#and this makes it seem like i take music so seriously. and to some extent i do

[yesimwriting]

Happy new year! I wish you all a blessed 2025 ❤️

Now personally I don’t care the new years kiss tradition is about kissing your significant other, every single friend I love is getting love back from me when I’m drunk.

Bestie reader should absolutely give Louis the biggest platonic SMOOCH because he deserves it. He’d walk around with lipstick on his forehead or something, take a pic, save it for later to make fun of the level of readers intoxication.

a/n happy new year!! i'm totally the same about nye kisses and drinking, i get a little sappy and suddenly everyone in my life needs to know how much i mean to them lol i love this concept and it's perfect for the first fic of 2025!

also as a side note, going out/drinking with a vampire seems so perfect, ultimate scary dog privileges bc let some creepy man try anything and suddenly louis has a little late night snack <3 it sounds so freeing

----

The music's heavy pulse has aligned itself with your own, the base of it reverberating through your chest so thoroughly it might as well take the place of your heart. You can't bring yourself to dislike the feeling.

"O-kay." Your enthusiasm breaks the word into two. You let yourself lean into the feeling, into the fullness of your joy. "I think the regular vodka's stronger than the jello shots, because it's vodka not vodka-jello."

Louis presses his lips together in an attempt to keep from grinning too broadly. "That makes sense."

Your eyes narrow as you give yourself a moment to absorb the response. "It does," the words are much more contemplative than they need to be, "I'm so smart."

This time, Louis lets himself react. He laughs at the deliberateness pressed into your syllables. You're too out of it to think to mind his reaction. "You're drunk."

You straighten slightly as if that'll be enough to prove him wrong. "I'm happy."

Louis extends an arm, placing a hand on your shoulder in an instinctual attempt at keeping you steady. You're not exactly implying instability, but he's spent enough time around you like this to know it's better to be safe than sorry.

"You're drunk."

You tilt your head at the correction, blinking at him curiously. "For some people, that's the same thing."

"Yeah?" The word is much too amused.

You nod enthusiastically, shifting your weight from foot to foot in a way that leaves Louis squeezing your arm a little tighter. "Yeah." You pause, eyebrows drawing together pensively as you struggle to grasp your next thought in its entirety. "I love you. I want you to be as happy as I am."

"Okay." He lets out a partial laugh. You're a good, terribly affectionate drunk. "I'm very happy. I promise."

His assurance doesn't seem to ease you. Instead of moving onto a separate topic of conversation or attempting to escape him in order to track down another shot, you frown. You step back slightly before lifting your arm. "Here."

You're holding your wrist out in front of him so innocently Louis can almost make himself forget what you're offering. "That--that's really nice of you, but I'm okay."

You frown, staring up at him with wide, sad eyes. Louis sighs, his fingers gently bending around your forearm. He pulls your hand down towards your side before stepping closer to you. In an abundance of precaution, he angles his head towards your ear. "I had that boy that grabbed your arm earlier, remember?"

"My blood is perfectly good--blood." Great, he's stumbled onto this argument again. You're not looking to be hurt, but for whatever reason, you're convinced that Louis's refusal to consume your blood to any extent is limiting your friendship. "Seriously, a doctor has never struggled to find my veins."

The defense is slurred and devoid of serious logic. Still, such a consistent mentioning of something he's always trying to ignore...always trying to forget makes it difficult to focus on anything else. The blood moving beneath your skin is warm against his palms, and it--the scent of it...

It is possible to stop. Some know how to resist, how to take just enough to feel something without bringing a life to its end. Lestat had possessed that kind of control, had used it when creating Claudia.

The thought leaves him more somber than he's prepared to be. Even if he could sense that kind of strength in himself, he--he couldn't use you in that way. Introducing you to his world at all was a cruel enough act on its own, he doesn't need to taint you further.

Louis squeezes his eyes shut, exhaling before pulling away slightly. He lifts your arm slowly, his thumb brushing against your wrist's pulse point. You watch him silently as he brings your inner forearm to his mouth. He presses his lips against your skin. "It's not you."

You're quiet for a second, something oddly sober briefly flickering behind your gaze. "I know," you relent slowly, "On some level, I know."

You look at him, then, with a careful awareness that often leaves him feeling like you're the one capable of looking into his mind. "But it better not be because you think your existence is some terrible burden you're inflicting onto me."

It's a warning he's used to hearing. His lips part, but before he can think of a response, the crowd around you shifts. A variety of voices blend together as they start to count, "...Ten...nine...."

"New years!" You beam, reaching for Louis's hand as you turn towards the others.

The countdown continues, the numbers oddly in sync for a bar so full of drunk individuals. The clock hits midnight, the crowd erupts into cheers.

You grin, straightening fully as you lean towards him. Before Louis can think to ask about what you're doing, you press your lips against his cheek. He can feel the residue of your lipgloss against his skin, but he can't bring himself to mind it. This isn't the first time you've gotten a little affectionate while drunk, but normally there's some warning. "What was that for?"

You shrug innocently, "New Years kiss."

You let go of him fully, halfheartedly pushing his arm off your shoulder as you start moving away from him. "Where are you going?"

"I want another shot." The response is absentmindedly thrown over your shoulder, like Louis should have had the foresight to follow you.

A part of him is glad that your back is to him. This way, he can grin openly without encouraging your behavior. "Slow down--you're in heels."

You turn at that, flashing your middle finger before continuing forward. Oh, you're not going to get the hear end of this tomorrow.

[shiraishi-kanade]

An Shiraishi is always trying to be someone else: a short and messy analysis on how Vivid Street (unintentionally) messed her up

You know, I kind of have my own issues with the "Wishing to the Blue Sky for Your Happiness!" event, but a lot of my criticism of it boiled down to "huh, it's kind of weird how they gave An this insecurity out of nowhere, she didn't struggle with being herself before. Seems to be a reach just so Shizuku could have a role."

But that was before the Vivid Old Tale, and boy I'll admit I was very wrong.

The relationship between An and Nagi are... Very interesting, to say the least.

But there's no doubt that An absolutely idolizes Nagi. Sure, there's been this line about An always wanting to he a musical like her father, but we also know that for the most part, it was Nagi who taught her to sing, as well as Nagi who acted as An's mentor figure in a more emotional way.

In a way, An won the lottery. She was born into a family that loves her, into a community thay loves her, and just so happened to be talented and passionate about something that community values most. However, that talent has left her little to no space to actually... See herself as someone outside of it.

Now, none of this is actually necessarily negative by default. Having high expectations to one's children isn't necessarily bad either; with the right approach, it can make them grow and want to grow. We've also seen this happen with Touya in his childhood, which us another neat parallel.

But, unlike Touya, An has been very comfortable in her role, precisely because of her talent and being able to reach the very high bar raised for her. That comfort just... never made her reach out to something other than the place and the future she was already familiar with, because she never needed to. She was Ken's daughter and she was talented and everyone in town loved her and she promised to be the better than her dad and everyone took her seriously. What else could she possibly need?

In a way, An had her dole cut out to her before she was even born.

And then there's Nagi.

Yes, Nagi is An's role model. But there's more to that than just An looking up to her.

More than just being taught by her, An actually picks up Nagi's mannerisms, forms or speech, and even moral values (pretty much the entire point of Vivid Old Tale).

An saw, too, how much Nagi meant for the people of Vivid Street. She wanted to mean as much for them, too; rather, she already did mean as much, but she needed to be someone to justify being loved. It's not necessarily a conscious thought process but more of a subtle one: if you notice your community loves some traits of you more than the others, or values some aspects of you more, you start to lean more and more into them in order to fit in and be accepted.

For An, those particular traits were being talented, being Ken's daughter, but also... Being very similar to Nagi.

Them acting "like sisters" has been highlighted over

and over

and over again, even by people unfamiliar with Nagi, well into An's teenage years.

And it's not exactly... A complete coincidence on everyone's part. At one point, Nagi openly states she wants An to be like her, to be able to see things from the same perspective. At least to some extent, some of the actions Nagi takes to make that happen are completely deliberate.

So An tries to be like Nagi. This is both a conscious effort on her part and something that just... Is sort of a hidden force that shapes her into who she is. If you watch Nagi and compare even the way she talks with people of the town to the more mature, somewhat-grown up but not quite there yet An we have today... There's so many similarities it's uncanny. An is still much more hot-headed and impulsive, but that caring, considerate side of her shines through even more than before.

An doesn't try to deny or hide that, too. In fact, she's actually pretty proud of it.

(Whether Ken lied to her to make her feel better or if that expression was just a reaction to being reminded of Nagi passing away & the masquerade that followed after that, we'll never know.)

But here's the kicker: there's so much of Nagi in An it's hard to pinpoint where Nagi-san's traits end and An's own personality begins, if it even does. Because of how early has everyone decided on An's future, and because An never did anything to even hint at wanting to do something different (which she didn't! Sometimes people want to continue their family's legacy and that's completely normal and fine - again, she just got really lucky, both with her talent and supportive surroundings), An subconsciously kind of accepted that being like Nagi is... Just who she is.

That comes with taking on Nagi's part in the community, too. In the same way Nagi took care of everyone in town by helping them out at events, so too, does An - just to a much lesser extent, by going out of her way to keep in touch with everyone, going to events, and helping at a cafe, too.

But An doesn't purposely mold or change her personality to be like her role model, too. This is important: An doesn't wear a mask because she doesn't need to. In her mind, she already is like Nagi, or at least, she's on track to be, without doing particularly anything different. Because they're just so similar they're so close and practically behave like sisters, and because An grew up singing in the town exactly like Nagi did, and because she loves the town just like Nagi did - what else could An possibly need to do except get better at singing and get more grown up?

You know, to reach that mature and down-to-earth side of Nagi that we often see in the past?

That side?

Yeah.

Now the Shizuan event's conflict isn't so out of place, is it?

But anyway, back to the point.

Because of Nagi wording things the way she does and because of people on Vivid Street making such a point of their similarities, An naturally assumed she would eventually become like Nagi. This is why, even aside from Kohane's improvement, aside An's abandonment issues, Kick It Up a Notch is a giant slap to the face for An, as well as her wake-up call.

Kohane taking on Nagi's mantle before An was able to, or potentially ever could, isn't just about singing - it's an attempt at An's entire sense of self, just as well as her place in the world, and on the smaller sense, her hometown, too.

Because if An is not Nagi, she doesn't belong.

Because An never knew how to do anything but sing. Because becoming like her family, like Nagi, was the only option she ever imagined for herself ever since she was a child.

And if An is not Nagi, then who the hell is she?

[this post was very much inspired by @the-one-that-weeps 's An analysis post, who kind of put this much more eloquently than I could! Go check them out.

All translated lines that aren't taken from the wiki transcripts are by lozybug on YouTube!]

[loki-zen]

i feel like we would probably rip the piss out of anyone who said like, idk that they felt like Inside they were a punk but they were forcibly assigned Normie/ boring good kid by Society and shit and bc their parents wouldn't let them dress how they wanted and have their hair how they wanted and they were too helicopter-parented to actually do anything they'd get in trouble for. especially if they were actually now an adult but they just hadn't managed to fix any of this bc now their job wants to control what they can wear and look like and they still don't actually know how to Start doing any of that shit, how to make the social connections and feel okay walking into the alt music venue, they don't ever hear about protests until after they happen, all of that.

and to some extent fair enough i guess but i feel like if we don't take this seriously we're putting Gender on some kind of a Plane that we shouldn't be; we're conceding shit about it that we shouldn't

really seems that like the reason one thinks "fair enough" is that we all think, well that sucks for you, but punk is looking like a punk and doing punk things, isn't it? maybe to some extent being part of a community of sorts but mostly not / mostly all that "community" means aside from your actual friends is that the people you don't know recognise you as someone to hand flyers for a punk night to, so. let's say not 'community' so much as social reecognition? which is itself mostly predicated on looking like a punk and doing punk things (even if those things are: making choices that indicate a way in which you wish to be percieved)

which means that thinking gender is different means we still think gender is something Else.

idk where im going with this tbh i just know that legit half the shit that's really Bothered me when i was a kid about how people Percieved me in ways that ring true to descriptions of social dysphoria was often to at least some extent this sort of thing too? and I know that I could frame it in gendered terms (girls are very much Expected to be more well-behaved, and it always pissed me the fuck off that i was in fact constantly in conflict with school and other sorts of authorities, but a certain calibre of other kid would just unthinkingly assume that i was a Good Girl who cared for teachers' approval just because i was occaisionally in receipt of it) and it would sort of become (locally!) Respectable if i did that? which is weird.

and conversely my Problems with people percieving my gender are very similar sorts of thing; it's like with a few exceptions that not a lot of adults with jobs get to present as full time, there are a bunch of Social Archetypes/Types of Guy that people will understand you as where there's often a more-or-less-equivalent Boy Flavour and Girl Flavour but they're still not Actually the same thing.

[emilydorp]

when did ji say that That XX wasn’t about someone with a boyfriend? im a new fan and ive always been curious as to how much gd would add context/explain his lyrics in the past. were there more instances like this? also it’s cute that he couldnt bring himself to lie abt it😭

Hi anon! :))

Well, I'm not sure how to explain how GD has viewed his music and art over the years, since he has changed his vision on it multiple times (and his music has changed with him) and he has been making music for YEARS now. So, a lot of this is my interpretation and brief summary of all the things he has shared with us over the years :)).

When he was asked about how he writes love songs in 'Night After Night' (a GEM of GTOP content, GO WATCH IT OR YOU'RE A BAD SHIPPER), he simply said 'You need to add a bit of your own feelings to make it relatable'. Which is why I believe he probably does/did get inspiration from many different sources when writing music and not all of it is/was necessarily a reflection of his life.

For example, 'Missing You' is a break up song but I feel that it is simply a romanization of how much he misses Tabi because they have separate schedules (especially with how happy T.O.P seemed when GD sang it live, even whispering something to Tae before starting to sing along :)) That, combined with Tabi's ODD comment about how 'Lies' was written when they were having a tough time, and the way these two treated and spoke about 'Haru Haru' (GD even implying he saw GTOP posts about it and appreciated the reactions from netizens because it was an emotional song for him to write) makes me always, ALWAYS wonder about which songs are GTOP).

I can say a few things with certainty; he is a very visual person (like T.O.P, lmao) and always has an idea of what his 'mv' will look like while writing, a lot of the music he wrote was a 'diary entry'; it was something he felt in the moment and can therefore be personal but also a romanization of how he felt, and he can't simply "write songs", he needs some sort of genuine inspiration, regardless of whether this inspiration is his muse or his reason and motivation for writing songs, especially since he has admitted to having a pretty severe musical block in 2014 which he was only able to escape by keeping the people around him in mind and working for them.

GD romanticized his feelings quite a lot, imo, especially before 'Coup D'Etat', (because of the sheer volume of songs he used to write before), and after that album I feel like he wrote things closer to his heart.. GD&TOP are as open as they can be, about every feeling in their lives, even romance to a certain extent, considering the circumstances (dating his literal band mate in a homophobic society) and I respect that. GD mostly adds context to how he came up with the song sonically, because he actually expresses himself a lot more through his instrumentals, rather than purely through his lyrics.

Like how they say here that 'Bae Bae' is a fun little song GD&TOP wrote together while totally not thinking about women (and Seunghyun being sassy and going all "I wrote those lyrics" when the interviewer mentions Kiko's age being connected to the song, something GD didn't even seem to know? Lmao, how HARSH for someone who takes being in love very seriously if that really is his girl (which she clearly isn't)).

And here's Tabi letting us know what's up (as if him shutting the interviewer down for implying that Kiko was the muse wasn't enough) (and getting low key PISSED at Tae for saying "man and woman". He was probably thinking "Again, I wrote those lyrics??").

GD has been 100% open about a few romantic songs, like 'This Love' and the story behind it. He allegedly had a pre debut girlfriend/crush for whom he wrote this song (netizens has possibly found this girl, we didn't get much since her cyworld was used as the main source, except a few pictures, her name and the birthday GD drops in this song being possibly factually accurate. Or maybe he romanticized his feelings for T.O.P, that's something I've heard people say quite often, since he seemed to already have a crush on T.O.P by then).

He also made it clear that R.O.D wasn't written for a woman, despite the fact that he sings "Me and girlfriend", so don't let anyone tell you Bonamana isn't about Tabi because he used the word "girl" in it.

And honestly, I don't think GD is the only one who can have a hard time lying about his inspiration. During an interview, T.O.P said that he wrote the song 'Girlfriend' for VIPs, his fans, but here he couldn't say that lie very easily, especially after being reminded of how hard he worked on making his verse as perfect as he could (and being a bit tipsy). Watch the whole video tho, I rewatched it for this ask and realized I kinda just paraphrased what they said in this video..lmao..all that analyzing for nothing..

Anyways... here's the actual answer to your question ToT

[theerurishipper]

The biggest truth that solves all plot holes in Miraculous: they’re bad writers.

No excuse of this being a kids show works because if you want to be not held accountable for holes then fine act like SpongeBob

but you can’t have everything

Yeah. I didn't give a damn about the "plot holes" in Seasons 1-2, or even Season 3 to some extent, because those were mostly monster of the week type of episodes. Sure, there were some semblances of plot and world-building, but it was still mostly episodic and the show still mostly focused on being goofy and entertaining, so I turned of my brain and enjoyed it greatly.

But then Season 4 came along and tried to change the tone of the series entirely, from being a monster of the week to having an actual plot and overarching story, and proved that the writers for the show don't really know how to do that? And then they started digging their holes deeper and deeper and made so many baffling decisions in the writing that the show just turned into a huge mess, full of unresolved plot points, underdeveloped characters, convoluted storytelling, and many unfortunate implications.

And it's like you said. If the show wants me to take it seriously, I will. I'm going to look at a show for what it is. When the show was presenting itself as a goofy episodic show to entertain kids, I judged it as such and I enjoyed it, because Miraculous is good at that. I loved Seasons 1 and 2. Season 3 less so, because it started The Plot™, and it wasn't good at that, but I still enjoyed a lot of it. But Seasons 4 and 5 came along and demanded I take them seriously, so I did. And they weren't good, because the writers aren't good at that kind of storytelling. They're good at goofy shenanigans, but not at complex plots and characters.

And "it's a kids show" is not an excuse. Kids shows can explore complex subjects and can have great plots and characters (ATLA). But it still has to be, you know, good. Kids aren't stupid. I know that kid me would have also hated the Season 5 finale, because Adrien is my favorite, and he wasn't there, and they made Marinette lose.

But at the same time, this is still a show for kids. Miraculous is a kids show, and therefore, it has the responsibility to not promote harmful messages. What would an abused child who is in a situation similar to Adrien's think when they see him call Gabriel a hero in the finale and say that he doesn't know if he'll ever be like him? Children aren't stupid and incapable of understanding anything, and they do deserve good quality of writing, but they also aren't capable of complex media analysis. And when you see people making these long-ass posts talking about how the finale is actually not what it seems like, actually, you have to consider the target audience. A kid isn't going to be picking up on the deep and nuanced hidden meanings in Gabriel final moments that prove he hasn't changed. They are going to see Gabriel hugging his wife, smiling and surrounded by pretty and warm lights while beautiful music plays. If we have to write all these long theories justifying the ending and trying to suggest that what was obviously portrayed on the screen isn't what the show is really trying to say, is a kid really going to get it?

Which is why you see so many people saying shit like "aw Gabriel was really a good man," or "he was never the villain." These people are probably like, 12–13 year olds, and they are watching a show meant for kids. And as a kid, I'm not going to like that Adrien wasn't in the finale, sure, but does that mean I'll understand that Gabriel is supposed to still be a bad guy when the show tells me to my face that he isn't?

It's not like the show can't deal with complex and nuanced characters. I myself have written many character analyses and have treated these characters as complex and nuanced, and they could have been. Again, look at ATLA. Zuko, for example, is a very complex character, but he is still brought to life in a way that allows kids to understand all the nuances and subtleties in his story clearly. There is a lot of rather complex symbolism, but the kids get the jist of it and can understand his story well, even if they don't catch all the minute details. Hell, take Azula. The show doesn't shy away from showing her doing bad things, but it also makes it blatantly obvious that you should feel sorry for her in the end, and that she's also a victim. Again, kids can understand this.

And that's where Miraculous falls flat. The writers fucked up their message. They wrote some deeply problematic stuff, where the abuser won. The bad guy won, but he was actually a good guy. So, people who act like Gabriel maybe aren't all that bad. What Gabriel did in the end was good, and we should all try to be like him. Kids aren't going to question it. In this way, "it's a kids show" goes from being an excuse to being a problem. It's what it says on the tin, and what's on the tin is not good. That's how I feel.

Thank you for your ask!

[fitzrove]

41, 47 and 48 for the ask 😊

41. Share an unpopular opinion about musical theatre.

Translations are FUN AND GOOD because they give us more content to chew on!!! In Finland especially there seems to be a pathological fear of translations among some musical fans (this was a frequently mentioned worry online re: the new amateur production of Heathers - the translation was excellent and people noticed that, but it's annoying that they were surprised every time) and to some extent I get that because we have a few very bad translators/lyricists actively working rn JSKDKDL. But yeah, overall I think people should have a more curious relationship to translations! Some of my favourite ones are Finnish TdV (naturally), French Elisabeth (!!) and German Evita (Kunze popped off ksksks).

47. Is there a musical that you looked forward to seeing that disappointed you? Why did it fail to live up to your expectations?

The only show I've walked out of midway through (at intermission) was Something Rotten 😭 I don't like Finnish outdoor summer theatre humor and there was a lot of that going on dkslls, and I think comedy musicals can be hard to get right in general. (Not a blanket criticism - one of my fave shows is The Producers and the prod I saw in Leipzig early this year nailed everything!). Also I dislike when there are too many ballads and all the ballads in Something Rotten are bland and forgettable 😭 I had seen some viral clips of Christian Borle as Shakespeare and he was great so I was expecting similar antics, but the unnamed beloved (not by me I don't know him kskskd) musical performer playing him in Finland that year was sick that day or something and his vocals were super off 😭 My dad and I drove 5 hours to see that show btw so it was extra disappointing hahahah.

48. What's the worst musical you've ever seen? What made it so bad?

It's either Something Rotten or ÅST (Turku, Finland) Dracula (2022) kdkdlsls. I'm really discerning and don't take risks with shows much (I will try to make sure I'll enjoy the experience and won't force myself to go if I know I won't have fun) but I assumed I would like Dracula (I like vampires!) and it was just a lot of very repetitive songs, too much talking, #deep messaging that fell flat, and not enough theatricality even when it could've been added and made things great (I did love Dracula's brides in this prod but they should've been allowed to do more...!). Idk, it took itself too seriously in places I wished it hadn't, and didn't take itself seriously when I thought it would've made sense. Also I had recently watched the Wildhorn Dracula proshot and was comparing them unfavourably in my head ksksks. Like, Wildhorn Dracula is flawed, but it has solid songs and the 2007 (?) proshot cast is extremely star-studded and everyone is giving their all lmao.

[ideahat-universe]

Surreal, but not incomprehensible.

A lot of people are getting into ENA and seem to really enjoy it, which is GREAT. But what I don't like to see from people is the Single Core processing that takes place with understanding ENA.

I can't even tell you which one is worse, so I'll just list all the bad takes.

How many drugs did the artist take?: None, for the artistic process. This is a correlation fallacy. Artists are sometimes suffering with mental illness or stressors due to a variety of different factors, and take drugs to cope with those factors.

But they typically do not use these drugs to tap into the creative part of their mind.

Really think about it. Imagine you spent years honing your craft and seriously creating a unique style for yourself, only for people to think that the key to your success isn't hard work. It's narcotic usage.

I need to observe this high: This is as bad as the previous one. For starters. We have a drug addiction problem. Please stop passively promoting it by suggesting that what you or anyone else should be doing is consuming mind-altering drugs for the sake of watching a cartoon.

Weed smokers, I'm looking you straight in the eyes with this one. Smoking weed impairs cognitive functions. It slows your ability to process things and shortens your memory capability.

Humor is often dependent on the element of surprise as well as sharp timing with gags. If you are constantly high on cannabis, you are processing at an extremely slow speed, which means comedy at a moderate pace is much funnier and absurdist jokes hit harder because your comprehension is weaker.

If you need to be high to enjoy something, you're basically insulting it because when high, you have lower standards.

ENA makes no sense. It just vibes: NO, NO NO, Common mistake, but sad mistake. Just because you can't understand everything in ENA doesn't mean that the ENA series is entirely incomprehensible. We can't speak about the full plot of Dream BBQ because we have to see the future chapters, but the story of all the other ENA episodes are straight forward.

Auction Day: ENA visits an auction, and it's a real auction (also the auction day shows up at the end of Dream BBQ with much of the same characters).

Extinction Party: is ENA going to a party (that she technically wasn't invited to) just so she can give a compliment to her friend Moony.

Temptation Stairway: Moony and ENA race to get a seemingly magical wish granted.

Power of Potluck: ENA misunderstands the directive of ding-dong ditching as a way of having fun, with the idea of just having fun in general.

None of that required Matpat to make a three parter video essay or a Video Essayist to make a 5-hour break-down, and it didn't require a content creator sitting down to dissect every musical note used in every scene in ENA to figure out what the plot of a given ENA episode is.

It's all the little things that don't make sense. We don't know if it's taking place in a digital world or in some afterlife/purgatory or some strange combination of those two. We don't understand the design ethos of most if not all characters. Furthermore, we don't understand why they talk the way that they do, and we don't understand various little things like doors, genies, blood IDs, Mannequins, or even ENA as an entity.

Or do we?

ENA's universe just is. There is no bread crumb trail, there is no lore dump in the form of various audio recordings. (well, there are audio recordings, but it's not exactly a lore dump) there is no fish out of water or a newbie to have the world explained to them. Everyone in the ENA series understands their universe to such an extent that nothing needs to be explained, even though so much of it doesn't make clear sense.

It is like going to a foreign country and trying to figure out what people are doing when you don't understand anything about them. Which is funny because half the cast of ENA speak a variety of different languages that are all understood by every other character but is not understood by the audience across the board.

There is consistency in the madness of ENA's world (or worlds, as the case may be)

For instance;

Blood ID, seems like a strange thing. Is it actual blood? Not sure, but blood can be used to identify people in real life, and it functions that way in game as well. In Extinction Party, ENA is expected to offer a blood sample to enter the party. In Temptation Stairway The Shepard gives ENA a blood ID to pass inspection in a future area and sure enough Mariya checks the ID and recognizes that it's not ENA's blood. It's someone else's identification. Blood is needed to attend the Purge event, and bus stops in Uncanny Streets require a blood ID to use.

It really is just identification.

Doors have been a consistent feature since Extinction Party. Light blue buildings or objects that can take a person to a different realm.

Doors require an owner to govern it. Temptation Stairway explicitly shows off the realm of the Great Runas who governs their door, Ulysses says that the door is fully closed. What is the door? The light blue mannequin that Runas, ENA, and apparently Moony traveled through.

At the end of Dream BBQ, the Uncanny Streets takes on a very pale and gray aesthetic with most characters and creatures replaced with talking gravestones. This environment matches the look and has a similar sound to Auction Day.

In the grayed out, Uncanny Streets, you can find the phone number of the Auctioneer who was selling the Hourglass dog in Auction Day.

With this it can be assumed that Auction Day is not a singular realm but the result of a realm being sold off.

The currency? Chocolates. Chocolate coins have been the currency of this universe since the Auction Day video, and comes up again in Dream BBQ.

Speaking of something not being singular.

There are many, many mannequins in the worlds of ENA, and they vary between moving around and seemingly having sentience to being lifeless dolls littering the environment.

Temptation Stairway shows that there's a link between the mannequins and ENA, and Dream BBQ shows ENA becoming a mannequin to escape the remnants of Uncanny Streets and warps to the mannequin seemingly placed in the hub world strategically.

Season 1 ENA and Season 2 ENA are seemingly different people, with the witches referring to the motherboard item as a gift another ENA gave her and Kane referring to a group of ENA's.

Additionally, in Temptation Stairway, the Shepard refers to ENA as if they were a group and the NO ENA sign at the crowd door is there to forbid any iteration of ENA from entering the realm.

There are multiple ENA's? Where are they? If the Shaman is anything to go by, they are inactive. Multiple instances of the same person can create a disorientating effect, where the thoughts of one are transferred into another person. A theory that ENA asserts as true by saying it along with him in synch as if it was common knowledge, even though the Shaman's words and actions are treated as spurious and bizarre.

The Shaman uses the pool to duplicate a perfect clone of himself and ENA can do the same or alter the form based on a variable we haven't discovered quite yet, but we know that all ENA's are essentially Mannequins possessed by whatever ENA truly is.

There are many mysteries to ENA's worlds, but it's worth considering that most things are just visual and auditory gags, and that a lot of designs are based on mythology, culture, and occasionally random internet references. Sometimes very obscure ones.

This lends to the absurd and surreal nature of the series design, but it's not incoherent. This is not Dadaism.

What baffles me the most is how pervasive this idea that ENA is untouchable when it comes to being understood, that most people don't even try. Where is the Night mind videos breaking down the world of Joel G? Why is there only a GT Live of ENA, even though far less popular games and shows have earned a game theory (or film theory) spotlight?

Why are there channels dedicated to dissecting the plot of Deltarune, even though Deltarune is not a mystery and will not have multiple endings to dissect?

Why are there still people trying to figure out the plot of FNaF even though it's been demonstrably thrown together and ret conned seven hundred thousand times and in all iterations of the story it's just bad man kills children?

ENA is way more consistent than FNaF. And maybe this is like asking for the Monkey's Paw to curl, but again, I think it's insulting to look at ENA and just shrug at how weird it is and only define it as "that crazy weird series that no one understands." But then turn around and make a multitude of videos covering a random ARG where the plot is that a demon is killing people and treat something very straight forward as if it were a complex mystery waiting to be thoroughly solved?

This is exactly what drove David Lynch crazy when he was making Twin Peaks. Make something that requires effort to understand. Everyone writes it off as a quirky, drug infused nightmare that you need to watch while high. Meanwhile, the bland, straight forward serial murder mystery is slurped up like so much creamed corn in a can.

I'm not asking people to roll around in cold sweats at 2:00 AM, wondering who Unforgiven Frank is. I just think something this well put together series deserves actual reverence and shouldn't be mined for Wacky Zacky internet thumbnails.

[wakeupfreanz]

What to Expect Next from GOT7?

I figured I would share some predictions and random thoughts since I was randomly struck with them. Follow me.

Obviously it hasn't been that long since the Python release. But I was randomly struck with the thought, why is nobody in the group under an agency besides, Jackson (despite not having a manager at the time of writing this) and JayB?

Of course not negating that some could be managed to some extent and it's just not obvious information. Aside from being all over the place and struggling to take breaks or control how much they work? I have questions.

After enlistments are through with, would they consider making their own company/management? Why haven't they done any official unit content?

Surely each member has different reason for the state of his career, related to changing management. Follow me on the winding way.

What prevented them from creating their own management?: 3oP, 10oP, 9oC, Star rev.

It seem like for some? It wasn't the right time and their heart was set elsewhere/doing something else, trying something else. It might not have felt stable enough, they didn't feel comfortable in trusting their own ability. Like wielding their own fate felt very burdensome in a way. Also there is this energy that continues to maintain that either they would struggle with the formal aspect, or there was a worry that it could effect their personal relationship with each other. So they chose to stick with the courage that they could work with each other in no matter what situation, but not with everyone having to drive the boat?

What stopped them from negotiating individually, but going the same place?: 5oW, 5oC, 3oP.

It seems like yet again the same worry that something could get in the way and tear apart their relationship(s) with each other. Also, to some? It might feel like stepping back into the same colosseum that they knew before. Aka, the fear of feeling like they were back at their own company. Like something could hold them back from progressing on many fronts. That aside, it seems like despite all else? They aren't angry with being individuals. But they may truly have not considered this as an option deeply.

Have they considered creating their own management seriously?: 5oC, likely not. I feel like it could even bring up a lot of collective complicated feelings that could just lead some to self destruct almost immediately.

What does their current fortune look like if they were to decide to create their own management?: 6oC, WOF, 10oW, 2oS.

It seems like from at least one, there is a particularly massive fear of it actually succeeding and them having to perform to maintain the same success. It could lead to some hard work and sleepless nights, but it ultimately could really pay off and even allow them to found some skills they weren't aware of. But it would be VERY obvious who would thrive and who would struggle immensely with his role if it were obvious. Some also truly don't have interest in grappling with that side of things. Others, are not ready and would even outright refuse taking on a role that was too strong. Overall, I would say it could work, but it would validate their fears. It would cause them to see each other in some different ways, and I don't know if they are yet ready for that.

What prevents them from doing official unit content or collaboration?: HM, AoP, 10oW, PoW.

Some STRAIGHT UP, don't feel like it would be good enough or go over well with the public. Like a crippling anxiety that one lame song would tank one or both/all forever. But it looks like they could actually have very good fortune with this, especially if they grasp the opportunity when available. I think it is truly a complex from individual to individual, never feeling satisfied enough with himself or his art.

Can we expect more group music before the others enlist?: 6oW, likely yes.

When can we expect it, if within 2025?: 10oW, 10oP, Hermit.

Looking like Taurus season, Sagittarius season, Capricorn or even Virgo. Look out for early summer or the end of the year.

Any sort of group concert/performance before 2025 is over?: Devil, likely not. But this is still likely being decided on.

[londonspirit]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's start with Izzy's death. Did you always plan to kill Izzy off this season?

DAVID JENKINS: Yes. It feels like the logical end of Izzy's arc. It's heartbreaking to me because he's my favorite. They're all my favorite because they're all my kids, but Izzy is very near and dear to my heart. The season was kind of built around [the idea of]: What's the best journey we can give him? And what's the most interesting thing we can do with Con, who can do just about anything?

How did Con react when you laid out Izzy's storyline this season?

I told him in the middle of shooting because I didn't want him to find out at the table read, obviously. I also didn't want it to leak. He was lovely about it. I called him and said, "Let's get a bite to eat," and he said, "I'll need cake!" We had dinner, and I gave him a cuddle, and he took it pretty well.

A lot of these characters have evolved over two seasons, but it seems like Izzy has gone through one of the biggest evolutions. He went from being so dismissive of the others to being a key part of the crew. What interested you most about his arc?

You know, I didn't expect him to become kind of a father figure to Ed. I think we hit on that while we were breaking the [final] episode. He's in such a weird position: He's like a jilted lover, and then he's a middle manager who has to work for a terrible boss. He gets thrown away, and then he comes back. He really develops, and he becomes a part of this family. I think the biggest surprise was the extent that he was a mentor to Ed. They were both Blackbeard. They both made Blackbeard happen.

What do you remember most about filming Izzy's death scene?

That was one of the last things we shot. As we got closer and closer to it, I could see it weighing on Con. It's hard: This is something we both made together, and his character is gonna die. He was taking it really seriously. Then, when we were shooting, I made him a playlist. I asked if I could play him some music, and I did, and we sat there and we watched Izzy die.

I also wanted to ask about the scene where Ed and Stede reunite on the beach, fighting their way back to each other through hordes of soldiers. How did you want to approach that sequence?

We have a wonderful fight and stunt coordinator, Jacob Tomuri, and [director] Fernando Frias laid out how he wanted to shoot it with [cinematographer] Mike Berlucchi. With this show, we're basically making a one-hour show on a half-hour budget and schedule, so we really have to pick our shots. But the location was just unreal. Everything in New Zealand just looks amazing. We were driving to a different location to scout the lake where Blackbeard tries to be a fisherman, and it was like, "What is this?" It was this giant black sand dune that seems to go on for miles. We were like, "Oh, we have to do something here."

The episode ultimately ends with a happy ending for Ed and Stede: They're starting an inn together on land as their friends sail off to new adventures. Walk me through why you wanted to give these two a happy ending.

With this season starting so dark, I kind of wanted to reward them for the work that they've done and the character growth that they've had. I wanted to leave them in a place where they're really going to try and make this work. I don't think it's going to be easy for them, necessarily. They're both still immature. But after the death of Izzy, we have a wedding, and it feels like we have the kids taking the car, driving off while the parents watch from the porch. It felt right to give them something to balance the loss of Izzy, where neither of them is going to run. They're both saying they're going to commit to each other, and it felt like the best place to leave them this season.

That makes sense. So much of their story has been about running away: Stede running away from his family, them running away from each other. This is them deciding not to run away.

And I don't think it's going to be easy. I think the day after that scene would be very hard. But they can try.

You mentioned the wedding between Lucius and Black Pete. I know that pirate weddings and civil partnerships were a real thing from history. Why did you want to end on that moment?

We knew we wanted a matelotage in the second season, and pretty quickly we landed on Lucius and Black Pete. It seems like they were ready for that. We made up a ceremony and everything, where they call each other mateys, and it was just fun to make our own version of a pirate wedding ceremony. But they really did have this phrase "matelotage." It was a formal process for relationships between crew members. It just seemed very sweet to see that they wanted to take that step together.

Last season ended on a cliffhanger, but this season ends pretty neatly, tying up a lot of loose threads. This could work as a series finale. Do you know if the show is getting a season 3, and are you already thinking about where this story could go next?

I mean, we'll see. We'll see if it makes sense for them to make a third one. We have a lot of ideas for a third season, and there's a lot more story to tell. But if it's not in the cards, I just wanted to leave Ed and Blackbeard in a good place. Instead of seeing them get punished for following each other, I wanted to see a moment where they're alright. And it is just a moment: I think a relationship is going to take a lot of work for them.

But it felt like a good place to end the second season. It felt like a contrast to the first season. If it turns out we don't make any more, I'm comfortable with that being a resting place.

You're leaving the door open for more — but if this the end, you're okay with that.

I mean, the Revenge is now being captained by Frenchie, and I think Frenchie's Revenge would be an interesting place to work and an interesting ship to be boarded by. And Ed and Stede, they're in the early 30s part of their relationship. Emotionally, they're going to move in together and start a business. I think there's a whole other story to tell about what happens when that relationship gets more mature. How do you make that relationship work? It's not just happily ever after. You have to work at it. And that's a story I'd like to see.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

[dearweirdme]

Can I ask your opinion on Jungkook and Chaewon from lesserafim? Prior to enlistment, he would interact with a lot of tiktoks involving her, and he would quote her often. Which I could see why some people found it sus, but I kinda just brushed it off as him being a fan(?)

But recently, there's this insta account claiming they're dating. This account is the one who leaked the video of jungkook at the gym with that girl. She has always been a bit wishy-washy about jungkook (shes tae biased). Sometimes she alludes to taekook being real, and other times, she talks about jungkook being with girls. Lately, her posts seem to be alluding to taekook breaking up and jungkook being with chaewon. I didn't really believe her because part of me feels like she's just saying it for attention... but just now, I saw that lesserafim gave song recommendations and chaewon recommended 'yes or no' by jungkook and 'the way things go' by beabadoobee. Which coincidentally Jungkook recommended that same song on his apple music playlist. 🧍‍♀️ And now I'm here kinda second guessing things.. 😅 what do you think? Is it a stretch??

Hi anon!

So, I don’t know the account you mention.. but in general I do not believe a fanaccount has actual knowledge about the guys private lives and real friends of them (people who would know) would never post about it. So imo accounts like that are either in it for attention or for trying to make the guys look bad (slander). Neither of those options I take seriously. We’ve seen this awful Taennieisaflop account last year (no clue if they still exist) and they were so full off bs but a lot of people actually started to believe them. I think there’s a lot of accounts like that.

I think the Jk Chaewon thing is hugely over-exaggerated. Yea there were some indirect interactions, but it seems very much on the ‘friends’ side to me. I absolutely don’t think Jk would publicly mention her like that if there was something going on for real. They’re both under Hybe. Lesserafim has done TikTok’s with members. I think they probably mingle and support each other and that’s the extent of it. Him engaging with her content makes me believe there’s nothing there. Jk knows what happens when he engages with others in public, he wouldn’t shine a spotlight on them if they were together.

[beevean]

It's probably been said before but the biggest issue with IDW sonic is that it treats itself so dang seriously. It never comes off as an over the top thrill ride, like any other sonic story. Even in the most garbage hilariously edgy sonic stories, there's some level "we're just trying to be cool so enjoy the ride lol" IDW sonic on the other hands comes off like it's actually trying to make you feel bad/rethink your life and it fails horribly. There's no excitement to be had with idw sonic.

Very true in regards to the biggest arcs such as the MVA and the Imposter Syndrome arc. It's bonkers how they both tried to have this big morality debate painting Sonic as a flawed hero, but done in a shallow, OOC manner that can be excused with "wahhh go read adult material if you care so much 😭". No genius, nobody asked you to write a whole 20 issue arc about a serious, edgy, gritty, depressing zombie apocalypse that hinged on the moral dilemma "should have Sonic killed an amnesiac Eggman?".

To be fair (not that I'm in the mood to be after #63, but oh well), they seem to have thankully dialed down the edginess, and both the city arc and... whatever this new arc is are much more down to earth and slice-of life. In fact, the city arc, which sounds serious on paper, is complete fluff and only serves to establish the new Diamond Cutters.

They aren't good by any stretch of the imagination, as they're rife with terrible character moment that enraged me to an embarrassing degree :P but at least they don't take themselves so seriously. Now I wonder what's gonna happen when Surge and Kit rejoin the fray.

As for the games, that's one of my biggest gripes against Frontiers, and to a lesser extent '06. Frontiers is nothing more than an excuse plot à la Generations (Sonic has to save his trapped friends), but takes itself so damn seriously, with the voice acting and the music and the pretense that it's actually giving those characters development, ignoring that said development is either old history (Tails and Amy) or completely out of nowhere (Eggman). '06 has some cute, genuinely heartfelt moments (the beginning and ending of Sonic's story, the heart-to-heart between Shadow and Rouge), but most of the story is told in a flat, stilted manner, and the story very much wants to come off as a complex epic.

shth keeps being the superior game because it's so damn goofy it's impossible not to laugh along the ride :P

[dustedmagazine]

Greg Saunier — We Sang, Therefore We Were (Joyful Noise)

Photo by Sophie Daws

As ¼ of noisy indie-rockers Deerhoof, drummer Greg Saunier has decades' worth of experience in frenetic music as fun as it is difficult (if not more so). Across hundreds of other recordings, he's hidden himself away joyfully. Now, with the encouragement of his bandmates, he finally has his own solo outing, We Sang, Therefore We Were. Deerhoof fans won't be surprised by the sound here — it plays much like you'd expect a side project from the band to do — but they will likely be taken by Saunier's multi-instrumental prowess and songwriting glee.

The album comes from restlessness and anger, but more than anything, Saunier's wry playfulness comes through. He's witty and funny and while some of these lyrics may push toward the absurd, there's a deep seriousness running through the album, which stops just short of being a full-on concept record. Much of the record considers our relationship to the earth, or how we think about either ourselves or the natural world. Single “Grow Like a Plant” takes a somewhat comical look at the topic, suggesting that humans (and animals) aren't inherently more special than plant life. Saunier sings, “Meate only thinks it thinks” [sic], highlighting the feeling that we don't really know what we know.

As much as the album can sound wild at times, Saunier's deep thoughtfulness (unless he only thinks he thinks) repeatedly comes through. In “Not for Mating, Not for Pleasure, Not for Territory,” Saunier sets himself up as “the 500-celled creature, 500-celled creature / I am not, I am not / No 499 creature, no 501 creature.” With that phrase, he oddly posits himself as the simplest multicellular integrated organism (happily an algae and not “meate”). At that stage of development, he can play, cry and shriek, but Saunier the artist can also undermine the whole work by adding, “Goes the song ironically.” The whole enterprise of We Sang, Therefore We Were seems to undercut any sort of epistemic stability we might think we have (in which case singing outclasses thinking, because only extent beings could have sang).

All of this destabilizing comes through a musical approach not dissimilar to Deerhoof's, which makes sense. There's a manic sense of time and jagged guitars, but clear melodies run through the songs. He plays with classical music to end the record and digs into musical theory elsewhere. His own comments suggest a mix of Nirvana and Captain Beefheart, a goal he achieved. Ultimately, though, the record isn't only about theory or deconstruction, but about the joy of playing this music and of the epiphanies art can lead us to. “Playing Tunes of Victory on the Instruments of Our Defeat,” before swinging toward classical, challenges us to pause in the chaos and take stock of how we live (whether animal or vegetable). Saunier may play with irony and misdirection, but he sounds earnest when he sings, “So when you say goodbye to someone / Do you ramp down your love till the adieu? / Or, do you treasure every last moment? / Doing things healthy, fun, and rewarding?” You might not want to be meat, and you might not know if you can think what you think, but you can always sing, and you can always find the rewards in whatever this life is. Saunier blasts along to help his listeners do just that.

Justin Cober-Lake

[pesterloglog]

Cronus Ampora, Meenah Peixes

Act 6, page 5308

CRONUS: wvell vwell wvelvlw...

MEENAH: ...

CRONUS: GLO8ES.

MEENAH: wha

#38?

CRONUS: i sawv you vwalking my vway, and i had this smooth line all ready to go.

CRONUS: but for some reason i decided to open it vwith a tongue tvwister?

CRONUS: vwery nice ampora, starting your killer line with three consecutivwe 'W' vwords in a rowv.

#W's are hard #theyre hard and no one understands #(V's too)

MEENAH: what uh

MEENAH: was your killer pickup line goin to be

MEENAH: or should i ask

#no

CRONUS: sigh, nevwer evwen MIND, its so ruined nowv.

#just nevwer EVWEN

CRONUS: i just sawv you strutting in my direction, vwith all of your impressivwe moxy and confidence, for the first time in, howv long?

CRONUS: and i got a little excited. i vwas going to blowv you out of the vwater vwith that line, but, i guess nothings changed?

MEENAH: guess not

MEENAH: sounds like youre still the bard of tries too hard

CRONUS: oh, nice. you alvways knewv howv to tvwist the fork.

CRONUS: actually, all you girls are quite adept at tvwisting your respectivwe utensils.

#utensilkind

CRONUS: the guys too, now that i think about it. can i ask you a question? why do all you pretentious scenester types enjoy being so cruel to especially sensitivwe and artistic people?

MEENAH: so i take it even after a billion sweeps here with a boat load of eligible spook shorties to mack on

MEENAH: you still never got any action

CRONUS: first you tvwist the fork, then you use it to pry into my personal life? thats really just so svwell of you, meenah.

CRONUS: vwithout commenting specifically on that, (because seriously, VWHAT? so rude), i vwill say that it gets vwery frustrating after the first fewv epochs trying to make heads or tails vwhat people are evwen LOOKING for. i mean, in ANY quadrant.

CRONUS: nowv, please don't tell anyone i said so, but you and i both knowv pretty much all these people should feel honored to go out vwith a guy like me.

CRONUS: vwhat being royalty and all, and not evwen slightly put off by dating dowvn on the spectrum. i mean, really, howv much more evwident can i make it to evweryone that im really a cool, progressivwe, easy going dude, vwho doesnt take the social order seriously or buy into any of the stereotypes? first of all, as if the hemospectrum scene isnt 8EYOND played out.

#you should be sticking your fork in THAT

CRONUS: i barely EVWER evwen bring up my high social status. it couldnt be LESS of a big deal to me, but i think people maybe are still intimidated by it? theyre probably putting me on a pedestal, in spite of all my easy going assurances that my royal lineage is something i nevwer evwen think about. like, no friend, i am just like you. vwe laugh at the same jokes, listen to, vwell, to some extent, the same music...

#i at least USED to listen to music you like #does that count?

CRONUS: all these cats and kittens, im telling you. theyre alvways drawvn to the freaks and rejects. you havwe to be 8ROKEN in some vway to get a little concupiscent attention.

#cats #kittens #freaks #rejects #broken

CRONUS: they nevwer seem to givwe the time of day to a guy vwhos sensitivwe, and listens to people, and sticks to his poetry and music, and i guess... just someone vwho tries to be there for them.

#sensitivwe #listens #poetry #music #there for them

CRONUS: hovwevwer, the bright side of my vwarious rejections is that is has helped me craft a privwate list of people vwho are objectivwely fucking terrible, vwhich id be happy to share vw...

CRONUS: meenah? vwhered you go?

CRONUS: crud, she vwalked avway vwhile i vwas saying stuff.

CRONUS: really blewv that one in record time.

[tiikerikani]

That's it, I'm famous now

2023.06.02 – Radio Suomen Kesäilta yhdessä (Linnanpuisto, Hämeenlinna)

It was raining on and off all afternoon so I decided to hide inside the castle, and also to survey the festival grounds from there.

The whole park was fenced off for the event, so I had to walk alllll the way around to the other side to get into the castle area.

There were sheep doing the lawn around the moat 🐑

You don't need to pay the admission fee to go to the gift shop or the cafe, but you do to get into this tower. Thanks, Museum Card!

Just then I noticed the Vesterinen dressing rooms on the left there. (I recognized their van, lol)

I spent a bit more time poking around the museums but went back outside when I heard the sound check… and hung around at that bridge, outside the fence. When they were heading back afterward, Senpai rounded the corner to go inside, and … waved at me? I think he beat me to it by a split second. Am I recognizable from THAT distance????

Later, I was sitting by the river near this nifty boat to kill time when another fan showed up with his folding chair and blanket. We decided to go find out if we were already allowed in. It seemed so. There was practically nobody else there yet, so we're just eager beaver fan army.

I'm not really the festival type so this is probably the closest I'll get to one. Since this was being put on by Yle (which is funded by our taxes), it was free to get in. I wouldn't pay €€€ to see such a short set without songs to cry to. It was also going to be broadcast live on TV, radio, and webcast.

The other thing is that I prefer seeing artists whose songs I kind of actually know, and this lineup happened to work out that way.

I kind of like Olli Halonen because his songs describe the contemporary Finnish self-image (and to some extent the stereotypes) in an updated, 21st century way.

There was a Katri Helena superfan who had a vintage album cover that she wanted autographed, as well as her new memoir. Consequently there was a small autographs/selfie session in the corner after her set. But seriously, she's been performing for literally 60 years and still sounds great.

Kalevauva.fi (and Paleface) were also there to premiere their new Hämeenlinna song. They were on the smaller stage next to the broadcast booth. I was, of course, NOT giving up this position at the front of the big stage so I skipped seeing them. (Fortunately they showed the music video on the big screen.) This was obviously for practical reasons because it takes a long time to set everything up for such a large band...

But let's face it, Vesterinen was obviously the headline act and whom everybody was here for, even though they all technically had equal billing.

Anyway, since I can just get screencaps from the TV recording, I didn't take so many pictures of my own… and actually rewatching this was pretty okay, it's hard to hear the details in the backing vocals when you have earplugs in at the live show.

(Wait, are they setting up the afterparty tent over there?? It was not there earlier.)

Because of the time constraints of a live TV broadcast, a lot of the usual banter was omitted, which meant that the other band members didn't get introduced because there's too many of them and it would take too long :D

At least he didn't gesture at me this time. Because if he had, and it had gotten on TV, I'd either be terrified or I'd have had the most legendary once-in-a-lifetime screenshot for my profile picture somewhere.

(Okay, this is pretty legendary too.)

MESSAGE FOR SENPAI!!!!!!

(Honestly I was worried that the Very Serious Security Guy in front of me was going to make some kind of move.)

Afterwards, the blondes (who also got their 5 seconds of fame) saw the band leave the stage area but didn't manage to yell at them quickly enough to get their attention, and I was just paralyzed over whose name to yell. I noticed that some of the other groupies had migrated to chatting with the people in the sound/lighting booth, so I went over and handed my envelope [1] to one of the guys in there. I didn't stick around because a) I didn't want to get into trouble, and b) I needed to catch the train back to Helsinki.

I kinda wish the TV people actually put any of my dancing/dramatic singalong on screen; they do not see in it what Senpai sees in it ;) But then, it also suits better the melodramatic songs that weren't played here.

The one cameraman on the ground did spend a significant amount of time with his camera pointed at (or past) me on a few occasions and I was trying really hard to pretend he was invisible. I'm not the "Hi Mom!!" type. He is responsible for this shot (and it does linger on me a bit):

__________

[1] This endnote is longer than that note. I mostly just wanted to hand over my traditional copy of the piano score for my latest arrangement. I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to hand anything to anybody at all, so I brought a small piece of paper and scrawled the note while I was hanging around at the bridge.

_________

Set list:

Maailma palaa

Kohti sydänpeltoja

Ilman mua

Tummilla teillä

Nuoriherra

Kukaan ei koskaan

Faarao

Kolme hyvää vinkkiä

Älä lopu yö

Hetken ikuinen

// Onnellinen mies

// Arlandan portailla

(Note: the encore songs were not on the TV broadcast, only the webcast/VOD, which, for folks in Finland, should be available until the end of the year.)

[Concert write-up archive and master calendar]

[donnergame]

I think a lot of great stories have mostly real settings with one or two unreal or supernatural elements Moby Dick comes to mind, in that book you have this monstrous whale, and although the story doesn't really include the whale that much, it's all people remember about the book because the idea of these regular human beings setting out to try and kill this supernatural evil whale is interesting not just because it's a cool big whale (even though it is) it's because it's handled in such a realistic manner. They don't kill Moby Dick, I don't even think they put up much of a fight against him, and, to me at least, that's just so much more interesting than your typical triumph against evil. So many videogames now days seem to me to just be power fantasies. It makes nothing seem important anymore and leaves the viewer jaded to the more subtle elements that may be present, It's all about contrast really, why would I feel any fear of a fully grown lion, if the leopard who attacked me five minutes ago didn't pose any threat? Just because I'd fear something in real life doesn't mean I'd fear it in a digital format, and it doesn't mean I'd revel in it's riddance.

I'm toying with the idea of a first person shooter with emphasized gun controls and slow, suspenseful combat where your survival is dependent on how you strategize things out as opposed to a typical fps where your aim and reaction speed is what's being tested. I'd like to invoke emotions in people through things that could not be ignored, I want people to be genuinely scared of the monster lurking around the corner, not because it is horrific in it's nature and design, but because if they are caught by the monster, they will become seriously setback, and I want that fear to be compounded by the horror elements present. As well, I dislike when things that would not kill me in real life do so in a game, in the real world injuries gained through combat don't usually immediately kill you, you usually die from bleeding out, and even then some people get back up after serious wounds in a final attempt to cling onto their life. If the player gets caught by the monster I don't want them to die, I want them to break their leg, get away, and be forced to become much more careful henceforth, I want them to be unable to fall back on previously used strategies like for instance maybe taking chances when investigating noises or movement in the distance etc, knowing that they could just run away at the first sign of danger. If they manage to avoid further injury long enough with this impairment I suppose they could heal and take it as a lesson, but if they are too reckless again they will die and have to return to the start. I don't know how I'll make this game, I suppose Godot seems like a good engine, unity3d can't be monetized if I ever decide to do that, and unreal engine seems like it's not optimized enough. I worry sometimes that I don't have the skill to make videogames (which is my passion), but I'd like to believe I have the design down somewhat, and that all I'll need to work on to a major extent is the art, music, etc.

[crab-people-overlord]

I love this headcanon! Fantastic post, OP.

It’s interesting though because I’ve always seen Shelley as being the least favorite, but only because I see Randy as trying to live vicariously through Stan. That said, I think the reasoning I have for this could very much also be interpreted in the sense that Stan is his least favorite, depending on how you view it. (I think he genuinely loves both his children, but is too much of a narcissist to express a healthy type of love for either of them).

We see lots of instances of Randy living vicariously through Stan, such as:

Pinewood Derby- he takes Stan’s pinewood derby car as his own chance at redemption

Stanley’s Cup- the way Randy takes Stan’s coaching so seriously- he somehow makes his portion all about himself

Something You Can Do With Your Finger- Randy becomes furious when he learns Stan being in a boy band, but it’s all just him projecting his own failed band issues

Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub- he somehow turns Stan’s innocent friendship with Kyle into his own projections of sexuality

The Losing Edge- very similar to the hockey episode. It seems like any sport Stan plays, Randy is eager to make it about himself in some kinda way

Anytime Randy shows love for either Stan or Shelley, it’s almost always overshadowed by somehow making it about himself. Like when he saves Shelley from the musical bj, he has to become the ‘hero’ of this story even if that means killing an innocent child, or when he has to be the ‘hero’ of saving his son from drowning in PiPi’s Waterpark. Whenever Stan goes to him with genuine questions like about sexuality (Tweek x Craig, The Cissy), Randy somehow always makes those conversations about himself too.

He seems to equally get verbally frustrated with his kids- often calling Stan things like a ‘freak’ (Assburgers) or ‘piece of shit’ (Credigree Weed St. Patrick’s Day Special), or calling his daughter things like ‘slut’ like in the most recent special.

I wish we saw more of Shelley to see even more of their interactions. Because she’s a girl, I don’t think he uses her in the same way he does Stan in trying to relive his glory days. I’m honestly not sure whether this means he prefers her or not, but you bring up good points that that may be the case. It certainly seems to make him forget about her more than Stan- for better or for worse (an argument could be made it’s for the better lol)

Luckily I don’t think Stan got the worst of his dad by any means (while he can be selfish, he’s nowhere near Randy’s narcissistic level). As you mentioned, Stan often has to take on the role of ‘parenting his own parent’ with Randy- he almost always has to take on the responsible role in his relationship with his father.

Stan absolutely got Randy’s impulsiveness, though in a quieter way, and to an extent some of his selfishness as well as his genes for being addiction-prone (like you say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree). And he got his mom’s sense of logic (and his mother’s facial expressions, such as pinching the bridge of his nose lmao).

He’s a good blend of both his parents along with his own unique personality traits.

despite everything, i do think that randy loves his kids deeply, BUT i totally see shelley being his favorite. maybe it's because she never accepts his nonsense, but it's more in an "angry teenager" way, so they manage to create some kind of father-daughter bond. maybe the fact that she's the firstborn helps too. it's cute how, in a way, randy always has this desire to be her hero.

while with stan, they have a more messed up relationship and stan always ends up being the "more rational" one. it's like the roles were reversed, and stan is the one who has to be the dad, even though he's just a kid – the worst thing is that a lot of what stan likes is something that randy likes too (music, football, etc.), but not even that can help that much, because randy is always being randy.

on the other hand, stan is totally momma's boy. idk if i would use the word "favorite" here, but i feel like he is the one who is closer to sharon, and he does looks like her as well, personality-wise. and things are just normal with her, stan doesn't need to worry about parenting his own parent. he's just his mom's baby.

and that shaped stan's personality; he got the worst from his father, and the best from his mother. he's the perfect mix of both, even his design shows it (the same clothes colors as sharon, but he's physically a copy of randy). the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree lol