#chalice 2015

[onlyhurtforaminute]

PALE CHALICE-BOUND BY INTRANSIGENT FLIGHT

[whereisthedamndaddymanual]

Why am I watching Back to The Future again

The principal thinks McFly is a slacker

[yharnamesque]

Bloodborne Observation Notes

Back in 2018 I had a very stupid idea: what if I went through my favourite game, Bloodborne (2015) by Fromsoft, and noted down every single thing I could see? Well that’s what I started doing. Did the main game, took a several year break, came back and did the chalices. I mean it when I say this is my favourite game, it is so stupidly important to me, and I wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t

So I present to you, broken down into territories, all of my notes looking into every single detail I could come across in every single area of the game. I made these to be shared, for everyone to see and to use how they want. The only thing I ask for in return is you share them about, and give credit plus a link back if they end up influencing your own work. This is my contribution, my gift, to the community, and I hope it serves you well

The links below will go straight to the folders themselves rather than all the individual documents, but they’ll still be listed out here for easy reference as to what is where

-

Progression + Foreword

Yharnam

Iosefka’s Clinic

Central Yharnam

Old Yharnam

The Hunter’s Dreams

The Hunter’s Dream

The Hunter’s Nightmare

The Cathedral Ward

The Tomb of Oedon / Oedon Chapel

The Cathedral Ward / The Grand Cathedral

The Upper Cathedral Ward

Healing Church Workshop

The Abandoned Workshop

The Altar of Despair

The Forbidden Woods

Forbidden Woods

Byrgenwerth

Cainhurst

Hemwick Forest

Hemwick Charnel Lane

Castle Cainhurst

The Unseen Village

Hypogean Gaol

Yahar’Gul

The Graveyard of the Darkbeast

The Nightmares of Yharnam

The Lecture Hall

The Nightmare Frontier

The Nightmare of Mensis / Mergo’s Loft

Pthumeru

Pthumeru

Central Pthumeru

Lower Pthumeru

Cursed and Defiled

Great Pthumeru Ihyll

Hintertomb

Hintertomb

Lower Hintertomb

Loran

Ailing Loran

Lower Loran

Isz

Great Isz

Cut Chalices

Great One Beast

Alternate Moon Presence

[mirai-e-jump]

Hero Vision Vol.55 (2015/Winter) Kamen Rider Blade 10th Anniversary Reunion Interviews Discussion on the Blade Drama CD (translations below)

Publication: February 23, 2015

Takayuki Tsubaki (Kazuma Kenzaki/Blade) Ryoji Morimoto (Hajime Aikawa/Chalice) Hironari Amano (Sakuya Tachibana/Garren) Takahiro Hojo (Mutsuki Kamijo/Leangle)

Tsubaki: I know that since Kamen Rider Blade is celebrating its 10th anniversary, the fans have been asking if we could do something for them. It reminded me that this show is still loved by so many people.

Amano: We talked about how it'd be nice if we could do something together. Kindof like how "Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger" celebrated its 10th anniversary, and released a new project.

Tsubaki: Yeah. Then, we were offered to do a Drama CD. It made me really happy. This is the first of its kind in Kamen Rider history, and I think the only reason such an offer was given, was because the fans, Toei, the sponsors, the staff, and the cast all came together to make it happen.

Amano: For me, at first, I honestly wondered how a 10 year old production would be revived, and whether anyone would buy it.

Morimoto: Yeah. For me, my first impression was that this was a new beginning. Honestly, I was happy, but I was also worried about whether I'd be able to portray the role I played 10 years ago in a convincing way.

Hojo: I felt the same way. However, when I first heard about it, I was more happy than worried. Blade was the work I was most attached to, and had the most vivid memories of during my acting career. Now, in a brand new drama written 10 years later, I was really looking forward to it.

Amano: But, I also thought it was a story that I couldn't accept if all four of us weren't here.

Morimoto: That's the minimum requirement. After all, "Blade" is only possible if we're all together.

Amano: That's why I thought the most important thing was whether Joe (Hojo-san's nickname), who had retired from acting and returned to his hometown Nagoya, would be able to appear in this work. If they said, "He's retired, so just drop it," then there's nothing we can do about it. But, when Joe said he was sure and wanted to continue to be involved with the Kamen Rider series, it was then that I realized for the first time that this story would actually be happening.

Tsubaki: In Joe's case, locating him was quick, but contacting him to finalize the deal was the hard part.

Hojo: Just as we were talking about it, my cell phone died......(laughs)

Tsubaki: It was the first time I saw him in awhile, but he suddenly brought me a box with his new smartphone in it and said, "Baki (Tsubaki-kun's nickname), set it up for me."

Amano: You're better off with a flip phone! (laughs). I sent you an e-mail the other day, but when I asked, "Why didn't you reply?," you said your screen had broke.

Tsubaki: Those kinds of things usually makes me nervous, but it's different when we're working on Blade. The other day, I asked him, "What would you do if you were offered an acting role for something other than Kamen Rider?" He said, "I won't do it. But, if it's Kamen Rider, I'll definitely do it." I'm so happy that Joe still feels that way even after 10 years.

-10 years later, the four of us are just as you imagined-

Morimoto: I was happy to see that the Drama CD was a continuation of the story up to episode 49, which we had performed over the course of a year, all while creating a new story.

Amano: I was happy to see the presence of Kenzaki (Kazuma), how Hajime (Aikawa) had grown as a human, and how Mutsuki (Kamijo) had become an adult.

Morimoto: And also, Tachibana-san is more like a gentleman.

Tsubaki: I think Kenzaki was as I expected. I was told by Director Ishida (Hidenori) in the film "Missing Ace," which takes place 4 years after the show, that, "Kenzaki will not change even after 4 years." I thought that even 10 years later, Kenzaki would still be the same.

Morimoto: It was the exact image I had in mind, or rather, what I wanted him to be like.

Amano: On the flip side, the most unexpected thing was the conversations between Tachibana and Hajime. After 10 years, It seems that Tachibana was now able to talk with Hajime.

Morimoto: That's for sure. At the time, Garren (who Tachibana transforms into) and Chalice (who Hajime transforms into) were enemies.

Amano: Now, Ryo-chan (Morimoto-san) and I are having deep conversations.

Morimoto: Just like me and Amano-kun, I was happy to see that after 10 years, Hajime and Tachibana had developed a strong relationship. That's why I felt that the scene had to be a condensed version of their 10 years together.

Hojo: There's a line from Mutsuki in the TV show, where he says, "I want to protect the smiles and tears of people."……Going along with that, Mutsuki's choice of an event company as a place of employment in order to make people smile had me thinking, "That makes sense." It also makes him happy having junior colleagues. In his mind, Mutsuki's senior is Tachibana-san, but it's not enough to just imitate him. Therefore, I think I was able to play the role of a senior in my own way, although not as strict as Tachibana-san.

Amano: By the way, how are Mutsuki and Nozomi-chan getting along 10 years later? In the Drama CD, it's only brought up alittle bit.

Morimoto: What's more, "Mutsuki," you slurred your words! (laughs)

Amano: I'm very curious. How about in Joe's mind? Do you go for it? Or…..

Hojo: Nozomi……I wonder if we're done.

Amano & Morimoto: What!!? You guys broke up?!

Tsubaki: Nozomi-chan...maybe she married someone else? (laughs) No, no, I'm just joking. What I left out just now, was foreshadowing for the next part.

Morimoto: You left it in!

Tsubaki: I'm sure that in the next part, Nozomi-chan will be in trouble, so Mutsuki, trying to save her, will finally transform into his Jack Form.

Amano: I don't think they (the scriptwriters) put that much though into it!!

-Because we understand each other's roles-

Morimoto: Hajime isn't the type to show his emotions, but during the recording, I was so emotional, that I actually started to cry.

Amano: It was the final scene. When we finished, I said, "This isn't it," and re-recorded it.

Morimoto: Yeah. If Hajime honestly expresses his feelings and becomes 100% human, that's where the story will end. But, after seeing Kenzaki for the first time in such a long time, the thought of never seeing him again made me so emotional. I though, "Hajime should act like this too," but then I realized, "maybe I'm being alittle too feminine." When I asked everyone about it, both Amano-kun and Hojo gave the advice of, "Definitely don't cry." The reason we can share our opinions like that is because we all understand our roles.

Amano: That's right. It's the same for me, I remember other people's roles more than my own.

Morimoto: In a way, it's like looking at it from the Director's point of view. A scene where I tell Amano-kun, "These are the only friends I can trust!," seems strange.

Amano: Now that you mention it, you were very quiet about it at first. But, that scene was also in the TV show, so when I asked Ryo-chan, "What were you doing before?," Ryo-chan remembered it well.

Morimoto: You said I was quite loud at that time

Amano: That's why we re-recorded it. Everyone remembers what Hajime was like, what Mutsuki was like, and what Kenzaki was like.

Tsubaki: When it comes to "that kind of thing" Kenzaki can only speak the "Ondul Language" right? (laughs).

(Everyone laughs)

Morimoto: For better or for worse, the image I have of Kenzaki has never changed. It was the same in the Drama CD. I remembered almost immediately that, "Kenzaki is just like this."

Tsubaki: "Like this," in a good way? (laughs).

Morimoto: Ofcourse. On the other hand, it would be strange if Kenzaki could speak as fluently as (Kenichi) Suzumura-san (laughs).

Tsubaki: Come to think of it, during the dub recording for "Super Hero Taisen," the staff members said, "We have high expectations" So when I asked them, "Which are you expecting?," they said, "Whichever!" Well, from the very beginning, I started chewing as I spoke, and they all started clapping……

Morimoto: You also chewed in the Drama CD (laughs).

Tsubaki: Yeah, I chewed on the first take. Then, a nerve struck in Amano-kun, and he said, "I can't take this anymore…."

Morimoto: Then he left (the recording room).

Hojo: When he came back, he kept laughing like this (he holds his hands over his mouth) (laughs).

Morimoto: It was insanity. I also laughed at the beginning exchange with Kenzaki. In the flashback scene of the main story, he says, "Hajime, you can continue to live among other humans!"

Tsubaki: It came out more, "You can continue to live among other humans….."* (laughs). It's because that scene once traumatized me. *(said slightly slurred towards the end)

Morimoto: Were you actually hurt or something?

Tsubaki: I don't know if it's because people think that my lines with Ondul elements are the correct ones. I was wondering which expectation I should meet, but in the end, I ended up going with Ondul.....

Amano: I was entertained by it though.

Hojo: Another new saying will be born (laughs).

Morimoto: That part of him is what Kenzaki's all about.

Tsubaki: Just so you know, I usually speak very normally. But Kenzaki, he's just different! (laughs)

-We're now eagerly awaiting to visualize it!-

Tsubaki: Thankfully, I heard that the number of pre-orders for the Drama CD exceeded expectations, and Blade, which was broadcast on "Nico Nico Douga" late last year, was also quite popular. So, if we can get a little more support from the fans, I think a video version may be possible.

Amano: I'm glad that we were able to do a Drama CD, and that we were able to appear in Super Hero Taisen with all four of us, but, we mainly did dubbing. Next time I want everyone to appear in a film. By the way, I've confirmed that all four suits of Blade, Chalice, Garren, and Leangle still exist (laughs).

(Everyone laughs)

Tsubaki: Leangle's Jack Form figure is also available!

Amano: No way! I never thought it would actually release….!

Hojo: Come to think of it, at the time of Missing Ace, Baki and Amano-kun lied to me by saying, "I heard Leangle gets his Jack Form……" (laughs)

Amano: Now that it's become a figure, the visualization will also become a reality! So, first of all, we need everyone to support the Drama CD and push for this visualization. It'll be difficult to do something like this in another 5 or 10 years!

Hojo: Kenzaki and Hajime will grow old (laughs).

Morimoto: I'll become a wrinkly Undead! (laughs)

Amano: The Undead don't age, which means we'd have to change the original setting……

Tsubaki: Then it should be within this year. The filming period will be from April to May, and the release will be around August.

Morimoto: That's way too specific! (laughs). If that's the case, we'll have to get a new cards made…..(laughs).

Tsubaki: Talking like this, there's no end to our desires. I still want to make it into a video!

Hojo: When that time comes, I'll come back from Nagoya!

Amano: That's good. I think an adaptation would be fine if Joe actually answered his phone (laughs).

Morimoto: I won't break my cell phone or say that the screen died (laughs). That much is important. But, this year is the anniversary of Blade……so I'd be happy if we could end this year on a good note.

[fantastic-nonsense]

Hi! I was looking to see if you know of many comics with Batman's villains at the lead!? (Besides Harley and Selina, who've had multiple series and are pretty easy to find). Other than the "Joker" Novel and Penguin: Pain and prejudice, i couldn't find any. Any good suggestions for Joker, Ivy, Two-Face, or any other villian from the Batman universe?

the tldr is that Ivy has several, Two-Face has a handful, the al Ghuls have a couple, and everyone else has had a couple of single issues starring them.

In general, the Batman Arkham series functions as a Batman Rogues Gallery "Greatest Hits" collection. While most of the stories collected in these trades don't feature the rogues as a protagonist, they all explore the characters and their backstories/motivations and feature them in a starring role!

On principle, I generally refuse to recommend Joker comics. Clown man has enough stuff starring him and they're generally easy enough to find without me promoting him more than he already is. Also, to be honest with you I occasionally go out of my way to avoid stuff starring him because he's frankly bored me ever since DC decided to emphasize him as a psychopathic serial killer instead of a funny villain with a clown gimmick.

However, The Joker's Five-Way Revenge (Batman vol. 1 #251) is a fun read, Joker: The Man Who Laughs and Joker's Last Laugh are both good, and Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles is decent as well. Another fun one that's a little out of the box is Superman: Emperor Joker.

Other than that...I generally recommend the following for Ivy:

Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy (basically an 'Ivy Greatest Hits' collection)

Batman: Poison Ivy (1997)

No Man's Land (yes, it's long. No, Ivy's not a 'lead'. yes, it's also ground zero for Ivy's redemption arc and features her in a major role)

Gotham City Sirens (2009)

Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder (specifically Vol. 2, Family Tree, and Vol. 3, Rotworld: The Green Kingdom)

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death (2016)

Poison Ivy (2021) by G. Willow Wilson (curently ongoing)

Ivy also pops up in Ram V's Catwoman (2018) run and pretty consistently in Harley's solo books after 2015.

For Two-Face (my beloved), read Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory (which function as a double feature). Then read any of the following:

Batman: Faces (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #28-30)

Batman: Two-Face (1995)

Batman Annual #14: "Eye of the Beholder"

Gotham Central, which has an extended Harvey-Renee Montoya subplot

Batman/Two-Face: "Crime and Punishment"

Batman/Two-Face: Face the Face (2006)

Two-Face: Year One (2008)

Batman and Robin (2011) 23.1: Two-Face

Detective Comics #1020-1022: “The Ugly Heart”

Two-Face: One Bad Day

And for a couple of stories that aren't Harvey-focused but feature him as a prominent antagonist...read Robin: Year One, A Lonely Place of Dying, and Batman: Prodigal.

For the al Ghuls, apart from the Batman Arkham collections you're primarily looking for Tales of the Demon, the Demon Trilogy (Birth of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, Son of the Demon), Batman: The Chalice, and Batman Annual #26 (the prologue to Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, which is also fun). Two of Damian's Robin solos (Robin: Son of Batman (2015) and Robin (2021)) also prominently feature Talia. There are...certainly other options, if you want to read about the al Ghuls, but they're rarely well characterized in those (except Talia's LexCorp CEO arc; all hail Talia's Lexcorp CEO arc).

Clayface (the Basil Karlo version) prominently featured as a protagonist in Tynion's Detective Comics Rebirth (2016) run.

Everyone else...apart from stories where they're the prominent antagonist, there were several Villain takeover issues during the period of Batman and Robin (2011) when Damian was dead, Year of the Villain had a few issues focused on the Batman Rogues, and the One Bad Day series focuses each issue on a different Bat Rogue.

There are plenty of other stories centered on various members of Batman's Rogues Gallery, but hopefully this gives you a solid starting place!

[misterbardman]

I’m just gonna use this tumblr account to ramble about percy jackson stuff but specifically Trials of Apollo. Some stuff I’ll put here:

•I’ve read The Hidden Oracle four times, it’s my comfort book I read when I’m stressed out.

•Read through TOA once in about four days, then read Sun and Star, then Chalice of the Gods in that order

•I read the main books years ago, like back in 2015-2016? Obviously I got Trials of Apollo after and I read that, then read Dark Prophecy up until about chapter 10ish.

•I don’t remember everything that happened in PJO or HoO but I just love rereading TOA.

•I am trying to read Magnus Chase but I’m pretty uninterested, I’m fairly early on though where Magnus is first in the Hotel.

Anyway, now that stuff is out of the way, I’m using this account to talk about my favorite scenes, haiku’s, fun facts, and headcanons.

I have also made a playlist on Spotify for TOA called ‘Falling from Olympus’ if anyone is interested.

[sashayed]

Arrhythmia

The heart of a bear is a cloud-shuttered mountain. The heart of a mountain’s a kiln. The white heart of a moth has nineteen white chambers. The heart of a swan is a swan.

The heart of a wasp is a prick of plush. The heart of a skunk is a mink. The heart of an owl is part blood and part chalice. The fey mouse heart rides a dawdy dust-cart.

The heart of a kestrel hides a house wren at nest. The heart of lark is a czar. The heart of a scorpion is swidden

and spark. The heart of a shark is a gear. Listen and tell, thrums the grave heart of humans. Listen well love, for it’s pitch dark down here.

Hailey Leithauser In Poetry, October 2015

[bookclub4m]

Episode 195 - Pop(ular) Culture Non-Fiction

This episode we’re discussing the topic of non-fiction Pop Culture books! We talk about cult classics, the Disney channel, the futch scale, and being Eldritch Millennials. 

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Join our Discord Server!

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Street Unicorns: Extravagant Fashion Photography from NYC Streets and Beyond by Robbie Quinn

Poisoned Chalice: The Extremely Long and Incredibly Complex Story of Marvelman by Pádraig Ó Méalóid

Part 0: Introduction

I Am the Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future by Michael Molcher

And Don't F&%k It Up: An Oral History of RuPaul's Drag Race by María Elena Fernández

The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture by Grace Perry

Note: Anna didn’t have the Disney Channel because she lived in the woods in Alaska. It also did not exist in Canada until 2015.

The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel by Jenny Nicholson

That's So '90s!: A Pop-Cultural Guide to the Raddest Decade by Jo Stewart and Lisa Gillard

The Bizarre World of Fake Video Games by Super Eyepatch Wolf

Junk Film: Why Bad Movies Matter by Katharine Coldiron

Other Media We Mentioned

Attack of the New B Movies: Essays on SYFY Original Films edited by Justin Wigard and Mitch Ploskonka

Introducing Postmodernism: A Graphic Guide by Chris Garratt and  Richard Appignanesi

FRUiTS by Shoichi Aoki

Wikipedia

Miracleman: The Silver Age by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham

RuPaul's Drag Race (Wikipedia)

The Pit Stop S16 E01

Glee (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Euphoria (American TV series) (Wikipedia)

Abbott Elementary (Wikipedia)

The Simpsons is Good Again by Super Eyepatch Wolf

Taskmaster: Series 17, Episode 1

Plan 9 from Outer Space (Wikipedia)

Every Frame a Painting

Links, Articles, and Things

Follow our Twitch channel!

Jam and Matthew will be streaming Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp on Saturday, June 8th at 3pm PT/6pm ET. 

Jam made an image to promote it.

Jam’s Top Ten Video Essays About Media They Haven’t Experienced

Mood board (Wikipedia)

Blockbuster (Wikipedia)

Walkman (Wikipedia)

Milk caps/Pogs (Wikipedia)

Tamagotchi (Wikipedia)

Webring (Wikipedia)

Which Pokémon are the most goth?

20 Pop Culture Non-Fiction Books by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

Indigenous Celebrity: Entanglements with Fame edited by Jennifer Adese & Robert Alexander Innes

The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men by Manuel Betancourt

Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture by Zeba Blay

The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me by Keah Brown

She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson

Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History by Jeff Chang & Dave Cook

Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada by Karrmen Crey

Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me by Aisha Harris

Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones

K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television by Grace Jung

Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee

Indiginerds: Tales from Modern Indigenous Life edited by Alina Pete

Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse by Maya Phillips

The Dead Don't Need Reminding: In Search of Fugitives, Mississippi, and Black TV Nerd Shit by Julian Randall

Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong by Katie Gee Salisbury

First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game by Nadirah Simmons

Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith

Making a Scene by Constance Wu

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, & Philip Wang

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group or Discord Server, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, June 18th when it’s time once again for One Book One Podcast as we each pitch a book we think we should read and you (the listeners) get to vote!

Then on Tuesday, July 2nd we’ll be discussing the genre of Law/Legal Non-Fiction!

[contremineur]

Porcelain has been made for a thousand years, traded for a thousand years. And it has been in Europe for eight hundred of these. You can trace a few sherds earlier. These broken fragments of Chinese pot gleam provocatively alongside the heavy earthernware pitchers they were found with and no one can work out how they got to this Kentish cemetery, this Urbino hillside. There are scatterings of porcelain across medieval Europe in inventories of Jean, duc de Berry, a couple of popes, the will of Piero de’ Medici with his una coppa di porcellana, a cup of porcelain. You can see a glimpse of white in a list of presents given on an embassy from one princeling to another: a stallion, a jar of porcelain, a tapestry with golden thread. It is so precious, goes the story in medieval Florence, that a porcelain cup stops poison from working. A beautiful celadon-green bowl is deeply encased in silver and disappears into a chalice. A wine jar is mounted and becomes a ewer for a banquet. You can even catch a glimpse in a Florentine altarpiece; one of the three kings kneeling stiffly before the Christ child seems to be offering myrrh in a Chinese porcelain jar, and this homage seems about right for a substance so scant and so arcane, for an object that has come such a long way from the East.

Edmund de Waal, from The white road (Chatto & Windus 2015)

[ahalvedheart]

nine people you’d like to get to know better !! tagged by @ronanlynchbf ty for the tag, this was so fun !! 🥰🥰

1. three ships: okay so percabeth for sure, esp since chalice of the gods just came out AND pjo tv is coming out soon…it’s their time to shine. also pynch ever since my trc reread back in march, i’ve been stuck on them. and third i’m gonna say jurdan bc they’ve been on my mind SO much and i’m probably gonna reread tfota soon

2. first ship: was also probably percabeth since i read pjo in elementary school lmao

3. last song: i have unfortunately regressed to 2015 and i’ve been listening to the entire american beauty/american psycho album by fall out boy on repeat for the last like week, it goes so hard tho

4. last movie: twitches!! essential october watch

5. currently reading: i actually just finished yellowface by rf kuang which was amazing i loved reading it

6. currently watching: i’m 6 seasons into a degrassi rewatch lmaoo and before that i was rewatching gilmore girls, i haven’t really watched anything new lately 😭

7. currently consuming: maggi noodles 😋

8. currently craving: always craving some kind of noodle, i’m literally eating noodles rn but i’d kill for some lo mein

i don’t have nine lol but i’m gonna tag @chronicpcssimist @catras-smoothie @aberfaeth @exy101 and anyone else that wants to as well! no pressure at all if you don’t want to!! ☺️

[this-was-a-terrible-idea]

hello again <3

1, 5, 8, 10 + 11 if you do, 14 y 27!

<3 <3 <3 thank you for asking again!!! ily

1) what’s your favorite book you’ve read so far this year? does the answer differ whether it’s your favorite in terms of enjoyment, quality, or message? Vicious by V.E. Schwab! its so fucking good dude it had me HOOKED and im rereading it already. no changes in the answer, it is all around my favorite from this year

5) have you dnf’d any books this year? yes 😭 it was a sports romance that gave me psychic damage and i dnf'd at 51%

8) what’s a book you want to read by the end of the year? a few!!! Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan (tbh i just need to get it out of my backpack and sit down with it for two hours so that should be easy), Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey (i keep renewing my loan on this in Libby and its driving me nuts that i haven't finished it yet), A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers (bc i need a cathartic read to round off the year)

10) do you annotate your books, and if so, do you annotate only specific books or all of them? i'm only just starting to annotate, and only some books!! i've got this thing where i don't want to "ruin" a book but @bi-bats was telling me about how they see annotations and it kinda changed my mind. so far i've only annotated the copy of The Lightning Thief that i used for book club and i'm working on annotating Vicious for @bi-bats (the fact that it's not done yet is stressing me out but it WILL get done)

11) how do you annotate your book? (pencil, pen, tabs, highlighters, etc.; what do you write?) highlighter preferably, with pen underlines! i didn't have highlighters with me when i started annotating Vicious so its got different colored fine tip marker underlines, color coded per person. i mostly just underline things that stand out, and add exclamation marks and things like "he's so unwell" (that one's Vicious specific haha)

14) what’s your favorite adaptation of a book? The Martian (2015) is both one of my favorite movies AND a great adaptation of the book imo!

27) any “unpopular” book opinions? uhhhh suddenly i've forgotten all popular and unpopular book opinions. um, i don't really like a majority of booktok recs?? OH here's one: i think that booktok has done a great deal of damage to book reviews and book review videos specifically. book review videos used to be thought out and give reasons why the reviewer liked or didn't like something, and now the majority of "book review" videos i see are just a list of books with a rating and no explanations and that drives me nuts. i wanna know WHY you liked or didn't like the book, not just a number of stars. especially since everybody's star review criteria is different 😩

ask me different book-related questions!

[rainmidnight]

slight chalice of the gods spoilers

what timeline is this book in because percy's still in high school which should mean it picks up from heroes of olympus/trials of apollo which was in like... what? 2014? 2015? or earlier since there's only like a year spanning hoo?

why are there references to "shallow" and wandavision help ajakdkfkgkg

[bornetoblood]

What are ur fav bloodborne headcanons?(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

oooh I have lots and lots so I'm just gonna list the ones that come to mind!

They are all gay and transgender.

vERY much into butch presenting Maria I think that's very cool and sexy of her.

Speaking of I think Yharnam as a whole is a lot more okay with gender nonconformity. For me as a treat.

I like the idea that the scholars were all in their early 20s when the Fishing Hamlet happened and were in their late 60s/early 70s when they all die and the plot of the game starts. I just think it's really funny, like speedrunning the apocalypse.

I like the idea that there's really not that much distinction between Yharnamites and people from Cainhurst. Like they can all do the blood magic it's just a cultural thing in the vampire castle.

Going on from that I'm really into the bloodletter original being Laurence's weapon. Tiny, sweet old man with a horrific blood hammer.

I think Ebriatas is Oedon's kid specifically, hence the "inadvertent worshipers" thing.

Byrgenwerth being a not very respected institution my beloved. Like before the Church showed up and it was mythicised they were all seen as hacks.

Going on from that I like the idea that it is pretty tiny. There are hardly any scholars cus they all fucking died in the Chalice Dungeons.

Flora picks up Gehrman and moves him around like a mii in mii plaza.

The League all live together. It's like one of those influencer houses but with more centipede squishing.

Laurence is scared of bugs.

Going on from that, I like the idea that Rom's ascension was (mostly) involuntary on her part and very very horrific.

The Great Ones who ascended all hang out in the void and chat sometimes.

Gehrman would rather be doing literally anything else than hunting but this is the hand he was drawn so he sticks with it.

Yharnam is a coastal town and the centre of some sort of trade network. They export cloth and sculptures and candlewax.

The Forbidden Woods snakes have always been really big and aggressive the Blood just made that worse and also parasitic.

THANK YOU! i love bloodborne 2015

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: The Soul Mate Poems by Kristine Hartvigsen

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-soul-mate-poems-by-kristine-hartvigsen/

A former journalist and magazine editor, Kristine Hartvigsen works in marketing at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood, South Carolina. A divorced, empty-nester, she has plenty of time to ponder — and casually quantify — her many soul mates to date. This is her second published #poetry collection.

PRAISE FOR The Soul Mate Poems by Kristine Hartvigsen

You may know someone in this book. In fact, you might be in this book. The men—and women—who fill this book are crushes and soulmates and midlife besties and the occasional fellow you’d risk a morning walk of shame for. It’s all numbers, not names, and just enough detail to make you wonder. A boy old enough for a Stoli and a man who cooks by ear, they’re both here. A catalogue of crushes, a natural history of noticing, these are portrait poems, some poignant, some punchy, some impossible, all beads strung on a line of prose reflections that make you smile to think about your own secret history.

–Ed Madden is a professor of English at the University of South Carolina and served as Poet Laureate for the City of Columbia from 2015 to 2022.

Kristine Hartvigsen‘s poems, part micro-memoir, part lyric, part palm “on the curve where hip meets buttock,” ultimately choose us. We never forget soul mates and how the “empty chalice echo truths” in a world of sensation, disappointment, and joy.” These poems arouse expectancy, explore attraction’s belonging, and peer across the room with courage and heart. You’ll find yourself on the list.

–Tim Conroy, author of Theologies of Terrain (2017, Muddy Ford Press Laureate Series) and founding board member of the Pat Conroy Literary Center

Kristine Hartvigsen‘s new book is a delight. Her poems (and stories) take the reader on a poetic ride through her life of love and adventure. It covers the gambit of her creative life, her love of poetry and music, and introduces the reader to friends past and present. The Soul Mate Poems are not to be missed.

–Jane Zenger, author of Night Bloomer (2022, Muddy Ford Press Laureate Series).

Kristine Hartvigsen‘s The Soul Mate Poems is a must read for lonely hearts who want to learn how to recognize their soul mate at a dog park or in a checkout line at Big Lots. Kristine says what many won’t. There is no 1 in 3 billion soul mates that you need to find to be happy. If you know Kristine, buy this book and see if you made her list.

–Al Black, author of I Only Left For Tea (2014, Muddy Ford Press) and Man With Two Shadows (2018, Muddy Ford Press), and he was named Columbia’s Literary Artist of the Year by Jasper Magazine in ____.

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[mangolon]

List of All Kamen Riders’ Final Forms

Will not count extra final forms. If a final form only appeared in a movie or special, it will be counted. Under the cut

1975

Stronger → Stronger Charge Up

2000

Kuuga → Ultimate Kuuga

2001

Agito →  Shining Agito

G3 → G3-X

Gills → Exceed Gills

2002

Ryuki → Ryuki Survive

Knight → Knight Survive

Ouja → Ouja Survive

2003

Faiz → Faiz Blaster

Kaixa → Next Kaixa

2004

Blade →  Blade King

Garren → Garren Jack

Chalice → Wild Chalice

2005

Hibiki → Armed Hibiki

2006

Kabuto → Hyper Kabuto

Gatack → Hyper Gatack

2007

Den-O Sword Form → Den-O Liner Form

Zeronos Altair Form → Zeronos Zero Form

2008

Kiva → Emperor Kiva

IXA → IXA Rising

2009

Decade → Decade Complete

DiEnd → DiEnd Complete

W CycloneJoker → W CycloneJokerXtreme

Accel → Accel Trial

2010

OOO TaToBa → OOO PuToTyra (or TaJaDor depending on who you ask)

Birth → Birth DAY

2011

Fourze → Fourze Cosmicstates

Meteor → Meteor Storm

2012

Wizard Flame Style → Wizard Infinity Style

Beast → Beast Hyper

2013

Gaim Orange Arms → Gaim Kiwami Arms

Baron Banana Arms → Baron Lemon Energy Arms

Ryugen Budou Arms → Ryugen Yomotsuheguri Arms

Zangetsu Melon Arms → Zangetsu Kachidoki Arms

Gridon Donguri Arms → Gridon Lychee Arms

Knuckle Kurumi Arms → Knuckle Jimber Marron Arms

2014

Drive Type Speed → Drive Type Tridoron

Mach → Chaser Mach

2015

Ghost Ore Damashii → Ghost Mugen Damashii

Specter → Deep Specter

Necrom → Necrom Yuujou Burst

2016

Ex-Aid Mighty Action X → Hyper Muteki Ex-Aid

Brave Taddle Quest → Brave Taddle Legacy

Snipe Bang Bang Shooting → Snipe Bang Bang Simulations

Lazer Bakusou Bike → Lazer Turbo

Genm Mighty Action X → Genm Zombie Action

Para-DX Perfect Puzzle/Knock Out Fighter → Para-DX Perfect Knock Out

Cronus Kamen Rider Chronicle → Gamedeus Cronus

2017

Build Rabbit Tank → Build Genius

Cross-Z Dragon → Cross-Z Magma

Grease → Grease Blizzard

Rogue → Prime Rogue

Evol Cobra → Evol Black Hole

2018

Zi-O → Grand Zi-O

Geiz → Geiz Revive (Gouretsu and Shippu)

Woz → Woz GingaFinally

2019

Zero One Rising Hopper → Zero Two

Vulcan Shooting Wolf → Rampage Vulcan

Valkyrie Rushing Cheetah → Valkyrie Justice Serval

Jin Flying Falcon → Jin Burning Falcon

Horobi Sting Scorpion → Horobi Ark Scorpion

Ark-Zero → Ark-One

2020

Saber Brave Dragon → Xross Saber

Blades Lion Senki → Blades Tategami Hyoujuu Senki

Espada Lamp do Alangina → Espada Arabiana Night

Calibur Jakku Dragon → Calibur Jaou Dragon

Saikou Kin no Buki Gin no Buki → Saikou X-Swordman

2021

Revi Rex Genome → Ultimate Revi

Vice Rex Genome → Ultimate Vice

Live Bat Genome → Evilyty Live

Evil Bat Genome → Evilyty Live

Jeanne Cobra Genome → Invincible Jeanne

Demons Spider Genome → Imperial Demons

Vail Kabuto Genome → Crimson Vail

Over Demons Kuwagata Genome → Get Over Demons

2022

Geats MagnumBoost → Geats IX

Tycoon Ninja → Tycoon Bujin Sword

Naago Beat → Naago Fantasy

Buffa Zombie → Jyamashin Buffa FeverZombie

Punkjack Monster → Punkjack FeverMonster

2023

Gotchard SteamHopper → Rainbow Gotchard

Majade SunUnicorn → Twilight Majade

Valvarad → Valvarad Kurogane

Legend → Legendary Legend

Dread Type Zero → Dread Type Three

Gotchard Daybreak Daybreak SteamHopper → Gotchard Shining Daybreak

[little-miss-ghostess]

My reviews/rankings of all of Ninja Sex Party's albums after I binged their discography in January

I've been a fan of NSP since 2017, but between 2020 and 2021 I had kinda fallen off of keeping up with them. Back at the start of this year I decided to fix that, and within the span of a few days I listened to all of their albums from NSFW through to The Very, Very, Very, Very Classy Acoustic Album. And during this journey I'd give a review of each album to my Discord friend server as I went.

It was honestly really fun doing this! I like binging things so just sitting down for like an hour or so listening to an album from start to finish was great -- and I know that sounds like the most zoomer-ass thing imaginable, saying "YOOOOO LISTENING TO AN ALBUM IN ONE GO ROCKS!" but I hadn't done that much myself for most of my life honestly!

So now that I'm using Tumblr again I wanna post my reviews from that binge here, partially cause I think it's fun and partially cause I had originally started dumping these Discord ramblings to a site called Listnd but that place seems to have straight up died 🙃

NSFW (2011) — reviewed on 1/3/22

They actually started off decently well. Obviously the tracks here are not as funny or well produced as later ones would be, but there's little about it I don't at least enjoy.

There aren't many tracks here I'd revisit regularly honestly, but even some of the weaker tracks like Manticore and You Can Do Us! sound good and are pretty catchy. I also keep thinking that No Reason Boner isn't that great but every time I revisit it I realize it's actually good.

Favorite Song: Objects of Desire Least Favorite Song: Accept My Shaft Favorite Skit: Introduction

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Strawberries and Cream (2013) — reviewed on 1/4/22

When I woke up, my brain was ping-ponging between BNA and NSP so here we are.

It's a major step up from NSFW. The sound is better, the lyrics are better, and overall the tracks are much more enjoyable. I can't think of a song on here that I flat out don't like unlike the first album.

Some of these songs like Unicorn Wizard and FYI I Wanna F Your A are some of my favorites from NSP as a whole, even if they aren't as super well-produced or full as later albums would be. I could comfortably listen to most of these songs more regularly.

Although it does lose points from me due to the fact that the album only has the first part of Sacred Chalice, which was a 4 part song (part 1 literally ends with "part 2 coming soon"). It's not even one of my favorite songs from the album but only having the first part on there is a buzzkill, especially since there's no full official release of the other 3 parts outside of the music videos which have noticeably lower quality audio. We're going on 9 years since S&C's release so I don't think we're ever gonna get those other 3 released officially, so fan-made compilations will have to suffice.

Favorite Song: Unicorn Wizard Least Favorite Song: Next To You (not a bad song, but I would only listen to it every once in a while), The Sacred Chalice, Pt. 1 (due to the fact that it's only one part of the full song) Favorite Skit: Shredded Metal

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Attitude City (2015) — reviewed on 1/5/22

I didn't intend on this being a daily thing, but as it turns out this was a great goal to set while getting back into Terraria.

Anyway, this is the final album in what I consider "Classic NSP." Back when they didn't have a backing band, their music videos used deliberate stylistic suck to amplify the comedy, and it's the album that I think truly put them on the map for a lot of people.

So... is it weird to say that I found it a bit underwhelming?

None of it is bad, and I'd say that the best songs (Peppermint Creams, Dragon Slayer, and of course 6969) are higher highs than a lot of the best parts of NSFW and Strawberries and Cream, but honestly the majority of the tracks were just alright.

I guess what I'm saying is I could revisit this album occasionally and enjoy it, but I'd probably just stick to the 3 songs I like the most and ignore the rest.

Favorite Song: 6969 Least Favorite Song: Cookies! (it's still funny, though) Favorite Skit: Buttsex Goldilocks

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Under the Covers (2016) — reviewed on 1/5/22

Firstly, brilliant name.

Secondly, while few doubted that Danny and Brian were talented, I think this was the album that made a lot of people (myself included) go "Oh wait they're not just funny sex band, they're fully rounded musicians." Yeah they didn't write any of the songs here, but the musical performances and especially Danny's vocal performance just rock.

There isn't a track here that isn't at the very least pretty good, helped in large part due to them now having Tupperware Remix Party as a backing band so now things feel really full.

My only issue with it isn't even really with the quality of anything, it's just that a lot of these songs don't fully appeal to my personal tastes. Maybe it's cause I'm not nostalgic for them, but again that's not a major issue, it just bumps it down a few points for me personally.

Basically it's tied with Strawberries and Cream for me which is hard to really show on a tierlist.

Favorite Song: The Last Unicorn Least Favorite Song: Subdivisions Favorite Skit: N/A

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Under the Covers Volume II (2017) — reviewed on 1/6/22

Going with two cover albums in a row was an interesting decision that I'm not sure I fully agree with, but hey it's a great album so who cares?

This one is a big improvement from Volume I for me personally cause there's a lot more music here I actively vibe with. The only track here I honestly don't care for is I Wish, but I could easily and happily listen to any of the other tracks leisurely.

Yeah that's pretty much all I gotta say on the quality, it's a great album and I am listening to Your Wildest Dreams as I type this. Only other comment I got is that it's fuckin' surreal that this album is coming on 5 years old cause I explicitly remember watching the music video to Pour Some Sugar On Me when it released during school, specifically during a computer lab trip where I had to hide the screen.

It feels kind of weird giving this the highest ranking so far since it's music they didn't write, but oh well.

Favorite Song: Your Wildest Dreams Least Favorite Song: I Wish Favorite Skit: N/A

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Cool Patrol (2018) — reviewed on 1/6/22

This is one of two NSP albums I own physically, and it's the signed version as well!

Which is sweet cause this is definitely the pinnacle of their discography so far. Literally nothing about this album is underwhelming, letalone bad.

The skits are fun, and EVERY song is a jam. Even GFY which is way more of a skit than a song you're meant to listen to a lot slaps pretty hard. My only real gripes* (*read: nitpicks) are I don't know why the last line of Heart Boner is "Screw you for judging me", and I think the "Madre los mios!" at the end of Eating Food in the Shower is a little out of place (but hey the rest of the song being significantly better mixed than the music video version makes up for that).

Plus, it has arguably the best song NSP has written, Danny Don't You Know, and that gives it a lot of points.

Favorite Song: Three-way tie between Orgy For One, First Date, and Danny Don't You Know Least Favorite Song: GFY (only cause it's more of a skit song than the rest of the album, it's still pretty good) Favorite Skit: Romance Novel

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Under the Covers Volume III (2019) — reviewed on 1/7/22

This is the second and latest NSP album I own physically, also signed.

And it's pretty solid, though I don't think it's as good as Volume II. Again, I'm just not big on some of the song choices. Nothing here is outright bad at all, but some of these tracks don't appeal to my personal tastes. Not much more I can say here that I didn't say for the past two volumes

Favorite Song: Safety Dance Least Favorite Song: Photograph Favorite Skit: N/A

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The Prophecy (2020) — reviewed on 1/7/22

This was my first time listening all the way through this album, as around this time was when I had kinda fallen off the NSP wagon.

And that's a shame cause it is a very strong album.

I don't think it quite reaches the same bar as Cool Patrol as a whole package, but it definitely has some jams here that are on-par. Welcome to My Parents' House and I Don't Know What We're Talking About are still great, The Mystic Crystal is a great musical epic/comedy that may not be as easily re-listenable as 6969 but is still equally awesome, and The Decision Part 2 is a sequel I never knew I needed and it slaps hard.

Even Thunder & Lightning, while still not one of my favorites by any means, is a lot better than I remember it being when it first dropped.

The album is brought down slightly for me by the mixing in a few tracks (notably The Decision Part 2 and Do Math with U) being not the greatest as the vocals can be drowned out by the instrumentals, and Wondering Tonight's mere existence. It's not terrible, it's just....completely disposable. It feels like a throwaway track created to fill out the album a little. It got a couple chuckles out of me, but overall it did nothing for me.

So yeah I can't say it's S tier because Cool Patrol hit homeruns throughout the whole album, whereas this one had a few more issues pop up for me and had one straight up miss, but even so it's still a damn good album.

Favorite Song: Welcome to My Parents' House Least Favorite Song: Wondering Tonight Favorite Skit: The Wishing Bear

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Level Up (2021) — reviewed on 1/8/22

Well well well, if it isn't the Star Wars Special Editions of music.

The idea for this album is great: The first three NSP albums didn't have TWRP as a backing back, so they take a handful of songs from them and re-record them to be more up to their modern standards of quality.

Should've been a slam dunk.

Instead it was a complete miss followed by a faceplant into the court flooring.

I will say this immediately: Just speaking purely off production, this is not a bad album. The songs do sound fuller in a lot of ways. But in terms of quality, especially comparing it to their previous works, this ain't it chief,

The problem is they changed so much for seemingly no reason, and I'm not asking for the songs to be the exact same but with TWRP in the back, but these changes are so asinine and completely remove a lot of the fun from the tracks.

For one, Danny's inflection on a lot of the lines are just so much more lifeless and dull. For example...

"6969" - Attitude City (2015) -- Timestamp 5:52

"6969" -- Level Up (2021) -- Timestamp 5:57

The scene is supposed to be high-energy and intense because NSP is running away from an army trying to kill them, but in the Level Up version Danny just sounds mildly annoyed.

And this permeates throughout pretty much the entire album, especially cause they cut out a lot of the skit dialogue in the songs so Unicorn Wizard just sounds so much more hollow despite having more to it. But they don't cut out all of them??? Unicorn Wizard, Attitude City, and NSP Theme Song have their skits cut, but Party of Three and 6969 don't. I guess cause they're more built into the foundation of the songs, but I guarantee you you could cut out a lot of the 6969 dialogue and have it be on the same level as Unicorn Wizard, which is to say it'd technically work but it would sound way more hollow, so it's weird where they drew the lines.

The worst example though I have to say comes from Road Trip. At the end, Danny dies mid-lyric because he exits his spaceship without a spacesuit:

"Road Trip" - Attitude City (2015) -- Timestamp 2:58

But, in Level Up, they just cut that out entirely so Danny just finishes the song normally:

"Road Trip" - Level Up (2021) -- Timestamp 2:51

Why? That completely kills the joke.

Even the introduction doesn't escape this, cause every original NSP album opens with a comedy piece where Danny introduces you to the album. Here? It's literally just a minute of music with no dialogue, and it's not even that interesting of music.

On top of that Danny's voice drips with autotune a lot in these tracks which really kills a lot of the enjoyment. Unicorn Wizard here genuinely just sucks, straight up. No skits, duller delivery, too much autotune, the instrumentals are mixed to be louder than Danny's voice so mixed with the autotune it just makes it a headache, ugh.

(NOTE: Upon reflection in the months since, I'm not entirely sure that "dripping with autotone" was the best way of describing it. There was something to Danny's vocals that sounded more artificially tweaked than any other album so that felt like the best description to me at the time, but now I'm not so sure cause I don't actually know if autotune was used.)

Dinosaur Laser Fight sounds pretty, but I don't like the ballad direction they took for it cause it's a completely different style than the original and I don't think they lean into it hard enough for it to be a funny juxtaposition. On top of that, it's the ONLY song on the album that is completely different from it's original version, which would be fine if the whole thing was a reimagining of their songs (and if you want to use the term VERY broadly, it is). But it isn't. It's only songs from the pre-TWRP era and every song that isn't Dinosaur Laser Fight tries to stick fairly close to the originals (which just makes the changes more glaring), plus with the name "Level Up" it implies they're the original songs but better.

But they're not.

Oh yeah also they actually added a skit to I Just Want To (Dance)????? Despite cutting out a bunch of others????????????

There's only 1 song here that is genuinely better (or at least on par with the original), and that's NSP Theme Song. Yeah, it does cut out the skit at the end and Danny's comedic interjections, but it actually does sound good, doesn't have worse delivery, isn't drowning in autotune, and the skit at the end was always one of NSP's weaker ones anyway so it's not as missed (though it does make the song end a little more awkwardly).

I have no idea if this was a rush job to put out an album in 2021, but it certainly feels like it. Like, they wanted a different album out last year but it wasn't gonna happen, so they just took this idea and threw it together. It's not lazy, it has effort put into it, but man it clearly did not have enough time put into it to make it great. I appreciate this album and TVVVVCAA for getting me back into NSP but man this was just a dud otherwise.

Favorite Song: NSP Theme Song (only song here I'd actually revisit) Least Favorite Song: I Just Want To (Dance) (weak song not made any better), Unicorn Wizard (for butchering one of my favorites) Favorite Skit: N/A

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The Very, Very, Very, Very Classy Acoustic Album (2021) — reviewed on 1/8/22

The last stop on my NSP journey until their next album inevitably drops, and it's quite a turnaround from Level Up.

I've grown a love for acoustic albums. Partially because my dad has played acoustic guitar for all my life so it's a very comforting sound, but also because just hearing basically the bare elements of songs that were meant to be high energy is just really awesome. So, this was a treat.

Danny's voice shines here stronger than anywhere before, as there's no mixing to try and drown out his voice, no autotune, barely any harmonizing, it's just him and he has a really good singing voice.

This does lose a few points for me cause it's definitely still pretty scripted (the point of acoustic albums is meant to be pretty raw), which isn't terrible but I would've liked it to be a lot more off the cuff and for Brian to actually talk a bit since he still goes silent in this album. At the very least, the framing device of it being a tour no one showed up to is funny.

(NOTE: I later found out that this actually was a live show that they did that they released as an EP, which better explains the scripted nature. I still personally would've preferred a more genuine, off-the-cuff approach, but I recognize that they were putting on a skit for a stage production.)

Dinosaur Laser Fight is better here than Level Up although I'm still not big on it, but somehow I actually liked Wondering Tonight here. Something about it being lofi really helps it out.

My only other comment is that they have a couple songs from Under the Covers here (Everybody Wants To Rule The World and Rocketman) and they have this kinda odd joke where Danny says David Bowie wrote them. It comes out of nowhere and has no real pay-off, and since those are the only cover songs it can be jarring to stumble into.

Beyond that, great album. I don't think I'd revisit it a ton, but even so it's really good, has a very nice sound, and is overall just cool to hear NSP like this.

Oh yeah and Unicorn Wizard here is good that’s a big plus.

(And some skits are still omitted but it’s a lot more reasonable since even with its scripted nature it’s still predominantly done in one take)

Favorite Song: Danny Don't You Know Least Favorite Song: Dinosaur Laser Fight Favorite Skit: Introduction

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And throughout this journey I had kept track of the albums on a tierlist because I enjoy tierlists, although after my NSP binge I switched from an S/A/B/C/D/F ranking system to Amazing!!/Pretty good!/Solid/Average/Below Average/Ugh... because they better reflected my thoughts:

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WOWIE WOW WOW THIS IS A LONGER POST THAN I EXPECTED. If you made it all the way through my fucking college thesis of a post you win a cookie 🍪

I had other album reviews I did in this style over the course of the year that I want to post here, but now I'm not so sure about that since this ended up being so long 😅 But also it's my blog so I can do what I want right? Whatever, time will tell. I'm probably gonna look into a site called Musicboard for this kinda stuff since it looks like exactly the same site Listnd was but with actually care put into upkeep.

Anyway, moral of the story is that NSP is pretty cool. Thank you and goodnight.