#achtung baby 30

[timmurleyart]

In need of one ticket please. 🎫 🍀🎶🥁🎸

[hawkmoon269]

30 Years of Achtung Baby • Celebration banner.

[aillen]

This magical time of which I’ve spoken with great fondness over the years didn’t get off to the best start. Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark died on January 8 from a lethal mix of alcohol and prescription drugs at the young age of 30, and three people were crushed to death during an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City just 10 days later. But things did improve.

Along with the above-mentioned classics, an overabundance of bangers were released throughout ’91, not least including Fly Me Courageous by Drivin N Cryin, 1916 by Motörhead, Doubt by Jesus Jones, Innuendo by Queen (Freddie Mercury’s farewell), The White Room by The KLF, Heart in Motion by Amy Grant (laugh if you want), Out of Time by R.E.M., Arise by Sepultura, Mama Said by Lenny Kravitz, Temple of the Dog’s only album (featuring members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden), Power of Love by Luther Vandross, Schubert Dip by EMF, De La Soul Is Dead by De La Soul, Don't Rock the Jukebox by Alan Jackson, Spellbound by Paula Abdul (laugh if you want), Gish by The Smashing Pumpkins, Slave to the Grind by Skid Row, Superstition by Siouxsie and the Banshees, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge by Van Halen, Into the Great Wide Open by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience by P.M. Dawn, Brand New Man by Brooks & Dunn, Cypress Hill’s eponymous debut, Psychotic Supper by Tesla, Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks, No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne, Emotions by Mariah Carey, Ceremony by The Cult, The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, Diamonds and Pearls by Prince & The New Power Generation, Whenever We Wanted by John Mellencamp, Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, Achtung Baby by U2, and Dangerous by Michael Jackson.

And I probably left some out.

[bruhstation]

SIR GAYLORD THE FIFTH JUST GOT A DESIGN UPDATE BABY

JUDEA

Pronouns: He/They Engine basis: C12, Saechsische Maschinenfabrik production Built year: 1893 Wheel configuration: 2-6-0T Fuel type: Wood Height (engine): 2,52 m

Age (Casa Tidmouth): mid 30s (as per 1999) Height (Casa Tidmouth): 162 cm

Judea is a confident and laid back goods train that doesn’t like overthinking big problems. He always believes that there’s always a solution to every issue, mainly due to his down-to-earth nature instead of blind optimism. They love to get along and form amicable relationships with various engines regardless of where their morality stood. Judea doesn’t like overly whiny folks, though. He also loves terrorizing big, proud engines, mainly Gordon (something about him just intrigues Judea), James (coleslaw vs potato salad), and Duck (he’s fun to provoke).

Judea has a health condition that makes him randomly stop on his tracks and “fall asleep”, something akin to narcolepsy in humans. They don’t really mind it much or take to heart other’s comments of his disability, but he does get irritated whenever people assume things that he couldn’t do because of it. His pride is quite easy to wound, and his perception of others can quickly change whenever something they say hits the sore spot. He does feel bad about this because he doesn’t like thinking badly about others. In addition, even though Judea is able to understand the things others go through, he finds it hard to emphatize with others.

About his years being forced to work for the Dutch colonizers? He didn’t really enjoy it.

Trivia:

He was saved from being scrapped after being bought by the Sir Topham Hatt at the time. Judea had always interpreted this as him taking pity on them, which made them feel a bit uncomfortable towards the controller.

Besides English, they can also speak Indonesian, a bit of German, and a bit of Dutch. He’s got a bit of Indonesian accent when he talks, too.

There was once an instance where Judea saw Gordon arrive at Knapford Station and (with a smirk) they immediately went “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Homotron 6000,”

Despite witnessing a lot of things during the Dutch colonization years, Judea remained relatively… unbothered. In fact, they don’t mind joking about the more macabre sides of the war.

Favorite quotes including: “Skill issue”, “Ah ah ah I know you’re mad 😂”, “Goodnight girl. I see you tomorrow”, “Achtung, baby!”, and “You know, back in Dutch East Indies they had an open casket funeral for one of the Dutch officers. Like, super awkward.”

The scar below his lip is due to an accident at the sea. Judea doesn’t like talking about it not because it mentally hurts, but because it’s so embarassing and he loves his pride more than anything..

The scar on his right eyebrow was when a bunch of crates fell on him and one of the crate’s corners hit his face. (“My dermatologist will hear about this!!!”)

(Casa Tidmouth) The scars on his left hand is from accidentally grazing it against a door lock strike plate.

Judea have had their fair share of rumors (and occasionally, insensitive comments) coming from the big engines when he first arrived on Sodor, mainly jabs at his fuel type and health condition.

He’s in the Aro/Ace spectrum. However, they do enjoy messing around with others and teasing them, mainly a certain, easily flustered, big blue engine…

Likes: Sunday School songs, the instant noodle Indomie, terrorizing big, haughty, mean engines

Dislikes: the Dutch. Not entirely because of what they did to his countrymen, though. He just thinks Europeans are kind of funny in an embarrassing way

[miirshroom]

Enya Geil and Finger Reader Enia - Unpacking a deep cut influence on Elden Ring

There is a character from the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure named "Enya Geil" or "Enya the Hag", who shares both naming phonetics and some design similarities with Finger Reader Enia of Elden Ring.

In a separate post I went over the Elden Ring tarot timeline in depth. In another post I cautiously floated the idea that maybe certain parts of Elden Ring are taking inspiration from the song titles and lyrics of at least one rock band (and I have data collection on several others in progress). In yet another I noted that the Egyptian god "Ra" seems to have a lot of significance for multiple characters.

Basically, what I want to explore is that Elden Ring's Finger Reader Enia is well positioned to demonstrate a likely inspiration for all of those elements in FromSoft's own 30-year body of work: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Background Info from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a manga series started on January 1, 1987, and still ongoing with Part 9 as of late 2024. It is considered one of the most successful manga series, and its most popular era was Part 3: Stardust Crusaders (1989-1992), which introduced the concept of "Stands". Stands are entities psychically generated by their user and in this debut arc tended to be named after one of two concepts: Tarot and Egyptian Gods. On the other hand, the users of the stands would be named after musical artists, which was a trend started in Part 1 and Part 2 ("Vanilla Ice", "Oingo" and "Boingo", "Nena", "Enya", etc). In future parts the tarot and Egyptian themes would be dropped and instead basically all Stands would be musical references that put JJBA as a series into copyright/localization hell ("Foo Fighters", "Metallica", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Achtung Baby", etc).

Enya Geil in JJBA is an old hag with the Stand "Justice" as named after the 11th tarot. She is an antagonist subordinate to vampire DIO (whose stand is 21st tarot "The World"), and had a son named J. Geil - a serial rapist and murderer whose stand was "The Hanged Man". Enya was also responsible for creating new Stand users with the use of 5 golden arrows that were uncovered by archaeologists in Egypt and had been forged from a meteorite that carried a virus that gives people supernatural abilities.

The first power of Enya's Stand is puppetry - it is a mist that can take control of people by entering their bodies through open wounds. For this reason, Enya's weapon was a pair of scissors which she would use to create wounds ("the formless mother craves wounds"). The second power of the stand is illusions, both for illusory people and places. With these two powers combined, the Stand is capable of manipulating vast hoards of undead through piercing holes in the bones of skeletons and manipulating them as if they were alive while also projecting incredibly realistic (but warped) features of human beings.

The puppetry angle is one of the specific pointers to the Enia of Elden Ring. She communes with the Two Fingers - envoys of the Greater Will who direct ("puppet") the actions of the Golden Order faithful. The Elden Beast is one example of this theme that even the gods of the Lands Between are the puppets of something greater - its nervous system is made of amber starlight such as was brewed in the potion that Seluvis attempted to give to Ranni. Something to point out now is that Elden Ring's Enia does not need to secretly have the same personality and background as Enya Geil of JJBA - no more than either of them are the same person as the real life Irish folk singer Eithne "Enya" Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin. As far as the Lands Between is concerned these are timeline clues more than characterization clues. It's a different story with Enia's counterpart in the Shadowlands.

Also, an important to note here is that I did not personally identify the connection between "Enia" and "Enya" of JJBA. JoJoWiki has a list of identified references in other media:

References were also noticed in Dark Souls, including another involving Enya:

Enia's position on the Timeline

Enia is styled similar to the Twin Maiden Husks, telegraphing that she also is an ancient mummified creature. Judging by her grandmotherly voice and that all other finger readers are called "crones" it would follow that Enia is also a kind of crone. When I put together the musical timeline of the Round Table Hold previously I had not acknowledged that there may be additional significance to the doorway to the Two Fingers chamber being in between Sagittarius and Capricorn.

Looking at it now, I suspect that this is intended to be the timeline marker for the earliest concept of the Two Fingers. Based on the calibration offered in Armored Core V (in 2012, the year of "The Hanged Man" tarot...), Armored Core (1997) is associated with the zodiac Capricorn.

Like clockwork the general plotline and theming of every following Armored Core entry syncs up with zodiac sequentially, so 1997 is generally what I identify as being the start of the Capricorn zone. Now I would guess that Shadow Tower represents the decision to commit to a zodiac theme in upcoming years as well as sundering of the timeline into two tracks. On the first track there is Armored Core being associated with the "Sun" Tarot after counting backwards from "The Fool" in 2000. On the second tarot track there is "Shadow Tower" (1998) representing "The Tower" tarot.

So that could be what the "Two Fingers" conceptually represent at their most basic layer before being piled with other symbolism. They began as the interweaving of the Armored Core series as the mainline (i.e. "the sun") with all other games being associated with the shadow, which may be characterized as two tarot tracks.

But still, the connection between Enya and Enia is not complete, as the "Justice" tarot is not immediately apparent in these early years. Counting backwards on the Shadow Fate line lands it too early in 1993. I think that there are two keys here: 1) retroactive continuity, and 2) the creation of a third tarot track as prompted by a specific circumstance.

All this time we're talking and sharing our rational view A billion other voices are spreading other news All this time we're living and trying to understand Why a billion other choices are making their demands Talk of a peaceable kingdom Talk of a time without fear The ones we wish would listen Never going to hear Justice against the Hanged Man Knight of Wands against the hour Swords against the kingdom Time against the Tower All this time we're shuffling and laying out all our cards While a billion other dealers are slipping past our guards All this time we're hoping and praying we all might learn While a billion other teachers are teaching them how to burn - from "Peaceable Kingdom" from Vapor Trails (2002) by Rush

The lyrics to the above song were written as a direct response to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on 9/11/2001. Meaning that "The Tower" in the lyrics refers to a very real event. Look into music and movies/tv of that era and numerous artists made art responding to that event. Another notable one that I've stumbled across is progressive rock band Dream Theatre, who had the misfortune of releasing an album on September 11, 2001 showing the NYC skyline on fire (which was swiftly retracted and replaced) and later created the song "Sacrificed Sons" on the 2005 album "Octavarium" in response to the event.

So by the power of retroactive continuity and introduction of the three fingers it is possible to count backwards from "The Tower" in 2001 and arrive at "Justice" in 1996. The twist to this is that it isn't actually Enia who has the greatest narrative similarity to Enya the Hag. It's a third character who exists in the Shadow of the Shadow: Hornsent Grandam.

Hornsent Grandam as the Shadow of Finger Reader Enia

For a brief period of time upon the Shadow of the Erdtree release, the "Hornsent" Grandam was called "Empyrean" Grandam. Empyreans each have their own two fingers that give them instructions. Enia has a pair of Two Fingers giving her instructions. In the Jungian sense, the Shadow is the part of the psyche where undesired qualities are suppressed - like a dark doppelganger. So while Finger Reader Enia's resemblance to a JJBA character is superficial at best, Hornsent Grandam is what results from making a much deeper reference that manages to fly under the radar simply by avoiding any word association with her name.

Hornsent Grandam brings in a few elements that are similar to JJBA's Enya. Hornsent Grandam is more belligerent than Enia, and her face is flanked by two braids that echo the design of Enya the Hag who has two pigtails, she calls herself "this old hag" and she speaks of singing which goes all the way back to the singer Enya. She presides over the puppet show of the Dancing Lion and has a son who she is supportive of, which both have parallels in the JJBA Enya. Hornsent Grandam's son is either deceased (if it is implied that the "Watchful Spirit" is her son, as she hands that over in the same conversation), or is literally the Hornsent who is one of Miquella's followers (as he is actually summonable to the Messmer fight). She wishes vengeance against Messmer who has betrayed her, similar to how JJBA Enya was betrayed by DIO who implanted a flesh bud in her brain that activated when she was captured and it erupted from her face and eyeballs in wormlike strings (chapter link here). The flesh bud thing is one of DIO's vampire abilities, and Messmer "The Impaler" has that vampire allusion to him. Compare this to the wormy looking horns protruding from the eyes and forehead area of Hornsent Grandam.

And then lastly, to tie the Hornsent Grandam back to the dawn of history there is the scorpion stew connection. Scorpions are found in Belurat and they are found in Rauh.

Armored Core: Project Phantasma is a prequel as verified by the story taking place in the year ED 0156, which is two years before the timeframe of Armored Core (1997) in ED 0158. Three context clues place it as zodiac Scorpio:

1) As previously noted, the Armored Core zodiac starts on Capricorn. Two years before = two signs before = Scorpio.

2) The enemy type with a body plan of a Scorpion (it shoots projectile attacks from its tail)

3) German hard rock band, "the Scorpions" released album "Taken by Force" on December 4, 1977, which was the same calendar day as the release of Armored Core: Project Phantasma (December 4, 1997). Something particularly attractive about this album release date is that the number "4" or "shi" in Japanese has associations with death, and so does the cover of the album. Of the Scorpions 18 other albums, there are 3 others that match dates with various FromSoftware games (which is a story for another day).

For 8 years before King's Field, FromSoftware was a company developing business productivity tools for PC. As the Scorpions are eaten, that 8 years of expertise was cannibalized and redirected into forging a new identity as a videogame developer. I think that's more or less what Rauh represents - an era of relative benign, peaceful and productive existence before being stepping into the drama that is the videogame development cycle. In the Japanese phonetics for "Rauh" it is spelled "Raufu", which is a Swahili word borrowed from the Arabic "Rauf". It means "gentle" or "kind".

Conclusion

"Mine eyes are oft apt to glaze over — the years are toking their toll, 'tis plain to see. Even telling dream from reality…is a task increasingly beyond me…" - Final dialogue of Hornsent Grandam

One of the main themes of the DLC is that dreams are taking over reality. In a meta sense this is exactly what is experienced when playing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC - previous knowledge is being overwritten by the new information revealed in the DLC. This is deceptive, as the reality inside the mindscape of the cocoon is a heavily doctored version of the reality of the Lands Between. It's biased towards pessimistic and paranoia-tinged/emotion-driven interpretations.

In a way, it is demonstrating trope overdose. Characters in the story are reduced to mythological references like Freyja and Ymir, or to manga references like Enia's surface comparison to JJBA's Enya. Comparisons were made between Miquella and Griffith based on not much more than the aesthetic of a fair haired effeminate male character with a hint of sinister manipulation and association with an eclipse - the DLC complied by presenting a version of Miquella that is suddenly Griffith levels of megalomania with none of the on-screen character development. An observation that I have seen made about the Frenzy Flame and the Three Fingers is that they remove the ability to see differences. Forming a theory that a certain character was inspired by another character based on superficial similarity cannot be the end of interpretation - characters need to be evaluated on their own unique psychology as developed in their own context.

The trouble with relying too heavily on references to previous literary canon is that all of the missteps of previous generations are implied to be inherited as well. It is in fact not a societal good to be propagating the tropes that women in positions of power and men who don't meet restrictive standards of masculinity are untrustworthy. A trope so deeply ingrained that someone like Ranni gets accused of being sinister and manipulative despite being one of the most blunt, forthcoming, and rational characters in the game.

Telling the difference between what is true and not true is complicated by the Lands Between being itself a fictional universe. And yet, this is also a phenomena seen in the real world, where fictional media - from movies to comics to books to music - reinforces cultural stereotypes and misinformation that people propagate uncritically. Even historical fiction elevates individuals to the positions of "hero" and "villain" as a flattening of real-life people which has the effect of creating the false impression that society is built on the efforts of magically successful individuals. Rather than the reality where improvements to quality of life are a collective effort and require both constant maintenance and a working understanding of all of the interconnected processes that allow our current civilization to function.

Regardless, the only viable answer in both the Lands Between and in real life for the question of how to sort fact and fiction is to make a personal effort to understand the rules of the universe. In the real world, this would be gaining knowledge of physics, plant biology, ecosystems, how various types of complex objects are manufactured from base elemental components, etc. In the Lands Between, this is through gaining knowledge of all of the above in addition to the magic systems and narrative rules that underlie characters' perceptions of their own history: tarot/alchemy, astrology, chakras, music and poetry, pseudo-archaeology, mythology, etc.

[u2fangirlie-blog]

50 Things for My 50th Birthday - Now With 10 Bonus Things!

50 Things for My 50th Birthday

A continuation of my 40 Things for 40 List, with 10 additional entries for 50. Plus 10 Bonus Things!

Originally written December 2013 on my 40th birthday. It's a list of bits of wisdom I wish I had known when I was younger. Every item has a story behind it. I don't know if this is original, intelligent, humorous, creative, interesting, or valuable to anyone other than myself. But it means something to me.

Maybe someday I'll write an annotated version of the list with the stories for each one. Then that would turn into a book. Maybe it's better to give short snippets and remain mysterious than to overshare everything. December 2023.

40 Things for my 40th Birthday: 12/2013

1. The Universe has a sense of humor which manifests itself as irony. Take time to stop and notice the big glowing neon signs that point to irony.

2. Karma, like gravity, is a force of nature. It does not discriminate. It balances your actions and consequences like balancing an equation.

3. It’s better to be single and alone than be in a bad relationship for the sake of being in a relationship.

4. See the patterns and interconnections - streams, veins in leaves, flowers, moss, agates, geodes, galaxies, calendars, time – it is beautiful and awesome.

5. Every day is different. If today is shitty, tomorrow will be shitty in a different way.

6. Look for the positive. Thousands of things go right every day.

7. Have a good work ethic. Do your best, but don’t let perfectionism interfere.

8. Know your history. Remember your ancestors and family. You could not be who and where you are without all of their hard work.

9. Don’t bite the hook.

10. Don’t feed the troll.

11. Remember Professor Remus Lupin’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons – Ridiculous, Expecto Patronum, and Chocolate.

12. Learn crafts – sewing, knitting, beading, etc. – it enriches life. It’s fun to give surprise presents to people.

13. Dream out loud at high volume. Turn it up to 11.

14. No good deed goes unpunished.

15. The Platinum Rule: Treat people how they want to be treated.

16. Always have 2 weeks’ supply of socks and underwear.

17. Invest in good bras. Your back and boobs will thank you later in life.

18. Always wear comfortable shoes. Your feet will thank you later in life.

19. Don’t waste time in front of the mirror. Save money. Cosmetics are optional.

20. Do not fester. To fester is bad. Don’t bottle things up for years. When you eventually explode, it only frightens, confuses, and pisses off the target of your nuclear blast, and innocent bystanders may be injured.

21. Don’t confuse lust for love. Lust and love are not the same thing. Don’t allow physical attraction to obscure reality. Ask questions. You might not like the answers but ask anyway.

22. Beware of charming men. They use sexual energy to get attention and evoke a reaction, like using glamour magic. The feeling is fleeting. It’s nothing special.

23. Don’t wait by the phone or the computer. When a man says, “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he probably won’t. He might intend to call, but he doesn’t know which tomorrow he means – 24 hours, 6 months, 8 years later. Don’t take it personally.

24. Diamonds are not a girl’s best friend. You don’t need a ring. A loving relationship is the real treasure.

25. U2 is the greatest rock ‘n roll band and “Achtung Baby” is the greatest rock ‘n roll album in the entire Universe.

26. You are your own worst enemy. You are the only enemy you will ever have. Stop listening to the Itty Bitty Shitty Committee.

27. You are your own best ally. You are the only ally you will ever have. Never betray yourself to others or to yourself.

28. It is what it is.

29. Chill the fuck out.

30. On the subject of Big Girl Panties: Pull them up. Deal with it, whatever it is. They can be She-Ra Princess of Power, Wonder Woman, or Tinkerbell Underoos. In times when you can’t pull up your Big Girl Panties, get some Coping Skills so you can deal with it. Use Coping Skills until the problem is solved or the situation subsides. Repeat as necessary. Coping skills will eventually become the New Normal way of dealing with it.

31. Learn as many life skills as you are capable of doing - housekeeping, home repairs, yard maintenance, gardening, cooking, car maintenance, etc. Be as self-sufficient as possible.

32. Know when to ask for help. Offer to help others too. Know when to hire professionals to do the job.

33. Felines are the best animals ever in the history of all species on Earth. Being a Crazy Cat Lady is wonderful. It’s the cats who are crazy.

34. Read everything. Read constantly. Develop highly effective writing and verbal skills. Clear communication is essential.

35. Book smarts, diplomas, and degrees are not an accurate measure of intelligence. Common sense, ability, skill, and experience are most important.

36. No one likes an insufferable know-it-all. Don’t correct others even if you are right – unless it is a life-or-death situation.

37. Practice mindfulness. Orient your perception to the meta level.

38. Be grateful and express gratitude.

39. Be compassionate, sympathetic, and empathetic – even to people you dislike or who dislike you. Everybody hurts. Everybody has bad days. Understand that.

40. Remember the reason why you had your ears pierced on your 30th birthday. Enjoy the small pleasures of life: favorite foods, scents, sights, sounds, clothes, jewelry, and all the pretty things. These are what the dead remember and desire the most.

50 Things for My 50th Birthday: 12/2023

41. Toxic Situations: Know when to get out on your terms while you still have options. Leave before they force you out. Otherwise, you could be left scrambling and everything is worse.

42. The Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42, obviously. (Thanks to Douglas Adams.) 42 is the atomic number of molybdenum. 42 divine beings, with Osiris, Ma’at, and Thoth in the Hall of Truth, judge souls before they enter the afterlife in Egyptian mythology.

43. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills, motherfucker, do you use them? You spent 2 years in Fight Club. Strive to be skillful every day. The core skill sets are mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Remember your values. Remember Wise Mind. Remember Radical Acceptance.

44. Gaslighting: Discussing problems is complaining. Telling the truth is causing trouble. Explaining yourself is making excuses. Asking questions is undermining others, making others look bad, or challenging authority. Challenging hurtful comments is not knowing how to take a joke. Expressing emotional needs is neediness. Expressing emotions is seeking attention. Showing confidence and intelligence and using an above-average vocabulary is being a bitch, being a know-it-all, or flexing your education and experience.

45. You need people whether or not you like it. Remember the pandemic lockdown. Remember working from home for a year and a half. You thought you trained your whole life as an introvert for that historic moment and would be excellent at it. No. It was objectively bad. It was a disaster. You need people. Be a better daughter, sister, and friend to the people in your life.

46. People change for better or worse. People will drift in and out of your life. People grow apart. This is a natural part of life. Accept it.

47. Magical Thinking: It’s one thing to know better. It’s an entirely different thing to do better. This is stupid behavior. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, how hard you work, or how good your intentions are. It’s never going to work out how you want it to. It’s never going to get better. And no one cares. Accept responsibility for your part in it. Don’t make excuses. Do something different. Do better. Change.

48. “Do or do not, there is no try” is fundamentally bad advice. Yoda’s lesson led Luke to black-or-white thinking. What would Spock or Picard teach Luke about learning a new skill? Get up and do it again until you can do it or find another way to do it.

49. Everybody is sick of your shit. Everybody, including you, is sick of your shit.

50. On the subject of Giving a Fuck: You either give too many fucks or you never have enough fucks to give. You need to practice, as the internet meme says, “moderate fuck distribution.” Ask yourself when you truly feel like you have zero fucks to give, are you completely out of fucks? Can you have a fuck debt, have a negative number of fucks? Or does something magical happen? Like a mint in the bottom of your purse, like loose change between seat cushions, like a potato chip under the fridge, there is always one more fuck to give. Like a free play token or an extra life in video game, one more fuck will magically appear. That one magical fuck will be dirty, hard, bitter, and broken, but it will be there when you need it. That one magical fuck can be saved or given as needed until you can replenish your regular supply of fucks.

BONUS CONTENT: I have more than 10 things to add to the list of 50 things.

Life is unpredictable. I don’t know if I’ll live another 10 years to continue the list, so I’m writing 10 Bonus Things. Everyone loves free bonus things!

51. “If I don’t do what my parents want, they will be mad at me.” WHAT? Did you just say the quiet part out loud? Every decision in your life is based on it! How can you be in the fifth decade of your life on this planet? Are you even an adult?

52. You can’t be needy if you don’t have needs. Meet your needs for yourself. No one else will. If there’s the slightest stink of neediness on you, people will abuse and reject you.

53. Don’t have expectations of others. Don’t engage in wishful thinking. Stop wanting people to demonstrate their feelings or care for you in the way you want. They won’t. It’s never going to happen. If you ask for what you want, then you are needy or attention-seeking. Accept what they offer as they give it, even if doesn’t meet your expectations, even if it’s nothing. That may be the only thing they can offer or the only way they know how to express it.

54. Most of being an adult is lying to everyone that everything is okay and that you are fine, when in reality your life is an unbearable mess, and you are not anywhere close to being okay.

55. Nothing you do is ever good enough for others. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. It never changes.

56. “Use it or lose it.” You refused to believe it until you quit using it and you lost it. You don’t need to look in the mirror to see it. How does your body feel? Get up, girl, and use it.

57. No one gets out of here alive. Prepare for your death. Don’t leave the burden of your funeral plans, estate, and debts to your family, friends, or strangers. If you worked on projects or created things with other people, include it in your will. Your legacy, and that of others, literally could be thrown away. If you don’t tell people what you want, they will get it wrong. Then you’ll have to come back and haunt the fuck out of those people.

58. There’s no escaping your past, especially with family. They remember everything. Every obnoxious thing you did as a teenager. Every time you freaked out. Every time you had a bad day. Every mistake you made. Every mental health breakdown. It doesn’t matter how hard you work to change and overcome your problems. You’ll always be that past worst version in their minds, and they’ll hold it against you forever.

59. Your family is never going to forgive you for getting a degree in English. It’s always going to come down to their misperception that you are nitpicking and correcting them when you’re not. They’re going to throw it in your face like a glass of ice water.

60. Remember the “Litany Against Fear” from Dune. You memorized it when you were 15 years old. It still works.

[talkinfanfic]

Episode 305 - Talkin' Music with shineswithyou

Summary:

🎧 Find Talkin' Fanfic on your favorite podcast app. Or stream here!

Sara takes (kind of sort of) a break from talking fanfic and bandfic to talk about a different form of storytelling– music, and writing about music! @shineswithyou is a familiar face around Oasis and U2 tumblr, but what you might NOT know is that she has recently embarked on a writing journey of her own, with a substack blog about music and its place as the soundtrack of her own life.

Sara and shines talk about her blog, and the difficulty of “writing words about sounds”; how music is a language in and of itself capable of telling its own (and our own) stories.

Of COURSE we loop it back around to fanfiction and RPF (or, ‘real person fanfiction’), and how bandfic is, at its core, a pure form of love for the musical artist. Other talking points include: how awesome Bono is, and how we wish we could have been at Slane Castle in 2001; the perennial dysfunction of the Gallagher brothers; and the dichotomy of the U2 and Oasis fandoms.

Contact and Credits:

Theme Music: Kyle Laurin "Oasis Supersonic Theme" (Twitter: @cobrakylemusic)

Clips from "Pop Muzik" by M (℗ 1979 Robin Scott Limited) and "Marquee Moon" by Television (℗ 1977 Elektra/Asylum)

Tumblr: talkinfanfic.tumblr.com 

Instagram: @talkinfanfic

Email: talkinfanfic@gmail.com

Time caps:

00:00 - Introduction

14:52 - Interview start

23:07 - Music memories and growing up

30:40 - Tumblr and bandom

34:27 - the pf+hb blog!

39:32 - Blog entry 1 

44:40 - Tom Verlaine and Television

46:50 - Excerpt of blog entry 4

48:56 - shines’ music writing style and influences, and the difficulties of writing about music

57:15 - Art in the time of Covid and intentional listening

01:10:56 - More on Television’s style and ‘Marquee Moon’

01:22:22 - CBGB’s and ‘the scene’

01:28:29 - Music mags!

01:32:05 - Speaking of U2…

01:36:55 - The dichotomy of the U2 fandom vs Oasis fandom

01:43:01 - Rapid Fire Questions!

Episode References

“Pf+Hb” shineswithyou’s substack blog 

Shineswithyou on Tumblr 

Music vid for The Stone Roses’ “She Bangs the Drums” (title inspiration for the blog)

M - Pop Muzik (Official Video) (Youtube) 

Book - "Heartbeat" by Sharon Creech (Goodreads) - a children’s coming-of-age story told in free verse

Music writing rec - Liz Barker’s tinyletter (music writer and blogger, this is Liz’s main website: Words by Liz Barker ) Here is an an excerpt from her novel 

Blog rec - Hanif Kureishi’s substack and a piece he wrote which shines recommends 

Album - Nirvana MTV Unplugged (Spotify)

Album - The Velvet Underground & Nico (Spotify)

Trouser Press - “The biblio of alternative rock”

"The Too-Muchness of Bono" by David Brooks for the Atlantic

Achtoon Baby - U2 music blog project by Kelly and PJ

Fic mentioned - "The Passing of Peggy Gallagher" by Jeevey   

Fic mentioned - “Stop the Clocks” by savageandwise 

Youtube Clip from “My Beautiful Laundrette” (1985, starring Gordon Warnecke and Daniel-Day Lewis, screenplay by Hanif Kureshi. You can stream it on HBOMax)

Film Trailer for “CBGB” (2013) starring Alan Rickman

Book - Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011 (Goodreads)

Documentary - Meet Me In The Bathroom (2022) - Youtube trailer stream on Paramount+ or rent on Amazon Prime Video 

Documentary - "Gimme Shelter" (1970) - “A harrowing documentary of the Stones' 1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic concert at Altamont.”

Music Video - “Dark Sunglasses” a single off of Chrissie Hynde’s 2014 album ‘Stockholm’. The album doesn’t appear to be on streaming platforms.

Youtube - Where The Streets Have No Name (Live From Slane Castle, Ireland (2001) (you can see the heart-shaped stage that shines mentions really well at about 58 seconds!)

Shines’ Desert Island Discs: “Achtung Baby” by U2 (but on another day it might be “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” by Coldplay

Shines is listening to: “Lucifer On the Sofa” by Spoon (album, 2022) 

Shines is listening to: “Wet Leg” (self-title debut album, 2022)

Music Discovery - Paul Gallagher's MixCloud channel (Sara rec, Paul does a weekly playlist with tons of great and lesser known artists. You can listen for free and there’s no ads, but to get the tracklist you have to be a paid subscriber)

Justin Hawkins Rides Again (Youtube channel, and he has a new podcast)

Music Discovery - Shines recommends finding your local independent radio station with real human DJs! You can google, and most colleges have student run stations, and TuneIn is a site that has a “find a local station” feature you can try out!

Fic Rec - “cheaper than a dime” by harmonising (Beatles RPF, George & Paul gen) -  Shines says it’s a “beautiful, angsty study of Paul and George’s relationship, written in a choppy, time-jump style”

Fic Rec - “Dare, Disturb the Universe” by @penaltybox14 (ao3, Bruce/Steve)

Fic Rec - “Wharf Rats on the Stage” by @penaltybox14 (ao3, Bruce/Steve)

Fic Rec - “Fictitious Characters” and “You Wanted Me Alone” by @likeamadonnau2. Shines says: “gorgeously written and very meta - an alternative history of U2’s early days framed by Bono & Edge’s relationship, & written by them.”

Rapid Fire Questions (starting at 01:43:01)

Beatles or Stones?

Which of these best describes your inner rock star? (I picked ladies because they don’t get talked about enough): Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett, or Stevie Nicks? 

What’s the best way to experience music? Live show, or headphones and vinyl?

You have a free Wednesday afternoon. Are you going to the Man City Match with Noel, or spending a day at the pub with Liam?

The Doctor suddenly appears with the TARDIS and offers to take you to ONE of the following shows: 

Jan 1969 - Beatles on the rooftop of Apple Corps in London

1974 - sneak into one of Television’s regular sets at CBGB’S

Nov 1995 - Oasis at Earl’s Court, London

Sept 2001 - U2 at Slane Castle, Ireland

What’s your desert island record?

Name a recent album you’ve been enjoying. 

Any music discovery recs? (ex. For me, Paul Gallagher’s mixcloud shows / Justin Hawkins)

Can you give me a couple of RPF band fics off your bookmarks list?

What does music mean to you?

[mittensmorgul]

What's the most random tv show/media you've ever written fanfic for? I had a phase years ago when I was younger where I was into the Little House on the Prairie tv show, and while I didn't consider it "fanfic" at the time, I liked writing my own "episodes" for it and a few other shows I was into at the time (they were very general, PG rated stories). I knew they were obscure shows and no one would read them, but to this day when I get a fanfic idea, it won't leave me alone until I write it:P

heck... i mean, technically i've really only written fic for spn. i never wrote fanfic for other media before, which is weird considering how old i was when i started lol :'D

but i have written some crossover fics with a couple other things...

In Jeopardy! is the last installment I wrote for the Everything is Subtext 'verse, even though someday maybe there'll be more. Canon case fic-ish, Cas goes on Jeopardy and wins a lot of money :') But... the Jeopardy stuff is all verified authentic to how it works in our universe too (or did when i was on the show back in 2010 lol)

Around the World in 24 Days is the last installment I wrote for the Tumblr Anonymous 'verse, again even if I might someday write more for it. AU Cas, Dean, and friends participate in an around the world race a la the show The Amazing Race. Written during a time when so many reality competition shows were getting fanfic treatment, and I was disappointed nobody else would write this one for me :'D (includes the tag "blatant misuse of an IKEA" lol)

Until I Know This Sure Uncertainty, I'll Entertain The Offered Fallacy 6 way body swap! Canon case fic, but also very very loosely inspired by the Comedy of Errors. but SIX WAY BODY SWAP!

Hurry Up And Wait canon case fic with all the LotR references

Ultraviolet human!impala case fic that's also secretly my love letter to U2's Achtung Baby...

The Terminal Job canon case fic so titled because it's just ~a tiny bit Leverage-y, but not really. but it sort of inspired the feel of the fic.

Cakepocalypse! canon case fic (yes REALLY I SWEAR) that's also a baker Dean/tv producer Cas au (this will make sense as you read it, because it's also 13.23 coda fic...). Essentially a Nailed It! au.

Baby X-File written for GISH 2022, Item 4: “Fanfic through the Ages”: Write a special crossover fanfic of a character from a 1990s show, book, or video game and a character from a 2000s show, book, or game meeting in a different 2010s universe. I sent TFW to meet Mulder and Scully. :'D

one working part 15.19/15.20 fix it fic, told like It's A Wonderful Life.

I can't help thinking there's more, but I think that's enough to go on for now lol.

I mean, all of these are still firmly spn/destiel fic because really that's all the fic I've ever written. Before fic, I only wrote original fiction. Until I was in my late 30's. Which again, apparently isn't the usual fic author trajectory of "i used to write stories based on my childhood cartoons" or whatever. I've been writing since I was a kid, sure, but I just... never was inspired to write fanfic of anything until Dean and Cas forced my hand :')

[ljaesch]

EP Review: U2 - "Zoo TV Live in Dublin 1993"

On August 30, 2024, U2 released the Zoo TV Live in Dublin 1993 EP, which includes five tracks recorded at the RDS Arena in Dublin on August 28, 1993 during the tour to promote the Achtung Baby album. This particular show has had sought-after bootlegs for years, and this EP marks the official release of the some of the performances from that show. The five live performances included on this disc…

[greensparty]

Album Reviews: Sleater-Kinney / U2

This week I got to review the 11th album from the always reliable Sleater-Kinney. The Pacific Northwest indie rockers have been on my radar since 1997's Dig Me Out (got my copy on vinyl). They've done some great albums, but that still stands as my personal favorite. I saw Sleater-Kinney headline the Siren Music Festival in Coney Island in 2002 and they blew me away. After the band took an indefinite hiatus in 2006, they reunited in 2014. It’s funny that the masses now know Carrie Brownstein for Portlandia and didn’t even know her as the singer/guitarist for Sleater-Kinney. But I digress. The band’s 2019 album The Center Won’t Hold was a polarizing album that was so polarizing drummer Janet Weiss left before its release, but I actually really dug it and I even named “The Future is Here” my #1 Song of 2019. Their first post-Janet Weiss album was Path of Wellness, which I named my #6 Album of 2021. There are purists who feel it's not the same band without Weiss. But Corin Tucker and Brownstein have kept the band going and their newest album Little Rope drops from Loma Vista this week.

album cover

This is an album that came out of tragedy after Brownstein's mother and stepfather died in a car accident. Similar to how Foo Fighters' recent album But Here We Are was Dave Grohl working through the passing of bandmate Taylor Hawkins and his mother, much of this album is about grief and resilience. I am happy to say this is the First Great Album of 2024!

Sleater-Kinney at the 2002 Siren Festival in Coney Island

After Weiss left the band, there were some fans who felt it wasn't Sleater-Kinney without her. That is not true, but it does need to be said that with Path of Wellness, as much as I liked the album - it is a band trying to figure out how to go from being a three-headed monster to a two-headed monster. But with this one, Brownstein and Tucker are clearly past that transition and diving back into the indie rock sound they perfected over the course of the last 30 years. There's some serious standouts on this album like "Say it Like You Mean It" and the epic closer "Untidy Creature"! This is the definition of aging gracefully in alt-rock. All Hail Sleater-Kinney!

For info on Little Rope

4 out of 5 stars

U2 Zooropa 30th Anniversary Vinyl

In October 2023, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of U2's album Zooropa a limited edition yellow vinyl was released. This review is a little late, but better late than never! Coming off the success of 1991's Achtung Baby, their 8th studio album was something of a surprise album. They had planned on recording an EP that turned into a full album, which was very much an extension of the electronic sounds they were experimenting with on Achtung Baby. They only announced the new album a few weeks earlier. This also marked the fastest U2 album ever recorded, they did it in only six weeks in early 1993. I happen to be at Newbury Comics on the day it was released and bought it immediately. It is an excellent U2 album that rarely gets mentioned, but its one of their best. One of their finest moments is the album closer “The Wanderer”, the band’s duet with Johnny Cash! The album went to #1 on the charts and won a Grammy.

the 30th anniversary edition of Zooropa

In the past few years, I have been lucky enough to review a number of U2 re-releases including the 2017 Super Deluxe edition of The Joshua Tree, the 2020 Super Deluxe edition of All That You Can't Leave Behind, the 2021 30th anniversary edition of Achtung Baby, as well as last year's album Songs of Surrender. The thing with the aforementioned Deluxe Editions is they remastered the original album, included some B-sides recorded during those sessions and a live concert (for the most part). This re-release is a little different. Let me back up for a minute: in 2018 there was a vinyl re-release that included 2 remixes of "Lemon" and "Numb". This 2023 vinyl release is basically the same release on yellow vinyl (in honor of "Lemon" I'm guessing) and a new photo of the band from 1993 in the gatefold. It would've been cool if they had padded this with more bells and whistles but I get that it wasn't as robust of a recording session as Achtung Baby was. The 2 remixes are alright, but not worth re-buying if you already have this. The yellow vinyl is cool as is the picture, but in the end it's really just a reminder of what a solid album this was. As we all await U2's first original album since 2017 (last year's Songs of Surrender was re-recordings of older songs), this is a reminder of how prolific the band was during a break from the Zoo TV tour to knock out an incredible album that still holds up today!

For info on Zooropa

4 out of 5 stars

[timmurleyart]

Vegas baby! 🎰♦️♠️♥️♣️🍀🎶🥁

[eitmonline]

EITM Playlist 12/5/23

U2 - Zoo Station | 6:09

Brenda Lee - Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree | 6:30

TOOL - Pneuma | 6:30

Tom Petty - Love Is A Long Road | 7:06

Hello Lucky - Ghosts | 7:40

Royel Otis - Fried Rice | 7:59

Porno For Pyros - Agua | 8:03

Ace Frehley - 10,000 Volts | 8:37

Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Smoke & Ribbons | 9:08

Des Rocs - I Am The Lightning | 9:33

ZZ Top - Francine | 9:45

The Who - Won’t Get Fooled Again | 9:51

Geddy Lee - Gone | 10:20

Geddy Lee - I Am...You Are | 10:55

The Maine - blame | 11:08

[scrabblevegas]

Woke up at 3:30 😭. Silver lining is that once the sun came up I took a nice stroll to Bagelmania where I encountered this good 5L word, BIALY. Can also be spelled BIALI. Games start at 9!

The purple sphere is a new concert venue that’s set to open on September 29th with none other than U2! They are doing an Achtung Baby residency here.

[ivanreycristo]

Los IDOLOS DE ORO ..tienen el CORAZON DEL DIABLO o de las TINIEBLAS=novela en la q se basó la película APOCALIPSIS NOW ambientada en el VIETNAM de cuando sucedió el Asesinato de SHARON TATE [1era pelicula BARRABAS y última viva PLANTEL de DEMOLICION pues póstuma fue 12+1 SILLAS q en ESPAÑA fue la MANSION DE LOS 7 PLACERES] ordenado x Charles MAN_SON [Cabecilla de LA FAMILIA o como consideraba a los q ELIGIO para formarla por vínculos EMOCIONALES y NO SANGUINEOS como los q tenía DANIEL DICENTA para dar la PATADA A SU FAMILIA el día de REYES jaja].. en la mansión de ROMAN POLANSKY en CIELO DRIVE y del cual estaba EMBARAZADA mientras él rodaba en LONDRES el día del DEL_FIN y tras haber hecho ella un cameo en su película LA SEMILLA DEL DIABLO [ROSE MARY's BABY] protagonizada x MIA Farrow [casada entonces con SINATRA q le sacaba 30 años y luego con WOODY ALLEN hasta q cometió INCESTO con una de sus hijastras koreanas con la q se caso]..y esto me lleva a pensar que LA VIRGEN tendrá un HIJO O QUIZAS MAS como canta VIRGINIA MAESTRO o como LABUAT en DE PEQUEÑO [donde no le importa lo que piense de LA VERDAD]..al decir q 1 y 1 suman 3 o QUIZAS MAS.

X cierto..el de la foto es THE EDGE [EL FILO] de U2 en su epoca de ACHTUNG [=ADVERTENCIA] BABY [CARIÑO] q incluye UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

[akaraboonline]

U2 explains their "Achtung Baby" engagement in Las Vegas at the cutting-edge new MGM Sphere venue.

U2 has released information about its upcoming "U2:UV Achtung Baby" residency in Las Vegas, which coincides with the opening of the cutting-edge, high-tech MGM Sphere at The Venetian. Five dates have been made public: September 29 and 30, and October 7, 5, and 8. You can register now through Wednesday, April 26 at 10 AM ET to get tickets for those performances, which go on sale Thursday, April 27 at 10 AM ET through Ticketmaster Verified Fan. The group also released a trailer for the performance, in which U2's creative director discusses the Sphere. "The entire structure is a speaker...and a video screen, so you won't see speaker stacks hanging from the ceiling. Outside and inside. See that after. Together with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Bono and The Edge visited The Sphere to discuss the performance and what fans should anticipate. "Have you been listening to Atmos mixes lately? Big, big step forward in audio in terms of dimension, according to The Edge. That kind of Atmos mixing in a live setting is now achievable with this, which has never been conceivable before. So not only is the visual aspect of it revolutionary, but the auditory aspect of it is also state-of-the-art.There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world, and there won't be for a very long time. They also briefly discuss the band's history with Las Vegas, drummer Larry Mullen Jr.'s absence from these gigs while recovering from surgery, and other topics. See that after. As a result of his sold-out run of "Stories of Surrender" performances at the Beacon Theatre in support of his new memoir, Bono is now in New York City. Read the full article