#does vivinos like happiness??

[nacrelysis]

"may mizi and hyuna live please thanks" i revise my statement to avoid delusion. @tubercloset pointed out to me that by this point a lot of the main cast has sacrificed their life/risked their life to save mizi. i need to figure out a way to articulate the details of this but i think mizi represents hope to sua, and hyuna, and till.

and hope is something so scarce in anakt garden, something so radiant but so unreachable that it is your god, your universe. and if you spent your entire life in the darkness, would you not give it - would you not go all-in - to know what it means to be in the light?

and so,

imagine hyuna - luka face-off next round as hyuna puts herself on the line so that mizi may survive, just as till put his life on the line to bring back mizi's radiance, just as sua gave her life to save mizi. because i'm sure that to them - somehow, someway - she is their hope.

their god. their universe.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

you should watch alien stage 😁 it’s a really wholesome and heartwarming web series on YouTube by VIVINOS. Nothing bad happens! And I think that you would like it!

So before I checked out Alien Stage, I asked an irl about it to get a feel for the series. They jokingly described Alien Stage to me as "Hunger Games with doomed yuri and yaoi plus some toxic het on the side", and after catching up with the playlist of hits... yeah, that's pretty accurate. I'm so invested in this now 🤡

I have Ruler of My Heart stuck in my head, specifically this English cover of it! To probably no one's surprise, I'm really gravitating to Luka... WHAT CAN I SAY, I LOVE ANGELIC LOOKING CHARACTERS WITH PRINCELY AND CHARISMATIC PERSONAS THAT ARE ACTUALLY SO MANIPULATIVE AND SCUMMY. AFSLFAYOEFIYFAEEAF; AND HOW CAN I NOT ADORE A GUY THAT PULLS THSI KINDA FACE:

I think part of his charm is that contrast between how he's seen as a "prince" by his fans when he's anything but. The artists outdid themselves with the MV; it perfectly conveys how truly terrible Luka is. I was so uncomfortable watching the video play out. The way he progressively creeps closer and keeps invading Mizi's personal space, taunting her, imitating her dead bestie/crush, putting his hands all over her, AND THAT GROSS WHISTLE HE DOES IN THE BEGINNING???? That made my skin CRAWL. Luka is for real so awful and I love that for him-- MIZI WAS RIGHT TO SWING AT HIM, IT WAS CATHARTIC 💀

I wanna give big props to Mizi's facial expressions too... They're so despair-filled and delicious, even when it's just her widened eyes repeating on the screen. The animation specifically for the line "I don't believe you're a liar" is top tier 👌 It's nothing fancy, but it conveys just how distressed Mizi is and how that's impacting her ability to sing. The way she gulps is so punchy and visceral. THE HATE IN MIZI'S EYES AS SHE'S RESTRAINED FROM COMING AT HIM AGAIN???? Good stuff. The twist at the end where the stage gets smoke bombed (?) and Mizi is rescued by the rebellion was great too. It robs Luka of the satisfaction of seeing his rival gunned down and him being declared as the victor. (P.S. I thought Hyuna was Jamil when I first saw her design; this is proof that Jamil has cool onee-san energy/j) Super looking forward to seeing Luka square off against Till, who is another favorite of mine. The eyebags— Till the End is probably my second favorite song so far; it's so intense in the close-up shots of Till singing his heart out to the audience. (Poor Mob-kun though, bro's getting DESTROYED out here...) I admire Till's fighting spirit but at the same time I feel so bad every time he's subdued 💦 Whereas I want Luka to get knocked down a peg, I want Till to find happiness and safety...

qweliboqeuvqied Anyway, that's my current brain rot 😊

[raivenantcravings]

Round 6 Reaction/Analysis

SDFFSDHFLSDHF ROUND 6 FSDHKFDSH ROUND 6 FSDKFSDHFDS ROUND 6

I woke up to twitter analysis saying that Till never even looked at Ivan until his final moments. And I made pre round 6 fanart titled "look at me." Couldn't manifest it. He never looked at him in the end,,,

broo dont look so happy. oh my god you lovesick fool.

reaction and analysis under the cut

First detail I noticed was that are the mics clear because both Ivan and Till are being vulnerable? They have nothing to hide anymore, so they'll show the world their whole being.

Anyways, to my main point,,

My interpretation of the ending was that Ivan was really trying to "cure" Till.

Till opens up with wanting to feel pain, to feel hurt.

"Please, leave me scars"

"Please, hurt me so that not a single drop of me remains"

Which, I realize he's talking to Mizi, but it's a cry for "help" either way.

Ivan's part goes:

"Notice my pain and mend me right now"

Again, he's talking about himself, but I think it could apply to what he does to Till.

So they kiss.

And, I've seen a lot of other people already say this, but I also do feel the kiss was not only meant to be for Ivan to selfishly show his love for Till.

Like bro don't go nonconsensually kissing your crush, what are you doing!?

When the scores came out, Ivan was much lower than Till than I expected. I thought it'd be a Mizi-Sua situation where the scores were close, but Mizi barely edged it out.

But Till almost had 20 points over Ivan.

And I know it's because Till is a rising star. And his new image change would really garner the attention of everyone. But it's not like Ivan is a nobody either. I didn't expect the scores to be so different.

I do think its because Ivan kissed Till. As a final nail in the coffin that guarantees his loss.

Alien Stage is commentary on the idol industry. One of the most prevalent issues in the idol industry is the romantic lives of the idols. Idols are not supposed to be in relationships, at least not outwardly. Their whole image is for the fans. Nothing they do should ruin that public image as an idol.

Much less in a in a queer relationship.

Now I don't believe the universe of Alien Stage cares about LGBTQ+ issues because there's bigger issues surrounding their human pets. But I think that it is an issue that Vivinos is trying to address because they certainly never shy away from queer issues in their other works.

And I feel the idea that idols/pets should not be swayed by their romantic emotions is still prevalent in their society.

So for the audience to see Ivan kiss Till, in one of the most outrageous and public displays possible, further pushes the votes in Till's favor.

And yeah, I also do believe that he kissed Till for him to finally look at him, but I also feel that it was a self-sacrifice too.

And then Ivan violently chokes Till.

Possibly, as another way to give Till votes. Since when Mizi started punching Luka, the audience was outraged at her actions.

Violence is definitely frowned upon on the stage.

More on the choking scene,,

I also saw some people saying that it's because Ivan wanted Till to die with him, which may be part of it. I don't think everything Ivan did was completely selfless.

But

Till accepts it. Earlier when he is at the bar (party? venue? the private show either way), he fights the alien who tries to punch him.

He did show him Mizi's missing image, so he is enraged in this moment, but he does have fight left in him even then.

He doesn't resist when Ivan chokes him just closes his eyes and awaits death. Perhaps if Mizi was already dead, he can just join her in the afterlife since he had no way of knowing she was still alive.

In this way, Ivan is his savior. The one who is finally freeing him from all this pain he felt after losing Mizi. This is his "cure."

And for Ivan, he sorta wants to be a savior to Till. He has freed him on multiple accounts from his shackles. Even helping him run away with him, so they can experience freedom together.

They both get what they want, but,,

Ivan lets go of Till and Till, with an expression that feels like shock, finally looks at Ivan.

Killing him would not give him the freedom that Till needs

that Ivan wants Till to have.

So, like the countless times Till has been chained around his neck, Ivan gives him his chains:

hurting him like he desires.

A scar around his neck.

(Where the scar from his name is)

And mending him,

by taking away the final chain that Ivan could release from Till.

His "cure."

It felt like his final desire was to get Till to snap out of it, to realize that he needs to find true freedom, to not get apathetic at the situation, to keep on going and to live.

He really, truly loves Till even if Till does and never will understand it.

Also final thoughts, is it not strange that Ivan is able to release Till's bindings so easily?

No one else is shown releasing the bindings, so maybe it is just as easy as a press of the button. Yet, I don't feel like it's just poorly designed if that's the case. Because you literally have a person like Ivan releasing a dangerous human like Till. Shouldn't a cautious society like the world of Alien Stage made sure it wouldn't be super easy to get out of.

If there is more to it, I wonder if that'll be a plot point later on. With Ivan leaving behind the secret to getting out of the bindings for Till. So, when a character maybe Till or even Hyuna or Mizi have been captured, they're able to escape since they know how to remove them.

Maybe, I'm just being delulu

And final final thoughts, the kiss was great and definitely made me almost scream. But the way Ivan nuzzled Till has got me acting up.

Like, it's just so soft and sweet and not a big show of it like when Ivan kisses Till on stage.

It feels so intimate, so personal, so full of love.

I just, I just can't. They'll be the death of me.

[myclematise]

MiziTill and IvanTill analysis.

— First, understand Mizi, Till, and Ivan’s character.

Mizi’s guardian must’ve contributed to her naivety as arts of her with her guardian seemed sweeter than Till and Ivan’s interactions with aliens. Till was constantly thrown around and treated like garbage as his guardian ENJOYS TORTURE. Ivan is also treated horrible which contributes to his pessimistic personality compared to Mizi.

Mizi had something Ivan didn’t: Optimism. That’s most likely why Ivan didn’t hate Mizi when it was obvious Till has an infatuation with her. “When she smiled at me, my heart was reborn” which is obvious, Mizi’s brightness attracts people and which is why she’s able to make friends very easily. Ivan knew Till needed that, one of his ways of wanting to make Till as happy as Mizi does is by telling him how horrible Alien Stage is and wanting to run away with him.

I forgot which animatic but it’s shown that Ivan never had a red dot in his pupils until he saw Till. That must’ve been his sign of attraction. This same red dot is seen in Till’s eyes as he runs away with Ivan, he’s happy — until he thinks of Mizi. He remembers Mizi and thinks of what horrible things they’ll do to her if he leaves. The red dot disappears in Till’s eyes.

— Second, Till’s struggle with attachment.

Till clearly struggles with attachment as seen with Ivan, which is confirmed by VIVINOS on her Patreon, saying: “Till has a deep love-hate attachment with Ivan” which is one of the evidences that Till actually struggles so much with how to react when someone shows care for him.

What makes Ivan’s care different from Mizi’s though? Why couldn’t he accept Ivan’s but he could accept Mizi’s?

Ivan was close to him. He was always around him and even if they did fight, they would still hangout. While with Mizi, Till failed to even build a relationship with her. Evidence being Mizi’s intimacy score with Till: “He’s so distant… does he hate me?” And this is because that outside of rebelling, Till writes songs. It’s most likely a coping mechanism for him to vent his feelings. You can see in one of the animations as Till is writing something, Ivan is right next to him. This can be used as a symbol of their closeness. Even if Mizi wasn’t there, Ivan was.

Because of Till’s struggle with healthy attachment, he couldn’t react properly when someone genuinely built a bond with him, but he could with someone who barely hangs out with him.

This is a sign of avoidant attachment. Till’s struggle in how he can show love. After all, how can someone who has never been shown love by his own guardian give love? He was never even taught what actual love is.

— Third, difference between idolization and crushes.

According to VIVINOS on her Patreon she claims that Mizi is a “fantastical figure” to Till. As stated before, they barely interacted as Till was almost always in his own world (rebelling or writing music). Even though Till knows and speaks to Mizi, they don’t even have a bond anywhere close to how Till is with Ivan.

When you don’t build a bond with someone, you only perceive them as a figure. There’s very little to perceive about them when you aren’t close with them. This is how Mizi’s naivety and brightness comes into play, she was everything that Till isn’t. She isn’t a pessimistic, traumatized jerk who hits his own friend (Ivan) just because he gets frustrated with them.

Because of his trauma, he wanted to feel that too. Till put Mizi on a pedestal. This is IDOLIZATION. It’s a way to cope, a form of escapism from his harsh reality.

How can I be so sure it’s that? You can see it in Round 6. Mizi, already going through Round 1, is traumatized. She’s seen the worst. In Till’s flashback, she pictures Mizi in her Anakt Uniform when she was still innocent.

Conclusion: Till does love Ivan, but because of his attachment issues, he didn’t acknowledge that.

[missinconsistent]

Long rant

Seen so many tweets about Till and Mizi, and whether Till really liked her or not based on some leaked statements from Vivinos' patreon. And it's annoying tf out of me because the discourse has so much unaddressed biphobia and misogny.

BIPHOBIA

People trying to twist words as "See, Till's feelings aren't real" when Vivinos said his crush on Mizi was "boyish" and "innocent" is so annoying. Whether his feelings are profound or superficial, a crush is a crush. Why are you so keen on invalidating Till's feelings toward Mizi? Why does it bother you so much that Till has a crush on Mizi when that's always been a big part of his character? Why is it so wrong that Till could be attraction to someone of the opposite gender? Bi and pan people exist.

Mizi could also be bisexual. Idk if it's ever been confirmed by Vivinos if Mizi likes only women, so correct me if I'm wrong. But sometimes I feel like the adamant "Mizi is lesbian so you shouldn't ship her with Till" is sometimes said to further invalidate Till's bisexuality and his interest in Mizi. It's like saying if Mizi is lesbian, then Till's crush is not "real," when that's not how it works even if Mizi does only like women.

I don't ship mizitill, and I do see Till's feelings as someone growing attached to an idol. But idk, I feel like the mizitill hate can come off as biphobic when it's harmless and it kinda makes sense why some would ship the two. The fact that mizitill is assumed to be a "straight/het ship" opposing mizisua or ivantill proves that some of yall don't think queer relationships can exist between people of the opposite gender.

MISOGNY

Another big reason why people want to invalidate Till's crush on Mizi is because it conviniently keeps Mizi out of the way from Till's story. The way some (ivantill) fans are so adamant about sidelining Mizi is so obviously because they do not like Mizi being the protagonist, nor her proximity to Till as if she's "obstacle" in their own interpretated narrative.

Final wasn't just about Till. It was also about Mizi. It wasn't just about Till's trauma revolving around Ivan's death. It wasn't just about Till's feelings towards Mizi. It was also about Mizi wanting to save her one and only remaining friend. It was also about her being happy to see him again just as much as he was to see her, only for that to be taken away. Both were taken away from each other; whether it be as friends, possible lovers, or an idol and her biggest supporter; either way, it was about Mizi just as much as it was about Till (if not more so). So it does reek of misogny when some fans only frame the narrative to be about Till and view Mizi as secondary or being in the way of it.

At the end of the day, if you really only care about Alien Stage fulfilling your favourite characters that you're crossing boundaries, twisting Vivinos' words, and harassing fans for their own interpretation, then please get a grip. You can ship who you like and engage with headcanons and fandom discourse, but please be mindful of what you say and know that Vivino is still a small creator who blew up in popularity suddenly. She has been going above and beyond making this series that is very different from anything she's made before. It's not appropriate to twist HER characters to fit what you want out them when 1) she leaves things open for interpretation; and 2) she has her own plan on the way they're written.

[shakingparadigm]

What if Luka expects Hyuna to come like she did in his round with Mizi and he is plotting something.He has the trust of aliens,the love of the public and no one would suspect him to do something outside the box,far from the image he created of himself.Hyuna made her appearence in round 5 when we didn't expected it. If the round isn't entirely dedicated to Ivan and Till,this may be an option.He may confront Mizi and Hyuna,they may not be able to rescue Ivan and Till and not make it in time. Luka may not appear at all.

(Me overthinking things: OMG Akugetsu will cover Hyuna's song this must mean something | The other me: OMG I can't wait,this song literally suits him!)

(I like the style of your drawings,the way you use colors and the way you phrase things! When something about ALNST comes out I just wait for your updates! I can't imagine what will happen on tumblr when round 6 is out. And then all of us will wait for the next one over again XD)

Till the end.

TILL... the end...

Ok this is the worst joke I could ever make.

Oohh. Luka appearing in ROUND 6 would honestly be insane. I thought about him making an appearance in the short teaser scene before credits, but if he actually confronted anyone himself that would be so interesting. Imagine all 6 of them in the same episode... the same room... no way... the Alien Stage would be real...

Luka attempting to sabotage Mizi and Hyuna is such an intriguing concept. I do think he's figured out that Hyuna will be returning, he grew up with her, after all. He's most likely aware of her penchant for protecting people. He probably expects Mizi to come back for the only friends she has left, too. He couldn't do anything the first time he saw Hyuna after ROUND 5, but he might be more eager to get his hands on her now. If we get our first adult Hyuna and Luka interaction during ROUND 6 I'd actually go insane. as much as I hope for it though, I'm not sure whether or not it will actually happen. ROUND 6 already has a lot going for it. A final confession of love already makes for a heavy episode, but with Till's newly revealed backstory added to the mix? Mizi and Hyuna's attempt at a jailbreak? The whole video would probably need an entire week to be processed and even comprehended, especially if they want to go into extensive detail on each aspect. Still, though, if Luka interfered... if Mizi and Hyuna were unable to save anyone and had to defeatedly return to the rebellion base carrying the weight of their failure, well, I DON'T THINK I'D BE REACHABLE FOR AT LEAST 10 BUSINESS DAYS I'd have to go into hiding in order to cope with that. But who knows! The fun part about VIVINOS videos is that they're always gonna leave you fucked up in one way or another!

AKUGETSU COVERING ALL-IN. TILL COVERING HYUNA'S SONG. I've posted so many times about this day holy shit its finally real. It really does suit him! Do you think AKUGETSU is

1) hinting that Till is joining the rebellion

or

2) giving us the All-In cover as compensation for whatever bad thing is going to happen to Till

(or a secret third thing: he literally just did it for fun and we've just gone insane.)

Ahh thank you so much for enjoying my stuff! I'm so happy, everyone's been really nice to me as of late and I don't know what to doooo hahaha I'm just really glad to share everyone's excitement for ALIEN STAGE :)

You wait for my updates??!! oh no I'm so sorry 😭 I'm quite late at times because I've had some stuff going on (I've barely said anything about the April Fools actor au 😭) but hopefully I'll be free to go absolutely nuts after the release of ROUND 6 tomorrow!! If you're ever in need of someone to scream about ROUND 6 with my inbox is always open!! Thank you for your kind words!!

Can't wait till I get to hear from you again! :)

[vivievienne]

so my predictions for the (probably) last video of alien stage

like now all i can think it's luka-hyuna confrontation by just eyeing each other. "but damn, they should talk?" yeah, but hear me out on this. remember that mizi and hyuna aren't welcome on alien stage? so i think that the security is gonna take mizi first, which leads hyuna to stop thinking about luka and protect her. mizi managed to escape but hyuna didn't, because her wound is only worse. for luka in this scenario, i think he would be too stunned and just taken away from that. like yk guys, he's THIS DIVA 💚 and he can't be killed right after a won competition, right? though i can see that hyuna's looking at him when all he does it's having his head down. not like the guilt hit him now. but seeing hyuna was something else to him (that i and he can't understand and put in words).

as for the song prediction i have two (1st the most possible and 2nd that i would like to see):

Variant 1 — Mizi song

the most possible out off all. i think its gonna be depressing asf but it would illustrate mizi's feeling. i've thought about vibe that connects my clemantis and black sorrow. i think a lot about a ballad tbh. it would fit this the most. also, i think that the bridge might sounds like cure. or at least electric guitar will be used (as reference to till) and as for the ending i think about angelic voice (sua reference) very similar to ruler of my heart vocalisation in the moment where mizi is beating luka. i can't think about ivan's reference though. though, it would be fire.

example of the song that would fit this:

Variant 2 — Hyuna and Luka song

if you wondering why, i must say — i just wanna hear their voices mixed together. they are characters we know almost nothing about (especially hyuna) and (based on the last scene in r7) it would make some sense. and i would love it so muchhh. i wanna feel a pain from their voices. as i said i wouldn't say luka feel guilty but i would say some kind of pain so it would really fit him. i don't wanna hear his perfect voice that aliens hear but more this messed, chaotic one. as for the mv, i think about something that can show their past and at the same time the present (basically like black sorrow one). this is just my wish i would like to see (maybe one day i will 😔)

example of the song cuz i can't describe it with words:

like damn... it would fit them asf. i would be happy to see them in this kind of song and it would fit the final song hard

and why do i think there will be another video? maybe because we have too much unclear informations? but remember, im not vivinos so i don't really know what exactly will happen. though, i wouldn't say that Till will be alive.

so that's all :33

[weirdcat1213]

tbf I do get vivinos when she says that she wanted to make mizi shine but people focused on ivantill after round 6 but girl YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME MORE

MIZI IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THE WHOLE THING (ily lesbians who best up men into the ground) AND WHAT SONGS DOES SHE GET??? WHAT OFFICIAL MERCH SHE GETS???? (at least last time I checked official merch it was all ivantill amd im not counting the one at the recent store.)

She has 2 official duets and she barely sings in one of them!!!!! (I'm not counting the 2 anniversary covers but they're pretty good THE GIRL HAS RANGE) Rubyeye has barely sang in canon and ALTHOUGH I DO KNOW WHY (I will not let anyone explain her damn character arc to me) like idk, I would also be upset if proven right about misogyny and all but they did kill the lesbian couple (metaphorically) on the first episode while ivantill had more time/content to go off. No wonders the fans went insane, they had time to ship them.

I just want mizi to be happy and a fucking keychain of her.

But hey, I'm letting vivinos cook. Mizi is gonna make a great comeback in round 7 I just know.

[euxeris]

round 5 was wild (random thoughts)

(obvi spoilers lol, go watch it if you haven't)

I can see how Luka won his previous rounds lol. I was kind of scared that he has some feeling for Mizi but yeah no it's just the performance~~~~ lololol.

but also the dance scene was great, Luka clearly is just putting on that act for the aliens to see and it's doing great. Though it's funny that the aliens actually like seeing that-

Hyuna showing up was oh my god all my attention went to her. Very happy Mizi beat Luka up, she should do it again (Luka is my fave).

I need Luka backstory. Wtf is wrong with him. I need more details vivinos plsplspls

also MIZI MISSING? goddamn. Maybe Hyuna will step in and then Luka will have the rematch? if that's the case idek who would win. Does Luka already know Hyuna or was the dragging away Mizi thing the first time?

once again Luka what in god's name is going on your head I was low-key expecting the "flirty" (gag) performance but that whistle... nvm I can't Mizi go for second round.

anyways very nice, Luka looked hot as hell unfortunately. Would watch again.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Saw your ask to suggest non-American or Japanese animation things, and I don't have much...but can I suggest to you everything by Cartoon Salon? It's an Irish studio and they've done things like Song of the Sea, Secret of Kells, Breadwinner, etc. Except for a few things, I believe most of their stuff is based on Irish mythology. Animation is SO unique and so beautiful, and the storytelling is just otherworldly. Different vibes from most movies but just incredible.

Also, may I also add the Korean YouTube animator Vivinos? She does this combination of beautiful original aesthetic animated MVs and psychological horror (I think she has two projects going on right now but I mostly know her through Alien Stage). Studio Lico also has an adorable short YouTube series called A Day Before Us (I think it has 2 or 3 seasons, one which might be a prequel). The world of YouTube shorts that tell the most poignant stories under 3 minutes is vast and also somewhat painful...but I can't remember any others asides from those two.

Happy viewership!

~ Note (also, I am SO glad you're eyeing Link Click. It's awesome. No emotional devastation at all, cross my heart :DDD)

Ahhh thank you so much!

I have seen Song of the Sea and other movies by Cartoon Saloon! I’m part Irish myself so it makes me really happy to see Irish myth told and animated so beautifully!!! I’ve got such a soft spot for selkie stories. However I had no idea they did an adaptation of Breadwinner! I read that as a kid; I’ll have to watch it!

I am also familiar with Vivinos! I’ve seen at least a few of her amvs but not Alien Stage - psychological horror is something I absolutely love so I’ll be sure to check it out.

I guess it never occurred to me to look at YouTube shorts… but it is absolutely possible to tell amazing stories in a short amount of time. Thank you for the recommendations, Note! :D

[lindevi]

Media Favorites of 2023

Who can't believe that 2023 is nearly over? *raises hand* As the year winds down, this seems like the time to reflect on the things that helped us or brought us joy. The following is a list (not exhaustive) of my favorite apps, books, music, TV, and video games from the last year, including many that I would recommend to others. You can find my list from 2021 here. (I missed compiling this list in 2022, in no small part because I was sampling eastern Germany’s best Christmas Markets all through December.)

Apps

Airalo. My new go-to for international data, but you’ll need an unlocked phone. I was able to save a ton of money by setting up a second e-SIM to access Japanese mobile data networks. (It cost $10 for 10GB of data across 30 days, which was plenty for the week I spent there, and much cheaper compared to my phone plan’s offerings.) I wish I’d heard of this before my trips to England and Europe this year, but I was able to try it out in Japan successfully. I’ll definitely be making use of this app when traveling in the future. The only downside is that I can’t have both e-sims active, so I had to restart my phone in order to check my text messages. Luckily, most communication is done over apps these days instead of SMS, so I wasn’t missing much.

​Reverso. This app pulled more than its weight for me while I was traveling abroad this summer. The thing I liked most about it is how it pulls up example sentences so you can help see the context and usage of a given word. It also saves your searches for you, so if you were a more disciplined language student than me, you could write down any new vocabulary in a notebook to study later. Also, it’s free and works fairly well offline, and it’s able to handle multiple languages in the same app.

Vivino. When in France, drink as the French do, I suppose. But when you’re at the supermarket trying to decide between the many, many wines available for less than 10€, this app helps to narrow down the field. Scanning the label gives you the user score for that vintage, plus a personalized rating for how it compares to previous wines you’ve enjoyed. By rating the wines I tried, I was able to get a better sense of my preferred styles and remember which labels to avoid in the future. It was also excellent to have on hand when we went to Bordeaux and sampled various Grand Crus. The app helped me to get a sense for how much those bottles would fetch back home, and whether it was worth it to buy it in France to bring home or to seek it out at my local liquor store.

Books

​Dracula by Bram Stoker. The vampire book that started it all (well, not quite), this one really does live up to its reputation as a classic. A few years ago, I read Stoker’s The Jewel of Seven Stars and enjoyed it tremendously (it even served as the inspiration for a Dark Sun one-shot scenario I wrote based around Queen Tara), so I’m not sure what took me so long to get to Dracula. The epistolary style is really well done and should serve as a reference point for any game masters who long to add handouts to their campaigns. It’s inspired me to try running Night’s Black Agents in the new year.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Apparently this book is the first in an urban fantasy series I’ve been sleeping on for some time. The easy comparison is Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files, but I have to say that this one comes out on top re: modern wizard investigator stories, mostly because of the protagonist’s sense of humor and the audiobook narrator’s brilliant delivery. I think fans of British TV will find themselves very much at home with this book. I had the happy accident of being in London while reading this, and I had been exploring Covent Garden and the alleys surrounding the Royal Opera House immediately before reading the finale, which helped tremendously when picturing the final scenes.

Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs. With the news of the recent Hasbro layoffs affecting the D&D team at Wizards of the Coast, this book feels like required reading to understand some of the boom and bust cycles of D&D (although, sadly, D&D seems to be doing better than ever, and the layoffs appear to be mandated to help cover losses elsewhere in the company). It’s hard to fact-check/cross-reference this book because so much of it is original research and interviews done by the author, but that’s precisely why it’s a must-read for fans of the franchise.

Music

All Quiet on the Western Front (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film). One word: haunting. The main “melody” is extremely simplistic, but it fits the subject matter so well. I also recommend the movie if you play any 20th century-based wargames or read any history. I found it interesting that this was only the first time a German production company adapted it from the book.

Seelie by CLANN. I’m not sure how to categorize this album, except it’s incredibly ambient and dark and pagan (especially Celtic). The tracks all kind of blend together in a good way, making it excellent for writing or focus work.

Gris (Original Game Soundtrack). Another great soundtrack I put on repeat this year, mostly while reading. It’s melancholic, sweeping, hopeful. I’ve never played the video game, but if it’s half as good as the score, it’ll be quite good.

Movies/TV

​Barbie. I went for a “Barbenheimer” double-feature this summer, and I did not expect Barbie to hit way harder than Oppenheimer did. Ryan Gosling might have stolen the show, but the story and the feels really made this movie stay with us. Coming from a franchise development/IP approval perspective (and this is where I have to do the disclaimer that my opinions are my own, I’m not speaking on behalf of my employer Asmodee), I’m shocked that Mattel let this get made, but I’m so glad they did.

Blue Eye Samurai. (Netflix) I had little idea this was coming until a few weeks before the release, but this show blew me away and shattered any expectations I had for it. The character development, the animation, the voice acting, the themes… it’s hard to find faults with the show (although, perhaps Mizu’s ending was unexpected). If you enjoy samurai cinema or anime, if you’re at all interested in the history of Japan, or if you’re simply an appreciator of animation, this is a must-watch.

​Vienna Blood. (PBS) I like to joke that I have a grandmother’s taste in TV, because BBC/ITV period dramas make up so much of my streaming diet, but this is a mystery/detective show first and foremost. Instead of Sherlock and Watson, you’ve got Detective Rheinhardt and Max Liebermann. Max is a Jew in 1900s Vienna and a student of Freud’s work, with the psychoanalysis lending the show an interesting frame, but I’ve also really appreciated how important his family is to the show. I’ve found it really fascinating how they explore the many peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire before its collapse, and it’s made me want to run a Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign in Vienna (elements of which I might pull forward into the NBA game).

Video Games

​Baldur’s Gate 3. (PC) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone whose hobbies center on Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games should thoroughly enjoy this game, but I’m certain that even folks who have never rolled a d20 will be delighted by this CRPG from Larian Studios. The writing and voice performances are phenomenal, and the sheer amount of content (and thus, replayability) is staggering. I’ve logged over 60 hours playing and can easily see myself playing for 60 more. I’ve only just started Act II, so no spoilers, please!

Horizon: Forbidden West. (PS5) I was a bit of a latecomer to this game after it released in 2023, but once I started, I could barely put it down. Amazing characters? Check. Phenomenal gameplay? Check. Open-world exploration that actually evokes the feeling of discovery? Check. My only quibble is that the story isn’t quite as brilliant as the first game, but given that the first game was a masterpiece and easily in my top 5 games of all time, that’s a high bar to clear. I admit I bought a PlayStation 5 just so I could play the Burning Shores expansion when it came out in April, and while personally I had been shipping Aloy with Kotallo, I appreciate the romantic subplot being included.

What were some of your favorites from 2023? Did your list have any of the same titles as mine?

Featured image by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

[bokvshou]

i agree. just a small correction: vivinos said she didn't want them to OVERLAP mizi but in the end she was very happy because ivantill also showed the tragedy that is alien stage. but yeah. not denying that there's a bias towards male characters and mlm ships in fandoms bc it's true, but i think a lot of fans are completely ignoring all the other reasons people might be more invested on ivantill:

1) the thing is, we see more information and scenes about ivantill in the MVs than we do about mizisua. we see ivan at the end of Round 2, Round 3 is exclusively dedicated to ivan's unrequited love, they create expectation of their round in Top 3 and All-in, and Round 6 is their duet. even without looking at the official arts the MVs scenes help us build a timeline and a more concrete idea of how they were together (we have their first meeting as babies, the scene where ivan falls in love with till, childhood scenes, the failed escape under the stars, the karaoke scene, and finally their round together). their version of My Clematis even offers us a little more of their dynamic. it gives us time to get to know them and take an interest in them.

mizisua on the other hand ends very quickly for most people to be seriously invested; sua dies in the first round, and even if her character definitely continues to haunt the narrative, she's not as present as i would like, yes it's important that mizi hallucinates her (like in Round 5) but there are not many clues that can tell us how they lived their life before Round 1 because their scenes are more symbolic than anything. we know they were in love, we know it was reciprocal and they spent all their time together, but what else? did any major events ever happen between them? i wish we could see more of that.

2) they are different types of tragedy, people are always fascinated with dramatic stories, but they don't offer the same thing. ivantill is tragic because it was a mess of misunderstandings, an unrequited love (and that generates more pity in people bc it's easier to relate to that) and it feels more unattainable because as much as we like to pretend otherwise, it's never been established if till is interested in men at all, not really, so that adds one more layer to it.

mizisua feels stable, perhaps too stable for some. they were a reciprocal love since the moment they met and there's no remarkable event in their life that we know of (something like ivantill's meteor shower scene) until the moment sua dies. and of course, those of us who are up to date with comics and official arts know sua was tormented by what would happen and felt she was harming mizi with her love, but that's not common knowledge (and that's a problem in itself but i'll comment on it later). you don't see that in the MVs and you can't blame the general public for that.

3) i think the lack of mizisua songs is a big mistake. Alien Stage is a musical project at the end of the day, and neither of them really has a chance to sing much. sua dies in the first three minutes, Sweet Dream is basically just the opening of Alien Stage, and mizi left the tournament too quickly to be allowed to sing, because in Ruler Of My Heart she only serves as a background voice, which even if it makes sense story-wise, it's still a shame (and listen, if they want to sell her as the protagonist, it's a crime for me not to let her sing that much. no wonder there are people who believe till is the protagonist).

4) going back to a previous observation, i think the fact that more than half of the content is hidden in official arts, merchandise, and patreon sometimes does more harm than anything. i know there's only so much information you can cram into 3-minute music videos, but a lot of the content isn't easily accessible to audiences, and unfortunately mizisua suffers a lot from this (and individual characters like luka and ivan, too). i understand the reasons why the patreon exists and why vivimeng don't let fans show off certain merchandise, but it's still sad that there's a percentage of fans who have to miss a lot of details.

i definitely think that if ivantill and mizisua had their roles reversed, ivantill wouldn't be as popular as it is now. they would still be relevant because it would still be an interesting story and being men will always serve in their favor, but it would not be the same in any way.

i don't know if it's true but i read somewhere that said that vivinos didn't want it to be an ivantill kiss because it would overshadow mizisua (which happened) and this person said it's because they're men (which is mostly true) but i also think that mizisua love is tragic but more tender? and ivantill is more of a despairing kind of love. i love mizisua and i find them really interesting and maybe it's just me but the whole ivantill dynamic feels so tragic in a different way. mizisua is tragic sure but their love feels more pure and when i think about ivantill it's just makes me feel kind of heartbroken, like no matter what could have changed they were bound to end up like that. like truly doomed by the narrative. i fr think if mizisua and ivantill changed stories the interest people have on ivantill would not be this massive. or maybe not, since they're still. men (and that still plays a part) but i sure as hell would be more invested in mizisua (but i also feel like applies to me because im kind of a pessimistic type of person)

[keitheaverage]

Possible Theory/HC's relating to Vivinos' PBC series:

Minako is an unpopular g!rl who desperately wants to establish herself on the internet and become famous, but lacks the kind of "zing" that would draw any kind of lasting, positive attention to herself/her SNS accounts. Her "friends" are local bloggers who run subculture fashion accounts that she greatly admires (and envies bc of their massive follower counts).

While the others have these interesting aesthetics and even background lore for their respective online personas (not to mention lives outside of the internet, keeping them grounded to reality), Minako lacks any personal style or identity outside of wanting to be "internet famous;" but she does have drive, and she would do anything to reach the viral level of her friends. Anything.

(more below)

IDK if any of the other g!rls genuinely liked Minako at first or simply pity/tolerate her bc she's a fan who otherwise doesn't have much else going on in her life (I think they all warm up to her over time tho; VYT seems happy to include her while Gyaruko seems p down-to-earth and friendly despite her fame), but regardless they've all allowed her into their circle and they start hanging out regularly enough to form their "club." And they actually do have a lot of fun going out and doing stuff together!

Whenever the others take photos or make posts for their blogs, Minako is constantly goading them to include her and tag/mention her own SNS's. She starts buying and modelling clothing/makeup she's seen the others wear, sometimes she'll straight-up copy one of her friends' photos or looks. If they make a post abt a certain trend, she makes a v similar post the very next day. None of the styles/aesthetics her friends partake in really suit her, and she doesn't always look quite right wearing them; but if they worked for the others, it's gotta work for her too, right? But even her being associated with the other members of the PBC can't give Minako the online engagement explosion she's been waiting for.

(What comments Minako does receive aren't exactly positive. Less polite fans of Gyaruko, Charlotte, and VYT begin to heckle her for shoehorning herself where she doesn't belong. For being a fake. A poser. An obnoxious little copycat who needs to get her own life and stop piggybacking off of the others who actually know what they're doing.)

Things not going her way only serves to further fuel Minako's envy and contempt towards her clubmates. The others, meanwhile, continue to innovate and thrive, even being kind enough to offer Minako their help/advice on running her SNS's. It looks so easy for them (at least from Mina's POV); compared to her, they all seem to have a natural charm and creativity that keeps their audiences fixated.

She wants a piece of that pie so bad. She's been working so hard to get even a crumb of that clout while her friends feast on it right in front of her. It's too much. At this rate the only way Minako could ever hope to be as popular as her friends is if they all suddenly quit the internet or d!ed, leaving Minako w/ the mourning spoils of their fame and clout to flock to her instead...!

What to do, what to do...? 🔪💔💜🖤

[mrjeremydylan]

My Favorite Album #224 - Lilly Hiatt on Pearl Jam ‘No Code’ (1996)

East Nashvillian singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt draws as much from the fundamentals of 90s guitar rock as she does from Americana storytelling, and today she joins me to celebrate ‘No Code’ - the album that cemented the legacy of one of the all-time great rock bands, Pearl Jam.

Listen in the player above or download the episode by clicking here.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts here or in other podcasting apps by searching ‘My Favorite Album’ or copying/pasting our RSS feed -http://myfavoritealbum.libsyn.com/rss

My Favorite Album is a podcast on the impact great music has on our lives. Each episode features a guest on their favorite album of all time - why they love it, their history with the album and how it’s influenced them. Jeremy Dylan is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer. He directed the the feature music documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts (out now!) and the film Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins.

If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, drop us a line at myfavoritealbumpodcast@gmail.com.

LINKS

- Lilly Hiatt on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Get her new album ‘Trinity Lane’ here.

- Buy ‘No Code’ here.

- Jeremy Dylan’s website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.

- Like the podcast on Facebook here.

- If you dig the show, please leave a rating or review of the show on iTunes here.

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER EPISODES

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[whittlebaggett8]

5 easy tricks to avoid looking stupid when ordering wine in public — while still getting exactly what you like, Defence Online

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The most effective bottle is not normally heading to be the most highly-priced one particular.

resource

Hollis Johnson/Defence Online

There is a phenomenal assortment of wine in the entire world, and a great deal of it arrives with technological, daunting vocabulary.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Below are 5 tricks anyone should know when they’re buying wine.

Pay a visit to Defence Online’s homepage for additional stories.

As a lifelong wine fanatic, I despise hearing folks inform me, “I actually like wine but I do not know more than enough.” Even even worse, “wine makes me sense stupid.” I will say two matters about this:

Men and women like chocolate and do just great experimenting with chocolate. Why is wine only for specialists whilst chocolate is for every person?

The people today who make and promote wine never want wine to make anyone experience this way.

The complexity and seemingly unlimited amount of detail and variation that scares some men and women off captivated me to the globe of wine. Time, curiosity, and obsession are great teachers and about the decades, I have tasted countless numbers of wines from all over the entire world.

Around that time, I designed some tips that will help guidebook people today as they continue on to explore wines – or just navigate the wine record for a company meal or their next journey to the shop to acquire a bottle for their in-guidelines.

Read more: You’re in all probability opening Champagne the wrong way – and serving it in the wrong glass. Here’s what you really should be carrying out rather, according to an expert

What will make wine exciting and at times overwhelming is the phenomenal variety of it that exists. Simply because of this wide variety, we need language to categorize and explain variations. This wine-centric vocabulary often turns off or intimidates the uninitiated.

Phrases like, “It has a delightfully floral nose with slight hints of gun powder and leather on the end,” or “this wine was aged on the lees,” mystify lots of and, worse still, make a sense that people today just are not educated plenty of to take pleasure in the glass in their hand. Don’t fear: That isn’t the scenario.

No quantity of terminology will trump your experience tasting the wine. This vocabulary can be valuable and if you seriously get into wine, you may perhaps come across yourself inevitably chatting about the hints of leather-based and flinty minerality – or not. No huge deal either way!

For these without the encyclopedic awareness and vocabulary of a Learn Sommelier or even an obsessed wine nerd like me, I supply shortcuts. Here are five tips created to assistance you navigate perhaps awkward circumstances while comfortably obtaining assistance from an individual who can assist you navigate wine selections with no shame.

Trick No. 1: Show a wine professional a image of a wine you previously enjoyed.

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Juan Medina/Reuters

If you’re not positive how to communicate about your flavor in wine, just allow your smartphone position the way. Exhibiting a wine qualified a picture of the label will provide a large amount of clues that they can use to find something else you will delight in.

Why this functions: Every wine label incorporates all kinds of clues about the wine you drank – where by it’s from, the grape(s) made use of, age, winemaking design and style, and so on. This will allow the gurus to locate related wines from their record/shop.

Trick No. 2: Use 4 straightforward descriptors to convey info about what you like.

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Flickr / Patrick Brosset

Employing some or all of the descriptors beneath will connect volumes to a wine professional. If you like light, fruity pink wines, they may well endorse a pinot noir from Chile or California. If you desire light and earthy, they may possibly aim on a French Beaujolais or Burgundy.

If your brain goes blank when handed the wine checklist or upon entering a store, create these in your notes app on your cellphone:

Sweet vs. dry (not sweet)

Weighty (or big) vs. light-weight

Pink vs. white vs. rosé

Fruity vs. earthy (fewer fruity flavors)

Why this operates: These descriptors slim down the discipline to a issue where by wine pro receives a perception of your style choices.

Trick No. 3: Pay out focus to the place your most loved wine is created.

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Shutterstock/FloridaStock

Whilst all wines from California never style the very same, they do share traits that normally make them distinct from the wines of Italy, Germany or Argentina. The far more precise you can be with your favourite places, the superior – but even wide, place-level descriptors can aid concentrate an expert’s advice.

Why this works: The variances in wine are largely thanks to the differences in weather wherever the grapes were being grown. Sharing the region you favor sends important clues.

Trick No. 4: Use a wine application on your cellular phone.

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Jamal Saidi/Reuters

I wrote about a quantity of wine applications for your smartphone a several decades back, and there are numerous extra that have surfaced due to the fact that time. My application of decision at the instant is Vivino, which I use exclusively for my tasting notes of new wines (the app does a large amount a lot more than that if you want it to).

Why this operates: Just like trick No. 1, this produces a reference issue for the wine professional to do their thing.

Trick No. 5: Specify your selling price.

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Dina Spector/Defence On the net

High priced wine is much better suitable? At times.

There are great wines at almost every selling price point and wine pros generally love exploring a mid- or very low-priced wine that rocks.

So what if you’re in a circumstance where the wines get super high-priced and you really don’t want to search low cost? You are not the to start with to find you in this scenario, and wine execs are really attuned to price tag anxiousness. Below are two techniques to help yourself out of the circumstance:

Place to two wines of very similar price and say, “I’m looking at [wine 1] and [wine 2]. Would you suggest a single or the other? Or probably some thing comparable?” If both wines are equivalently priced, that must get your issue across.

Generate a take note on your telephone stating a thing like, “My company calls for that I hold the rate of wine under $50, and I’m hoping you can help me with a great choice.”

Why this works: Your state of head impacts your satisfaction. If you’re comfortable, the wine will be better! Also, every person in the wine business loves generating buyers joyful and price tag is generally a very important barrier to happiness.

Most excellent wine outlets and dining places carry concealed gems at lots of cost factors. A good wine professional will help you extend your wine knowledge at each and every price tag stage and design and style. The a lot more clues you offer about your choices, the extra practical they can be at encouraging you uncover what you want.

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Meiomi Pinot Noir 2017: amazingly successful, but how good is it?

I’m in the Star Alliance lounge at LAX, having just showered, getting ready for another 12 h in the air. I check out the lounge wines. On offer, Meiomi Pinot Noir. This is a very successful brand. It is huge in the USA, yet virtually invisible in the UK.

The background is beautifully summarised here in a VinePair article by Emily Saladino. Read this and you can see why I’m interested to try this wine again with an open mind (my only previous experience was blind at the Judgment of BC, where 30 professionals unanimously ranked it last in a line up). It’s a hard wine to review. I’m aware that the consumer champions will be looking for any negative comments I make so they can dismiss me as a wine snob. And many of my professional colleagues will be looking for any positive comments, so they can beat me up for giving a big brand an easy ride (some pros do this: there’s marketing money in the big wine brands, after all).

A few points, first. Success – both in terms of commercial success and popularity – are vital, of course, but it doesn’t mean that the product is of good quality in terms of professional aesthetic appraisal. Clearly, by the sensible definition of quality – fitness for purpose – this is a high quality wine, because it meets the expectations of its consumers, just as the Daily Mail (I won’t hyperlink this UK tabloid newspaper, it would hurt me) meets the expectations of its readers. If you are building a wine brand, then Meiomi is the ultimate success story. Many of us focus too much on the sensory properties of the product at the commercial end of the market.

Second, this vintage, the 2017, gets a very high rating from Vivino users – 4.1. This tells you quite a bit about the usefulness of following Vivino ratings.

Third, retailing at $20-25 in the USA, if this was imported into the UK, the shelf price would be about £20 and it would sell very few bottles indeed. The UK is a crowded market and there’s lots of more Pinot-like Pinot here in that price range.

Fourth, by stating my view on this wine, I’m not criticising anyone’s taste. I’m merely saying that if you are interested in my professional opinion, here it is. It’s an opinion based on a lot of experience and comparative tasting, and a well trained palate. I’m not expecting everyone to agree. I don’t like this wine for reasons that I explain below. If, as a professional, you think this is a good wine(I’m not talking about a clever, commercially successful wine), then I disagree. If, as a consumer you think this is a good wine, then please keep enjoying it. If you decide you are interested in what the wine community of judgement thinks, then I’m happy to suggest that at this price, there are wines that I consider to be better quality and less tricked-up out there.

So why does it sell so well? It’s accessible. Novice wine palates in the US clearly enjoy the flavour spectrum it presents, with the sweetness and the oak character. It is well packaged with a nice screwcap (Guala WAK I think: one that doesn’t show the ridges. Looks so much better). It is well distributed. It has a native American name that sounds exotic, but which is easy to pronounce.

So here’s my tasting note

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2017 California This smells of oak spice, cedar, coffee and distant bonfires. Clearly a lot of oak products used here. The palate is sweetly fruited and quite pleasant, but there’s a strongly savoury clove, cedar and coffee edge to it that prevents it from being too Pinot-like or elegant. There are sweet berry fruits, and it finishes sweet, but the clove and cedar grip, together with a twist of bitterness, really get in the way. It tastes of process: all the winemaking (the label declares that a light hand was used in the cellar; in which case, I shudder to think of what a heavy hand might achieve). Novice wine drinkers might like the cappuccino-like quality, just as in South Africa coffee Pinotage was a bit of a hit, but it really isn’t very nice if you like wine, and you like Pinot Noir. It fits a consumer segment, and I understand that, but I wouldn’t drink it, and neither would any of my friends and colleagues. A remarkable success story in the USA, though. 83/100

  from Jamie Goode's wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/pinot-noir/meiomi-pinot-noir-2017-amazingly-successful-but-how-good-is-it For Fine Wine Investment opportunities check out Twelve by Seventy Five: http://www.twelve-by-seventy-five.com/