#a sincere one but a punk all the same

[ratatatastic]

finnish cats shenanigans are always my favourite but especially on sasha cup day with the cup involved the hijinks ramp up to 100 lmaooo

"wheres my- (realising sasha is in front of him and quickly stutters to change it to our so he doesnt get wacked over the head) wheres our names?"

(luosty proceeds to cackle in the bg like the shit stirrer he is realising lundys slip of the tongue and if he noticed sasha definitely noticed)

"wheres my name? wheres my name ☺️?" and it was at that moment lundy knew he fucked up

it never ceases to endlessly entertain me how much of a punk lundy can be and im so glad sasha is here to put him in his place because sheesh this kid sometimes XD

"and then luosty but i didnt want to give it to him but he took it" eh? is that so? who couldve guessed???

environmental storytelling, captain said haha okay mine now its mine let go ☺️💢

Sasha Cup Day | 7.31.24 (x)

[bogleech]

Seeing how people argue over music is so funny to me. What the hell do you mean this one is sincere and honest but this one is a pretentious sellout. They are both about the same thing and they are both just strings of sounds. Imagine you were talking about different kinds of sandwich and some guy was like "uggh eewww you still like pastrami?! Dont you know pastrami is soulless pandering to obnoxious scene kids?!"

I like how the noises go up and down a fun way. that's what music is. Music can also have powerful messages and symbolic meaning and all but it doesn't have to, either. You can like listening to heartfelt punk that speaks to you or nintendo chiptunes if you want. You can enjoy listening to audio recordings of bird songs or train crashes, who cares

[zapreportsblog]

Concert

➥ summary: Hobie’s just getting ready for the concert he’s having tonight but his girlfriend can’t stop admiring him

➥ one shot

Hobie Brown, also known as Spider Punk, had a concert scheduled for tonight. As he sat in front of the mirror, delicately applying his eyeliner, his girlfriend (Y/n) watched him with a lovesick smile. The room was filled with anticipation and a sense of excitement as they prepared for the evening ahead.

(Y/n) couldn't help but marvel at Hobie's skillful hands, which moved with precision as he enhanced his features. She admired his dedication to his craft and the way he effortlessly transformed into his onstage persona. As she watched him, a wave of affection washed over her, filling her heart with gratitude.

"How did I get so lucky?" (Y/n) whispered, her voice filled with admiration.

Hobie turned to her, a playful smirk playing on his lips. "Luck has nothing to do with it, love. It's all about being in the right place at the right time," he replied, his voice laced with affection.

She chuckled, her eyes sparkling with affection. "Well, I must have done something right to have you in my life," she said, her voice filled with sincerity.

Hobie's chuckle rumbled lowly in his chest as he finished his makeup and turned to face (Y/n). He gently cupped her face in his hands, his eyes locked with hers. "I should be asking you the same thing, my love. You're the one who brings light into my world," he expressed, his voice filled with tenderness.

(Y/n)'s heart fluttered at his words, and she leaned into his touch. "We're both lucky to have found each other," she replied, her voice filled with warmth.

They shared a moment of silence, basking in the love that enveloped them. The room was filled with a mix of excitement and nervous energy as Hobie prepared to take the stage. He glanced at the clock, realizing that they needed to make their way to the concert venue soon.

As they got ready to leave, Hobie turned to (Y/n) with a mischievous grin. "You're coming with me, right?" he asked, his voice filled with hopeful anticipation.

(Y/n) smiled, her eyes shining with excitement. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll be there, cheering you on," she replied, her voice filled with unwavering support.

Hobie pulled (Y/n) into a tight embrace, his arms wrapped around her protectively. "Having you in the audience means everything to me. Your presence is my greatest source of strength," he confessed, his voice filled with gratitude.

“Of course I’ll be there Hobie!”

•••

The underground concert hall was filled with the electrifying energy of anticipation as Hobie took the stage. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as he stepped forward, the spotlight casting a mesmerizing glow around him. But amidst the sea of faces, his eyes were drawn to one person—the love of his life, (Y/n), standing in the front row.

(Y/n) couldn't contain her excitement as the music filled the air. She rocked out to the rhythm, her eyes locked with Hobie's, a love-struck expression on her face. The lyrics and melodies seemed to resonate deeply within her, each note carrying a message of their love and connection.

As Hobie began to sing, his voice filled the hall, his words pouring out with raw emotion. The crowd swayed to the music, but for Hobie, (Y/n) was the center of his universe. He sang directly to her, his voice filled with passion and tenderness. With each line, he locked eyes with her, their connection intensifying with every beat.

In the midst of the song, as the music swelled and the crowd cheered, Hobie couldn't resist the overwhelming surge of love within him. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and planted a quick but tender kiss on (Y/n)'s lips. It was a moment filled with raw affection, their love palpable to everyone in the room.

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, their voices blending harmoniously with the music. Hobie pulled away, a wide grin stretching across his face, and continued singing. The energy in the room soared as the music filled every corner, and (Y/n) swayed to the rhythm, her heart overflowing with love and adoration.

As the song came to an end, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Hobie took a moment to soak in the energy, basking in the love and appreciation pouring from the audience. But his gaze never wavered from (Y/n), who stood in the front row, a beaming smile on her face.

Feeling invigorated by the audience's response, Hobie moved seamlessly into the next song. The music pulsed through his veins, filling him with an infectious energy. He continued to perform with passion and fervor, his voice resonating through the hall.

Throughout the concert, (Y/n) remained in the front row, completely immersed in the music and the love she felt for Hobie. She danced, sang along, and reveled in the electrifying atmosphere surrounding them. Their connection was palpable, and every note he sang felt like a love letter written just for her.

As the concert came to a close, the final chords reverberated through the hall, leaving an indelible mark on the audience's hearts. Hobie stood on the stage, his breath ragged, his heart pounding with the thrill of the performance. The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause, showing their appreciation for the musical journey they had experienced.

Amidst the cheers and the fading sound of applause, Hobie descended from the stage, his eyes locked on (Y/n). She rushed forward, her arms outstretched, and they embraced in a tight, passionate hug. It was a moment of pure euphoria, the culmination of their love and the power of music.

Hobie held (Y/n) close, his heart racing with a mixture of adrenaline and pure bliss. He whispered in her ear, his voice filled with gratitude, "Thank you for being my inspiration, my rock. I love you more than words can express."

(Y/n) pulled back slightly, her eyes glistening with tears of joy. "I love you too, Hobie. That was the most incredible experience, and I'm so proud of you," she replied, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

As they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the world around them seemed to fade away. The applause and cheers were merely background noise compared to the love they shared. In that moment, their connection was unbreakable, and they knew that their journey, both in music and in love, was just beginning.

[softambrollins]

the seth/punk parallels are crazy though!! everything he said about punk can be applied to himself a couple years ago. it's like looking in a mirror and seeing everything he doesn't want to be anymore.

'mr centre of attention' that's why seth broke up the shield and that's all he craved for so long. 'it's all about you' it's almost like dean told seth this same thing once and it smarted because it was true. 'gaslighting' is there anyone more proficient at gaslighting than seth rollins lol. 'you've probably never in your life sincerely apologised for anything' and that's where they differ. we know seth has apologised for his faults very publicly in the past. 'you're the king of propaganda' that's exactly what authority seth was. 'except for the one thing that would actually make you the hero that you think you are' seth was always scared that he'd never actually be the hero he wanted to be. because he was too selfish. but he's sacrificed everything for the greater good before. and punk doesn't know what that's like. 'actions have consequences' oh seth knows about that for sure.

punk did say he and seth are too similar and that's why seth doesn't like him. the difference is seth grew up and grew out of that and genuinely changed and became the 'hero' punk thinks he is and punk never did. he's still stuck back in 2014, almost in arrested development, too consumed by his own pride and ego and the perceived slights by everyone around him, while seth who used to look up to him and want to be like him changed into someone better. he really is above him now.

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 17

It’s Emily Axford’s World, We’re Just Living in It

Welcome back to Fantasy High where this monster 3+ hour bombshell of an episode is dropping during one of the busiest weeks of my life! There is SO much going on in this episode that I’m absolutely going to have to speed through things to get this out before the next episode but I’ll try to hit on all of the most important points. OK, ready, set, let’s go!

We closed out last ep in the middle of downtime where we learned that Jace had a scar from being infected with a rage crystal shatter star and from there we still have a bunch more downtime to get through. Highlights!

Riz investigates the footage from the crystal cam and again has the feeling that he needs to go back to his office and check out any open-ended clues because he’s missing something. 

Gorgug tries to work on a way to harness the power of the Night Yorb’s darkness since it’s trapped in his van since they’ll probably be fighting a solar deity soon. He does mention it to Henry but not why he’s doing it. He also looks into the Cloud Rider and confirms with the Aviation Club goblin kid that it would be powerful enough to lift the Hangman (referring not to the motorcycle, but to Bill’s ship which is now Seacaster manor). 

Fig writes another Ankarna themed song and rolls an insane 37. That’s powerful enough that she’s able to commune with Ankarna in her dreams. She calms the distressed Ankarana with the paladin spell Atonement and by commiserating that both of their girlfriends are “out of town”. Ankarna calls Fig her hero and says that “She’s always known” before she wakes up. 

Fig keeps haunting Ruben's dreams but they're abjured so she can't straight up talk to him. In his dream, she sees his house in Elmville and feels rage as well as fear. She sees a glade in Far Haven Woods and a scared pre-emo Ruben which makes her think that that's where they did whatever they did to kick things off and that maybe the old Ruben is still trapped somewhere. 

She then goes full Emily Axford and–along with the help of Fabian, British Kristen, Gorgug, and Adaine–goes to Ruben’s house and FAKES THE DEATH OF WANDA CHILDA BY KIPPERLILLY. Once she’s “dead” Adaine casts Enlarge on Gorgug and throws a cloak on him so he can take her away the in the same way Buddy’s body was taken away. It’s the performance of a lifetime with a 34 but the craziest part is they know someone was watching through the window but they have no idea who it was. InSANE. Imagine if it’s just Kipperlilly watching from Ruben’s window like ???????

Finally she gets Eugenia to design a tattoo for Fabian’s bday that will let him cast Ghost Step. She’s gonna secretly tattoo it on him because sure why not. 

Kristen talks to a very stressed Jawbone who has been dealing with a lot of angry kids lately which is, como se dice, troubling considering the whole rage god situation. She downloads him on everything going on and reveals that she was gonna try to have British Kristen steal files so she can see if the addresses of the angry kids form a 24 pointed star but instead she helps Jawbone clean his office and asks if she can have the addresses. He can’t give out student info but he says he’ll check a map and see if they form a star as well as checking on Jace. Kristen tells him to be super careful because the last teacher they talked to was Yolanda, RIP. (He also mentions the Sophomore Year Hotel Cav fight as being a weird thing that happened and the murder attempt of Lydia–things that we’ve already flagged as loose ends. We’ll get back to this).

Bobby Dawn is freaking out because they can’t find Buddy’s soul in corn heaven. Kristen reveals that he’s not in corn heaven and in fact is following a new god (after confirming he doesn’t have a rage crystal). Bobby Dawn thinks he’s being punked–especially once Kristen says the new god is her god’s ex-wife–but Kristen is being pretty sincere (so sincere that Murph is melting into a puddle anticipating she’s about to give the game away to one of their least fave NPCs–imo, she didn’t give away anything game ending but she was def playing with fire). Bobby tells Kristen to call him if there’s anything he can do to help find Buddy and Kristen dips to go talk to “[her] friend Murph.” Not Riz, Murph the irl guy, lol. As that happens, Bobby goes to have a whisper convo with his wife Pam who is also there. Suspicious.  

Riz/Murph makes the connection that Lake Shimmerstone is called that because of the gem filaments that flow from the Mountains of Chaos. It's a classic "no rolls necessary" moment. 

Kristen finally checks the bylaws and sees that the major change made was that there is no longer any inaugural period post election. So once the votes are counted, whoever wins is president right away. It was a change by Mazey requested by a faculty member--they think Jace. 

Kristen checks on her brother finally and it doesn't seem like he has a rage crystal but he's pretty bummed that he hasn't been able to convert any of his friends despite being a good paladin. He's also having a little existential crisis because he has non Helioic friends who don't actually seem like scary heathens. But then he was warned that sin might be tempting. Kristen tells him that she understands and that he has to decide whether he knows himself better than their parents. She says she's always around to talk. She then does a Relaxation roll and loses 3 stress tokens! Brennan also has her roll a d6 for the Relationship track roll with Buddy and on a 6, loses her final stress token!

Like Fig, Kristen also gets to commune with her goddess. Cass says that she's trapped and the king will come to Spyre. She says her wife's "fiery hand" grasps her in death and she has to protect her from the upcoming destruction--but she can't do it as herself. She tells Kristen that Ankarna has a champion as well and when Kristen asks who Cass says she already knows the champion. Finally, she urges her to look into what Kalina said because there was to be a good reason for her saying Ragh’s name. 

I’m going to leave the bullets for a moment (largely because Tumblr gets mad at blocks of text that are too big) to say that Adaine and Fig go to Ayda’s geocache and find an insane amount of spell components which would have been super useful earlier in the year. It also has instruments for Fig including a new bass that Brennan says he’ll get Emily the item card for ASAP. Back to bullets!

In his research, Riz finds the location in the Mountains of Chaos of the Temple of the Fallen Sun where Lydia's party members stopped in their travels. 

Riz looking into the Loam files sees that the person they're after must have had some ability to stun their opponents which is probably the reason for the lack of defensive wounds. He also learns that Ruvina's festival was called the Festival of Frost which sounds a lot like Frosty Fair. 

He finds some text about something called the War of Shattered Stones which apparently took place around when Ankarna's domain changed. 

On a hunch that there is more going on with the rat grinding than meets the eye, the whole gang takes a field trip to Lake Shimmerstone and Riz finds evidence that at some point the Rat Grinders were taken here while a massive giant was fighting deadly monsters. That doesn’t make sense so they call in some rats to question who tell them that there was a giant fighting these monsters and basically leaving the killing blows to the Rat Grinders so they’d get the XP–which is mechanically insane diegetically but we’re gonna ignore that. The rats also confirm that this was when Lucy was still around. The Bad Kids think that the RG’s made a deal with this giant (who the rats say is a guy btw) to get powered up and they got crystals as their end of the bargain. 

OK, that basically wraps up downtime. One more piece of business before we head to the Temple of the Fallen Sun! Zara has a talk with Fig where after heaping praise on her, she passes along a message–the appearance of a surprise meteor shower which was arranged by Ayda and is the most romantic thing ever. I won’t recap it, just watch it yourself. I can’t do it justice. Before Fig leaves for some hot tub time, Zara asks about Fig’s evaluation and Fig assures her she already turned it in. 

Time for a griffon road trip! And strap in because this is a MEATY lore dump. Sandra Lynn brings everyone on griffons to the Temple of The Fallen Sun and Riz brings his files because he can’t shake the feeling that he’s missing something. 

They find this infernal temple littered with humanoid bones and Fig can tell with her divine sense that it's a temple to Ankarna. There is a place where Ankarna’s name was destroyed and replaced with a Ranger’s symbol that says: Do Not Enter. Fallen Temple. There’s also evidence that someone tried to rewrite Ankarna’s name but it’s not her actual name. It’s the glyph that means her but isn’t her actual name. Which suggests that there’s a group of Ankarna followers that are trying to do stuff involving her but that don’t know her name. 

Everyone who can loads up on Truesight and See Invisibility before they enter the temple. There are a bunch of pretty good Investigation checks but, in particular, Riz gets a 32 and Fig gets a Nat 20.

Fig sees a vision (and Adaine can see it too--I assume as elven oracle she can just piggyback on anyone else having visions lol) of two giantkin wearing robes with a sun emblem being executed by armored individuals wearing robes with a fiery emblem on it. This temple was built right when Ankarna's domain was changing. They’re seeing the old priests of Ankarna being executed by the new ones. 

It's clear that this temple was built as a part of a state religion--the focus on conquest and strength is very empire-y. Adaine sees some writing in Giant and casts Comprehend Language so she can read it. There’s a bunch about the War of Shattered Stone and some new stuff about the temple being built for the glory of the House of Sunstone. They walk through the temple and see all this awful equipment for torture and execution. They get the sense that this is where Ankarna was changed. Her new followers did a bunch of heinous stuff in her name to force her to become infernal. As above, so below and all. 

Adaine casts Legend Lore and Brennan basically salivates. 30 seconds later, Riz rolls a Nat 20 to Investigate his files. So we’re about to crack this whole thing wide open folks. Let’s do this!

Fig and Kristen explore a chamber and Kristen's shards glow so bright she has to wrap fabric around them so they don't hurt peoples' eyes. They realize that their goddesses have been in this room together before. It's where they got divorced. Fig sees a vision of a bunch of Cass's followers dropping their weapons and backing up slowly and then being brutally slaughtered by the new guard of Ankarna. 

Adaine's Legend Lore starts: Sunstone was the top clan of the giants and conquered all the others--Thunderfist, Hornspear, Moonspeak, and Frostblade (Lucy’s ancestors). Ships got better which meant people started mingling and so did their gods. Ankarna and Cassandra got married. Things were good for a while but the leaders of the church of Sol didn't like having two sun gods in their pantheon so they whispered in the ears of some of the Sunstone guys that maybe conquest was the way to go (this was when they started conquering the other clans).  

Clan Frostblade rose up to fight because Ruvina was so concerned with stopping her sister and at the sundering of the Cliff's of Colcath, House Sunstone was destroyed. 

At this point, Riz realizes the thing he was missing in his files and it’s the thing we noticed ages ago. The weird moment in Sophomore Year. How did Ragh get cursed so he could see Kalina in the first place? Brennan plays the clip, looking like the cat who ate the canary. Porter did “Barbarian Healing” on him. That’s not a real thing. Lay on Hands is though. Porter is the one who infected Ragh. Emily, who has hated this man from day one, is LIVING. 

Back to the Legend Lore: The sundering of the Cliffs of Colcath. Sundering as in breaking. As in Cliffbreaker–Porter’s last name. 

They start putting things together. Him telling Fig he's a paladin to his ancestors. Gorgug sees him smite a giant stone with the force that would be needed to fell a bunch of trees in the woods. Disasuding Fig from being a paladin of Cass. His connection to Jace from the start. The large figure healing Buddy? He’s big as hell and Paladins can revivify. And Ankarna telling Fig that she’s known all along. 

The Legend Lore Concludes: After the sundering at the cliffs, the remaining Sunstones changed their names (to Cliffbreaker) and went into hiding. The Frostblades destroyed Ankarna's name to free her from the corruption (but I guess that went a little too far and backfired). The name was lost but a lot of Ankarna's true followers waited for her return. That includes Bakur who the Bad Kids realize was trying to bring back not infernal, ragey Ankarna but sunny justice Ankarna. But he was stopped by her mortal followers. 

Sandra Lynn watching all of this is like, “Well shit,” and points out that if the world isn’t already in chaos they must not have everything they need yet. The Bad Kids figure the opposition must be missing the name and a successful election. The election is in four days so that’s how long they have to stop it. In one final sick fusion of bard and paladin, Fig uses a riff from her base to uncover an older image of Ankarna and Cassandra pre-corruption and then they head back home. 

(Note: This comes up later retroactively but before they leave, they also check for footprints and see recent ones of Porter, Jace, and Buddy. It looks like they teleported in.)

Kristen casts Sending to warn Jawbone that Porter is bad news and then they speculate some more. There was a question in an earlier episode about what does it actually mean that Ankarna died in the Red Waste. They figure out that it means that the last follower who remembered her name was killed there. 

They talk to Bakur who says again that he was betrayed by Ankarna’s mortal followers. He also mentions that even in her infernal state, she would refuse to grant her followers spells when they had plans to hurt her sister or wife (even when Ruvina’s followers were attacking her). 

Bakur realized that Ankarna's followers were interested in her power but not in her. Bakur also overheard conversation from Lydia's party that said that Ankarna needed to be remade in a place where a god has been borne. A god. Any god. Riz flashes back to Kipperlilly Jawbone asking where Yes! was borne. 

Fig with some help from Adaine makes a fake version of Ankarna's name to give to Porter--Bacharath written in Giant. While Fig goes to give this to Porter, Adaine is hiding outside with Detect Thoughts on and Riz is hiding nearby invisible and recording.

Fig finds Porter and tells him and she found a new god and found her name but it’s annoying because she can’t read Giant which she needs to do to rez the god. She does it really casually and acts like it’s no big deal and Porter tries to play it cool but Adaine can tell with her Detect Thoughts that he’s chomping at the bit to get that name. She makes sure that Fig crits on her Deception with a portent. He (not at all) causally offers to help Fig translate and snatches the piece of paper from her. Fig then challenges him to spar and he agrees. Brennan asks for a Con roll and when Porter stomps his foot, everyone is immediately stunned (remember the mention of the stun effect and not defensive wounds earlier). Everyone but Riz who rolled a Nat 20. So he keeps his Invisibility. He also gets a high enough luck check to feel that there is someone else invisible nearby, close to Fig and Porter (note: later, Brennan tells Adaine that while she had Detect Thoughts up, for a moment she could detect the thoughts of an invisible KP). 

The last thought Adaine gets from Porter as her concentration drops on Detect Thoughts is, “Did I lock the office?”

Porter helps Fig up and doesn’t actually fight her but it feels like they just saw Porter do a Legendary Action which is a weird thing for a teacher to do–even a strong one. Fig asks what the hell that was and Porter plays it coy, saying senior year is gonna be really exciting. Riz is absolutely not having that non-answer and Misty Steps into Porter’s office. With his high investigation, he just finds everything so back to bullets:

There’s a note where he’s intimidating Halo St. Croix (the paladin teacher) into letting him teach the multiclass paladins. 

There are MCATs signed for him to teach both Lucy and Buddy paladin lessons. 

There’s an encrypted message between Porter and Bobby Dawn where Bobby is basically saying he’s very happy for Sol to remain the ONLY god of the sun in town but a new war god? That could be OK. He also suggests Porter look into Devil’s Honey for his plan. 

There's medicine to help with a psychosomatic allergic to feline dandruff (prob Kalina related). 

There’s filo dough–the kind you use to make baklava (a honey based dessert). 

There’s a leather cord, probably used in the casting of Spy’s Tongue Curse than smells rank. 

There are tons of blenders full of whey, protein powder, and ambrosia–food of the gods. Together, they piece together that mortals aren’t supposed to eat ambrosia because it kills them. Not in a violent way–they just ascend to the afterlife. They figure that Porter is basically eating god supplements, with the intention of supplanting Ankarna and becoming the new god of rage. Explains why he suddenly has legendary actions. 

There’s some cryptic, vague communication with the Rat Grinders which doesn’t give much away but is enough to tip them off that Ruben’s house is the place where they plan things. 

With that they go to investigate Ruben’s place. Before they go, Riz sets up a dead man’s switch that will release evidence if he doesn’t stop it–just in case they get trapped or held up or something. Adaine also calls her sister so she can cast a bunch of protective wards on Fabian’s place–she’s a master abjuration wizard after all. 

Riza goes in first and disables all the traps in Ruben’s house which means they won’t get caught but the RG’s will know someone was there later. Here’s everything they find and, like the rest of this episode, it’s a lot:

Adaine finds Oisin’s workstation and most notably finds a picture of his dragon ancestor hanging out with Kalvaxus, some notes about the Cloud Rider, and notes about stealing summons from other people (remember Adaine's mephits going haywire at Fabian's party). There's also some notes about a way to write telekinetically on the inside of a sphere. They’re not sure what that means. 

In Ruben's sound studio, they find notes from Porter helping Ruben write the song Get Mad--the song he did at Frosty Fair. 

Gorgug hacks into their private servers and sees all their communications. KP insists that they only call Cass the Nightmare King and (presumably) refers to Porter as the "Big Guy". She says he wants the Nightmare King and should have her locked down sooner rather than later just as soon as she shows herself in the Astral Plane. There's also stuff from last year where KP is really excited. She says the Big Guy has been looking out for them for a while and she's hyping Lucy up saying she gets to be the champion (something we know she didn't want). KP is specifically excited that this will allow them to keep up with the Bad Kids. Jace is also mentioned as a conspirator under the acronym JSD which isn’t slick at all lol.

Kristen sees evidence of Buddy helping with a ritual and stuff about where a god was "borne" (spelled correctly) so clearly they know a lot about what's going on. She also finds out what KP wants to do once she's President: she wants to shut down Aguefort as a school forever which will nullify the protections and wards it has centered on it, the big one being that Elmville can't be moved to any other plane of existence while school is in session. They think the Rat Grinders want to teleport the whole town–perhaps to set up a divine domain. Which would need followers–specifically angry followers. IDK about y’all but I feel like being randomly teleported to the Astral Plane would make ME pretty angry. 

There are texts post Lucy but pre Buddy where they're like what are we gonna do now? There's a "We're all in this together now" vibe (like some kind of twisted High School Musical) and they resolve to "talk to the Big Guy"

We learn Buddy was chosen for the same reason Lucy was a good candidate–connection to Ankarna. Lucy because Ruvina was her sister and Buddy because of similar domains (Helio’s domain is a Solar offshoot). Also I didn’t mention this before but Buddy did *not* know what he was doing. Oisin and Ivy are joking about his cluelessness behind his back (Booooo I was rooting for you dude). 

There’s a message from Jace telling them to stop antagonizing the Bad Kids even though they want revenge which leads the Bad Kids to question what they ever did to them. 

In Oisin's room they also find a lot of stuff about dragons and an image of a fetal god being protected by the Nightmare King. Also they remember how cloudy the Nightmare King's realm was (maybe a cloud rider connection?) 

Deep breath, this is a lot of stuff and we’re almost done. 

There's stuff about the Thistulespring tree and Ruben’s song spreading the rage vibes that represent the crystals in the ground. 

They realize that Porter is probably using the Devil's Honey to lie to Ankarna about his intentions as he's communicating with her.

They see that for the ritual they needed a body (Porter), Ankarna's name, the protective storm of the NIghtmare King, and his name inscribed by the champion of the old goddess. They realize that’s why Zara never got her eval. Fig is the champion and she did Porter and Zara’s eval on the same sheet which he swiped for this ritual. He literally made Fig a paladin so he could get what he needed. Diabolical. Aguefort needs better hiring practices. 

OK. Phew. Finally done. They head out and the next day is election day. Porter isn’t at school that day which is not surprising but is concerning. They don’t see the RG’s either. After school it’s time for the big party/election at Fabian’s place. Mazey gets a booth set up and Jawbone is there as faculty to make it legit. Aelwyn has warded up the place. Fig is there as Wanda cause she’s a maniac. Adaine is casting Detect Magic continually at the voting booth to watch for shenanigans. Also Ragh shows up and he aced his tryouts! He’s gonna be a profesh bloodrush player! Hoot growl all around!

But Riz (and honestly Murph) is unsettled. Everyone’s at this party where Fabian’s victory is a sure thing? All in one location together? Rat Grinders nowhere to be seen? This is WAY too easy.  

Which is Brennan’s cure to drop the other shoe. 

Things are just like Adaine's visions...until they're not. The sky was always clear in her visions and now storm clouds are brewing. She gets a Sending spell from someone, "You didn't see the storm coming? Must not be a very good Oracle." Oisin. Suddenly, ping pong balls with runes inside of them start raining down from where they've been stuck in the unkept Seacaster manor for months. From when Oisin "missed" his shots. Telekinetic writing inside a sphere. Runes inside ping pong balls. As they fall, there's a sudden lurch. Winds kick up and Seacaster manor is flying above Elmville. Everyone rolls initiative! 

I’m not doing proper Honor Roll/Detention this week because this was such a long episode and I'm exhausted. Honestly, Honor Roll for me for getting this up in time. Detention for Fabian for not using is 10k gold allowance to have someone clean his house in the past 9 months. 

Random Notes

Gonna just stick to a few plot relevant ones to keep this brief. 

Re: Adaine not seeing the storm in the same way that the previous oracle couldn't. I wonder if that’s just a blanket thing that weather evades predictions or if they did the same thing that was done during Kal’s plan to evade that oracle's sight before Aelwyn sunk her ship.

I don’t think I made it clear but Porter def killed Yolanda according to this ep. 

Porter’s Legendary Action is able to stun someone for multiple rounds which in combat would be devastating. 

I’m shocked they never tried to talk to Ruvina at any point during the campaign. 

I am still VERY concerned about Riz being made staff by Jace and given silver. That feels suspicious given we know he’s on Team Porter Ascension. 

I didn’t get into it because it was nebulous and would have messed with the flow of the recap but there was something there about teleportation circles and the Rat Grinders continually casting teleport to make a circle and maybe that’s how they’re gonna get Elmville into the Astral Plane. Just mentioning it in case it comes up again.

I don’t think we got closure on the “where the god was borne” thing. Because borne means carried, not created, right? I wonder if Seacaster manor would count because the corpse of Yes! Was brought there by Ankarna. 

The Rat Grinders and Porter have at least 2 obstacles they don’t know about. They don’t have the real name (unless they got in since Fig gave Porter the fake one) and Fig is literally domain squatting on Ankarna’s domain. She already called dibs so any claiming will have to go through her. 

I think it’s really nice that Adaine tried to do a relaxation track for Kristen. Handshake meme, her and Riz.

Emily insisting so hard and consistently that Porter was evil that Brennan just made him evil has some real as above/so below energy lol.

[thecouncilofidiots]

Don't get me wrong

I genuinely love, respect, and accept feminine trans boys and trans boys who are comfortable in their body/femininity

100%, present yourself and your gender however you want, you are valid no matter what

But it's hella disheartening to ONLY see "soft cute trans boys uwu"

'M not a catboy with sweater paws (seriously, what is up with the cat shit? /genuine question, confused), comfortable in skirts

'M not a twink or a femboy (zero disrespect to those who are), I'm just... small because I'm young and perceived "feminine" because I'm in the wrong body

Even with searching for specific aesthetics, all I could find for over an hour was the same cutesy shit

I had to choose between punk/skater OR trans aesthetic when trying to find pictures for my SP avatar, because they rarely overlapped (except in the case of anarchy "dismantle the gender binary"/"protect trans kids", but that wasn't what I was looking for either)

There are more than one type of way to be trans, please spread love and recognition for those who don't fall under the social media aesthetic

- Sincerely, a masculine transboy who can't pass and feels dysphoria because of it, who wants to see representation of other masculine transboys to not feel alone

Sorry 'm rambling, forgot why I don't front often... shit sucks

((Edit : ah, fuck, is this an anti-masculinity thing? the lack of non-feminine transboys? or a fuck the gender roles and expectations thing, 'cause I can get behind that, but there is nothing wrong with masculinity, fuckers!))

[eldritch-spouse]

You know I think Breg would benefit from having friends, one : to give his drunk father figure some rest and two : to have people  stop or encourage him in his bullshit. Obviously having monster friends would be better for him, so I made a list of the people I think he could along with (and the ones he would chomp without regrets)

Friends :

Santi: this one is easy, Santi seems to be an easygoing person and a good friend to have. When he's not drooling over Breg, I think he'd give some really good tips about life and how to deal with his obsession (after begging for a threesome and getting punched in the face), if they got close enough, Santi could even help Breg forget about some of his insecurities in the way that he would put him at ease.

Grimbly : by association, he'd be intrigued by Breg, for the first few times, their first conversations would be "You're so tall !! No you're like huge" , "Well you're small like a...bean", but they get along just fine.

Fank-E : He's friends with everyone and he'll put a bunch of stickers on Breg and he lowkey annoy the shit of him at certain times but it will end up in this semi-consensual kinda forced friendship (who's more insistant him or Breg ? I guess we'll never know)

Gallon : Him and Egghead would have talks that would leave Eggy scratching his head and staring into the void, but they're nice to each other, Gallon might be a bit condescending in reaction to a how simple Breg's mind seems to be.

Middle ground

Patches : I hesitated as putting him as friend but I think his scientific interests would put Breg off

Belo : Belo is too polite and uptight, and his fixated stare can make Breg feel uneasy, they talk just fine

Sybastian : Syb just kind of mind his bussiness and keep it pushing but there's rare times where he growls a "hello" to Breg and keeps walking

Nebul : Nope, this only reason why they're not enemies is because Nebul is civilized, but the potions and his dominating nature would make Bregory avoid him like the plague

No fucking way :

Morrell : Their interest for the same thing (human) is diverging in two different directions, Breg is like "Humans are friends not food ! 😡" and Morrell is like "yUM sTEaK !", it's their relationship on a very surface level and I think Eggy would leave it at that

Hellion : Nah, they would fight and Breg would just bite that head off his neck 

Vinnel : That punk would try to pull a prank on Breg, he would fall for it, get mad and then catch Vinnel and try to squish him like a stress toy, Vinnel would be in pain for a little while and finally leave Breg alone (or plot a terrible revenge)

Did it actually turned into a scale of friends to archnemesis of TCE? Yes. Am I proud ? Yes.

Here's the thing though.

One of the first things said about Breg is that he dislikes monsters. He glorifies humans and has a general aversion to monsters, finding them generally untrustworthy. This isn't to say there can't be exceptions, like Fasma, but Breg would probably have a much bigger drive to acquire human friends.

The problem with human friends is that it wouldn't take too long for him to cross boundaries if Breg is yet to meet his obsession.

With monster friends, you're also forgetting that Breg refuses to set foot in The Clergy in general. He's been there once with Fasma, didn't like it at all, vowed not to enter it again- He'd have to meet staff outside. I sincerely don't think many of these would work out all that well, certainly not Santi. The incubus' insistence on wanting to fuck him would make Breg really aggressive really fast. Grimbly's manipulation and cute talk would fall on deaf ears and unfortunately things with Gallon would be more akin to one-sided mockery. Fank-E would genuinely irritate Breg, but since he's a machine and not a monster, things might work out given he's moderately quiet.

Belo's aura as an angel might make Breg slightly more at ease, yet somehow hyperaware of the power himself, which would probably confuse the breeder a little. Patches would get himself torn in two horizontally if he doesn't contain his scientific interest around Breg, as it could trigger really intense reactions from the ex-captive. Morell and him would just brawl, correct.

Ironically, I see him as possibly getting along with Glauk, even if there's a barrier there in the sense Breg doesn't know how to swim properly yet. Glauk is relatively small and can't say weird things to him plus seems eager to share all kinds of trinkets people dump in the aquarium. This is a bit of an impossible scenario, unless Glauk is being transported outside for some reason or another.

[animebw]

Seasonal Reflection: Winter 2024 Anime

My feelings on the first anime season of 2024 can be summed up thusly: Most of my favorite shows from winter 2024 were continuations of shows that were already great from last season, not new entries. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and there were plenty of new anime I at least enjoyed watching. But it became clear about halfway through the season that aside from a couple fall 2023 holdovers, there was barely anything truly exciting going on here. Most of the adaptations I watched didn't do much to truly elevate their source material, and most of the few original series we got ended up the worst of the bunch. I can't say nothing good came out of winter 2024, but if this is any sign of how the rest of the year is gonna go, we may be in for a slog. For now, though, let's take stock of the anime I watched this season, and which ones are worth your time.

Metallic Rouge: 3/10

If you asked me what the worst show I finished this season would be at the start, I never would've guessed Metallic Rouge. I mean, it's a cool-ass original sci-fi anime from Bones with slick 2D mecha animation, surely that's gotta be at least a little cool, right? Sadly, no. Because this is, without question, one of the most baffling scripts I've ever seen in anime. Almost every single detail of its world and plot are barely explained, if at all, and the mechanics of what's even supposed to be going on are so nebulous that every attempt at a plot twist feels like a twist on something that never actually existed. Characters are plopped into the story without even an introduction. At times it feels like whole scenes have been cut out entirely. The only thing I can compare it to is the original Suicide Squad movie from 2016: a story so cut to the bone in the editing room that you can barely tell what's supposed to be happening half the time, and yet enough of the original story remains to suggest it was never any good in the first place. The one thing it gets right is the prickly chemistry between its two leads, and then it fucking keeps them separated for like half the damn runtime! How do you even unforced error that badly?

Bucchigiri: 3.5/10

Man, this was not a good season for original anime. Bucchigiri might not have been as staggering a writing trainwreck as Metallic Rouge, but its sin is arguably even worse; it's boring. It's a wacky, colorful high school delinquent romp with rainbow-haired Jojo's punks beating the snot out of each other with genie powers, it's sort of a re-imagining of Aladdin, it's got freaking Hiroko Utsumi at the helm, and it's boring. Why? Because this show gets absolutely stuck in the quicksand of its own status quo and refuses to budge an inch. Character growth is nonexistent, the protagonist is an aggravating loser wimp who never learns his lesson, and nothing of actual meaning happens from the first episode to the end. Literally everything you think is setting up a character arc where someone learns a lesson or grows as a person, all of it amounts to nothing. It's a limp, inert world that perpetuates the same overdone jokes and contrived, misunderstanding-based drama over and over again until all the outsized Utsumi visual personality feels like a tacky coat thrown on top of a lifeless corpse. What an utter waste.

Urusei Yatsura Season 2 (1st Cours): 5/10

I'm still not quite sure what to make of the Urusei Yatsura remake. is it charmingly dated? Annoyingly dated? A welcome throwback or a sign that some things should stay in the past? If nothing else, it never fails to get at least a couple chuckles out of me every episode. But the more it tries to lean into being actually sincere, the more its inherent cheesiness and lack of depth starts becoming a problem. I'm sorry, this cast of characters is just too abrasive and purposefully insane to take seriously, and none of their relationships are healthy enough to unironically root for. Lum and Ataru are not a couple I want to see actually get together, at least not unless Ataru stops being such a fucking shithead. And if him being a jackass could be charming in season 1, then this season is really starting to test my patience with him. It's one thing to be a serial skirt chaser, but his actions this season regularly cross a line from womanizing to unambiguous sex pest, and there's only so many wooden mallets he can get knocked over the head with before it stops feeling like like he's getting punished as much as he deserves to be.

Undead Unluck (2nd Cours): 5/10

Good news, everyone: Undead Unluck finally gave up on those awful groping gags that were ruining its central romance! Bad news: at the same time, it spontaneously developed one of the worst cases of recap padding I've ever seen! I'm not just talking overlong recap segments at the start of the episode, I'm talking constant flashbacks to events we just saw just moments before, straight up playing the same footage again just minutes apart, all climaxing in a truly unforgivable episode that spends seven goddamn minutes on recycled footage. Not even Tokyo Revengers was this bad with its time-wasting. And to add insult to injury, once it finally gets its feet unstuck and returns to a reasonable amount of recap for the final arc, it's probably the best arc of the entire show! It's some of the most bonkers high-concept emotional storytelling I've ever seen attempted, let alone pulled off so spectacularly. It's proof that there is so much brilliance to Undead Unluck, if it could just get out of its own way. But as long as it continues suffering from such massive systemic flaws, it's only ever going to be an also-ran.

Solo Leveling: 5.5/10

Okay, look; is this show dumb as a bag of rocks? Absolutely. Is it as nakedly an adolescent power fantasy as any anime has ever been? Ditto. Does it solely exist for dweeby incels to feel like swaggering douchebag chads getting revenge on all the normies who looked down on them by becoming The Bestest Strongest Chadliest Awesomest Of All Time? You know it. But god dammit, it's actually fun. I cannot pretend I'm too mature and sophisticated to enjoy a big, helping heaping of dumb edgy schlock when it's actually done well. I'm the one person on the face of the earth who still caries water for Akame ga Kill, for crying out loud. And Solo Leveling makes two really smart storytelling choices that keep it (mostly) on the entertaining side of dumb fun: building a genuinely interesting and intricate world that exists well beyond the scope of the protagonist's actions (for now, at least), and making sure that no matter how stupidly overpowered Jinwoo gets, his opponents are always just a little bit even more stupidly overpowered, so he's still pushed to his absolute breaking point and barely scraping together a win by the skin of his teeth every time. There is an art to edge that's too often taken for granted, and this show is proof that being the living embodiment of a twelve-year-old boy's wet dreams is no excuse not to be at least a decent version of that. That said, let's be real, Jinwoo was so much more attractive before his supposed glow-up. Give my boy back his scraggly rat locks, you cowards.

Bang Brave Bang Bravern: 6/10

What happens when a campy, cartoony 70s-style super robot anime crashes headfirst into a much grittier real robot anime? Well, what happens is Bang Brave Bang Bravern, the latest ten-car pileup of mismatched genres from the Cygames masterminds behind "What if horse racing but idols?" Take a desperate war story of survival against impossible odds, airdrop a skyscraper-sized superhero into the mix, and watch him completely shatter the original tone one cheekily ironic powerup and power-of-friendship speech at a time. It's a beautifully bonkers sendup of mecha tropes that has some of the funniest individual moments in this entire anime season, and the absolutely wild twist it pulls with the titular robot's identity in the back half is more than worth the price of admission on its own. Unfortunately, if it wanted to be as perfect a parody-until-it-isn't mecha series as Akiba Maid War was a parody-until-it-isn't mob flick, it probably should've tried being as long as most mecha series tend to be, i.e. more than just twelve measly episodes. There's just not enough time to develop any of the characters or world beyond the most essential parts, resulting in huge chunks of the supporting cast hanging around with nothing to do but take up space. And it leads to this show, which is trying to be so big and over the top, instead feeling so small and half-formed. Also, the secondary romance is gross. Like, really gross.

A Sign of Affection: 6/10

I think this show has helped clarify something for me: I'm really getting tired of how quickly modern romance anime get their main couple together. As much as we rag on the endless will-they-won't-they of ages past, taking so much time to build up the characters and their relationship before they finally make it official can result in some truly one-of-a-kind storytelling when done right. I might agonize over how long Sawako and Kuronoma take to get together in Kimi ni Todoke, but the payoff is so transcendent that none of those complaints matter. Whereas Yuki and Itsuomi getting together so quickly in A Sign of Affection... I mean, they're cute, I guess? His cool demeanor plays off her sincerity very well? But it feels like the show's in such a rush to get to the good stuff- and so determined to make Istuomi the dreamiest, most perfect boyfriend ever- that it skips over so much of the careful character-building that makes all the best anime romances so special. It's a sugary sweet confection, but wipe the frosting away and there's just not that much cake underneath. Honestly, I find the side characters a lot more interesting because they're allowed to have messy internal conflicts with a bit more meat on their bones. But hey, props for putting a deaf heroine at the center of your shoujo romance and taking so much time to explore how that affects the way she interacts with the world. That's a cause well worth celebrating.

Sengoku Youko: 6.5/10

Rejoice, everyone, we finally have an adaptation of a Satoshi Mizukami work that doesn't look like absolute garbage! After the flaming disaster that was Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer's barely animated hackjob production, Sengoku Youko has arrived to give the cult fave manga artist a chance for his work to actually shine on the silver screen. As someone who only knows him through Planet With, I've always wondered if Mizukami deserved the reputation his manga gets, and with White Fox delivering as tight and intense a production as they gave Re:Zero, I guess it's time to finally find out. And the answer is... mostly? Like, the biggest problems in this sci-fi/feudal fantasy mashup are the characters being a little too eager to state the themes out loud and one pretty crummy death that's about as hamfisted and over-telegraphed as I've seen in a while. But there's a shockingly gripping narrative underlying it all, a story about the scars trauma leaves on people, of characters making bad decisions and facing real consequences for them, of hatred and poisonous ideology forced to reckon with the more complex reality of the world as a whole. And it all climaxes in an absolute barn-burner final episode that knocked my score up a half point all on its own. If future seasons can make good on all the potential this first season has set up, then I may just end up a Mizukami fan myself when all is said and done.

Blue Exorcist Season 3: 6.5/10

I'm of two minds about Blue Exorcist's second return after a six-year gap between seasons. On one hand, it's clear the new staff is just nowhere near as talented as the folks who first brought this series to life at A-1 Pictures. The action is abysmal, the storyboarding is clunky, and the animation feels like it's constantly fighting for its life to maintain a passable standard. And it sucks that a series that once brought such great life to its story is now held back by such a mediocre production. But on the other hand... holy fuck, am I glad Blue Exorcist is back. I once described The Devil is a Part-Timer as the mathematical average of anime as a concept, but if you were to ask me what the best possible version of that mathematical average looks like? It would be Blue Exorcist. This is, hands down, one of the best straightforward shonen action stories in the whole medium, a reminder of why all the most generic and overused tropes were once powerful enough to become generic and overused in the first place. It's proof that even the simplest of "superpowered teens kick demon butt with the power of friendship" concepts can result in a wonderful goddamn series when handled with good old-fashioned storytelling fundamentals. And not even the rough-as-hell production is enough to keep season 3 from delivering on the thrills, tears, laughs, and cheers that make this series so magical. Just, please, give the next season more time in the oven so it doesn't feel like it's wading through molasses to hit those heights. Okay?

Delicious in Dungeon (1st Cours): 7/10

Delicious in Dungeon's biggest problem is that it takes a while to really settle into itself. The opening scene of the protagonist's sister being devoured by a dragon sets the tone for an intense and desperate rescue mission, but the actual series that follows this harrowing opening is as lackadaisical as can be. And it's jarring to be thrust into a gag-filled, character-driven fantasy cooking comedy where the harsh tone of that opening scene and the ticking clock of Falin's digestion completely disappear from the characters' heads in favor of how beast to cook and eat the various fantasy monsters they encounter in the dungeon. Yes, it makes a little more sense once the mechanics of death and resurrection are explained later on, but it's a weird note to start on. Which is a shame, because once Delicious in Dungeon gets a handle on what kind of story it's trying to be, it's really fun! Its sense of deadpan comedy coupled with Trigger's expressive animation makes for some really unexpected gags, and the way it explores its fantasy cuisine is genuinely some of the most creative stuff I've ever seen in the cooking anime genre. Plus, with the dark tone coming back in at the end of the first cours- and landing much more naturally this time- I have high hopes for how this series will marry those two sides of itself moving forward. If the manga fans' reactions are any indication, I think we're in for a damn good time.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2nd Cours): 8/10

So remember in my last post how I said that it was kind of disappointing whenever Frieren turned into an action show because of how disconnected the fights were from the beating heart that makes this show so special? Well, apparently the writers heard me and decided what I meant was I wanted this peaceful, meditative tale about grief, change and the passage of time to turn into the goddamn Hunter Exams for ten episodes straight. It's one of the most shockingly ill-advised storytelling swerves I've seen in an otherwise good show, discarding all this series' strengths in favor of a half-baked tournament arc with tonally jarring grimdark elements and a bland, overstuffed cast of characters who only start becoming interesting in the rare moments they're allowed to stop slinging spells at each other and just, like, talk about life? You know, the stuff that Frieren's actually good at? Not this brainless slice of shonen envy that only avoids being a complete slog thanks to how spectacular the action is across the board? Ugh. Look, Frieren is officially the most beloved anime on the goddamn planet right now, and its best moments are so incredible that I wish I could join that chorus as well. But it's so disappointing to me that a show this singular and special has so often chosen to be the least interesting version of itself.

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2: 8.5/10

It's official: director Hiroaki Akagi is the master of middle school rom-coms. No other creator so perfectly grasps the specific blend of immaturity, awkwardness, cringe, and heart-on-sleeve sincerity that defines the love stories of early adolescence. That was already clear with his work on Teasing Master Takagi-san, but now that he's pulled it off twice, there's no room left for argument. And just like with Takagi-san, the second season of The Dangers in My Heart takes a show that was already shockingly good and catapults it into all-time greatness. This is a coming-of-age triumph, a soaring tribute to embracing your own cringeworthy self, flaws and all, and sharing that self openly with the people who matter most to you. Ichikawa's journey toward maturity, Yamada's journey toward self-love, and the way their romance sparks the best in both of them is the stuff that dreams are made of. I laughed, I cried, I squealed like a little girl, and I felt my heart grow three sizes by the time it was done. This is a new gold standard for anime rom-coms, and if you can stomach a bit of groanworthy fanservice, it more than deserves your attention.

The Apothecary Diaries (2nd Cours): 8.5/10

Most of the time when I cover a two-cours show on these seasonal reflections, I end up in a pretty different place by the end of the second cours than I did at the first. Either it sort of fell apart in the second half, or found its footing and took it to the next level, or it changed in some interesting way that affects how I view the show as a whole. But The Apothecary Diaries has stayed the course from the first episode all the way to the end. Start to finish, it's remained pretty much the same show, with the same ideas and attitude, exploring the same themes in the same ways. And you know what? When you're as good as The Apothecary Diaries ended up being, there's nothing wrong with that. This is a spectacular historical drama that builds such a rich, compelling world for its equally rich, compelling characters to inhabit. It's a powerful exploration of how old society treated the disadvantaged- women, poor people, people with all severities of disability- and how one deeply abnormal girl carves her way through this viper's den with her body and soul intact. It's the kind of mature, thoughtful series we so rarely seen done this well, and with the announcement of a season 2 already confirmed, we may well end up with close to 50 episodes when all is said and done. That, folks, is what a true shoujo/josei renaissance looks like. And I'm so happy such a deserving series is leading the way in reminding us how damn good women's stories can be when they're given a chance to shine this brightly.

DROPPED

Cherry Magic: Dropped at 2 episodes for looking like butt and the central romance feeling pretty lifeless.

High Card Season 2: Dropped at 1 episode because I realized I didn't care anymore.

Ninja Kamui: Dropped at 2 episodes for being dull tryhard edgy bullshit with overdone fight scenes that are impossible to follow.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: I may have activated my own trap card

Spoilers for a movie that's two months old and also out on home release.

So, Miles, Gwen, Pavitr (Spider-India), and Hobie (Spider-Punk) all seem to have modern left-wing politics, though Gwen's got edited out. Hobie's introduction specifically says he hates "fascists", which carries over from the original comics.

By the time Hobie came around, I assumed he was just another poser, cooler than the hero rival character, expressing generic leftie politics, and his punk ethos wasn't sincere.

Which is exactly what the writers wanted me to think.

Not only is Hobie perfectly sincere about being anti-authoritarian, but he's been helping Miles since before they even met. He's been blatantly stealing junk from the Spider Society to build his own universe-jumping watch, and disguising it as petty vandalism.

He even tries to talk Miles out of trying to join the Spider-Society before the reveal that Miles himself is an anomaly, and the SS (geddit?) tries to detain Miles.

When Hobie says he's against authoritarianism, he really means it.

Speaking of the left-wing politics, Miles has a "#BLM" pin on his bag. It's very visible while he sits next to his dad.

Who's a cop.

(TANGENT: A few years ago, someone drew a stupid, very bad comic where Spider-Man (Peter Parker) was a) black, b) hated cops, and c) assaulted and subdued riot cops when they asked him for help.

That the comic didn't even show the riot cops were wrong. We were just supposed to assume they deserve to be left to the mercy of an angry mob.

Also, in this comic, Uncle Ben was killed by a cop, not a random thug who Spidey could've stopped but chose not to. Which makes me wonder how that would shake out.

It's kind of weird for someone to look at a character who's about personal responsibility to an unhealthy degree, and use him to express their collectivist anti-cop terrorism fantasies. That, or they didn't think through their fantasies.)

During Spider-India's opening, Miles says "I love Chai Tea!" And Pavitr goes on a rant about how "Chai" means "tea". Later on, The Spot says he's been on a "journey of self-discovery", and Pavitr basically says he's racist.

Which is a tad ironic, because Spot is literally white. And also because Pavitr is the one making the racist assumptions.

And I personally go to a church - in England - that has a lot of non-white non-British people. Mostly Africans. And me, of course. I wonder if any Asians ever went on a journey of self discovery to South London.

And I don't just mean as a cab driver.

"Wait, SYABM, didn't you move to the UK for self-discovery?"

W-well, yes, partially.

Aside: I made the mistake of watching a Youtube video with the Chai Tea joke, and then I looked at the comments.

One guy said "tfw when Twitter users write a movie". An idiot (with much more upvotes) said "bro out here wanting blatant racism in movies".

...When the whole point of the joke is that the racism is not blatant.

It's only "blatant" if you're insufferably Twitterized. There are loads of redundant phrasings in English, like "ATM machine", and words often shift when they're adopted from other languages.

Also, "I dislike this joke" is not the same as "I want racism in this movie", when the "racism" in the movie is only there so it could be mocked.

One of the issues with putting real world movements in worlds that are drastically different - it's one of the main selling points of the franchise - is that it may seem odd that those movements exist in very similar form to the IRL version.

For example, Miles supports BLM in both his video game, and this. Which makes me think "did Trayvon Martin get shot in Florida? How about Mike Brown? Wouldn't the existence of supervillains throw things into a new perspective?"

Did I mention the giant George Floyd-style "REST IN POWER" mural to Miles' dead uncle? I cringed at that in the Wakanda Forever trailer, and I rolled my eyes at it here.

Floyd wasn't a saintly martyr, he was an unlucky violent thug.

Also, Aaron was a supervillain killed by another bad guy who nearly destroyed the city, not a cop.

Also, this is at a party to celebrate how Miles' dad is about to be promoted. Assuming Floyd died and the 2020 protests/riots also happened in Miles' universe, then it seems a tad tasteless to have a mural inspired by an anti-cop movement overlooking it, even if the party is not full of cops.

Spider-India lives in "Mumbattan".

The people who settled the Manhattan area were originally Indian. But the other type of Indian. The Indians we're not supposed to call Indians anymore.

The name "Manhattan" is even Native American.

The first permanent settlement was Dutch. Then the English got it. I guess the English could've shipped Indians to the other side of the world and eventually ceded the area to them, or maybe in this world India was a world-conquering superpower and Mumbattan is the result of...importing Native Americans?

Which would make Pavitr's complaint that "the British stole all of our stuff and put it in their museums" seem a tad hypocritical.

Of course, since I wrote all that, someone reminded me that Pavitr explicitly says the joint is in India.

"SYABM," you say, "you're overthinking this."

Yes, I am. Because the filmmakers didn't think it through. If you want to use ha-ha-funny to make a serious point, you invite examination of that point.

Miles (as Spidey) now works with his dad, though he disguises his voice. At one point, Miles tells his father that men bottle up mental health issues.

This is true (and ironic, considering Miles is hiding who he is from Jeff), but it's not the first time I've seen some progressive work try to address men's issues in an very awkward way. At least here, it's played for comedy.

Also, seems a tad hypocritical coming from a guy who wears a "#BLM" pin in the presence of his cop father.

Also, if you work the timeline, that would mean Miles was about 7 or 6 when BLM started. Which means he's gone most of his life knowing nothing else.

There was a controversy over a "protect trans kids" trans flag in Gwen's room, which was apparently edited out.

IMO, it seems a tad strange for a girl who feels estranged from everyone in her world to join a social movement, but what do I know? Maybe it was there before then.

Some people came to the extremely logical conclusion that Gwen herself is trans. Even though she's distinctly physically feminine and possibly too young for puberty blockers depending on Earth 65′s laws.

Like the "oh great, it's Liv" shippers, people are reaching really hard to see what they want to see.

Some people have said that Gwen's issues with her dad and herself seem awfully similar to the issues LGBTQIA2S+ kids go through.

Gee, it's not like, y'know, feeling estranged from one's family is a common theme in fiction about teenagers and superhero, and the whole "superpowers = minority" thing has been done to death for most of the past century.

Perhaps most notably - and clumsily - in X-Men.

I'm not saying this wasn't the intended subtext. I'm saying if it was, it would just be really, really cliche.

There's this recurring theme of people telling miles "how [his] story is supposed to go".

When he's at a meeting with his parents and his guidance counselor, the lady says his story of being a black-Latino son of an immigrant would sound great in the college application letters. His mom is a tad miffed, given that they're a) solidly middle class, and b) as a Puerto Rican, she considers herself American.

Miguel (Spider-Man 2099) doesn't want Miles in the multiversal council of Spiders, because Miles was bitten by the radioactive spider from a different universe. Which is why his local Spider-Man died, and the spider's home dimension has no Spider-Man.

Also, Miguel is fixated on "canon events". The idea that there are certain things, especially tragedies, that have to happen to Spiders, or their entire universe falls apart.

And he knows this, because he tried to take over for a version of him that got shot dead by a thug. Tried to raise his daughter.

And he watched as the universe collapsed in front of him.

So he's projecting his own guilt onto Miles, a tad.

According to TVtropes and other sources, this was actually about the people who didn't accept Miles as a replacement Spidey, possibly out of racism.

Yeah, that's real hard-hitting topical meta-commentary about a character who debuted 12 years ago. 8 years when the first movie came out.

I'd also like to point out that despite stereotypes of comic book fans, certain minority successors to banner superheros have been fairly well-received. Like Jaime Reyes, or Cassandra Cain.

(Note: I wrote that before the Blue Beetle movie came out. And flopped.)

And, of course, loads of people like Miles specifically because he's a minority Spidey, which is also racist, just from the other direction. In fact, a lot of his fans seem to forget the "Latino" part of "Afro-Latino". From what little I've seen of Miles early comics, they did actually put strong emphasis on his race.

I also suspect the filmmakers may be misinterpreting the usual successor knee-jerk reactions

as racism. If you're using an established brand name for your new hero, you're creating some expectations.

Also, you know the most popular meme about regular Spidey that I see? That Marvel's writers just keep making him suffer and don't want him to actually develop. Which would kinda make Marvel closer to Team Miguel than Team Miles.

Miles also gripes that Miguel is letting "some algorithm" tell him what to do. While I agree with the sentiment, I'd like to point out that, again, Miles supports BLM.

A movement popularized by an algorithm.

A movement made up of narratives and assumptions.

A movement which has never proven a single incident was because of racism.

During the big chase scene, we see a Spider girl in a wheelchair, aka Sun-Spider. She's from the comics. Same initiative that gave us "Web-Weaver".

Who is, of course, an extremely effete gay fashion designer Spidey. I kinda like his outfit, though the Spider-eyes with eyelashes is a little too far.

And Sun-Spider seems exactly like a character a stereotypical 90s executive and focus group would come up with. Down to the backward baseball cap.

(Turns out she's Dayn Broder's actual Spider-Sona.)

Also, while I was looking up that one black and white Spider who said "nowhere to run" (Metro-Spider, played by record producer Metro Boomin [/sic]), I found out that Aunt May's full name is "Maybelle", not just "May". TIL.

There's a bit of a double standard with this version of Spider-Woman, who's black and pregnant. -People in the movie - including Peter B - regularly point out how Peter B endangering his infant daughter Mayday by taking her along with him. But for some reason, nobody says a word about Jessica, who's an active-duty stunt-biking superhero.

Even regular motorbiking can be dangerous for pregnant women.

In fact, the movie portrays this as heroic and impressive. When Gwen sees  Jess is preggos, she asks if Jess can adopt her.

Not to mention the whole "afro and hoop earrings" thing, which seem like a bad idea for a type of hero who often gets into melee combat, even with Spider-Sense.

Yes, I'm aware that female heroes, including the Spider-Ladies, often have exposed hair. It's a genre convention. Incidentally, it was nice to see Batwoman wore a detachable decoy wig in the comics. Some bad guy tries to grab it in a fight? It comes right off.

Also, Jess doesn't have much actual character.

Being pregnant is not a character trait. In fact, her only real traits are basically "cool but stern sassy mentor", to contrast with Peter B. -Incidentally, someone on TVtropes pointed out the double standard. And when I saw the page again, a page-camper had deleted it, with no explanation.

Guess they couldn't stand someone pointing out the flaws of their waifu.

(One) Spider-UK in this movie is Muslim. I know she's Muslim because she wears a Spider-themed headdress. Note that regular Marvel 616 has a muslim lady Spider-UK, but her name is Zarina Zahari and she doesn't wear a hijabi.

(Also, she could be mistaken for Ms. Marvel.)

ms marvel.jpg

You might be thinking "wait, isn't a headdress impractical in a melee fight? Doesn't it give your enemy something to grab?" Yes, it is.

But so are Jess's earrings, afro, and being pregnant, so clearly there's a lot of artistic license going on.

Maybe it's partially tearaway, like Batman's cape.

I gotta wonder about the religious rules of wearing a head covering over a mask that *already* covers your entire head. Did she go see her imam and go "Okay, I have a really weird question..."

Come to think, Spidey is usually slim, but a lot of lady Spideys in this movie seemed to have wide hips. Including muscular ladies. Kris Anka's concept art goes really hard on wide hips. I don't know why. Stronger, faster character reads during the big chase?

I guess Spiders could be expected to have strong legs.

BOTTOM LINE:

I liked the movie overall, though the progressive bits made me roll my eyes a little. I...want to see the third one, with reservations.

[the-kr8tor]

It's my birthday in two days! So, here's a cute little Hobie HC for you💕

Despite how Hobie looks super punk, he didn't always. Especially when he was in high school. The tall, lanky 15 year old shuffled through the halls of the crowded school, thick glasses slipping down his nose every so often. Scuffed and beaten up sneakers on his feet getting stepped on buly several people as he squeezed his way through, pulling the fraying bookbag tighter on his shoulders. He scowled as he was pushed into a nearby locker, the loose button-up he was wearing snagging on the corner. Hobie, now irritated, pushes away from the locker, only to groan with irritation at the small rip he hears from the action. It's times like these where he really hates hand-me-downs.

Hobie whips a glare towards the person who pushed him, only for his mouth to drop open in shock. There you stand before him, all spikes, chains, black leather, and bright colors. The platform boots on your feet make you nearly eye level to him. Hobie can see the sincerity glimmering in your eyes, an apologetic smile on your dark, lipstick stained lips. And now your saying something, your lips moving as you look up at him. He's not sure, unable to register anything except for the fact that you look damn amazing. So unlike anyone he normally sees roaming these hallways.

Shaking his head, Hobie clears his throat, an almost nervous smile on his lips.

"Sorry, mate. Didn't quite catch that.." He says, cursing himself at the small crack of his voice. If you heard it, you don't comment on it, offering him a knowing smile.

"It's alright. Apologies for bumping into you there. I can fix your shirt up for you if you'd like."

Hobie's taken aback, again. You dress like a straight up rockstar and you're nice?? He can feel the way his heartbeat quickens in his ears. It was like he knew then and there, that you were gonna be an important part of his life. And you were. From that moment on, you two were inseparable. You were a breath of fresh air for him, going against society norms and doing your own thing. You became his beacon, his muse, his role model. And, Hobie became the same for you. You admired how he stood up for himself and his beliefs, no matter how hard things got. Hobie was smart, insanely so, and it made you admire him even more.

And when Hobie got bit by that spider, it furthered your adoration for him. Even if he denied it heavily, he was the symbol of hope for many, especially you. For all that you were to each other, it was a wonder why it took so long for him to properly make a move years later when you'd entered college. It was after one of his shows, his chest heaving with excitement and adrenaline from the rush of performing. You were cheering so loud for him and the band, waiting excitedly for him backstage.

And maybe it was because he was still buzzing with energy and confidence from the roaring crowd. Or perhaps it was the way you looked absolutely exquisite wearing the choker he made you and the leather jacket that he'd copped just for you to match his. Whatever it was, it made him rush off the stage towards you, arms circling your waist and pulling you flush to his chest. His lips pressed against yours, soft and gentle despite how hurriedly he'd done so. You gripped his shirt, damp with sweat, as he pulled away in shock of his own actions and pulled him back in for another kiss. Hobie didn't seem to mind, not one bit as he pulled you even closer.

This was partially made cuz I saw someone say something about "Loser Hobie". He'd definitely be a loser in high school😭💕

OMG ADVANCED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MY AO3 BESTIE ❤️❤️❤️ I hope you have a great one!

AOZBQISJWBDPWQWW LOSER HOBIE!!! he was so scrunkly back then!!! (Literally my type back in hs lmaooooo) I'd like to think this is like a reverse ttn au! R saying that they can mend it for him reminded me of it

Squeaky voice Hobie!! What a cutie!!!

BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS!!! THEY GREW UP TOGETHER AND DEVELOPED FEELINGS FOR EACHOTHER 😍😍😍

The backstage kiss omfg 🥴🥴

[buckevantommy]

▼, ∇, ☮ for Buck? - apartmentsmoke

▼ - childhood headcanon 

(keeping in mind i haven’t yet watched Buck Begins -it’s my next-up episode in my season 4 first time watch- so i feel underqualified to answer this one, but..) 

re: his bisexuality 

i can imagine mini evan ‘admiring’ and wanting to ‘befriend’ boys, wanting to be in their lives and spend time with them bc he thinks they’re cool and wants to be like them or thinks his life will be better if he’s closer to them. 

looking back he realises some if not all of those feelings were mixed up with something he didn’t yet understand. 

(this answer will most likely change drastically once i watch that ep) 

  ∇ - old age/aging headcanon

thinking of that scene with bobby in 7x09 where he tells buck he’s proud of how much he’s grown in seven years. i think buck’s emotional maturity is not lost on him, he’s aware of the differences between the punk kid he once was and the responsible adult he is now and as much as he’s glad he’s not that guy anymore he knows he couldn’t have become the person he is today on his own. 

i think he views getting older with growing up and growing into himself, becoming more aware of who he is and who he wants to be, and that settles something in him where he thought he’d always find fear and dread in the unknowing. the 118 and maddie and now tommy - he no longer fears what’s ahead, knows he’s not alone and knows he’s survived a hell of a lot and come out stronger for it.

he worries about his physical health sometimes - when his leg twinges and aches so bad he can’t move from the pain, when his breath catches and he wonders if the lightning damage is about to finish the job. but when he was younger the job was all he had. he has so much more now - a family, a partner - he’s no longer scared shitless of not being able to do the job in the same way; he’ll adapt, survive, thrive - because he’s proved he can, and because he has one helluva support network. 

 ☮ - friendship headcanon

not to bring everything back to his bisexuality, but i think realising this central thing about himself will open him up to more than just relationship possiblities, it’ll open the doors for friendship outside the firefam; he’ll go to pride or meet tommy’s friends or help organise a lgbtqia+ fundraiser or something and he’ll discover a level of sincerity in the people he meets that he can connect with in a way he always craved but never understood why he couldn’t. i think it will help bridge a gap he didn’t know how to cross. 

ask me stuff

[issues-of-thepresentday]

People have genuinely, genuinely got amnesia over October 7.

They seriously believe the current war is something that Israel has the power to stop anytime. They sincerely believe that Zionism is about making Jews better than anyone else. They throw tantrums about conservatives and non-lefties believing 'propaganda' whilst spewing the same freaking propaganda that BILLIONAIRE TERRORISTS WANT THEM TO BELIEVE.

Just to put it into perspective, if someone sitting on a hoard of blood money in a mansion halfway around the world can agree with you, there is something deeply, deeply wrong with your politics.

20+ years ago after 9/11 you would've been the exact same ones screaming about all Muslims being terrorists, and 80 years ago you would've been dobbing in your Jewish neighbours and throwing bricks through their windows, the same way 4 years ago you looted small businesses in the name of so-called anti-racism. You go completely with the flow and yet believe you are 'punk', that you are the next best thing, that you are for oppressed people.

Oh, please.

[cherrylng]

Upcoming Victories UK ‘00 - Muse - Matt Bellamy interview [BUZZ (November 2000)]

"'Compared to dance music, nothing great ever comes out of rock music, no matter how many years we wait. I'm going to start a new rock scene here.' That's what I thought when I started MUSE."

Out-of-this-world heaviness, out-of-this-world dramaturgy. What is the frustration, sense of purpose and impulse of MUSE and Matthew Bellamy to shake up a situation where only sing-along music can survive?

Text by Shinji Hyogo Interpretation by Makoto Takami

I noticed that in every issue I wrote things like "The new UK bands today are all sing-along bands that haven't been able to escape the influence of Oasis even though it's been years since their breakthrough" or "their sound is not as strong as dance or American heavy rock". There are issues where I don't write about it, but I write about it in the JAPAN record reviews that month. Do I want to make enemies with UK rock fans? Do I really hate them that much? When Coldplay's new album arrived, I was happy and listened to it every day. I also liked the new REEF stuff. I praised Placebo in the record reviews in the previous issue, and I love Oasis to begin with. What's so bad about it, me?

I thought about it and realised that the point is that I don't like the "same" thing. I've written about this before, but when I listened to the songs of creators from all over the world who uploaded their own work to MP3.com, I felt really depressed because they were all Aphex Twin imitations. Why do they go to the trouble of being "the same" or "under the influence of XXX" when they are in a field where they can do whatever they want with their music? Isn't it a waste? Isn't it uninteresting for both the performers and the listeners? First of all, you can't win if you do the same thing. I can't say that I haven't been influenced by someone else, or that I haven't written similar texts to someone else, but I think so with a sense of self-discipline. This was the lead sentence of an interview with MUSE. It is said that Radiohead and Nirvana have a strong influence on the band, and they admit it, and in fact, when I listen to the band, I certainly think so. However, I can't help but feel that I can see "beyond" the dramatic, dynamic, heavy and loud feel of their songs, the fragile beauty of their melodies, the sheer skill of their playing and vocalisation, and above all, the swell and dynamism of their sound.

There are strong sounds. MUSE's sound is strong too. However, the fact that this strength is different from alternative, (current) punk or American heavy rock is clearly expressed in the first album "SHOWBIZ" released earlier this year and the Japanese compilation "RANDOM 1-8" released in time for the band's visit to Japan in the middle of this month. Whether in melody, lyrics, or sound, what MUSE is aiming for is a sound with an intensity and drama of a type never seen before. And that's what makes you want to expect "maybe they'll change the current status quo". Matthew Bellamy answered.

I think the loud, heavy feel of MUSE's sound is what sets you apart from other UK guitar bands. 「Yeah.」

And I think there are two reasons for that. One is that American heavy rock and dance music are first of all overwhelming in terms of the intensity of sound, whereas UK rock today is not, so you had to get the intensity of sound to match it. And the second is that you needed that kind of strong sound to give form to the world that you genuinely wanted to express. 「Yeah, I think the second opinion is right. I needed that kind of sound to create what I wanted and to make music that accurately expresses my feelings, how I feel about life and so on. I've tried to make the sound as intense as possible in order to make music that is sincere and honest. I also want to convey my feelings and emotions in a way that I can enjoy. So yeah, I think you're right about that. But it's not that I felt the need to do it to get rid of the weakness of the UK rock sound. We were born and brought up far away from the mainstream British music scene, so it was a very natural progression for us to start playing this kind of music. In fact, we didn't really know much other than this kind of music growing up. I think the main reason is that we grew up in a remote and isolated place where we were shut out from the outside world. When you grow up in a place like that, you develop a unique worldview.」

Like a rare species of animal that evolved on its own on a remote island? 「(laughs) That's terrible. No, I listen to all kinds of music without preconceptions. As far as I remember, the first music I liked when I was a kid was blues music. I think I was 10 or 11 years old, and I was first into blues piano, like Ray Charles. And I learnt guitar by listening to Robert Johnson. Then, when I was 13 or 14, I became interested in more indie British music, like Wedding Present, Senseless Things, Mega City Four, and Sultans of Ping FC」

What?!?! You liked the Sultans? (Note: A B-grade band that existed in the mid-90s and was like a combination of early Manics and Iggy Pop and the Stooges.). I've interviewed them a lot. 「Oh yeah? Did you like them?」

I loved them, but when they didn't make it, I thought, "I knew it" (laughs). 「Hahahaha. So yes, I was almost exclusively focused on British music at the time. But when I was around 15 or 16, I started listening to American music too. Like Nirvana and Sonic Youth. Then I travelled around continental Europe for a while, and that's when I started listening to a lot of European folk music. I got really into Spanish flamenco guitar and started studying it myself. And also Greek music. I was also influenced by a lot of Eastern European bands and Southern European music, as well as a lot of Irish folk music. My mother is from Ireland, so we had a lot of folk music from there at home. So yeah, I've been open to all types of music.」

All of this is reflected in the sound of MUSE, isn't it? 「Right? (laughs)」

So it wasn't just a subconscious thing like, "I grew up in a remote area, so this is how it is," but you actually wanted to play music that was completely different from the mainstream scene? 「I think so, yes. The music scene in the UK was getting pretty boring at the time. There was some good dance music coming out, but there wasn't much interesting stuff going on in the rock scene. So I think that was definitely part of what inspired me to think, "I want to put out a record. No one's going to come out any time soon. Then I'll start a new rock scene here". So much was missing in rock at that time. I'm happy that some good bands have finally started to emerge recently.」

Also, I think MUSE's music and sound are very complete and dramatic. Is this something that comes naturally to you? 「Hmm…… No, I don't always make music with conviction. So it's not like I do it intentionally, it just comes naturally, or that when I make music, it sounds that way. It's not like I want a certain sound and plan it out in advance, I just write songs that honestly express how I feel. So for me, it's very personal music, but maybe new listeners will see a completely different perspective, or a dramatic side to it, like you said. For me, it's a very personal piece of music that expresses my own thoughts and feelings in the sound. However, the album I'm currently preparing will contain many different types of songs. For example…… There are some songs on there that have an unusual positivity to them, which I can't really describe. What I mean by "unusual" is that they actually sound very positive when I sing them, but they're also the hardest and most emotional songs for me to sing in a way. Maybe it's because it's so positive that it becomes hard. There will be some songs like that on the next album, and it's the first time I've ever approached songs like this, but I'm really enjoying it.」

If that's what happens when you make it naturally, doesn't that mean that your life and your life itself up until now has been dramatic in a way? 「Yeah, it certainly hasn't been normal so far. I feel like I've travelled a very long way. And I feel like I've come this far without really being aware of what's going on. I don't really know where I'm at or where I'm going. But for me, that kind of situation feels really good. I really enjoy getting lost and not knowing where I'm going. I don't know how it's going to end or when it's going to end, so it's kind of fun in a way. It's like my emotions and everything else is a blur, and that's what's really interesting. Even now, I'm so busy that I can say I don't have time to rest at all, and I feel like I don't know what's going on, but I think the more chaotic it gets, the better the music gets.」

Do you feel that you are becoming more and more sensitive to those vague and unpredictable states? 「I think I'm becoming more and more aware of them. And what I like about that feeling, and why I like it, is that I'm the kind of person who thinks that situations where you can predict what's going to happen next are uninteresting. As soon as I'm in a situation like that, I get bored and start looking for something else to do. That's why…… Yeah (laughs).」

So you're the type of person who likes to put yourself in unpredictable situations on purpose. 「Yes, that's true, haha. That's for sure (laughs).」

I understand (laughs). By the way, you've said in the past that you have a great distrust of "communicating through some kind of system", whether it's the media, the internet or religion, and it shows in your lyrics. What is the reason for your dislike and distrust to such an extent? 「Hmm…… I think it's because I grew up with a constant sense of "something's not quite right" about developments and changes in the world. But I can't really explain what that "something" is. So I'm trying to learn more about the world, about the system of government, about the system we grew up in, so that I can explain it better. Why is it that the power structures, for example, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), seem to be more and more in step with America? I'm trying to learn about the impact of that kind of system on the rest of the world. Maybe in doing so, I'm trying to learn more about that sense of "something's wrong" that I've had since I was a little kid. I'm looking at it carefully, trying to find out if it's just a fantasy or if it's real. But I think anyone can feel that kind of discomfort when they watch the news, or read a newspaper. You can feel it from all media, and you can also feel it when you talk to people who don't understand the hidden, subtle messages the media give out. When you realise that there are so many people who can't read what's being said, who don't realise that there's another movement going on behind the scenes, it makes you realise that you have to learn more.」

Does this mistrust stem from structural problems in the system? 「It's largely down to how people are informed. For example, the other day there was a huge demonstration in London against the WTO, and 26,000 people marched through the streets of London. By the way, I think 50,000 policemen were mobilised (laughs). Anyway, the media misreported that march. All the news programmes said that "everyone was at the demonstration for a riot". And that "hardly anyone turned up". They deliberately downplayed the fact that it was a very small demonstration. This is a classic example of media control of information to the public, which they probably thought was harmful to the state. Also, in the UK we have recently had a fuel shortage problem, and when the price of petrol went up, everyone started to strike at once. And what happened was that people barricaded themselves in refineries all over the place. And at one of the refineries, the police force opened the gates of the refinery and let the trucks out, and the press photos of the scene showed the gathered crowd cheering and clapping, as if they were happy that the petrol was being taken away. But in fact they were on strike there, trying to stop the petrol from being taken out. But the press just happened to film everyone clapping and made it look like they were happy that the petrol was being taken out. There were hundreds of other refineries protesting, and only one of them happened to be on the news, and they just happened to take a picture of the crowd applauding as the petrol was taken out. It was nuanced, as if the strike had failed. In fact, after the photo was published, all the refineries bowed to the pressure and stopped protesting. So, I think that in certain areas of news, the people who are involved in the press are manipulating information, especially in America, and I think it's done on a much larger scale.」

"I'm acquainted with the sing-along type bands like Coldplay, and we're actually good friends. I think it's great that they've had success. But when it comes to music, we're definitely marginalised."

So for you, does the process of pursuing your music and expressing it as a piece or performance involve a feeling of being in struggle with someone or something? 「I think it does, yes. I get confused and sometimes I don't even know how I feel or what I'm thinking about. You can think about love, or religion, or science, or the meaning of life, or simpler things that are not that complicated, but when you have to make decisions, when you have to figure out what is the right thing to do, you can get confused. Moral standards are not as clear-cut now as they used to be. In the absence of religion, moral standards become ambiguous. So there's a lot of confusion when you have to make the right decision, and confusion about what the right answer is, and that's what I'm trying to express in a lot of our songs.」

You could say that rock ‘n’ roll has been singing about themes like "despair" and "confusion" for a long time now. However, such an approach tends to lead to a dead end at some point, but I think your music is unique in that it doesn't sound claustrophobic in that way. No matter how naïve the songs are, the sound is always bold. 「Yeah. That's probably…… I just think that…… Hmmm…… I think it's because the music is flowing with me. I don't know, it's always flowing, or it's always reflecting the situation at the time. So as long as interesting changes and unpredictable things keep happening, I think the music will always be interesting.」

For example, the new bands that have been coming out of the UK recently, such as Travis, Coldplay, and even Toploader, are all sing-along bands in the vein of Oasis, Manics, and Verve, without the intensity and aggression. What do you think about that situation? 「I still can't find a band that plays the kind of music we do. Like you said, I think most of the bands are sing-along type, and that's been the trend for most UK bands for a long time. But of course I know people in those bands, and they're all very nice guys and we get on well, and I'm honestly happy that they've had such success. It's not the kind of music I really love, but that's fine. I prefer music that makes the listener more passionate, more energetic.」

Are you aware that you are quite marginalised in the current scene? 「I don't think it's the same as being "marginalised". I know them and we get on well with them. But when it comes to music, yes, I think we are marginalised. Because there is no one else.」

I think the intensity and heaviness of MUSE's sound can be attributed to your experience of American alternative rock as a listener, but having seen you live twice, my opinion is that there is actually a strong heavy metal influence. What do you think? 「……Heavy metal? I think it's one of the two extremes…… Wait a minute…… Hmm…… I don't really know, Chris and Dom listen to a lot of that kind of music, so maybe that's an influence. But I've never really listened to heavy metal. I like playing heavy music, sure (laughs). I like the dynamic transition between playing really heavy and playing really mellow. One minute you're standing still on stage, the next you're flying around. In short, I just like doing different things. I guess that's why some of the songs sound like they're influenced by heavy metal. But I don't think there's any band that I actually listen to on a daily basis that I would call that.」

I understand. But your main guitar is based on the Music Man's Eddie Van Halen model, isn't it? 「Yeah, yeah.」

I think it is very rare to find a British guitarist who uses a Floyd Rose nowadays (Note: Floyd Rose is a tremolo arm that was very popular during the metal boom in the mid-80s). 「Hahahaha. That guitar. I actually smashed that guitar at a festival in Leeds and threw it into the audience*. So, well, I don't have that guitar anymore. And in terms of stage performance, when I used to go to see bands as a kid, I always wanted to see a show where the band was just jumping around like crazy and giving everything they had on the stage. That's why I'm so fed up with British bands these days. They just stand there and look bored, like they're not enjoying themselves. But in my case, when I go out on stage, I really enjoy it, and I think that joy shows in my desire to let everyone know that we're having fun too. I think having fun is a wonderful thing, just as much as pursuing intensity and seriousness. In the case of MUSE, the music itself is often very serious and intense, so I think it's interesting to contrast that with a positive, energetic stage show. I think it makes a good contrast to the music.」

Translator's Note: This is my first time scanning the pages from BUZZ magazine, a now defunct magazine issue that was a subsidiary under ROCKIN'ON. The shape and quality of the magazine are more akin to a photobook with interviews included, really. But overtime, it really did became more of a photobook before it was sadly discontinued.

* Finding the guitar that matches Matt's description was a bit hard, but my guess was that it was a Peavey EVH Wolfgang. Matt owned two of such guitars back then, with the differences being that one was partially covered in grey tape and the other was completely covered in black tape. It was the one with the grey tape that Matt smashed it and threw into a crowd. A photographer picked it up, sold it on eBay, someone repaired it, and it was auctioned several times up until it was last seen on auction in 2018 before its listing was removed.

Now, finding when and which festival in Leeds that Matt smashed and threw the guitar to the audience is harder. There were 2 festivals in Leeds that Muse performed in August 2000 that were just 3 days apart and there are no descriptions available to pinpoint the event down. So it either happened on August 26th during Carling Weekend or on August 28th during the Leeds Festival.

Do support me on my Ko-fi! ☕

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hiya! Something struck me and I was wondering if you have any headcanons about how would the bachelors (from both vanilla and expanded) react to finding out their kid is being bullied/picked on at school or something like that. I'm mostly curious about a certain Expanded's bachelor's reaction, but if I pointed out who, I'm sure you'll figure out who I am, haha. Feel free to answer if you have some for all of the bachelors! If not, sorry to bother you! 🙇‍♀️

I really love your headcanons but I'm very shy to go public, so I'll be anonymous for now.

- From 🌻 Anonymous

Dear anon,

Thank you very much for your question. The news that you like my headcanons warms my soul. But I would also like to point out that you clearly overestimate my abilities if you think that I can recognize you from the selected headcanon candidates. I'm literally like that Patrick meme with a board on his forehead and a hammer. And I have a great desire to write about all the bachelors, dividing them into a vanilla version and SVE mod (for those who are not familiar with mods). Thanks again for the question and enjoy the headcanon.

Sincerely, me. ❤️

(Why the hell am I writing like Elliott?! 🤣)

SDV bachelors react to their child being bullied:

Sam:

Since the Farmer is busy working on the farm today, Sam volunteered to pick up their child from the music club. How happy he was when their kid wanted to "be cool, like daddy!", And such developmental activities will help the kid develop their talents. Sam, all joyful and positive, did not have time to enter the main building of the music house, when he saw his child... crying??? Above them were two older children, apparently also members of the musical club. Sam did not hear the beginning of the conversation, but he distinctly heard how the bullies called his child stipid and said that such a loser would not become a musician. Ok, this is not cool.

The child stopped crying abruptly, and the bullies didn't realize their change of mood until they saw Sam behind. He folded his arms, looked at these punks with a stern look and declared that they were acting like cowards. The bullies immediately calmed down, because they recognized Sam. He is the same young and promising musician who became the idols of many, and, apparently, of these teenagers too. And well, how can you not be ashamed when your idol says that you are a coward and a disappointment. They apologized to Sam, to his child, and promised they wouldn't do it again. Sam let them go in peace, and then winked at his child, letting them know that their cool dad will always come to the rescue.

He picked up his talented kid and invited them to go and buy sweets so that they would not be so upset. The child gladly agreed, forgetting about sadness. Just don't tell the Farmer that he treated you to sweets before dinner, ok? :D

Shane:

Oh, this little bastards. They will regret that they were born.

He had a similar case, when teenagers from big cities teased Jas. He then scared them so much that one even wet his pants. Here, too, he does not take pity on those who even came up with the idea to mock his precious treasure and other children. Of course, he and the Farmer will listen to the whole story from their child, and when they finish the story, it will be even harder for Shane to restrain himself from strangling these little bastards.

The Farmer had not yet had time to call the parents of these hooligans, as Shane had already managed to "visit" these bullies and scare them for good. To Farmer's stern look, Shane swore to Yoba that he hadn't laid a finger on them, only scared them. But still, Shane and Farmer called the director and the parents of the bullies.

Fortunately, the adults turned out to be decent than their naughty children, apologized and promised that this would not happen again. Their kid is no longer bullied at school, and those bullies bypass Shane. That's right!

Harvey:

Harvey is a doctor who has treated not only adults, but also children and teenagers in his life. And given that it is sometimes much more difficult to work with young patients (fear of needles, a frightening atmosphere, or just a whimsical character), Harvey knows a little about child psychology. Well, at least enough for a doctor to calm a crying boy or girl who is terribly afraid of vaccinations, when their parents can’t calm them down on their own. Harvey also knew that this knowledge would be useful to him when he and the Farmer had their own child - both to raise their beloved little one, and for a bully who, for some reason, decided to offend their child. Is this how parents raise their children?

Harvey addressed the bully very calmly, showing no aggression or fear, standing between the bully and his kid. And when the ill-mannered teenager began to sprinkle Harvey with swearing and name-calling, the doctor still remained unperturbed. There was no malice or fear in his eyes, only one emotion: disappointment, and this put the bully in a stupor.

Harvey immediately revealed his trump cards. He began to explain that by bullying children weaker than themselves, they are trying to hide their own vulnerability and weakness, that they are trying to assert themselves. Harvey was able to just destroy all the bully's desire to continue his teasing so much that they stood and cried silently, because everything turned out to be true. But Harvey needed not their tears, but the realization that what they were doing was wrong. He addressed the bully no longer so strictly, because they are still only children. But he insisted that they apologize to their child and promised to improve for the better. So they did.

Harvey smiled and, when the bully left, he took his baby in his arms, listening to their admiration for how they drove the hooligan away. Harvey promised to explain why people sometimes do this, and how to behave if the situation repeats itself.

Elliott:

It is impossible to imagine how many emotions were inside Elliott when he and the Farmer came to the city to pick up a child from a new school, and saw them crying. And when the child said that they were offended by children from older classes, then Elliott was simply filled with rage.

The writer in a gentle voice asked to show with their finger who exactly offended them, and when the hushed kid pointed in the direction of those bullies, even the Farmer did not have time to stop their husband, as Elliott flew like a storm towards those scoundrels. What a scandal he raised, oh my! Elliott, of course, did not swear in front of the children, but given his rich vocabulary, his indignations turned out to be...emotional.

When the Farmer arrived in time with their child, as well as the teachers who stood nearby and heard the scandal, everyone began to calm Elliott. Having dealt with the bullies, with the confidence that the vile brats would no longer offend his child, everyone went home.

Later, when Elliott and his family returned home, he apologized to everyone for how emotionally he reacted to this. Elliott was very much afraid for their preciousness, because bullying is no joke. Bullying at school can push a poor kid into rash acts that Elliott doesn't want to think about. The Farmer understands his partner, and when everyone calmed down at home, Elliott invited their little one to take a walk with him and get some ice cream. As the writer and the child happily weaved ice cream, Elliott asked their little one not to be afraid to talk about bullies and promised that he and the Farmer would always protect them.

Alex:

The beach season is in full swing, and on this beautiful day, the Farmer just has no worries about the farm for today. Therefore, Alex decided that they should definitely spend this wonderful day on the beach. The Farmer gladly agreed to this, and their child generally squealed with joy.

Armed with sunscreen, inflatable sleeves and plastic buckets, the kid sat on the sand and built sand castles while the parents rested nearby and remembered to keep a close eye on their little one. There were a lot of people today, in addition to the usual inhabitants of the Valley, there were also visiting tourists. Alex and his spouse carefully watched the child so as not to lose them in the crowd.

The Farmer was offered to buy snacks at the Saloon, which was a good thing: Alex was a bit hungry. They quickly left in the direction of the institution, leaving their child under the watchful eye of Alex. And as soon as the athlete turned away for a second, he heard a child's cry, which he recognized instantly: their baby was crying near the already destroyed sand castle, when some punk stood and mocked their kid, causing them to even more tears. In vain this bully did so, oh in vain.

Alex with one jerk was near this punk, and with one movement he twisted their right arm. The bully immediately hissed in pain and tried to break free, but how could he compete with the (future) sports champion. At the same time, Alex ordered to apologize for the fact that they mocked their child and destroyed the sand castle, and then, as soon as they apologized, he kicked the ill-mannered punk from the beach with one kick in the ass. Alex didn't understand this at all - okay, he would almost get is if it was another kid, but it's was almost adult.

In the end, Alex nevertheless reassured their baby and offered to build another sand castle together, even better than the previous one. While they were both building a real sand palace and the kid had already forgotten about that unpleasant incident, the Farmer returned to them with snacks and sweets. Their child, with all their joy, ran to the other parent, and Alex thought to himself that if the Farmer had caught this situation, then there would not have been a wet place left from that bully.

Sebastian:

Unfortunately, Sebastian knows very well what it's like to be the victim of bullying. After he and his mom were abandoned by their biological father, no one but Robin protected him from being bullied in elementary school. And even older, due to his shyness, he still endured bullying of his peers, until Sam, with whom they studied together and who became his first real friend, began to protect him.

They have all grown up, and Sebby can already easily defend his honor if he is attacked by all sorts of idiots. And yet, inside him, he uncomfortably shrank when he saw a similar situation again, but this time his child became a victim of bullying. The Farmer and his kid are his happiness, which he was not going to give to anyone, especially to some noobs who thought that they could simply be like brats over the weak like that. He didn't even have to do anything: Sebastian subdued two bullies who looked at him in horror, and simply said: 'Get lost' in such a threatening tone that the bullies immediately ran away, not wanting to test Sebastian's patience.

When Sebby calmed his baby, they both went home. On the way, the young father told the child that he was also often a victim of bullying, and how his mother protected from nasty people, adding that he and the Farmer would also not let anyone offend their treasure.

SVE bachelors react to their child being bullied:

Lance:

Lance recalled his youth, namely those cases when he himself had to defend himself from hooligans and protect others from bullying in his native village. A torn shirt, a busted nose, but a satisfied smirk - that's how Lance remembered himself, peering into his own reflection while his restless parents tried to figure out what happened to their son. Lance was never the initiator of a fight, but he could not just stand and watch how others are humiliated who cannot fight back. And Lance understands that people are different, that there can be more offenders, that the victim, constrained by fear, does not know what to do. And so Lance, even in his youth, considered it his duty to protect the weak.

And if a brave adventurer could come to the aid of anyone who got into such a situation, then what can we say about his own child, still too small to cope with a whole group of hooligans. At the sight of a sword-wielding adventurer, any brat with any leftover convolutions in his brain will retreat instantly. But if there is someone left who wants to be rude to Lance as well, then the pink-haired man will have a short conversation with such persons: he will pull on the ear so hard that the idiot will howl in pain. Lance will not forget to remind them about the honor and how low they are acting, and then with a warning drives the bullies away.

And while his child looked at his father in admiration, Lance had already managed to pick them up in his arms and smiled at the already laughing child. "Need to somehow teach them self-defense", Lance thought to himself, noting that even if his and his spouse’s baby starts to defend themselves, this will not cancel the parents’ concern and they will always come to the rescue.

Victor:

Victor almost choked on his spaghetti when his child said that someone was bullying them at the new school because of their looks. What does it mean "for looks"? Their child has a normal looks, and the usual school uniform. And bullying?! He can't leave it like that!

Victor, seeing the worried face of his baby, reassured them and said that he and the Farmer would not leave them in trouble, because they are their parents and love them very much. The next day, when Victor informed the school principal of the situation, they were all called to the school for a parent-teacher meeting, along with the bully and their parents, to discuss and resolve the conflict.

Victor may seem vulnerable to others, but when the question arises of protecting people dear to him, he will show all his determination to protect his family to the last. To his and Farmer's regret, the little bully's parents turned out to be no better in behavior than their offspring. It is immediately obvious that rich parents, spoiled in childhood, also spoiled their child and now they think that they can do anything. They didn't even show respect to the principal, because "we financially support the school, so shut your mouths." Victor realized that a civilized conversation with them would not work, and decided to make a call, which he put off at the last moment, hoping that he would not need it:

"Mom, can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?"

Enraged (already) grandmother Olivia will literally destroy those who decide to insult her son, his partner and her dear grandchild. And believe me, her hot temperament and connections are enough to make arrogant parents with their spoiled child quieter than a mouse.

The bully did not offend Victor's child anymore, since their parents transferred their capricious child to another school. Although Victor sadly thinks that it would be better if they had gained intelligence and patience. Oh well, their child is safe, and he and the Farmer will be laughing for a long time at the faces of those upstarts when Olivia put them in their place. Their child squeaks with joy that their dad and Farmer are brave and kind, and Granny Olivia is cool!

Magnus:

To say that Magnus was furious would be an understatement. And who would not be furious in his place - he saw from the window of his tower how someone wanted to throw rocks at the child. His child!

Magnus figured a day out in nature would be good for his little one, and the Farmer let them go, with the promise that their dear husband would keep an eye on their treasure. To which Magnus pretended to be offended and kissing his spouse, swore an oath that he would protect the child like the apple of the Eye. Everything was going well, Magnus was reading another book with spells in the yard, and the kid was looking at insects and flowers nearby.

And as soon as Magnus left for literally one minute to pick another book, he heard unkind voices with a touch of causticity. Quickly going to the window, he saw that some teenagers, not local (thank Yoba Jas, Vincent and Leo were well-mannered and good children). One of them pushed the baby onto the grass, and the second wanted to throw a rock at them. To which Magnus teleported with lightning speed and stood between the child and the bullies.

These brats dropped all the items from their hands when they saw a tall man in purple robes, from whom streams of magical energy emanated. Magnus glared at them, letting them know that if he wanted to, he would incinerate these assholes with fire. He wouldn't do that, of course, because Ministry rules and all, but hooligans don't need to know that, right?.

Rasmodius just raised his hand as the teenagers immediately ran away, frightened at the possibility of experiencing the wizard's wrath. After making sure that everything was fine with the child, he took them to the tower, reassuring them that they would never see these bad people again, and that Magnus would immediately come to the rescue. In the meantime, Magnus will treat them some magic rock candy and let them go out on the yard again, watching his precious child even more closely.

[shioritsumi]

Mo Tuxuan is a character I haven't figured out as much on, but I have decided him literally being Mobei-jun reincarnated is funny so i'm rolling with it.

He was set up in a cold and distant home to be reborn in, professional, educated, powerful....kind of like being the royal family, but not quite. He was basically predestined to be the head of North Kingdom industries from the start and his entire life has been rearranged to that end. He's a little disappointed, his second life is almost the same as his first...but he's not technically royalty, and he's not a demon. Very little else has changed.

And then he's at a meeting with the CEO of another company and he encounters an account manager by the name of Shang Qingshui who seems off put by him but not....scared. Well, yes, scared, but not in the feeble sheep-like way most office workers are. He's carried his demon king aura and attitude with him, and it intimidates almost everyone he encounters. Qingshui immediately recognizes the aura and bristles bc there's NO WAY Mobei-jun is here, he CAN'T be this unlucky he'll just do his job and get out of the CEO's hair and maybe if he stonewalls the man he won't try to pull him back in.

Except Mo Tuxuan is so amazed there's a human who can stand up to him and casually disregard him he's actually kind of obsessed now. He needs to talk to that man more. He looks at Tuxuan like he's a WORM. No one else does that, no one else even dares to look at him like that. Everyone else looks up at him and cowers, Shang Qingshui looks up at him and narrows his eyes and digs in his heels.

Meanwhile on Qingshui's end, after his very first interaction with the man he sincerely hopes is not actually Mobei-jun because if he was that would be really fucked up right, he receives a message from the System announcing that he's just gained 1000 B Points! Quest line unlocked- North Kingdom Industries! What even, how did this happen. He was hoping being rude would make him not want to interact with him ever again. Instead, every time he does business with their company he insists that he be assisted by Shang Qingshui.

"Are you sure, sir? He's...just an accounts manager, not an assistant or anything." "Which accounts does he handle?" ".....payroll...." "I am interested in acquiring accounts from your company, I'll need to see how the payroll will function. I will require his help."

Shen Tianyu watching the whole thing playing out: "I think he's smitten with you something fierce. Remember how I looked back when Lianhua started coming around back in college?" "Or how Binghe looks at you...all the time?" "Yeah. That's how he looks at you." "....I am actively trying to bully him into leaving me alone." "I guess that's his kink." "Gross." "You're into it, though, I know you are."

Meanwhile Mo Tuxuan doesn't know why he can't stop thinking about the tiny human manager who reminds him a little of someone he knew in his previous life and who takes charge over him and is a wizard with paperwork and accounts payable and every part of him absolutely fills him with desire. The fact that they're both clearly aware how easily he could crush Qingshui and the fact that Qingshui still pushes back against him just makes Tuxuan's crush worse. He finds Shang Qingshui pathetic, not in a sad hamster way like Airplane, but in the epic boyfail way that he acts like he's hardcore and makes way too many unnecessary risks while trying to make himself seem unlikable and accidentally making himself into the cold-blooded rebel punk instead. It's even worse since Qingshui is educated and experienced enough by now that he should totally know better.

New Moshang after the identity reveal like "You killed me!" "And you killed me....." Shang Qingshui just sort of gives him a light backhand "don't say that in such a reverent tone like it's a marriage proposal, sir" But the blush increases bc that backtalk just makes Qingshui HOTTER.

[rimouskis]

omg now all i want to know is everything about your music taste. what do u like. how do u curate playlists or do u listen only straight thru albums? if you had to pick your five favorite genres and one song from each genre, what songs and genres would u pick? what genre do you feel like u listen to the least? the most ? what's the three most fascinating albums you've ever listened to. i need to know 🫧🎶

I sincerely believe the question is more “what DON’T I like”!

Alright this is a fun way to spend my Friday night in after walking 8 miles today and then doing dinner with friends ahahah so 1. Thank you for this and 2. Let’s go through this point by point:

1. What do I like? Man… I like a lot of music. I’ve gone through phases in my life: I was raised on my dad’s love of 80s/90s rock (think INXS, U2, Melissa Etheridge, Peter Gabriel), I discovered KISS FM in middle school and was a fiend for Top 50 pop then (the pussycat dolls were my everything back then lol isn’t it hilarious that I didn’t figure out I was gay until my 20s. also timbaland was consistently on my favorite songs.)

then in seventh grade I did a heel turn and got really into metal after my older cousin lent me his iPod at thanksgiving (I really liked Disturbed’s album Ten Thousand Fists)... then within the same year I did an even MORE hilarious, second heel turn and discovered K-pop, which I lived & breathed for like two years (my favorite band was SHINee; I still sometimes pop into the K-pop world to sample what’s coming out these days, though I don’t know the new generation of bands well).

THEN in high school the indie alt pop phenomenon hit and I was all in on the bands of the time… bastille, alt j, the 1975 (before they really blew up, #hipster), glass animals, lorde, walk the moon, chvrches, x ambassadors, the naked and the famous, halsey, grouplove, milky chance… like, if it was on tumblr, I was listening to it, hahaha.

Then in college I got really into alternative music, like chelsea wolfe and susanne sundfør and son lux and ms mr.

In adulthood I find that all this musical influence has meant that I like all kinds of music. I like trashy pop country. I like heavy rock. I like top 50 pop. I like rap. I like hyperpop. I like 80s synth pop. I like indie folk. I like it all, man. I have been in a pretty heavy rock era for the last, like… four, five years, though, so I think I probably primarily register as a rock listener, and if we were to get even more granular, I really love guitar-forward rock.

2. I’m a HUGE user of playlists. Spotify is the only streaming service I pay for, and I’ll pay for it for many many years, I imagine, haha.

I have over 100 playlists on there and really enjoy curating them as a little art form for myself. I rarely listen to albums, which I kind of think is too bad, because I DO think the album ~as a cohesive piece of art~ is kind of becoming a lost art in the age of streaming, and I’m not helping the cause at all.

But, on the flip side, playlist curation is a really enjoyable form of curatorial art, imo, and I deeply love and appreciate it. I love making playlists for anything and everything. One of my favorite playlist I’ve ever made is actually a reylo playlist, lol. I also made a killer Batman playlist after seeing rpattz’s batman, and I have some good old check please playlists as well. Fun fun stuff.

3. This is HARD but okay, I can do this…

Alt/indie rock: “Change For You” by Friday Pilots Club

Pop punk: “Why Do I?” By Set It Off

Electronic: “Fake” by Mystery Skulls (BUT A VERY VERY VERY CLOSE SECOND IS “DANCEFLOOR” by NOISY and Charlotte Plank)

Folk: “Leaf Off/The Cave” by José González

Rock: “Thrown Away” by VAST

Since three of those are rock/rockish offshoots (I am who I am, sorry), I’ll give you a few more divergent others:

rap would be “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat OR “Von den fernen Bergen” by Ali As

house would be “Derezzed” by Daft Punk

disco would be “You Win Again” by The Bee Gees [my dad loves disco lol so… so do I]

country would be any and all Orville Peck [though normally my country tastes veer WAY WAY WAY trashy country pop lol sorry but it’s catchy]

and my pop pick is obviously Most Perfect Pop Song Of All Time, “Lonely Dancers” by Conan Gray

4. The genre I listen the least to is R&B, probably. I wasn’t raised listening to it and I’ve never really gained a taste for it, even though other genres I wasn’t raised listening to (country and rap, for example) DID grow on me. That being said, I really enjoy THEY., who is technically categorized as R&B.

Like I said earlier, I was really raised on rock music and I think that foundationally I am just a Rock Music Kinda Gal. I love guitars so much, man. But a close second is probably pop. Just as I was created to love guitars, so too was I created to love synths.

5. What makes an album “fascinating”? 🤔 I think this is hard, because first and foremost I am not an album listener, but also I don’t think I examine my music through a critical lens of fascination. I usually operate on a pure “how-much-straight-up-dopamine-is-being-poured-into-my-system?” scale when it comes to music, haha. Like, I’m not even primarily a listener of lyrics. I pay attention to the music first.

That being said…

Album 01 is going to be “Strange Trails” by Lord Huron. To be very, very annoying: I was into Lord Huron since their first album, and when they blew up due to a song from "Strange Trails" getting included in the TV show 13 Reasons Why, I was very annoyed because I think their sonic output shifted, and for the worse.

Anyways, I maintain that their first two albums are as close to perfect as albums get, and “Strange Trails” is what I find to be their strongest narrative album. There’s a whole storyline through the album that follows a fictional character Ben, the frontman, created. There was a comic book to accompany the album too, and I think the storyline is very lovely and I love some tragic love and magic wrapped into my music:) My favorite song off of “Strange Trails” is “Fool for Love.”

Album 02 is going to be “Bad Blood” by Bastille, which I also find to be Bastille’s finest work. Dan Smith wrote all these songs by himself in his den and—I really believe—perfectly embodied and channeled the sound of the 2010s indie moment. The entire album is so strong, and not only is it so strong that it doesn’t have any skips… even the EXTENDED version, “All This Bad Blood,” has no skips. Whatever Dan was fermenting in the lead up to “Bad Blood”’s release, it was pure gold. Nothing else quite captures the feeling of it being 2012 as much as this album. My favorite song off off “Bad Blood” is “Icarus” <3

Album 03 is going to be “Dream Machine” by Des Rocs. Des is on a one-man cocaine-fueled mission from God to bring back hard glam rock and I sincerely could not support his mission more. He constantly churns out bangers (his EPs “Martyr Parade” and “Let the Vultures In” are also worth checking out) but I found his songwriting to be simply ~exceptional~ on “Dream Machine.” I think he’s wonderful at writing evocative, classic-rock inspired lyrics that read as poetry to me:) From “Natural Born Thriller”:

Roll, thunder, roll / Riding like a freight train down on the tip of your tongue

Rattle in your bones / Shockwave ripping through the sky, in and out of your lungs

Love, lock and load / Fire in your eyes and you’re ready when the fever gonna come

Way down the road / Big wheels turning to the rhythm of the blood-red sun

Half a man and half apocalypse / The chase, the thrill, that you cannot resist

Day and night, every time / That one there is a natural-born thriller

Like MAN... that’s poetry in action to me. That’s just good writing. I also find the lyrics and storytelling of “In the Night” fantastic, and “Dream Machine” is such a perfect tone-setting, atmosphere-building track for that album to open on. It’s just one of the best constructed albums I’ve heard, full of bangers. My favorite song off it is probably “Natural Born Thriller.”

Damn that took me like two hours to get through, mostly because I got to experience the joy of scrolling through all my music and painfully selecting a few. This was delightful. Thank you, anon!