I don’t know why. Just rutabaga. Also, did Brandon just sum up the Cosmere?

“‘I—’ I began. ‘Must I remind you, Alcatraz,’ Grandpa Smedry said, ‘that you shouldn’t swear?’”—Pages 75-76

What.

“The wiry man nodded. ‘Cantaloupe, fluttering paper makes a duck.’ I frowned. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ ‘Don’t mind him,’ Bastille said. ‘He says things that don’t make sense.’”—Page 90

Rutabaga.

“Sing frowned. ‘Why would a bottle want to win a prize? In fact, how do bottles even go about claiming prizes? Have they been Alivened? Don’t your people understand that Alivening things is dark Oculary?’”—Page 94

I adore Sing. Also is Alivening a reference to Warbreaker?

“‘So,’ I said, holding up a finger. ‘Let me get this straight. Our strike team consists of a loony old man, an anthropologist, a grad student, and two kids.’”—Page 95

Y’know the fact that you have three people that are over the age of 18 is an improvement on most Middle Grade strike teams.

“Children cried, clutching picture books about aardvarks in their terrified fingers.”—Page 106

Arthur!

“You see, that is the sad, sorry, terrible thing about sarcasm. It’s really funny.”—Page 113

Truer words have never been spoken.

“Since nothing I can say would be able to pierce your delusions, let the fact that I make no arguments stand as ultimate proof that I am right.”—Page 124

Tumblr discourse.

“‘Don’t be silly,’ she said. ‘Why would elevators be more advanced than stairs? Obviously, stairs take more effort to climb, are harder to construct, and are far more healthy to use. Therefore, they took longer to develop. Don’t you realize how stupid sound when you claim otherwise?’”—Page 130

By that logic our cars are more advanced because it takes more effort to control a car than to not.

“Bastille poked her head into the room. ‘Dinosaurs,’ she said, noticing the cages. ‘Useless. Let’s move on.’”—Page 133

But, but, but…they’re Dinosaurs who can talk and have British accents. How could that possibly be useless?

“‘Ah, very well, then,’ said Charles the pterodactyl. ‘We’ll just sit here. ‘In our cages,’ said the T. rex. ‘Contemplating our impending doom,’ said the triceratops.”—Page 137

Aw, let them out.

“Are you annoyed with me yet? Good. I’ve worked very hard—perhaps I will explain why later—to frustrate you. One of the ways I do this is by leaving cliffhangers at the ends of chapters. These sorts of things force you, the reader, to keep on plunging through my story.”—Page 147

I think this Brandon Sanderson talking directly to us.

“Hooks and cliffhangers belong only at the ends of chapters. That way, the reader moves on directly to the next page—where, thankfully, they can read more of the story without having to suffer some sort of mindless interruption. Honestly, authors can be so self-indulgent.”—Page 148

The amount of meta in this book has added an extra 10 years to my life.

“She was silent for a moment. ‘I lost my keys,’ she said. I frowned. It seemed like an odd comment to make. Blackburn, however, simply laughed at this. ‘It still has the better of you, doesn’t it?’”—Page 159

Losing her keys is Fletcher’s Talent. She’s a Smedry, calling it now.

“Some people assume that authors write books we have vivid imaginations and want to share our visions. Other people assume that authors write because we are busting with stories, and therefore must scribble those stories down in moments of creative propondidty. Both groups of people are completely wrong. Authors write books for one, and only one, reason: because we like to torture people.”—Page 163

So that’s why Kaladin Stormblessed will never be happy. Also no, I didn’t make a horrible typo, ‘propondidty’ is in there because Brandon is a dick.

“If you don’t believe what I’m telling you, then ask yourself this: would any decent, kindhearted individual become a writer?”—Page 164

Nope.

“I’d always kind of thought of myself as a defiant rebel against the system. However, the truth was that I was just a whiny kid who threw tantrums and broke things because he wanted to make certain that he hurt others before they hurt him.”—Page 175

Literally Tumblr.

Well, it’s Fletcher’s fault for answer Alcatraz’s questions before getting what she wanted.

“‘I think I bruised something,’ he muttered, rubbing his side. ‘One of these pistols jammed me in the tummy!’”—Page 201

Awwwwwww.

Oh, c’mon, if you’re not going to take the adorable dinosaurs then at least take the cute wittle Alivened.

“You can even scan to the end and read the last page. Know that by doing so, however, you would violate every holy and honorable storytelling principle known to man, thereby throwing the universe into chaos and causing grief to untold millions.”—Page 225

Basically, yeah.

“They, of course, filed out of the room in a very gentlemanly manner—for, as everyone knows, all British are refined, calm, and well-mannered. Even if they are a bunch of dinosaurs.”—Page 232

Of course, I think the bizarreness is starting to make more sense to me.

“‘Wasing not of wasing is,’ Quentin added.”—Page 235

*Shakes fist* SANDERSON!

“You see, that last chapter ended with a terribly unfair hook. By now it is probably very late at night, and you have stayed up to read this book when you should have gone to sleep. If this is the case, then I commend you for falling into my trap. It is a writer’s greatest pleasure to hear that someone was kept up until the unholy hours of the morning reading one of his books. It goes back to authors being terrible people who delight in the suffering of others. Plus we get a kickback from the caffeine industry.”—Pages 238-239

I knew it!

“Blah, blah, sacrifice, alters, daggers, sharks. Blah, blah, something pretentious. Blah, blah, rutabaga. Blah, blah, something that makes no sense whatsoever.”—Page 239

Literally ever Sanderson book ever.

“Rutabaga, I thought. I’ve heard that word recently. Rutabaga…fire over the inheritance!”—Page 260

RUTABAGA! I HATE THIS BOOK.

I knew it! I knew that Fletcher was a Smedry and thought that she might have been Alcatraz’s mother. Aw, that’s really sad. I highly doubt that she’s going to stay librarian and will eventually come to our side.

Wait a minute, you’re telling me that there are foster parents who aren’t evil? I’m sorry this book just became too unrealistic! My suspension of disbelief has just snapped. There’s no possible way that parents who aren’t magical and foster parents aren’t spawns of Satan in Middle Grade book. Y’lost me Sanderson.

Okay, that letter from Alcatraz’s father was really heartwarming.

“What did you expect? That I’d leave you here all summer, in the exact place where your enemies know where to look? With people that aren’t even your family? In a place you don’t really like, and that is depressingly normal compared to the world you’ve grown to love? Doesn’t that sound a little stupid and contrived to you?”—Grandpa Smedry, Page 287

Okay, yeah it would have been stupid and contrived but…THEY JUST HAD A REALLY SWEET MOMENT! I’m a little sad…but the fact that Brandon Sanderson is taking a crack at Harry Potter makes me kind of happy. Great way to end a story.

[battlebornpeacemaker]

I got tagged by @misscleverlesbian like a while ago to do this so finally here we go (she did a cool thing where she put it under the cut so I am also gonna do that)

I tag @frxnkenstein @thenamesstark @butterfliesanddeadstars and um @bannettee if you guys want to, no big deal of course.

The Last:

1. Drink: Uhhhh I’m drinking a Monster right now but I guess the last one I technically finished was a Dr. Pepper

2. Phone Call: My mom lmao I needed her help buying textbooks for a couple of my classes

3. Text message: was to my girlfriend <3

4. Song you listened to: it was Me You by Russ

5. Time you cried: I think like last Wednesday night once I was like moved into my dorm and it really hit me that I was away from all of my friends

6. Dated somebody twice: I have never. I only have one ex and that was a mess and then my current girlfriend soooo

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: nope 

8. Have been cheated on: I mean as far as I am aware nope. There hasn’t really been a whole lot of opportunity

9. Lost someone close: I lost my grandpa a couple years ago but he and I weren’t super close so...i mean close enough it still really sucked.

10. Been depressed:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: ummmm February....yeah...don’t drink kids

12. Favourite colours to wear: um I really like greys and blues and I have a lot of black so

In The Last Year Have You:

13. Made new friends: oh for sure. I made a bunch of friends in Ohio this time or soon after last year plus a few since I got back. Plus I made a bunch of friends at camp this summer

14. Fallen out of love: lmao no

15. Laughed until you cried: i mean every now and then a tear will come to my eyes but it isn’t really crying but like yeah sure probably

16. Found out somebody was talking about you: yeah camp drama is stupid but somehow I always end up thrown into it

17. Met somebody who changed you: oh definitely I have made a bunch of new friends who have shown me new ways to look at things or have made me try to look at myself in a more positive view so 

18. Found out who your friends are: i mean I found out who is willing to put in the effort to be my friend if i don’t see them every day so i guess that counts

19. Kissed someone on your Facebook: yepppp

20. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: all of them????

21. Do you have any pets: my guys I have a bunch...dogs, cats, snake, gecko, fish...so many...my house is a zoo

22. Do you want to change your name: I used to when I was younger bc nobody can pronounce it or spell it but I think it is pretty cool now so nah

23. What did you do for your last birthday: well I spent most of the day driving my friend around so that she could get all of her pre-hire shit done for camp but then some of my friends at camp surprised me with an ice cream cake and presents and it was super nice and they waited until we could be alone bc they knew I don’t like making a big deal out of it

24. What time did you wake up: like 7:30...yeah I wanted to talk to my girlfriend before she went to work

25. What were you doing at midnight: sleeping??? skyping???? sleeping while skyping? who knows time isn’t real...

26. Name something you can’t wait for: Thanksgiving break so I can go hoooome and see my girlfriend (and like obviously also my friends...and family)

27. When was the last time you saw your mom: last Monday before I left for school

28. What are you listening to right now: currently Prisoners by Our Last Night

29. Have you ever talked to somebody named Tom: lmao yeah my uncle is named Tom

30. Something that gets on your nerves: it bugs me when people start to say something that sounds important and then say nevermind...ugh

31. Most visited website: honestly probably this hellsite

32. Hair colour: it’s like blondish redish...i dunno

33. Long or short hair: very short. like i need to rebuzz it but basically very very short

34. Do you have a crush on somebody: i mean.....my girlfriend is kinda cute idk

35. What do you like about yourself: I’m really dedicated to the things that I believe in and I stand up for them. I also hardcore support my friends

36. Piercings: I have my ears double pierced and then my cartilage on my left ear plus my nose

37. Blood type: O maybe...probably...yeah

38. Nickname: Teag, Dad

39. Relationship status: Don’t know if I have mentioned it but I have an amazing girlfriend

40. Zodiac: gemini...i know i know

41. Pronouns: she/her? I guess

42. Favourite tv shows: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Breakout Kings

43. Tattoos: I have like 7... 3 on my feet, 1 on my ankle, 1 on my wrist, 1 on my shoulder, and 1 on my arm

44. Right or left handed: right

45. Surgery: i got my wisdom teeth taken out...does that count?

46. Sport: I used to play soccer and volleyball and a little bit of rugby

47. Vacation: I honestly want to go everywhere so....last one i took tho...probably a couple years back to a ranch in the hill country

48. Pair of trainers: I haven’t bought any in the last year but I finally started wearing a new pair since I trashed my last ones

49. Eating: I mean I had a microwave pizza and some cookies for dinner bc I am an adult

50. Fav drink: ummm I really like monsters, and sweet tea, and normal tea

51. What you’re up to: Avoiding reading my Accounting textbook honestly

52. Waiting for: my girlfriend to call me

53. Want: for my dorm to be fucking warmer instead of a tundra or you know to see my friends and girlfriend in person again whatever

54. Get married: I want to some day...but I’m 19 rn sooo not the ideal time you know

55. Career: some sort of developmental biology research

56. Hugs or kisses: kisses...the closeness of a hug but better

57. Lips or eyes: fuck...both.................if i gotta choose one then eyes

58. Shorter or taller: shorter

59. Older or younger: older...but just a little bit...like 7 months

60. Nice arms or stomach: ummmm idc....arms maybe?

61. Hook up or relationship: relationship for sure

62. Troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant honestly

63. Kissed a stranger: nope

64. Drank hard liquor: lmao yeah...yikes

65. Lost glasses: nope bc these things are always on my fucking face bc I am blind

66. Turned someone down: i mean like not specifically...definitely done the not interested vibe but never actually said no to someone asking me out

67. Sex on the first date: depends on the person but sure

68. Broken someone’s heart: I doubt it

69. Had your heart broken: like....kinda...i dunno that’s really dramatic...but yeah kinda

70. Been arrested: nope

71. Cried when someone died: I mean yeah it sucks when people die

72. Fallen for a friend: yepppp

Do You Believe In:

73. Yourself: I mean I am trying to...it’s a process

74. Miracles: no

75: Love at first sight: no i think love is something that you have to make and put effort into

76. Santa Claus: nah

77. Kiss on the first date: sure

78: Angels: not particularly 

Other:

79. Eye Colour: blue

80. Favourite movie: standalone movie- Fight Club movie set- Back to the Future

[electricdazemag]

Bob Fossil: Interview

by Tasha Bielaga

photo by Symone Camargo

Bellingham based rockers Bob Fossil are ready to foss the entire Northwest of the US, and the rest of the world while they’re at it. Making noise in everywhere from people’s homes in northern Washington to bars in San Diego, vocalist Kenny Clarkson, bassist Hank Miller, guitarist Joe Canfield, pianist Corey Teply, and drummer Alan Schellenberger have been together for about 3 years. The quintet’s groovy guitar lines and spunky keyboard features are evocative of the rock’n’roll of the 70′s, a place where the band’s fashion sense may actually fit in. We talk about bouncing around in basements, what’s going on in the studio where their new album is being birthed, and paying the rent.

Electric Daze: Congrats on raising over $2,000 on your live stream for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Super cool that it was for such a good cause too. How’d you feel about doing it? Is it something you would like to do again?

Really awesome! The fact that people were actually interested was fun, and we think the cause did a lot of the work itself. We weren’t sure what the amount of money would look like or how attainable it was, but it happened. We’re going to work on making it an annual event. As time goes on we’ll get more of a viewer audience participation, so we’ll get to raise more money and help more people as a band.  We would like to say thank you to all the people that tuned in and supported, it meant a lot to all of us

ED: I saw you guys played some covers in it. What’s your favorite cover to play live? How does the crowd react to it?

Africa by Toto is a crowd pleaser. 3 years ago when we started out, we would play 2 covers a show. Since then, we really don’t do it as much, other than when we wanna play 40sec of a cover here or there to throw people off their feet. We like to jam on a cover between songs to give ourselves a little break or while we’re tuning. We kinda use covers as a fake out. When we play Africa we play the chorus and it’s fun, and then all of a sudden we’ll throw them a curve ball and start one of our own songs. Next I think we’re gonna try a Limp Bizkit cover, that’d suit us. Corey remembers right before Sasquatch in 2014 when Outkast was headlining, we covered “Hey Ya!” and these white boys did a mighty fine job of covering it.  The same can’t be said when we tried to cover “Thriller”, that was a disaster of catastrophic proportions.  Thankfully everyone at the house show we were playing at was drunk beyond what the body should probably be able to withstand, so no one really talks about our attempt of “Thriller” much anymore.

ED: Since you guys are self-proclaimed “Fossil Rock”, what exactly does that mean to you as a genre?

The only reason we did that originally, was because we knew we were rock, and we knew that rocks were fossils. It also kind of symbolizes every influence we put in our music: old, and buried in dirt for hundreds of thousands of years then dug up for your enjoyment. We look at it as an organically-genetically-modified crossbreed of rock, funk, grunge, jazz, and whatever the hell the kids are listening to these days.  Everyone in the band has different influences musically, which is really cool, and we all are able to incorporate the styles we most relate to individually to something that is a mixing pot full of all five of ours. Our goal is to churn the smoothest butter possible so your ears are pleased with every bite. Sometimes the butter is a little chunky, but once we work out the kinks in certain parts of jams we come up with, it turns to something that is probably worthy of spreading on your toast. We definitely hear different band names from different people, especially age groups, about who we sound like. They’ll be like “OH you guys remind me of  _____” and it’ll be something different each time.  “Fossil Rock” is a way to avoid the question of what genre are you, because fuck genres. One Kenny thought of recently was “emo grandpa core”. We have influences from the late 60’s to 70’s to early 80’s, but at the same time if we hadn’t listened to these indie and alt rock of the 90’s and early 2000’s, we wouldn’t be the same, at least vocally and lyrically.

ED: Have you ever as a band or personally, pursued or thought about pursuing a different genre of music?

We as a band have a few songs that are more math rock, which are fun to play, but we don’t spend as much time on those. We love what we’re doing. Alan plays bass in a folk rock band, and it’s nice for him to taste some other flavors. Joe plays sitar is a 60’s Indian cover band. Kenny was in a pop punk band in high school, before he ever listened to anything else. He was at that point where he was like “this is all I like, this is all I know, everything else sucks”, and he was 15. The years leading up to when we formed this band really gave him a growing period to open his mind up to playing more than 3 power chord rock music. Corey’s been told he should think about playing piano at the local Nordstroms, so that’s something to maybe consider in his future- but for now, he’ll stick to this.

ED: Being based in Bellingham and living in a college town, do you find there’s a big difference in demographic or vibes between playing a show in Bellingham vs. a show in Seattle? How does that affect your playing?

Bellingham has a really big underage venue and house show scene. House shows are always more wild and more fun. Under age kids just love to get wasted and bounce around in a sweaty packed room, they feel comfortable dancing crazily. People will go to any show in Bellingham, even if they don’t know the band playing. You don’t need to convince a 19 year old to go to a show, they just go. When we first came to Bellingham, 5 years ago, the scene was considerably smaller. We were freshmen going to house shows and there were certain bands that we would go see multiple times, but it’s definitely the biggest it’s ever been right now, besides maybe in the 90’s. These days, every single house show is packed. It’s really cool though, this scene is something that the people who are a part of it will remember for the rest of their lives. But, a show in Seattle has a much for professional aura to it, maybe that might be due to us looking at is as going to the big city and playing a show that has higher stakes to it.  At the end of the day, a show is a show, and we’re going to have a good time regardless and treat each as important as any other.

ED: With your latest tour in August, did you see a variation in the music scenes between each city?

It really depends on the demographic of the crowd vs. where we are. Older crowds tolerate and appreciate jamming a bit more. 20 year olds may not appreciate that as much. We try to be in a happy middle, and be a rock band that can jam. City to city, it’s more about who we can get out to our shows. Right now, we do a lot of asking our friends in that city to come out, rather than making a post on social media and having fans come out. But whether it’s 1 person (which did happen to us, we played a show in Olympia that ended up being us, the other band playing, and a guy named Cory. We bought him a tequila shot) or 1,000 people, we try to play our best and make an impact.

ED: What was your favorite show out of that tour?

Actually, Alan got us a really sweet gig in Los Angeles at a smoothie shop. It called itself a cafe, and if you look at photos of the live music there, it looks like there’s some sort of stage and/or corner of a reasonable size. That wasn’t true. It was like if you took a Jamba Juice, and cut it in half. So with that situation, we did have to say “Oh, okay, let’s play music in a way we don’t normally, in a way we don’t practice. Use less of your drum kit, turn your amps down, and get drunk (optional).” But our favorite show was probably in San Francisco at the Boom Boom Room. Hank and Alan are both from there, so they got to see a lot of their family and friends. We played top notch that night and ended up jamming past closing for the owner and manager. It was really special to Alan because all these people who took care of him when he was young got to watch him play the drums and scream at them. Although we don’t give Alan a microphone, he quite enjoys screaming his lungs out to the lyrics.

ED: Do you have any crazy fun stories from tour?

One of the funniest stories was when we were in Oregon, we had two shows in Portland with a day off in between. We decided it would be really smart to not book any places to stay in advance for this tour, we’re gonna camp, we’re gonna crash at houses, and it’s going to be totally fine to go to Cannon Beach in August and find camping. Every campsite in a ten mile radius was full, and we had no cell service. So we end up camping east of Cannon Beach, not in a camp site, on a turnout on the side of the road in the middle of the woods. We have the trailer with the gear, the SUV, and the Kia Soul. We created a buffer with our vehicles around where we slept on the gravel, so if a car did come off the road, it would hit one of the cars first, maybe saving us some damage to our bodies. We woke up several times to this unearthly sound, which turned out to be cars going around the corner at 30 miles an hour which was just terrifying. It was a beautiful area though.

On your website, there’s these really awesome band member bios. If you made one for the entire band, what would it say?

Our friend Mitch who made our website wrote those actually! Let’s call him and get his nice Mitch diction, so it’s authentic.

Mitch: If I was going to describe Bob Fossil, the word fucking comes along. The photo of all five of you on the forest floor with the wood string going across is the connection of the life, beauty, and emotion in your music. The face paint on Hank is the inspiration for his peers for the music that they create. How Allen has a slight grin and Corey has a big open smile, but Hank and Kenny are serious, show that some people find joy while others find subdued excitement.

photo by Ryan Rothaus

ED: You’re “Survival Kit” video is pretty tight. Exactly what I would want if I was lost in the woods. What was the inspiration for that?

The idea was to do a video a month, in this day and age people want to look at stuff. It kind of allows us to be relevant not only as a band but also on another spectrum. With that video, our first goal was to advertise merch. But after a few beers at the local tap house, our friend Jake and us got some goofy video game ideas. Conor O’Keefe from Walking Distance Media LLC shoots all our videos. He’s been doing movies and touring with us for a while now. They wouldn’t be what they are without his vision and hard work. So we give Conor our ideas that we aren’t sure are always doable, and he brings them to life! We want these videos to be really funny and stand alone entertaining. Next month we’re releasing a in-studio video with a few interviews about the upcoming album. We’re also working with Conor on a music video for our upcoming single off our next album.

ED: You guys have so many intricate parts, especially keyboard and guitar lines. How do you go about making it all cohesive and not overwhelming?

We’re working with Russ Fish (producer & engineer) right now. Last record we did it in 3 days, and spent all day there working, just trying to get it done because we didn’t have much money. We had Russ for 16 hours last time, and this time we have him for the entire time we’re recording. He’s a big factor in helping us piece things together and cutting down on extra notes. It’s not that we’re going to shift everything we do, but it can always get better and cleaner. We do have a lot of parts going on, but that’s our sound. For our new album, we had 15 songs written by September. We got to Russ and he wanted 10, but we said we were doing 11. We took a vote for what songs to cut so it was a very mutual decision. We’ve been together as a band long enough that we’re comfortable telling each other what we think about everyone’s parts. Being constructive is going to make this record a lot better. We’re able to pick out a specific part and discuss it between the band and Russ, and then we decide if we should keep it or not. That’s something we didn’t do on the first two records.

ED: Who brings the first draft?

Kenny writes the bare bones: rhythm guitar & vocals, sometimes he gets crazy and writes other guitar parts. He also writes the general structure, like how many times we repeat this section and how we transition. Once he’s comfortable with what he’s written he’ll bring it to practice and everyone will start layering their parts and everyone can had their own flavor and take it in their own direction. Everyone’s responsible for their own parts, and now that we’re getting better at communicating, we can mold things together. We’re finally able to democratically talk about how we think a song should go. Democracy may be failing, but not in this band; democracy is alive and well in Bob Fossil.

ED: I’ve noticed you guys have such high quality recordings, compared to a lot of other smaller local bands who have a much more lo-fi sound? Is there a particular reason you went with this direction, and do you think it separates you from the others?

We have such high quality audio because Joe did the first album but we mic’d every instrument individually. Now we’re spending a lot more money. The aesthetic of indie bands like Neutral Milk Hotel or early Pavement, it’s lofi. It’s a certain character, a certain attitude, and we do listen to that. But, a lot of the music that we really draw inspiration from is more high quality sounding.  The DIY lofi works nicely for a lot of bands, gives it a good raw feel. Plus it's cheap and there's an enormous amount of pride that comes out of something you do all yourself. But we do have all those intricate parts, so we have to make sure that you can hear every last thing, lofi would mask and muddle these puppies up. Another big thing is our long term goals. We want to go far in this industry, and in this day and age a lot of music that people listen to like EDM or rap is electronically made. The sound quality on these songs are going to be, for lack of a better word, perfect, because it’s all done on computers. As a rock band, we have to have high quality recordings to excel and compete with other bands.

ED: What are your goals for this year?

We want to become a regional band. Wanting to be recognized across the whole Northwest, and play shows consistently in Seattle is a big one. We also gain traction with this new album we are recording currently. We want to be able to pay the rent with the money we make from the band, so we can save our money from our other jobs, or quit them. But paying the rent is probably a life goal for everyone, unfortunately.

photo by Symone Carmargo

Connect with Bob Fossil on their website bobfossilmusic.com, on Instagram at @bobfossilmusic, and on twitter at @bobfossilmusic. 

Listen to their music on bandcamp here and on Spotify here. 

This is the second installment of features on Washington based bands. Check back here soon to read the rest!

[kpop-clickanddrag]

24k, BIG and Madtown

Is it cheating sending me 3 at once? ^^

Send me a Kpop group and I’ll tell you...

24K

Who’s my bias: Well, I like to say Kisu because he and I share a birthday, but somehow Cory keeps popping up in my dreams and asking to be my boyfriend, so Cory. (this was literally my dream last weekend)

Whose voice I like the most: Jinhong

Who’s my bias wrecker: That damned little Jinhong looks so good with silver-blond hair. And Jeunguk looks so good in Still 24K. Don’t make me choose!!

What’s my favorite moment (I’ll try to post a link): I dunno if I have a favorite, but here is a video that I found of them being dorks and Cory’s knobby knees and amazing calves are killing me. 

What’s my otp: Nope

The last song I heard by them: Still 24K is in heavy rotation on my playlists

Who I think dances the best: Jeunguk (no more Daeil, cry)

Who’s I think is the funniest: I dunno, they are all pretty dorky. Kisu maybe?

Who I wish I could grow up with: I always say all of them, but all of them. Kisu can be my twinsie since we share a birthday, mk?

B.I.G

Who’s my bias: I have a thing for maknaes, espcially deep voiced rapping maknaes, like I said before. I don’t know why, but like 70% of the time I go, “oh he’s cute,” and then it ends up being the maknae. So, yea, effing Heedo is one of my top 10 biases in life. 

Whose voice I like the most: Heedo rapping hurts my soul, but I really love all 3 in the vocal line. I can’t choose.

Who’s my bias wrecker: Gunmin, when that boy dances I swoon.

What’s my favorite moment (I’ll try to post a link): Sooooo many. Probably on the vapp when they made J-Hoon run to the lamp post and back again and they were going to leave him in the rain, that was pretty funny (I can’t believe I found a clip on YT omg). Also when they realized only Benji can actually say Aphrodite correctly, that was on a vapp somewhere.

What’s my otp: Me and Heedo for evaz

The last song I heard by them: Taola, still my favorite song by them

Who I think dances the best: Gunmin, I’m still swooning

Who’s I think is the funniest: Benji? They are all pretty funny, though.

Who I wish I could grow up with: I want Minpyo to be my little brother, also Benji would be a good brother to have. Since I want to lick the faces of the other three, they must not give me brother vibes. 

I feel so bad they are coming back the same day as BTS and down a member! I hope they still do well, I look forward to seeing their comeback stage!

Madtown

oh dear, these boys...

Who’s my bias: Here’s the thing. I want Daewon to be my bias, he is a ball of sunshine that I adore. But then I really want Lee Geon to be my bias because he has the prettiest eyes and voice on the planet. For real. The best eyes and cutest smile. But that big dork of a maknae, with his ankles exposed, his grandpa sweater and no lense glasses in the Emptiness comeback...damn him for stealing my heart. H.O is fricking one of my top 10 biases, I want a boyfriend just like him so bad it’s ridonkulous. 

Whose voice I like the most: Lee Geon; when he gets on the vapp and just sings to the camera I die a little

Who’s my bias wrecker: HO IS THE BIAS WRECKER. CANT I JUST LOVE THE PRETTY LEE GEON? PLEASE? WHY MAKNAE, WHY?

What’s my favorite moment (I’ll try to post a link): Every moment. Seriously, I say this each time. If I’m choosing and linking, the onsies is pretty classic. Also their recent dance to TT is amazing. There was also a show where they were cooking that I watched that was really funny. They’re just funny guys. 

What’s my otp: Daewon and all the dogs in his life

The last song I heard by them: Emptiness, part change version 

Who I think dances the best: They all do. I mean it. Go watch their dance practice videos. They are amazing. Since Daewon does choreo, however, I’ll choose him. 

Who’s I think is the funniest: They are all pretty funny, but my maknae is the biggest dork of them all.

Who I wish I could grow up with: Jota would be a great big brother, I think. Daewon as a little bro would be fun too. 

Why do I love so many groups? But I do. So much love in this heart. Thanks so much for the ask! ^^

[myaekingheart]

I forget what night these first two were from because I didn't jot them down but whatever, they happened, so here goes.

I dreamed that I was on this gorgeous island with my boyfriend, my parents, my grandmother, and my cousin and his wife. We all met up at this gorgeous beach-- it was the typical paradise scene with crystal clear water and bright blue skies and soft sand. The whole enchilada. My boyfriend and I wade up to the shoreline to meet with everyone, a typical small talk conversation ensues. My cousin asks me about how college is going (because apparently college just obviously has to infiltrate every one of my dreams these days) and I forget what I answered but we were conversing for a bit before somehow the nonsense term "jiboot" weaseled it's way in??? My cousin used it in one of his sentences, then paused for a moment before shaking his head and saying I probably wouldn't understand. I think he mentioned it was some military term I wouldn't know or whatever. Either way, not important. Then my mom comes up to me with this kitten and says it's for us (my boyfriend and I). I forget what the kitten looked like but this was definitely a world where both Tex and Topaz existed because I remember thinking how cute this little guy was but thinking to myself that now we'd have double the cats (even though that math doesn't add up) and feeling as if I couldn't possibly accept him but having no idea how I could possibly find it in me to turn him down.

The second dream I actually know I had completely forgotten about upon waking up. There was this vague feeling of it left behind but I couldn't for the life of me remember the specifics until later in the day. I was in this massive warehouse art supply/consignment store searching for things to use in piecing together Rapunzel's little blue shoulder bag from Tangled: The Series. I had this very vivid screenshot in my head of what it looked like from the latest episode (The Search for Varian, not The Alchemist Returns) that I was using as reference, and I remember finding the perfect strap for the bag but could not for the life of me find anything else of decent quality to thrift. My only issue with this dream was that once I remembered it, I realized how badly I actually would like to make Rapunzel's bag and then discovered it was harder than I imagined to find some quality screencaps of the full thing online. I don't know, either way, this dream wasn't inherently bad nor great. It was just kind of there.

Night of December 13th:

I had another dream about pregnancy again. Nothing really too specific to note, because I didn't write any specifics down on my little memo thing. I guess just that I was at the hospital with my boyfriend in labor or whatever. There were probably some vivid, sappy scenes of the two of us per usual. I feel like this one was especially vivid, like I remember it feeling particularly real and detailed, but I mean, other than that, I don't think it was anything all too different from previous incarnations of this same theme.

Actually, the more that I think about it now, the more I remember something about the labor dream being that I wasn't actually far enough along and they sent me and my boyfriend home and I was really disgruntled about this, and then I think it transitioned into this next dream, which I seemed to remember much more clearly. The two of them actually kind of blended together at certain parts to the point where I don't even remember which actually came first but whatever. They both happened. I have the pieces to the puzzle, just not the reference image.

In the second dream, my boyfriend and I found out our apartment was actually somehow a large house in the fictional next development over. The house in my dream actually reminded me more of my boyfriend's old apartment than anything, though there were certain aspects of the interior more than anything that didn't look familiar at all. I was standing in the backyard with my parents and grandparents (my deceased grandpa made another appearance here) and we were all having some sort of now-hazy conversation with the neighbors. Then suddenly my grandparents were sitting on this back patio and this hyper pitbull appeared from one of the neighbor's houses and began running around like a maniac, leaping over my grandparents' laps while they're sitting there just minding their own business and enjoying themselves. I remember the pitbull was white with brown patches, and the patio furniture was the same as the one my parents gave me from their own patio, and my grandmother was very displeased with the whole dog interaction (she's not a huge dog person. She's not a huge animal person in general, honestly). The neighbor who owned the dog was standing on this top balcony of his house, like it was a very small balcony that almost seemed like it was off of the attic from how close to the peak of the roof it was. My grandma made some bizarre Christmas Story related joke up to him, which I don't remember and it probably isn't even a real pun about the movie in the first place (mainly because my mind in-dream said Christmas Story even though the more I think about it, I connected the reference in my head to Christmas Vacation like I heard the joke in my dream and my brain slapped the label Christmas Story on it but saw Clark Griswold. I don't know). There was also something later on in this dream about cleaning out or rearranging the pantry. I remember being in a kitchen, not my kitchen but some very 70s-ish looking kitchen kind of to the vibe of Napoleon Dynamite. The most compelling thing about this was the presence of two long, narrow plastic bags in the back of the cabinet. One looked like assorted cheese puffs and the other looked like lemonheads and pieces of red pepper mixed together. The cheese puffs are completely inexplicable but the lemonheads and red pepper at least I know are references to the leftover pizza I ate that night, which had pineapple and red peppers on it. These little gift bags, so to speak, were also the reason why I felt as if this dream was connected to the labor one, because I remember seeing those bags and thinking of this stranger who I'm positive appeared in the aforementioned birth dream. There was a hazy scene there about my encountering this old man while I was in the hospital, who I vaguely recognized as this old man I met on an airplane back in 2015. I remember he started up a conversation with me somehow (I feel like I was still in my hospital bed, and he was a patient but I don't remember him a hospital gown but rather like this tweed suit and hat, maybe with a cane??? Don't quote me on the cane, that's just speculation) and while I don't remember what all was said, specifically, I remember it being really inspirational and heartwarming. Almost like a motivational thing about timing, like all things will work out in their own time, and hard work, working towards your goals, never giving up on your goals despite setbacks or whatever. I see how this could've tied into the whole labor thing considering later on in the dream, I was discharged for not being far enough along (how they even accepted me into the hospital is beyond me but then again, this is dream logic. It doesn't have to make sense). It was as we were leaving the hospital that I remember peering into an empty room and learning that that old man had died later that day, though I almost remember seeing a hazy ghost-like visage of him standing there. Either way, this struck me considerably hard. I couldn't believe that such a kind and inspiring old man passed away so shortly after I had spoken with him, when he seemed as if he was very lively and doing well. Not gonna lie, when I remembered this upon waking up, I got the worst feeling my gut that the man I had met on that plane a few years back who I'm pretty positive was, at the very least, the inspiration behind this guy, had passed away in reality but I don't remember his name so I can't even look him up on facebook and check to be extra sure. But anyways, fast forward back to cleaning out or rearranging the pantry. I remember seeing those little gift bags of strange snacks and instantly thinking of this man, fondly and in remembrance, so perhaps he had given them to me? Though I don't remember him handing me anything of the sort, but either way, they made me think of him and filled me with this tender sadness that you can only get when you discover an old, wise acquaintance has passed away. You distantly grieve their death but still think fondly upon the kind words of wisdom and experience that they bestowed upon you. The man I met on the plane was actually the same way. We had barely spoken during the entire flight but as we were nearing our destination, he began a conversation with me saying of how he had enjoyed watching me draw during the entire flight and he was just overall very sweet and encouraging and it was honestly so heartwarming. This wasn't very long after my grandpa had died but I saw pieces of him in this stranger man and it kind of made me want to cry. It almost felt as if my grandpa was speaking to me through him at certain points, which I know makes no sense but it was still very heartwarming regardless. I'm surprised this man kind of showed up in my dream in one form or another, though, because I've hardly thought of him in the past few years since. It makes me even more concerned about whether he did actually die in real life or not but what bothers me most is that I will never know because I cannot for the life of me remember his name. I guess the only thing I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.

[ashzurite]

Today I dug around for quite some time in my hard drive to find what art work I had actually seen at the Legion of Honor Museum around March 2014. March's trip has been one of the best experiences in my life. This trip meant having to write a compare and contrast paper on Greek statues for my History of Art 1 course, which wasn't a big deal–I’m always down for art and writing papers. I felt transported back in time when I walked into the museums roman-colonnaded entrance with my mum, while thinking all along, "Ok I’m here to get information about a few pieces, and then we can look around and head out after to go to Union Square.” (Hah! I thought wrong. And also for those reading who don’t go to or have been to San Francisco, this is where Legion of Honor, Union Square, and many other awesome places are located.) Once inside the actual building, the lady at the entrance asks me if I wanted to upgrade our tickets to the special gallery exhibition for a couple more bucks. I say sure, what the heck, and we are on our way into one of the greatest museums ever.

I hadn’t ever been to Legion of Honor before and we ended up somehow walking downstairs first (I needed a map apparently) and explored downstairs before looking at the artwork upstairs (the main floor.) About fifteen minutes later I had found the pieces I wanted to write about. Then, I happened to walk into this small dark room–a room full of artwork I was familiar with. These abstracted-line painted pieces were works by none-other than one of my favorite artists, Henri Matisse. I was stunned with what I had just walked into (the Twilight Zone, maybe?) and started looking around and immediately had taken in all his little booklets information and details within his work.  After spending time in there, Mum and I walked down the hallway to an even bigger gallery exhibition of Matisse’s work all the way from SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which at the time was under construction from roughly 2013 (maybe ‘14?) to 2016.) I was so ecstatic because I hadn’t known his work was there at the time. I’m so glad it had been because seeing his artwork made me extremely happy with all the cheerful, vivid colors that Matisse painted with. The one painting that made me completely stop and have a stare down with is “The Girl with Green Eyes.” To this day, this painting is among my very-top favorites. To this day, this painting is among my very-top favorites. There’s so much of a story and meaning behind this painting and if you want to ask me about it one day then go for it–I’ll tell you about what creepy-cool vibes it's giving me. She has asked me questions in a way that I never thought possible. Are paintings supposed to do that? Are they allowed to ask questions? People in general have questioned if there’s a story behind a photo or painting? I can definitely say yes, yes there is. The Matisse gallery had exceeded my expectations as an exhibition in a museum. Nothing will ever top that experience (or the one I’m about to mention.) And his wasn’t even the one I upgraded my tickets for. After basking in Matisse’s glorious masterpieces, mum and I walked out to the special gallery (literally out the doorway of Matisse’s) and the ladies scanned our tickets to this place in time called, “Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art.” So this was one of the times we in my life where I felt literally like thee dumbest person ever for not recognizing 1) these works are from the freaking NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART in Washington, DC; 2) IMPRESSIONISM; and 3) 70 WORKS OF ART from the Post-Impressionists & Impressionists. If I could smack myself 2 years ago and then, I totally would have. I wasn’t expecting to lose it when I walked in. Lose it as in the artwork itself was beautiful and it drew me in mainly for the detail in each piece (which was absolutely phenomenal by the way.) Who knew people could paint so beautifully on a dinky little canvas or show detail within small amounts of brushstrokes? Hah! Let alone create a masterpiece out of it!! There were so many rooms (that I thoroughly enjoyed) and had another great moment where I got extremely art fan-girly because I was about to see my first Vincent van Gogh & Edgar Degas pieces. So of course I took pictures (most of y’all have seen my one of me with my film camera in front of “Bulb Fields” (van Gogh) that I use constantly, because why not?! It's art and it's beautiful!) and ended up standing a mere five inches away from this masterpiece. Among seeing van Gogh and multiple Degas’, there were many artists that were also showcased in the same gallery exhibition. Let me drop a few names: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, Alfred Sisley, Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, Édouard Vuillard, Eugène Boudin, Jean Louis Forain, and Berthe Morisot (uh what, I didn’t even realize I saw one of her pieces!!! Just died a little bit inside.) And of course there are many other artists I didn’t mention, but are fantastic as well among the more famous ones. Mum and I pretty much spent the entirety of our time just looking at each piece, and then shopping around in the special little store for postcards, prints, books and other miscellaneous stuffs. And I'm adding this small note about the main floor because you can't really not look at it. The work here on the main floor had tapestries and paintings bigger than my own houses walls, medieval armor, chalices, a decked out rococo room from Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette's era, and a really beautiful and detailed bust of Mary, Queen of Scots; and as an added bonus (not really, it's been there. I just felt the need to say this,) there's a mini impressionist room, and two larger rooms filled with Auguste Rodin’s beautifully sculpted works. So the real question here is what did upgrading my tickets do for me in the long run? To start off this long story, as a kid I always wanted to be an artist. An artist who drew exceptionally well, but found out I couldn't draw anything better than stick figures or somewhat decent looking chibi people/animals. So, I accepted defeat and moved on. The only thing I didn’t move on from was being an artist. I still had a drive and never knew what place or type of art it would put me in next. I’ve always been an artsy/craftsy person since I was born (my parents owned a craft business) and I’ve done drama/theatre classes for Sunday school, ceramics, oil and acrylic painting, sewing, and danced (pointe, ballet, jazz, etc.) for 6-7 years. Most hadn't known these fun facts about me, but now you do! Dancing was a small passion of mine that I loved minus the drama; and I’ve always been closely attached to music/instruments–but for me that’s more of an outlet because I never wanted to do it professionally. So yes, all of these are still related in the art world. Around 2008, I finally found my cup of tea. My mum and dad have taken photographs from roughly their high school days to now even (the present, and still take too many. It’s a curse I tell you.) So naturally, I took to a camera like glue and found myself loving to be behind the lens instead of being in front of it. I used to think it was obnoxious for my mum to take so many during dance days it was ridiculous–but I learned to love it and saw what she saw through a viewfinder. I’ve had cameras passed down to me and they're absolutely priceless and well-loved. My dads Nikon FM2 is what I started photographing with, with FILM. What’s that ancient and beautiful world you see? The process of emulsion, chemicals, and magic in a strip of what’s super surreal: film. From 2008 on, I’ve shot with nothing else but the beautiful Bell & Howell camera which was once my great-great grandpa’s. This camera is my life and has been to some pretty fascinating places that I could only hope and dream about to go to one day.  So long story short, photography has been my outlet for many years and I could not thank it more for teaching me about so many amazing photographers and how art related it really is. Photography IS an art form and it IS the only creation that can stop time. Creating moments is what it does best. I couldn't ever thank the camera gods enough for this glorious invention (this goes out to you Niépce & Daguerre.) Along with photography, I’ve always had a passion for painters and their artwork. During my childhood days, (oh wow, throwback to the extreme.) the only person I knew who was the best and an a ultimate painter was Bob Ross, and he's still pretty phenomenal (he’s made out of pure magic.) But, upgrading my tickets made the young dreamer artist that I always wished to be come true. Seeing those masterpieces are what made me want to study Art History and become an Art Restorer. I will never lose my photography drive because to me, that’s my creative outlet and I will always go back to it. It has helped me and will continue to help me in my Art History career. After struggling with disabilities and obstacles for 6 years in a junior college, I feel that I’ve completed and achieved double-majoring in Photography and Art History (AA degrees) to be a huge accomplishment that I never dreamed was possible. And now, here I am figuring out how, (as an adult) to continue my dream. Finding a job and a CSU hasn’t been easy, as I have 15 difficult choices of colleges which I can possibly attend to change my life. And this last tidbit (I promise) is where I ultimately thank God for letting me be born in October. And most people will probably laugh at this statement, but I’m truly thankful. Libra’s are known as go-getter’s and being involved in the artistic, librarian or judicial world. I’m thankful for my parents for never giving up on me or my dreams; I'm thankful because I never lost my drive of becoming an artist of some sort; I’m thankful for all artists and museums. Without them, I don’t think I could’ve known what or who I really wanted to be in this world. I'm super passionate about art. It’s a way of life and tells so many stories. P. S. To see the artworks I've photographed from the Impressionist gallery in 2014, stick around, scroll through my feed and follow me on vsco or instagram for more art related posts! c: