#dude he's so goddamn catchy

[king-crawler]

I know you have a Turbo themed playlist with 129 songs in it (well some of them are memes not songs but whatever) but what are your like, MOST Turbo songs? Give us your top 5-10 songs that represents him best.

OH BOY!! IM GLAD YOU ASKED!! ok here are my TOP 10 !!! i totally didnt edit this post like 5 separate times

Full playlist if you’re curious (may contain trash)

Again mostly just vibes but I really really like these if we’re considering Turbo specifically

Mariokart 8 Deluxe - Excitebike Arena

Here’s his silly TurboTime era. He’s so joyous and silly here he would never kill a man

Agent Orange - Bloodstains

This is peak RoadBlasters incident era Turbo. It really fits his “road rage aesthetic” idk LMFAO

Lemon Demon - Cabinet Man

Mandatory cabinet man. This is just his song. Every single lyric applies to him 😭 I like imagining “but there’s this tiny little box in Japan” is him finding out about RoadBlasters and “it’s getting lonely, it’s getting hard to breathe” is after he crashes it. Honorable mention I really like this cover by ANRY L STUDIOS whose videos also inspired the end of my own video :)

TWRP - Phantom Racer

SPEAKING OF ROAD RAGE LOL. THIS SONG IS SO FUN AND HONESTLY TIES 1ST PLACE WITH CABINET MAN.

Not only is every line extremely reflective of his murderous and competitive tendencies but it ALSO PERFECTLY PARALLELS HIS UNDEAD SYMBOLISM ?? WITH HIM BEING GHOSTLY/DEVILISH AND ALL…. AND EVEN HIS INFAMY/haunted legacy with the line “there’s something familiar about that car…” dude.

LAPFOX TRAX - The Queenstons - Terrible Ride

ok i was shy to add this one during my original ranking but it really is a top 10 Turbo song to me shhhh.. I love how nasty and dark the synths are and also the lyrics talking about going fast and the Aforementioned Ride (that is Terrible)

GHOST - cut the act (everything ruined in moments)

I Fucking LOVE this song oh my god it’s so glitchy and fucked up and dramatic and the entire title and even the artist being named “GHOST” just screams Turbo dude I can’t. This is his reveal scene song

Pendulum - Granite

I love dark electronic D&B or whatever the fuck this is it sounds so glitchy and evil this is PEAK TURBOCORE IDC

Oh yeah also the spooky ghost sounds at the beginning are a good touch

APAngryPiggy - Let Me Out

Ok hear me out the first 36 seconds of this one are fucking PEAK TURBO and it even parallels with how he gets burned alive at the end of the movie . then it kinda divulges back into Obvious Fnaf song material but I’m adding it because the intro is just that good. I’m gonna do a backflip

My Chemical Romance - The End.

The “YOU CAN’T SAVE ME” is what really gets me. Turbo was too far gone the moment he felt the spotlight and he lost himself entirely. Fucking tragic and raw song, I cannot get enough of how it channels his anger and his fear of dying hated by everyone.

…

ANYWAYS THANKS FOR ASKING TEEHEE !!!!🌈❤️

BONUS: MaimyMayo - FNF: ARCADE ARCHIVES vs Turbotastic

this is actually the only Real Turbo song (official) and I LOVE it so much its so goddamn catchy

[luckycheesefoodie321]

I mostly ignored all the talk about Wish and how it was bad/not as good as previous Disney films/not a great homage to 100 years of Disney etc. and I watched it on the plane bc perfect opportunity…

And it truly wasn’t bad.

Not the most amazing in the world, which is unfortunate given it was meant to be THE 100 years of Disney animation movie. Story was fairly standard, classic storytelling, truly linear in its progression. Humor was hit or miss, the villain was average but not heinous.

And his villain song wasn’t that bad. Not as horrible as many reviews seemed to make of it. Actually the most catchy of the whole movie. Tbh Magnifico gives off a more modern villain vibe despite being in a fantasy setting. Like beloved leader that gets radicalised at the slightest criticism at his questionable methods of maintaining peace and order. I thought there’d be more to the tapestry and his history they kept pointing out (hints at a possibly deeper storyline that got cut) but he truly was just a dude trying to keep the peace at first in a very misguided and selfish way and just kinda became too arrogant and ended up becoming evil. And idk how the Queen turned on him so fast with only minimal hesitation. And Magnifico flipped on her so hard too. Like if we don’t get villain couple (which was the initial plan) then give me more angst and indecision and the Queen and Magnifico grappling with their love for each other against their opposing moral alignments.

The music was fine. The chorus’s were pretty good but the verses were too wordy to be as catchy as they could be. Ariana DeBose has a great voice so no complaints there, I just think the lyrics didn’t do much to highlight her voice. Tho This Wish was nice.

BUT I will say that the This Wish Reprise made me cry silent sobs on the plane and multiple replays later, it still is.

I’m a sucker for rallying choruses when their leader is being beaten by the villain.

It gets me bad. Easily the most heartwarming moment of the whole film and the most on point the movie got with the theme of honouring Disney’s history and storytelling.

So again. Judging purely as a movie. Fairly average. A little rushed at the beginning.

I hear the initial storyboards and concept art had some much more fun plot lines we could’ve explored like evil villain couple and star boy love interest, which I truly cry for bc that sounds goddamn baller.

But yeah. I may just replay a couple of the songs and the This Wish reprise. Nothing to ring home about.

[ryttu3k]

Semi-final votes and comments, now in finals order! First, the scores I gave them, with a reminder that these can and absolutely do change between semi and final.

10/12: Australia 8/12: Norway, Portugal, Moldova, Finland, Slovenia, Albania, Austria 7/12: Serbia, Sweden, Czechia, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Armenia 6/12: Israel, Cyprus 5/12: Croatia 4/12: Switzerland, Estonia

No numerical score for the auto qualifiers.

And, my initial comments!

Austria: Okay, this one is making me grin and is also pretty catchy. 8/12 just for doing something genuinely different!

Portugal: Oh shit this is fun. Energetic torch song in Portuguese with a red dress I'm pretty sure the singer nicked from Conchita Wurst (complementary). I'm into it! 8/12

Switzerland: Oh no, a Heavy Topic Song™. Listen I respect it but is it really Eurovision? 4/12

Poland: I feel like I'm watching an aerobics video from the 90s. Produced in Spain. Which is odd, since they're Polish. On the other hand, I am jiggling my leg! Maybe it's Second Semi Final Syndrome's lower standards? 7/12

Serbia: Staging is really strong this year! Oh we're straight video game now. Wasn't sure at first but it's definitely growing on me! 7/12

France: I'm giving them nul points based solely on being a Mr Bean enjoyer. Okay no it's not bad. Ballady vibes but could be a banger.

Cyprus: Australia's back-up entry! He came 7th in the selection show last year (Voyager came second). …yeah no dull. Oh well. 6/12

Spain: Yeah I'm gonna have to wait to see the whole thing, but looks interesting. Maybe not my thing, but interesting!

Sweden: Loreen is back, too! I do wonder about this, previous winners returning tends not to play out great unless you're Johnny Logan. …It is a bit panini press, yeah XD Yeah honestly I'm not feeling this, definitely not as much as Euphoria, which I goddamn adored. It's still really solid, it's just lacking something? I suspect it'll win XD;; 7/12

Albania: Oh there's the drama. Not in English, rad costumes! 8/12

Italy: Eh, doesn't really do much for me.

Estonia: Nifty a cure for the fact that I've been awake for nearly two hours and it's only 5:20 AM. *faceplants on the keyboard 4/12

Finland: “When your sleeves say Met Gala but your chest says Vicks VaporRub.” The fan favourite! You go dude bust out of that box. I'm not actually 100% sold on it musically, but the presentation is top notch. Oh hey I really dig that last bit, actually! Rainbows! 8/12

Czechia: Oh these visuals slap. Not 100% sold on the song itself but the presentation is really cool. 7/12

Australia: Yeah here we go! Honestly so glad we're closing the show. Very synthwavey vibes but like, synthwave goes rock. And our old friend, the wind machine! And a keytar! Fuck yeah that's a closer! 10/12

Belgium: God this gets points just for not making me fall asleep. The Ballroom vibe is fun as hell too. 7/12

Armenia: Oh god this is so slow. Armenia, it's 5:13 AM, it's too early for a slow song. There we go, picked up! Yeah, aside from the slow start, this works. 7/12

Moldova: Welcome back, Pasha! I did love Lăutar. Oh shit this is fun as hell, really digging the staging and costuming, it's got some fun folky elements but amped up. 8/12

Ukraine: It's kind of giving 90s boy band, alas.

Norway: Oh this is a strong start! Costuming is dramatic, it's got energy, I dig it! Oof, that high note didn't quite hit, though. 8/12

Germany: ‘Blood and Glitter' is a hell of a title. They look like they're gonna be fun as hell!

Lithuania: Slow start, but some big vocals to save it a bit. I'm sorry I'm so tired. 6/12

Israel: It feels listenable but in the most generic way possible? Like, “Okay, start with interesting visuals, put some soaring vocals in, now do a rap bit, now do a dance, now end with pyros!” Like objectively I'm not sure there's anything wrong with it but it just feels… generic!! 6/12

Slovenia: Points for not English + I kinda want the lead singer's shirt + it's funky + band! With instruments! It's certainly no Maneskin, but yeah, definitely favourite of the night so far! 8/12

Croatia: Myf (Australian commentator) just described them as bonkers so I am eagerly awaiting this. …It is indeed bonkers! Not sure about the weird military-esque vibe but it's also giving somewhat cheerleader? Okay this is basically nigh unlistenable but it does get Bonkers Points™. 5/12

United Kingdom: It's certainly not bad! It's just very… more of the same, I guess?

So starting out with a really fun one, Australia and Finland have not-great places in the very middle of the pack, and we're ending with something very… samey. Well, we'll see how it goes!

[kamonra]

Wholesome music. 

[lexpressobean]

Help I'm suddenly plagued with thoughts of Popstar Sensation!Shino AU. It's so dumb.

He can sing. He can dance. He can play guitar and piano. Dude's all kinds of popular. He always seems to be so poised and mysterious in interviews, yet on stage he's, like, crazy athletic with his showmanship and his presence makes itself known. His main asset is his Grade A Coolness. But surprise! He's actualy a Tripple Threat Musician! He's also a talented actor! But, no one really knows about the last one. Why? Because there's always a camera in his face in public. So he's always acting.

On stage he goes by simply Moritaka (play on source material). In reality, he's still the same old Shino Aburame we know. He's still a huge nerd and Insects are still his special interest. He plays many instruments due to his upbringing but keeps that on the DL because his Record Label has this Image for him. He sings lovely sweet nothings and danceable anthems on stage, but when he pours his soul into his writing, it's more raw and sad, usually very cathartic and often with a hint of bitterness. Not something that can rake in the success as easily as the Pop Music he adapts to as it's given to him, but it helps him cope. He loves his layers goddamn it, and sometimes he feels like a clown on stage with these "fashion savvy" outfits they pick out for him. He especially misses his glasses on stage but he can manage well enough with his contacts, though they do really irritate him sometimes.

Shibi had made the choice to hide Shino from the public eye as much as he possibly could from a young age, so very few people could figure out what he looked like as a kid, especially after he chose to start wearing prescription sunglasses specifically.

He lives a sort of Hannah Montana double life with a "Lucky" by Britney Spears flavoring. Except he started as a young adult, 20's sensation, so he's also unfortunately sexualized to a much higher degree right off the bat and the heavy emphasis on his looks can be very tough on his skin, let alone his nerves and insides. But he's not blind to his own attractiveness. Plus he'd be damned if the constant dieting and working out didn't amount to anything. His day job is less of a job and more he acts like a nerd about his beloved bugs and is very active as Shino in online communities dedicated to Insect love and information. In fact, days off for Moritaka include Shino being secretly Philanthropic and he's always furthering his education in one way or another. He didn't become a sensation over night, his family's been in the Music Business, but the Label would have you believe he was a nobody who made it big of course. He probably did this against his family's wishes tbh and the secret identity was to give the name Aburame absolutely no credit. Spite is such a motivator you guys, and selling his soul for sum amount of years means he can do what he realy likes in his free time. When he has it, anyway.

The fun part for me, the main part for me, is that all his old classmates don't recognize him as Moritaka. But, they're all fans to some degree. Especially Ino and Naruto, the two who were the meanest to him for no good reason lmao

Ino thinks he so unbearably handsome and can watch the same dancing clip over and over again. Naruto genuinely likes his music, who cares if it's Pop!? It's super catchy and super good, that's the point!!

Just... imagine Ino and Naruto winning two VIP tickets to one of Moritaka's Bigger Concerts and they're going feral the whole time and Shino has to refrain from reading them to absolute filth and revealing his true identity during backstage access and dinner and an after party or whatever the winners of the contest win because they're all over him now when from K-12 they literally wanted nothing to do with him and went out of their ways just to shut him down or bother the hell outta him with complete disregard for his feelings hahahahaha

Well, mostly Ino tbh, but adding Naruto specifically as her plus one because he was that big of a fan just makes it funnier lol

[tsuki-sennin]

Episodes 39 and 40 of Delicious Party Precure! Together! In a double feature! Like fat juicy burger and a crispy chicken sandwich! It's epic!

First one's Yui focused? With her Dad? And the second Takumicchi focused? With HIS Dad? It's a double DILF special! Very cool.

I've been putting these both off so Spoilers, I guess... for two~!

-Oh yeah, we went back in time. That's a thing Kabuto did too, Yuin!

-Oooooh, Inari wrap, huh?

-So you WERE the narrator all along! ...wait, does this mean you've been hanging out with me the whole time?

-Ah... Yone-san... you really were watching over her all this time, huh?

-Dad's comin' back! The fisher man!

-How delectable.

-No need to cook!?

-Oh shit, Yuin's got sports ball power, I kinda forgot.

-See, with Ikki Igarashi, it's pretty informed in his fighting style, but Yuin's been sluggin' bitches so much... you very pointedly don't use your hands in soccer, so.

-Wakana Tamaki? Like Go Tamaki?

-Skort skort, Kome-Kome!

-Skort skort, Koko-neechan!

-Alright Mari-chan, what've you got for us today?

-We met Ginger! In the ancient past of 2002!

-Left on read.

-Sorry, Mari-chan.

-Black Pepper!

-Papa Ginger's just... like that, huh?

-Oh shit, Cerfueil.

-You will become perfect! ...that so, green lady?

-Snacc time

-Damn, Wakana-chan! Your dad's cool!

-Oh hello, Mashiba-san.

-Ooooooh, you're totally wiped!

-Oh...

-Damn dude, you okay?

-Dinner Time.

-Inari zushi!

-Oh, Jesus! Yuin, your room looks like it's covered in strawberry frosting! You don't even need that lamp, it's so bright already!

-What a hard-working man Mashiba-san is. You're super lucky to have a dad as based as he is, Wakana-chan.

-Grandmother once said... "No matter what condiment, no matter what ingredient, there is something greater and that's love of the person creating the food."

-Damn, going to a boarding school, huh?

-Not everybody gets it, I guess.

-She's in a mood, Ranchi.

-Well Kokone, I suppose we could reduce the preptime of their food with a bit of thinking...

-It's okay Yuin. I'm running low on Grandma Tendo quotes too.

-Yuin's gonna need to waterboard herself with mouthwash to get all that inevitable plaque outta her teeth.

-Egg

-Oh shit, Seccy's got a backstory.

-...oh, you've got issues.

-Tell her, Ranchi!

-Yuin, are you sure you're not gonna die?

-Maybe sit this one out, Yuin.

-Yeah, Precious is dyin'!

-Go time, ladies!

-Yum-Yum! Hyakuretsu Ken!

-"YOU SUCK!"

-Goddamn Seccy, you're very sad.

-Nobody's Perfect! My favorite W insert song!

-"Secretoru! I have to thank you! It's because of your very adult wisdom that I realize how much of a fuckin' sad soy princess cuckquean you are~!"

-Take the Baton! Convey your own genius!

-Oh but first, some bread.

-Whoop they ass!

-Ass they whooped.

-Two Egg.

-Not even happy to do your job, huh Seccy?

-Help her out, hell yeah!

-Busyness for his business.

-Seems like something stuck with Wakana-chan!

-Power Lunch!

-Come up with your own food-related aphorisms, Yuin-san!

-Ranchi and Amai-kaichou. Linguistic scholars.

-Takumicchi?

-Ohhhhhhh, Takumicchi!

-Yeah, your Dad's totally Cinnamon.

-Ohhhhhh, Takumi's mom's in on it.

-Cinnamon-san

-Oh sure, hit me with this catchy-ass pretty outro. I need that.

-Yep, two Dads are back!

-Takumicchi's retiring!

-Yep, the DILFs are back in town!

-Mari-chan

-Cinnamon... Shinada Monpei... Shina Mon...

-Ohhhh, that's

-That's very clever.

-Hug Him!

-Sad Prince Mari-chan.

-Ah, went somewhere to the Middle East, huh?

-Takumicchi! You have been discovered!

-It's okay though, I know a guy! I just need you to call this number, and ask for a new dust filter for a Hoover Max Pr-

-Oh yeah, it's Christmas next week. Ah.

-Buche de Noel..

-You really wanted to help out your girl, huh Takumicchi?

-Them slippery Bundoru.

-Not a Cook Fighter or a Pretty Cure.

-That's gotta sting, huh buddy?

-Good job, Fennel.

-...I uh... kinda find you a little sussy, but okay

-Ohayoooo!

-Aw, Takumicchi :(

-Ranchi and Koko-neechan seem to be jazzed for the

-Kanpeki!

-Thinkin' about Seccy, huh?

-Ever the supportive type, huh Takumicchi?

-AMANE JUMPSCARE

-BUUUUUUUH

-Chrimbus Party!

-Hahahahahahaha!

-I have to admit Takumicchi, I didn't think very highly of you when we first met, but you've definitely become a real reliable guy.

-Yeaaah!

-Man, if only literally every PreCure capable of retrieving them Pipis didn't live in Japan, huh?

-Then nobody can cook anymore.

-...goddamn your glasses are hot, Seccy.

-Bundoru, Bundoru!

-Chringus Time is here!

-Purse!

-Whoa! Big money!

-"Ah? Takumi, you didn't do anything bad as Black Pep. Why on earth would you ever want to hide it from Yui?"

-"Noooooooooo reason..."

-"Aaaaah, got it."

-Burned tongue!

-Cake...

-Bitch took my cake, my dog, my fox, and my dragon!

-Oooh, Mari got the moves!

-Oh, she caught him!

-"Gimme that fuckin' thing! I'm kicking that bitch's teeth in!"

-Black Pepper! Make her sneeze!

-You go, lad!

-Looks like you got caught in the act, buddy.

-Alright ladies, from the top! Delicious Standby!

-Kome! Tasty! Wonton! ...and Parfait noises!

-She's got a fuckin' command pad.

-Dooooooodge!

-Why didn't you DOOOOOODGE!?

-Smack that thang!

-Go talk to the green lady, Yuin.

-Yeah, get through to her, Yuin!

-Guess Spicy's bread wasn't hard enough.

-Oh damn, a two prong attack.

-Neat.

-Neither Cook Fighter nor PreCure. He is but Black Pepper! The token boy!

-Yeah, this is pretty good.

-You still can't join in on the finisher though Takumicchi. That's a girl thing, you see.

-Delicious Victory.

-Takumicchi!

-Maing a girl cry like that!

-Absolutely abhorrent!

-See, Amane agrees with me!

-Rice ball!

-Cure Precious's beloved sidekick. Black Pepper!

-Oh shoot! Master Ginger...

-Let's go learn some more about them rocks, eh?

-Learn from a master fighter, eh?

-"Cake later, okay?"

-Hello, Godatz-sama!

-Oh come now Amane, don't sound us off like you were the star of this episode /j

-Very fun pair of episodes. Takumi really shined today, he's pretty epic.

-Christmas party~!

-Not quite on Christmas from my perspective, but hey! Should be a holly jolly celebration anyway~! And we get to learn more about Fennel~!

[chidoroki]

Ya Boy Kongming! EP1-3

EP1: came for the OP, stayed for Eiko

Good, we’re starting with a history lesson because my knowledge of this Kongming guy is at zero. All I know is that the OP is a bop.

Whenever I see the translated title all I can think about is “it’s your boy Guzma!”

Not only was he reborn in a far more peaceful time but as a grown man too which I guess is another plus. Could’ve been worse if he came back as a child or stayed an old man ya know?

He was placed right in the middle of Shibuya during Halloween, that has to be so crazy but works out for him since literally everything thinks of his attire as cosplay.

Our dude thinks he’s in hell and taking loud music and drinking as punishment.

Well damn, that girl has a voice! yet she was rejected at her recent audition? How?? She’s lovely!

“I desire to command a corpse army and engage in battle with the spirits of the war dead!” Someone please tell this man he’s alive..

Thank god, now he’s probably in for the culture shock of his life.

Poor Eiko was stuck answering all his smartphone questions for four hours.

He found his own wiki page! He’s so intrigued and proud!

Ah, I didn’t think of that either, how is he speaking Japanese so fluently if he was originally from China? Even he seems surprised by this.

Of course I saw the many guitars in her room earlier but I dunno why I’m so surprised to hear Eiko actually play them, but it’s beautiful. So talented that she even brought Kongming to tears.

Bro I feel just as lost as Eiko when they dive back into the historical lingo.

He is so lucky the club owner is a Three Kingdoms fanboy.

He’s quite the efficient bartender.. he even knew what one guy wanted before he finished his order!

Aaahh our girl was so upset with life that she almost stepped in front of a train? Oh nooo, I wasn’t expecting my feelings to take a hit like this so soon!

Kongming offering to help Eiko achieve her dream absolutely warms my heart. I just haven’t the faintest idea on how he’ll assist..

Ohh even the ending song is catchy, as expected.

EP2: our brilliant mastermind!

Yeeaahh here comes that darn OP that was somehow stuck in my head for days!!

“Why don’t you put that flappy thing in here?” “I consider it like a part of my own body..” The fancy fan was finally addressed.

This Mia chick definitely has the skills to work a crowd.

Kongming really walked up to her dressing room to chat like it was no big deal.

Having Mia invite Eiko to perform at an event seems nice and all but I have a feeling I shouldn’t trust her..

She has to perform at the same time as Mia? Oh that could prove to be troublesome, Mia has such a larger following.

I see Mia is more than a pretty face, she’s buff too huh.

Kongming’s plan was to draw in a crowd with free drinks?

Okay wait, what happened with the stairs? Are these people too drunk to find them or something?

What exactly did he do with the knowledge of the floor plans of this club to attract so many people to Eiko’s stage?

Dude he planned so much with the lighting, smoke effects, bar and decoration placement that no one can even find their way off the floor.

Bless this man, now Eiko gets the recognition she deserves!

Don’t worry Eiko, you stole my heart for sure.

Aw, she reached over 1,000 followers!

EP3: me falling for the same tropes yet again

Eiko’s precious little face when looking at all her new followers.

Goddamn. The middle guy in the Jet Jacket poster caught my attention right away. Are we gonna se him at all?? I must!

They’re gonna perform on the stage right across from Eiko hm? Good, I’m liking these odds.

Speak of the handsome devil, there he is!

He seems fine but I got a bit wary of that tiny smirk he pulled once he found out that Eiko’s stage was having sound trouble.

Wait, so the “damaged equipment” was just a bluff? What trickery are you gonna pull this time Kongming?

Hm, does the Jet Jacket singer have voice/throat issues I wonder? From the close up of the scarf, the water bottle and his neck I feel like he can’t push himself too hard or something, hence why they have to rely on digitally aided sound like Kongming mentioned.

Ah ya see, that’s exactly it. Not to mention they have their own big concert tomorrow so they shouldn’t pull out their big songs now, which would just put strain on the lead singer’s throat even more, so now Eiko could easily draw in their crowd instead. Kongming is so observant.

The hell is the singer’s name though?? I love him!

[catrose13]

Chapter Six The First Rule Of Any TTRPG is NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY, I think that my favourite of this chapters "Brought to you By"s is 2021, You Were One Of The Most Years Ever. Because it certainly was. Also remember there are SPOILERS

Oh no, now we're seeing things from the Parasites perspective, this is not a thing I ever wanted

Go Bakura! Trick that MoFo!!

...Rabbit...

Eugh Math and Sand two of the worst things

...Ammit's wearing a tiny hat?

Mokuba in what way does that resemble a dog?

Well at least Shadi's aware of where he ranks in this situation.

"White haired thief".... Mokuba I don't think he's talking about Pegasus

Ammit, Devourer of the Wicked

Is Mokuba talking about Tristan's nephews dog?

Shadi...you are so old

...Joey how do you know how much cocaine costs?

Joey's Dad is seriously in the Bad Parent Box with his Mom and Yugi's Parents

Tristan is such a Mom Friend

Téa when in doubt always guess a lower number

Oof Burgerville, I actually read some of the manga so I've read that bit. Big yikes

Well at least Yugi is aware about the Parasite

They really have had a day haven't they?

....Yugi you really need to phrase things a bit more delicately, you may give poor Yami a heart attack at this rate. Goddamn "Shadow Game Cherry"

"Knives up our sleeves" because cards would be cheating but stabbing your opponent clearly isn't

Oh Damn, Tristan's right guys! There's even a song and everything! It's catchy! I feel like he may need to start singing to them "Don't you know you never split the party? Clerics in the back keep those fighters hale and hearty. The wizard in the middle, where he can shed some light. And you never let that damn thief out of sight" Two of the fighters have bugged off to find, I guess, the cleric, the wizards have gone off to battle for the thief leaving possibly the other cleric behind

"Glaring furiously, like a cat forced to go to the vet" I can envision it perfectly

Shadi now is not the time for your dubious sense of humour to make an appearance

"With a sword. Right down the middle"...This will be important information to remember children

"Thanksgiving at the Wayne House" THE WAYNES!! 🤩

...Shadi those dudes were seriously screwed in the head, despite being a "Created" human you were still a person and they should definitely not have shopped you in half like some sort of sad pizza

...Technologically adept... this should have been another clue

"Dino-obsessed weirdo"... I know who that is

Op Ishizu has now got an Idea

How the heck did she keep all those questions straight?! Actually no she knows the Waynes, nevermind

"Dinosaur Blood Guy" Wow Rex

Despite everything Marik can be surprisingly sneaky

Poor Weevil freaking out in the background "Blood stuff?! What Blood Stuff?!"

"Less crazy Face tattoo brother" and "Blonde. Probably in a crop top and half of Fort Knox in jewelry" These are the best descriptions

HODGEKISS... is it the same one?

lol Wilburforce, that is certainly a name

Oh yeah I doubt there's two incredibly dumb Hodgekiss in the world. Or at least I hope not

...Do the Ishtar brothers know that Hodgekiss could potentially claim Blood Brother status from Ishizu giving him blood?

Ahh Relationships, the only person whose allowed to be mean to you is me

The Heart of the Cards loves Yugi

Lol Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragon is not a fan of you Parasite, prepare to lose your face

...Celtic Guardians are wild. "Just shoot me across the Board Bro!"

Who are you Red Coated Graverobber Goblin?

Lol God Complex Kuriboh

Oh man that Blue Eyes is really determined to get rid of the Parasite

I kind of love the Duel Monsters, they're so spirited

MAHAD, you have a Name! You Remember Things! I mean apparently you also have Amnesia but you still remember more than Yami does

Ah Bakura is ready for his Revenge

Heh Parasite has no idea how to command his Chess pieces

Graverobber Goblin Pawns are on Strike, Blue Eyes White Dragon Queen is looking to kill the player and the only one on their side of the board who know how to play won't help. Nice

Joey freaking a little about the "Romantic Foxes" sounding like the voices of the damned

...We're still talking about the Chupacabra?

Lol yeah Golden Retrievers aren't just cute and friend-shaped, they are also dogs you take hunting

Oh no the Clown done fucked up

Téa's so strong and fierce. She's going to absolutely destroy that clown

"Loud and Attractive is what I do best" Aw Joey

Ballerinas man, they're terrifying...kinda like hippos now that I think about it

"Mr-With-A-K"

Joey's notebook is gonna be so full by the time he actually gets to Pegasus

Oh man I just noticed Pega-SUS....his name tells you he's Sus

Téa's Yugi and Yami's Queen

Aww cute little Mousetrap. Such a good snek

More aww, brotherly snuggles!!

...I'm feeling deep concern for Marik "Future Pharoah and Ruler Of The World" that is a deeply concerning statement, especially the Caps

...Odion are you plotting Hodgekiss' demise?

Little Brother getting the snuggles!! I just want to wrap him in blankets, but I fear that if I tried I'd lose a limb. Sadness

"Karnak Blood Lady" and the "Karnak Dinosaur Blood Guy" those are certainly names

Odions like Hopeful feeling...text message...less hopeful feeling

[starlyte-writes]

Here’s my thoughts on Pebble Brain under the cut even though I know no one cares, just wanted to write it all out for my sake lmao

Changed list:

1) Perfume & It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless! (they’re too good to decide)

2) Concrete

3) The Fall

4) Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry

5) Model Buses

6) You’ll Understand When You’re Older

Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry (#4): I’m gonna be repeating myself when I say it’s soooo goooood. In Wilbur’s “Songs We Listened To When Writing Pebble Brain” playlist the song “A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend is on it and I can absolutely hear it in this one. God, just the vibe of the entire album is immaculate, perfect summer with best friends vibes. Also it’s so cheeky I fucking love it.

Model Buses (#5): Love love LOVE the instrumentation of this one, especially the funky bass (Ash you wonderful lad)!! I love the mix of how you can dance like crazy to this one, but also just casually vibe to it, I totally get why it’s James’ favorite lmao

Concrete (#2): THE COUNT IN AT THE START GETS YOU SO PUMPED! AND THE DRUUUUUMS MARK YOU KING. I ADORE this song. The lyrics are so fun, and the chorus is so goddamn catchy!! I really like LoveJoy songs where the vocals are more sing-songy. Like where more riffs or longer notes are allowed and they can really show off their vocals, if that makes sense. Just GOD WHAT A BANGER.

Perfume (#1): PERFUME MY BELOVED. Right off the bat I want to thank TommyInnit for saving this song because how THE FUCK could they dare even consider dropping it. (/lh) Again, the goddamn instrumentation my love. THE DROP BEFORE THE CHORUS SWEET JESUS IT’S SO GOOD. You KNOW I’m gonna be screaming these lyrics till the end of time. Oh my god, the ending, THE FUCKING ENDING. LOVEJOY HOW COULD YOU EVER THINK OF DROPPING THIS IT’S SO GOOD I’M IN LOVE WITH IT DEAR GOD. That note he sings??!?! It’s so good, there’s nothing else to say, fucking legendary.

You’ll Understand When You’re Older (#6): This one also really holds “A-Punk” vibes for me and surprise surprise, I love it. For me it’s like the “Cause For Concern” of this album, which of course is in no way a bad thing (they’re all good songs there’s no such thing as a bad one.) It’s a lot more instrumental/story-based and I really like that. Also, the “and if you think that it gets better” line just MMMM

The Fall (#3): THE FUCKING EVERYTHING WITH THIS SONG OKAY. Right off the bat instrumentation is off the charts holy shit. I just love the creativeness of this song, y’know? Like it’s so vastly different, and the stuff with the vocals, the shouting, the way the music cuts off, cuts back in IT’S SO NEAT. Not to mention how much of a jam it is. It’s so cool and feels super experimental compared to the rest AND I ADORE IT PLEASE MORE LIKE THIS. The ending man, THE ENDING. 

It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless (#1): Completely and utterly biased but BEST SONG OF ALL TIME THE GREATEST THING TO EVER BE MADE. It’s All Futile was always my favorite Maybe I Was Boring song, so as soon as we found out it was getting remade I was PUMPED. AND I HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BE. Dude, the contrast between Wilbur alone with his guitar and just EVERYTHING in this song is SO AMAZING. I’ve always loved the lyrics, the chorus, just everything AND THE ENDING HOLY SHIT. Best song, forever, you can never change my mind. 

Overall, best album ever, I’m in love, dear god it was everything I could’ve wanted and more lmao. Also, with the overall EP, I really like the stuff they’re doing with vocals! All of it between the screaming, the bits where the music cuts leaving just the voice, the echoy parts in “The Fall”, the shouting repetition, just ALL OF IT. It’s so neat and different and I can just picture us all screaming it at a concert. That, and the songs feel so much more personal this time, y’know? Like, not in a sad way, but the story is a lot clearer in each song and I love it god this album is so good props to everyone y’all killed it once again.

[365days365movies]

April 9, 2021: Some Like It Hot (1959) (Recap: Part Two)

I’m considering a historical post for Marilyn Monroe...

After all, the life and tragic death of Norma Jean Baker is interesting, and I enjoy educating myself about film history and its greatest figures and stars...but I dunno. This isn’t really a starring vehicle for her, and I’d be better off doing a Tony Curtis or Jack Lemmon retrospective. But...I’ll make that decision by the time I get to the Review. We’ll see, is what I’m saying. If anybody actually specifically wants me to make that as a post, let me know! Maybe I’ll do it regardless.

But OK, let’s get into the movie once more! I’m enjoying the shenanigans in this picture, so let’s see more of them! First part is right here!

Recap (2/2)

On the beach, the girls are all having a good time, “Daphne” included, when Sugar suddenly runs into a mysterious man wearing a stereotypical rich person sailing outfit. This is, of course, Joe, but he introduces himself as “Junior”, the heir to the Shell Oil company, and owner of a yacht. And yeah...Sugar’s fooled and Sugar’s hooked. She invites him to come to his show that night, and he says that he’ll try to come.

This is to Jerry’s frustration, as he immediately recognizes Joe (obviously), and tries to expose his trickery to Sugar by going back to their room to tell “Josephine” about the whole thing. But SOMEHOW, Joe’s able to sneak back in and jump into the bath, suit and tie on. Dude’s slick. Sugar leaves, and an irritated Joe gets ready to fight Jerry. But just then, the phone rings, and it’s that naughty boy Osgood (HIS WORDS NOT MINE), who invites “Daphne” onto his yacht after the show that night. Opportunity.

Joe hatches a plan, with the reluctant help of Jerry, who’ll keep Osgood occupied as Daphne. Meanwhile, he’ll sneak onto the yacht as Junior, and pass it off as his own yacht for Sugar’s benefit (and his own, obviously). With the plan in place, the performance goes on that night. And that GIF of Marilyn doing a shrug that I keep using? It comes from this song right here, which serves as Sugar’s leitmotif throughout the film. And...it’s Marilyn Monroe, and it’s also that DRESS, and it’s my teenage crush on Monroe coming back WITH A FUCKING VENGEANCE, and...it’s also a catchy song, not gonna lie. 

Using flowers given to “Daphne” by King Simp Osgood, and a pre-written note, he tells Sugar to meet him that night on the yacht. After the performance, both Sugar and Joe make their way to the docks, and Joe commanders Osgood’s motorboat to get to the yacht, posing with his fake-ass accent all the while. Seriously, either she’s rolling rocks on her Sense Motive checks, or he’s just throwing away natural 20s on Bluff checks. It’s ridiculous.

On the yacht, Joe bluffs some more (equally terribly), and notes that they’re alone on the boat. However, he claims that he’s both impotent and unable to fall in love, emotionally and physically. This is a result of psychological trauma from his Princeton girlfriend falling off of a cliff in the Grand Canyon, just as they were about to kiss for the first time. Jesus Christ, the fact that this is working so well is astonishing. Sugar tries to cure him through multiple kisses, and he responds with very little reaction, the clever devil. Which is particularly difficult as she basically attempts to seduce him. And it’s Marilyn Monroe, so...I mean come on.

Meanwhile, poor, POOR Jerry is forced to dance at a local Cuba dance hall with Osgood, who’s frustrated by “Daphne’s” constant attempts to lead. Nice touch there! The humorous interludes of their dancing interject Sugar and Junior’s make out sessions, which are VERY against the goddamn Hays Code. And eventually, Jerry actually seems to start enjoying his dance with Osgood, and they actually close the place down until morning! Huh. That leaves Osgood none the wiser, as they leave the yacht just as he’s arriving.

Joe goes back to their room, where Jerry’s still dancing the tango, and he has an announcement: he’s engaged! To Osgood! What? I mean, that’s a set-up for some SERIOUS trust issues down the line, but...huh! For 1959, that’s surprisingly progressive...sort of. Jerry’s SPECIFICALLY in this to marry a millionaire and get a quick divorce and alimony payments every month. Huh. I mean, it’s slimy, but at least he’s open-minded. Osgood even gave him a bracelet absolutely covered in diamonds.

Sugar comes in to tell “Josephine” and “Daphne” about her night with “Junior”, and everybody’s happy (I mean, not Jerry, but he’s OK). Shame if something happened, like the arrival of the mobsters trying to kill Joe and Jerry.

So, the mobsters trying to kill Joe and Jerry arrive, under the pretenses of being “Friends of Italian Opera”, and are in search of the two witnesses of the garage massacre. Detective Mulligan is also in search of them, and is in Florida alongside Spats and his men. The two narrowly escape them in an elevator, then immediately go to pack their shit and GO!

But Jerry doesn’t want to leave Osgood so unceremoniously, and Joe feels the same way about Sugar. Over the phone, he manages to get ahold of Sugar as “Junior”, and tells her that he must leave unexpectedly, and that he’s to marry an oil heiress in Venezuela. This crushes Sugar, understandably, but he also gives her Osgood’s diamond bracelet! Aw, poor Jerry.

Poor Sugar, too. As said previously, she’s crushed, and she goes to Josephine and Daphne’s room to get some bourbon. “Josephine” tells her that she’ll move on in time, but she replies that that’s impossible, given that there’s a Shell gas station on every corner. Fuckin’ OUCH. 

Things get even worse when the two leave their rooms via the window, only to be spotted by Spats and his men, and are this time recognized, due to Jerry leaving his gunshot bass on the porch where they can see it. They attempt once again to escape, changing costume to resemble a bellhop and an old man in a wheelchair, but get recognized and chased, until they wind up under a table in a banquet hall where the “Friends of Italian Opera” are meeting.

Led by Little Bonaparte (Nehemiah Persoff), the members are, of course, all members of the mafia. Bonaparte is greatly angered by the massacre, as Toothpick Charlie was a friend of his. Through a comically over-the-top mobster speech, he basically telegraphs that we wants Spats dead. And when they bring a big cake out to celebrate Spats’ birthday (which isn’t for another four months), a mobster springs out of the cake, and kills the entire Chicago mob assembled, all with Joe and Jerry still under the table in front of them.

After the deaths of the mobsters, Joe and Jerry take their chance to escape, while Mulligan comes in to investigate these deaths. Our musician duo manages once again to escape, performing a quick change act and turning back into Josephine and Daphne. They make a plan to escape via Osgood’s yacht (as the mobsters are watching the roads and airports), and Jerry makes the call. Joe then hears the siren call of Sugar, singing a lamenting song in the lounge with the band.

Watching over this sad song, Joe laments his actions, and makes his way down to the stage, still disguised as Josephine. And he just kisses her, right on stage. Which...fuck me, this movie takes place in 1929? THE SCANDAL!!! But that’s quickly diffused when Sugar AND the mobsters recognize Josephine (and Junior) as Joe, and Joe takes off in hot pursuit.

Both Josephine and Daphne manage to escape yet one more time, and make their way to the docks with Osgood. And chasing after them is Sugar, in love with Joe after all that, and the two come together in a loving embrace. Meanwhile, in the front of the boat, Osgood and Jerry have...well, the only thing I already knew from this movie, and arguably the most famous ending to a comedy film ever made. Go ahead and watch it, because I’d rather not spoil it.

That was...a very funny film! Is it the absolute funniest film ever made? I don’t think it is personally, but it’s definitely in my top 10! I’ll analyze Some Like It Hot more soon enough, in the Review! See you then!

[shinsorokiri]

UA Idol | Chapter Seventeen

Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader

Word Count: 2,225

Warnings: Language, mentions of hangover, banter, big nerves

A/N: Ah and we are BACK. Sorry for the long ass and excessive break, school got to be a little bit too much and mentally I was ~struggling~ quite a bit, but here I am now. Finals week is soon and I’ll be on break and my brain has been pumping out the creativity again which is great!! I have gotten so many ideas for what I want to happen, so stay tuned! Also, if anyone has any song suggestions or anything like that let me know! I might put them in for someone! Okay, that’s all! Thank you for dealing with my inconsistency, and I hope you enjoy loves! 🖤

───────────────────────────────────

Luckily, you both woke up without Denki and Mina coming back to the room. You also were feeling so much better than before. And maybe it was because after the two of you woke up, Shinsou just refused to let you leave his arms. For like a half an hour. “Okay, Shin, I really think we should get up. It’s literally one in the afternoon and Mina and Denki probably think we’re like, dead, or something,” you say, wiggling out of his grasp. He frowns and sighs overdramatically, causing you to giggle before going to your suitcase. Maybe you’d go out to a coffee shop or something and figure out what you were going to sing there? That could be very beneficial to you right now. Or maybe you should just stay in and mess around with your guitar? Browse through your playlists? Sweatpants, or shorts? “(Y/n).”

Shinsou’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts and causes you to look over at him. He’s sitting up now, his hair is still a mess, but he pulls it off and just looks… well, hot. Not to mention that little smirk he has on his face and the way his hand is running through his hair. “Hmm?”

“You were just staring at your clothes without doing anything else. Are you still hungover? Because if so, I think you should come back to bed and let me hold you for a few more minutes.” You roll your eyes at his cheeky ass. “No, Shin, I need to prepare for sound check in two days and so do you, so no more of that. Even if I really want to,” you mumble the last part, but Shinsou still hears it and boy oh BOY does it make his heart swell. “You make some fair points, do you have any ideas yet?” he asks, reluctantly getting out of bed. You shake your head no, reaching down to grab some things. “No, I was going to try to figure it all out all day today but we’re getting… a late start now… aren’t we?”

“Well, how about we go grab some coffee or something and talk about it together? I’ve noticed we do our best work with each other, and I don’t mean to sound like, the word that ends in friend and starts with b, but I would like to spend some not hungover time with you,” he walks over to you, wrapping his arms around you. You feel your cheeks burn and you would be lying if you said you didn’t smile because godDAMN he’s a cutie. “Fine, fine. You’re right, we do do our best work together… so I guess I can get behind it…”

“Mhm, that’s the only reason why,” he teases, and you roll your eyes wiggling your way out of his grip. You make your way to the bathroom to change and freshen up considering you just felt like you were dying for the past multiple hours. Somehow you managed to make yourself look presentable again, and honestly you felt so much better afterwards. You may have also been in a good mood because halfway through you getting ready, Shinsou began strumming away on your guitar and singing some songs he probably came up with on the spot. You’d be lying if you said his voice couldn’t instantly put you in a better mood. You walk out of the bathroom, and when Shinsou looks up to see you all smiley and happy his heart skips a beat. This is crazy to him. This little agreement y’all made was about to be a challenge. How could he not fall in love with someone like you? Well, he can’t mess this up, so he’s not going to. No matter how hard it might be. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

“Yeah, well actually cleaning yourself up after feeling and looking like death personified does things to you. You should try it.”

“Woah now, hold on. Are you saying I look like death right now?”

“Well, you don’t look alive. But that doesn’t mean you don’t look good. And that is unfair and makes me upset so because of that, you must change and freshen up,” you say and he scoffs. “Oh please. You could literally draw all over your face with sharpie and super glue and you would still be the most beautiful person in the room, miss me with that shit.” You roll your eyes, but the smile on your face betrays the façade you’re trying to put up. “Shut up and go get dressed, loser,” you say and he grins. “Well, considering you’re all ready to go, come on up to mine and Denki’s room. Then we can just head out.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You grab your bag and make sure you have your phone, room key, laptop, and some money before the two of you make your way out of your room. This is honestly crazy to you. Not only are you literally on television and you’re going to be watched on television as well, but you met Shinsou through this. Of course, you probably would have met him regardless because Denki and Mina were bound to catch up again at some point, but it’s still crazy to you that you met this man. He was actually amazing, and not only are you in his presence, but you’ve kissed him. A lot!!! At this point you don’t think it would be too crazy to say that you, in fact, are the main character. “Here we are. Hopefully Denki and Mina aren’t passed out in there.”

“Wouldn’t matter if Mina is, she could genuinely sleep through anything,” you inform him, and he opens the door. “Looks like we lucked out,” he says, holding open the heavy ass hotel door for you. You walk in and can immediately tell which bed is Denki’s and which one is Shinsou’s. Denki is chaotic, even in his living spaces. “This shouldn’t take long. Question, though.”

“Answer.”

“Should I deal with this heat and wear long sleeves or actually wear something appropriate?”

“Appropriate. It’s fucking hot here dude. Besides, save your good outfits for the stage,” you say, and he gives you finger guns. “You’re absolutely correct. I’ll change and then we can head out.” You nod, and he goes into the bathroom leaving you alone to look at Shinsou’s things he brought with him. And that’s not weird. You two are… kissing friends? Huh. Maybe you should work out whatever you guys are while still not putting a label on it- no you know what, you two are just friends. Friends. Friends who platonically sleep together and are extremely attracted to each other. That’s all. You shake your head, trying your best to stop thinking about this situation. You sit on his bed, picking up his guitar just like he did with yours in your room. You start absentmindedly stumming, probably playing some song you learned years ago. But you weren’t singing because you’re too busy thinking of a song to sing for an audience. It has to be written by someone already which sucks for you because you hate doing that, but it’s necessary. And it needs to be well known so everyone else can enjoy it as well. Oh God this is harder than it should be. “That’s pretty.” 

You jump slightly at Shinsou’s voice, and you expect him to laugh but instead he just sits next to you and looks genuinely concerned. “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been spacing out a lot…” You can tell he’s very worried, and he reaches out and grabs your hand causing you to feel actually a lot better about this decision weighing on your mind. “I’m just stressed about this next performance. It’s in front of people and it has to be a song already written which means I need to put my own flair on it and like that should be easy, but it also won’t be because the audience needs to also recognize it and-”

“Slow down, (Y/n). You’re going to be fine, believe me. Remember, the judges are still the ones sending us through right now and they adore you.”

“Anything could happen though! And I just don’t know if I’ll even be able to do well in front of an actual crowd of people, like Mina has natural stage presence and so does Denki and Kirishima and somehow even Bakugou has a way with a crowd and don’t even get me started on you, I mean seriously Shinsou everyone lo-”

“Hitoshi.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Hitoshi. Or Toshi. Whichever you prefer, but you’re a little too close to me to not call me by my first name now.” You just stare at him for a moment, giving him the chance to continue on. “And relax, (Y/n). You’re literally amazing. And I know you’re humble but trust me, you have one hell of a presence onstage and you’re more talented than the majority of the people here. I’ll help you pick a song; all songs are up for grabs. And luckily UA Idol doesn’t care if you use explicit songs because explicit songs are some of the best ones and I know a few that I think you would fuck with. Calm down, kitten. It’s gonna be okay.”

Jesus. Christ. This man. This man will be the death of you. “Okay?” he asks, placing his hand not holding yours on your shoulder, forcing you to look in his eyes. You just gulp and nod. “Okay… Toshi,” you say, his name felt great coming out of your mouth. He finally grins. “Let’s go, coffee is on me.”

“Wait what? No, it is not.”

“Yes, it is.”

The two of you actually bicker over that the entire way to the coffee shop, and sadly for you, he makes sure he’s the one who pays. You throw some choice words at him before the two of you sit down at a table outside. “Alright, so let’s brainstorm some songs.”

“Alright, well, I think best bet would be popular songs, something a lot of people know and something catchy enough that people can vibe with even if they don’t know it.”

“Mmm, yeah. Good call. Tragic call, but good call,” he says, pulling out his laptop as you pull out his. The two of you pull up your playlists, starting to compare and contrast songs until you both have a list. “Right, so I could sing That’s What You Get by Paramore-”

“Not pop.”

“No, but it is well known. And I could play guitar with it if you really think about it…”

“Tempting. Others?”

“Undrunk by Fletcher, vulgar but a good option.”

“Both true statements.”

“And then there’s My Consequence or Clean by Hey Violet, it’s catchy, but not a lot of people… know… about Hey Violet.”

“That’s true. Their biggest song is technically Guys My Age, so those two are not as well known. These are all really good options though.”

“Thanks. What about you?”

“Well, there’s Riptide by Vance Joy, a classic and I’d get to shred on my ukulele skills.”

“Nice, nice, others?”

“Oh. No, I’m doing Riptide. Safest bet, really. Everyone knows it, I can put my own spin on it, catch me playing a uke. All good things, so let’s decide yours, kitten.”

You roll your eyes at him, shooting back the last of your coffee and looking at your list. Would you prefer to do something like Clean or My Consequence because they tend to be your songwriting vibe? Yes. You would. But not enough people know about it and if you want the crowd to interact with you, you need to pull out the big guns. “I think it’s down to That’s What You Get or Undrunk,” you say, rubbing your chin. Why was this so hard?”

“Okay, so instrument playing or dancing. Because I know you and I know if you do Undrunk you will have a dance routine that goes with your whole performance, so everyone knows you mean business.”

“You’re right. But… I honestly, I don’t know.”

He frowns. He knows this decision is literally eating you alive, and he wants to help. He knows you don’t necessarily want to sing either of the songs you’re choosing between, so he makes the decision for you right then and there. “You’re doing My Consequence.”

“What? I can’t, it’s not known enough.”

“So what? You want a real challenge? Sing a song not everyone knows. You can also definitely put your own spin on that song, play some instruments, come up with an original (Y/n) arrangement, use Mina and me and Denki and literally anyone you need to do the back-up vocals. You can do that. Easy,” he has full confidence in everything he’s saying, and you definitely already thought about doing all of that and had ideas for it in your brain before he even said it. You pause for a moment to consider what he said before glancing up at him. “You really think that’ll work?”

“I don’t think. I know it will.”

You smile at him. He’s right, why were you even trying to talk yourself out of this anyways? “Thanks, Toshi.”

“Any time, kitten. Now what do you say we head back to the hotel and get to work?”

[shipskicksandgiggles]

song recs!!

upbeat!

hero by faouzia

avalanche by christian french

you stupid bitch by girl in red

stargazing by the neighborhood

kiss me goodbye by deathbyromy

anything off of anthony ramos’ love and lies album

slower/sadder

traffic lights by sara kays

loud by jc stewart

dear august by pj harding + noah cyrus

hard sometimes by ruel

out of this car by emily weisband

Hero - Faouzia

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

no words only aggressive amounts of crying what the fuck dude this is so good. I just. the vibes of being each other’s hero is indescribable. the trust involved in that is fucking insane. that’s. that’s a different kind of love that is. everywhere. siblings, lovers, best friends, just. pure, based trust

avalanche- Christian French

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

peak mental breakdown energy. just. little things building up into something catastrophic? yeah. yeah. and the repetition? the build? the speed? the composer knew what they were doing and fucking Went for it I would like to send them a fruit basket

You Stupid Bitch - girl in red

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

where was this song six months ago when my best friend’s stupid ass fell in love with the cis version of me this is that exact emotion what the fuck why are you reading me like this. anyways hi my jaw just hit the floor because this is the biggest fucking mood and I’m into it

Stargazing - The Neighborhood

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

look okay the neighborhood? consistently a vibe, hella underrated, why listen to just sweater weather when things like this exist. I feel like I’m floating which. good. want to be among the stars

Kiss Me Goodbye - deathbyromy

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

oh I felt that in my chest, goddamn. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that? wasn’t it. that’s. kind of heartbreaking honestly. but like. I get it? like having fleeting happiness throughout a heartbreak is better than straight up heartbreak so why not revel in it while it lasts? gosh my heart really felt that

I chose In the Night from the Love and Lies album by Anthony Ramos

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

I will say it time and time again, but this man is absolutely incredible and I hope he gets appreciation beyond his work in Hamilton because his voice is a gift. ngl I zoned out a little while listening to this song, but like. mmm. good. the rhythm complimenting his voice, the little drum patters, excellent. I shall bookmark this album and listen to more later

Traffic Lights - Sarah Keys

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

the way just one listen of this has me wanting to write an entire breakdown of this relationship has me dying omg wait. the chorus on its own shows a fascinating dynamic, honestly I want to analyze them so bad both as a driver who focuses when I have someone I love on the passenger seat and as someone who is terrified of being in the passenger seat period. the metaphor of the lights,,,,, ugh this song is insane how much it makes me feel

Loud - JC Stewart

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

this is. very slow and while it fits the general theme, it also feels a little like a lullaby and that threw me for a loop. it’s good, definitely not what I would go looking for, but it’s chill. nostalgic for someone I’ve never met in places I’ll never go

Dear August - PJ Harding, Noah Cyrus

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

I’m. huh. very flowy, calm, love the whole ‘it’s the autumn of life’ vibe they’ve got going on. yeah this is nice I like this. words aren’t going to help me with this one it’s just Nice

Hard Sometimes - Ruel

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

I’m screaming this from my roof at 3am that’s it that’s all, no other thoughts. fuck that one can really rip through your lungs and make you Feel. thank you anon, thank you

Out of this Car - Emily Weisband

couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library

maybe I just spend a lot of time in my car but oh Wow that’s powerful. in a lot of ways, this is powerful honestly like the transitive movement, shutting doors behind you, and leaving things behind is just. hhhh no words only emotions

send me song recs and I’ll rate them

[lenalikesboots]

Bootleg Review n°1

So I watched this bootleg video yesterday and I must say...I’m impressed,

From what I know, this is the oldest video out there of the West End production of Love Never Dies. It’s completely pre-changes - it uses the soundtrack from the original album.

The leads are played by  Ramin Karimloo (as Erik), Sierra Boggess (as Christine), Joseph Millson (as Raoul), Summer Strallen (as Meg), Liz Robertson (As Mme. Giry), Richard Linnell (as Gustav)

What really bothered me at first is that it’s missing about 25 minutes from Act 1. Everything in between Till I Hear You Sing and Mother Please I’m Scared is missing. The bootleg is otherwise complete. There is some washout in bright lights and the camera strays at times from the action, and there’s a  bar that blocks some of the actors, but otherwise, this is a very a decent bootleg. 

I liked seeing the scenes that they cut off in the Australian production. I thought it was interesting. 

The Coney Island Walz is instrumental only, and it serves as kind of an Overture thing, in which, just like in Phantom, they take you back in time and set the whole setting of the show.

It goes all the way back to opening night of Phantasma. 

In the beginning, there are people chattering about the new amusement park, wanting to go in. 

After that, we get to see the whole only-for-him; only-for-you thing, which I thought was cool.

Also- Although I do think that it’s possible Meg has developed the hots for Erik,this Meg seems to just want a promotion. She’s in love with her career, not with her boss. I genuinely like that!

In Summer’s portrayal, Meg seems to be giving 110%, and wants nothing more than to be noticed and have her work appreciated. Of course it’s a blow for her when her mother told her that her boss didn’t care enough to show up. It’d be a blow for anyone, really, because it means your work is alright, but still not outstanding. What’s next, he doesn’t even know her name? Calls her Meghan, instead of Meg? 

Anyways- it’s safe to say, I like Summer’s portrayal of Meg a lot!

Next we move on to Till I Hear You Sing! I absolutely loved the way Ramin sang it for this performance!

It was absolutely breathtaking!

I’ve had chills so many times listening to him sing it, like damn!

Unfortunately, the recording stops right after that and picks back up at Mother Please I’m Scared, where it’s really mostly audio and you can’t really see a thing. 

I must say, I liked this Dear Old Friend! I liked how this time, Meg didn’t sound judgemental of the fact that Christine stopped singing to become a full-time wife and mother.

And I liked how instead of sounding bitter, Meg sounds rather confused when Christine said she was going to sing. 

Moving on- in the middle of Dear Old Friend, Gustav runs off. 

Obviously, he goes to see Erik. 

And here we come to the first thing I didn[’t like about the show: Ramin’s Erik is really cold and mean towards Gustav in this performance particularly. I know that it’s only because he believes him to be Raoul’s son but come on- even if Raoul were Gustav’s father, it’s not the child’s fault! You can’t choose your own parents goddamn it!

I liked Beauty Underneath...kind of...idk,. I generally don’t like the vibe this song gives me. 

I liked the whole “wow! You and I think the same!” idea, but the way they carried it out was bordering on genuinely creepy.

Next up! Erik takes his mask off and...fucks everything up. Kid runs away. 

I liked Christine’s reaction to all of this. I liked how she asks Madame Giry to take him away and how she apologises to Erik for her child’s reaction. 

And here we come to another of the things I didn’t like about Ramin’s portrayal of the character...Repeat after me: You do NOT strangle the woman you thought could possibly have bore your child. You. Do. NOT. 

And you do not tighten your grip when she accuses you of abandoning her- especially if you DID abandon her! Dammit Ramin! Why so angry?

Good thing that he releases her- HOWEVER...

Why so angry Ramin??? Damn!!!

Then she tries to kiss him (which I must admit- was out of nowhere) and he pulls away, still looking super angry.

 I get it-he feels awful that not even his own son can accept him the way he is. I get it. 

BUT...why take it all out on Christine?

Poor girl already had to go through enough because of him. 

Moving on: there are a few other things I didn’t like...but this time, I won’t put the blame just on Ramin.

Number one: when he uncovers his face, Christine turns away. Isn’t that kind of contradicting the whole idea behind “This haunted face holds no horror for me now”?

I understand that his face may not be the prettiest sight, and I understand that she was kinda shocked-after all she hasn’t seen it in 10,almost 11 years. Buuuut she didn’t have to full on turn away.. I thought that directing/acting choice was a little over the top. 

And number two: after Christine leaves, Erik is left all alone to think about what just happens. He seems to be a really proud dad at first...but then there is one line that really threw me off, considering what happens in the next act. “If it’s true, I’ve no reason to live” 

Uhm...dude?? If you’re planning to kill yourself, why the hell would you make a bet, which would be forcing your baby-mama and your kid to stay in America if you’d win it (and you already know you will) ?

And if he suddenly had a change of heart before that, why didn’t we get to see any of that happen? What motivated him? What made him change his mind?

Did Christine maybe ask him to make that bet? It wouldn’t be a surprise if she did....

And I am not saying this to hate on Raoul! I absolutely love Raoul and pity him greatly in Love Never Dies. He’s not an abusive monster. He’s sick! Not only is he suffering from an addiction, but he also seems to be suffering from depression.

He blames himself for all of Christine’s suffering- although, he had nothing to do with it. It all goes back to Erik leaving her, creating a vicious cycle. Christine then marries Raoul just so she wouldn’t be shunned for having a child out of wedlock. She’s obviously unhappy in her marriage, which ends up making Raoul unhappy, so he ends up drinking his sorrows away. In the end, he blames himself for the fact that Christine is unhappy. 

This is what I got from Why Does She Love Me?

Quite obviously, she doesn’t. 

He thinks she does, because she says so, but she is obviously unhappy in her marriage because she doesn’t. However, Raoul takes her sadness to mean that he is the one who is not good enough. He is the one making her unhappy. He is the one unworthy of love.

It breaks my heart that after everything he’s done for her, he ended up feeling so damn bad about himself. None of this is his fault.

 Then, in walks our second unappreciated character: Meg. There are a lot of parallels in between these two. I feel like they’re both going through the same pain, although in very different ways. 

When I watched LND for the first time, I thought this would be the start of a brand new love story, one that would steal the show, and inevitably, our hearts.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. 

When Meg leaves, Raoul starts talking shit about Erik, only for him to end up showing up behind the bar. Talk of the devil, they say...

Over all, I think this scene is a really funny one- probably a fun one to rehearse and perform as well. 

But the whole idea behind it...Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but...Christine is a human being..She’s not property...Let her make her own damn choices for once, she never ever got to do that in her life. 

I hate how Erik starts objectifying Christine in Love Never Dies. He didn’t do it in the original, why start now?

Moving on to the next day:

Bathing Beauty is so damn catchy! Like damn!!

I love how Meg arrives in a hot air balloon. 

I liked this randition of Summer’s Bathing Beauty. I couldn’t see much of it and I couldn’t see the bathing suits either, but the whole scene was really nice. 

I felt so bad for Meg in the next scene though!

Madame Giry was waaay too harsh with her. 

Next scene is Christine’s dressing room scene.

I love how conflicted and anguished Sierra portrays her to be. And I love the contrast between the way she acts around Raoul and the way she acts around Erik. Around Raoul, she’s really sweet, like a good wife should be and she is also quite affectionate. 

But around Erik...

I think this picture speaks for itself...

By the way: The way she doesn’t question why Raoul asked her not to sing, and the way she gets all conflicted later, makes me think that she knows about the bet, but is starting to have second thoughts about it. Which is completely understandable. As a wife, her first priority is her marriage, which they could, possibly work out.

And as a mother, she has to put her son and what would be best for him first too. She can’t just force him to accept a new guy as his father- even if he is indeed his biological father. So all that anguish she’s feeling? Completely understandable. 

You can see from her body language, even when she’s singing, that she is having second thoughts. That this is really hard for her and that she doesn’t know what to do. There is so much pressure on her, the poor girl is close to breaking down on stage, in front of thousands of people.

But then Raoul leaves...And everything in her body language changes. She becomes more confident, more content with her decision. For once, she put herself first. She realizes that she will finally get to be happy. 

She, Erik and their child...

I love how happy and hopeful she looks in the next scene as well!

It’s sad that they don’t kiss in this scene, but oh well...We move...

Another thing that made me believe that Christine knew about the bet was how unbothered she seemed by the fact that Raoul left. She wasn’t shocked. She knew this was going to happen. She didn’t want it to happen like that, but it did. 

And then when she realizes that Gustav is missing, she nearly gets a heart attack, 

I absolutely LOVE Erik’s reaction to the whole thing! I love how worried and angry he got! See, this is one of those times I do appreciate his anger. 

Moving on to the next scene:

One thing I didn’t like about it was how close Erik got to Meg when he told her “We can’t all be like Christine”.

That line is such a bad thing to say when trying to comfort someone who’s having a mental breakdown...

Meg has been working for him for ten years. She has helped him so damn much, and she doesn’t even get a thank you, or a decent. No, she only ever gets all these dumb vaudeville numbers, making her a showgirl, not a respected performer. 

While Christine, who has only been in town for two days, and hasn’t been performing for a couple of years, immediately gets the aria, the nice dress and the beautiful jewelry. 

And then, he has to point out how perfect she is, in front of Meg, who then, when she just wants to talk back to him, ends up accidentally pulling the trigger. And you can tell this was clearly an accident in this performance. She even runs off to get help, only to later return, probably with a doctor on the way, when Christine is already gone (maybe. nobody checked her pulse or her breathing, and the bullet didn’t hit an important artery. She might still be alive)

I loved Erik and Christine’s last kiss. It was so sweet, so passionate. I love how he kept kissing her even after she let go.

However...I didn’t like the way Ramin portrayed his reaction to her death. I understand that the feeling he was going for was numbness, but it literally ended up looking like he didn’t even care that much. For someone who’s never seen Phantom before (maybe just read the book) , who ends up watching this recording, this is the vibe you would get from it. 

I love the fact that Meg came back and that she is holding Christine’s body. You can tell just how sorry she is. 

I loved the whole unmasking scene. I loved how Erik slowly started opening up to Gustav, when he was finally ready to accept him. And I loved the hug in the end.

And I must say: Erik is getting better at hugging. That’s good!

All in all: I really liked this recording of the show. 

If I were to grade it, I’d give it a 7,5/10.

 Before I end this post, can we please appreciate just how gorgeous that dress is? Like damn!!!

Sierra looks absolutely stunning in it as well!

(When does she not look stunning though?)

[idthellyeah-blog]

A totally timely and significant review of Rancid’s “...And Out Come The Wolves”

(I honestly don’t remember when I wrote this, maybe 2015. Definitely just got jacked up on something and decided that I needed to write a track by track review of an album I loved when I was a cool punk teen. It has just been sitting in my Google Drive patiently waiting to be posted.)

 I remember the first time I ever heard/saw Rancid was when the video for “Salvation” off of their second album “Let’s Go” premiered on MTV. Such an 80’s/90’s kid thing to do, discovering a new band by seeing a music video on TV, ugh. I thought the leather clad mohawked bad boys were amazing and perfect and so cool...that I immediately tried to spike my hair using gelatin (tru punx only) and got a leather jacket (did not look that cool and was very sweaty).  When “...And Out Come The Wolves” came out the next year (1995, I’m old AF) I was totally enamored and had found my #1 favorite album of all time (that lasted for like a year until music got better).  I was supposed to go see Rancid at a big show in Omaha, I lived in a small town called Columbus that was roughly 90 minutes away from the big city...but the day of my mom didn’t let me go because I had bad math grades.  I reacted the way any entitled white teen did, by laying in the garage and crying and playing their album.  That show wound up being a huge to-do when fans tore up seats in the venue and threw cushions at the band leading to Rancid not playing Omaha for a long time.  I missed out on some cool bad-ass punk rock shit, first world problems. Fast forward to today when I decided that I, Ian Douglas Terry, needed to write out a song-by-song review of this quintessential punk album.  I’m a real music nut, and obviously very good at structured writing...so here we go!  (Rock on)

1. Maxwell Murder - Oh boy, this one starts with like a subway train sound and then the beginning of a killer/complicated Matt Freeman bass line.  That dude SHREDS the bass, and even has a wild solo in this song.  That’s tight.  Why did they stop letting him sing?  He sounded like a fun Muppet on their first album and I loved his songs.  Maybe he wanted to focus on just shredding the bass and using tons of pomade.

2. The 11th Hour - This song is great.  It is poppy and upbeat and about a woman having dreams and demanding answers.  Hell yeah.  I love good punk music that supports women and feminism and figuring out where the power lies (spoiler alert, it starts and ends with you).  Remember how Brody from The Distillers left Tim Armstrong for the dude from Queens of the Stone Age? And then he got all fat and got a beard?  I can completely relate to that, and have been there sans beard.

3. Roots Radicals - This song RULES.  I had to look up what “Moonstompers” were and who “Desmond Dekker” was.  I remember trying to relate to this like it could somehow compare to living in a town with 20,000 people and the nicest Wal-Mart in the tri-county area.  Remember how there was that Spanish language cover of this on one of those “Give Em The Boot” comps that Hellcat put out? That was real tight.

4. Time Bomb - Hit single baby!  This had a huge hand in getting punk kids into reggae/ska for sure.  Killer organ solo, lots of rude boy shit going, I loved it so much.  Tim Armstrong totally re-used lyrics from the song “Motorcycle Ride” from the previous album...which is hilarious.  Like c’mon dawg...you should know your own lyrics.  I learned how to do the solo from this and felt like a guitar god (it is a very easy solo, like almost too easy).

5. Olympia, WA - I love songs like this that are about cities that the band isn’t from...so you have to fire up your imagination (or just read the lyrics) and be like, “What went down in Olympia, Washington????”.  Turns out it was mostly hanging out on different streets in New York and playing pinball with Puerto Ricans while wishing you were with a person who you were sleeping with in Washington.  Hell yeah, just like Shakespeare.

6. Lock, Step & Gone - Songs about docks were HUGE in my youth.  Dropkick Murphy’s had like eight songs about boys on them, and this Rancid song alludes to them.  I loved all of the blue collar, working class ideology that had nothing to remotely do with my comfortable upper middle class (not sure if that’s accurate because my parents were teachers, and like is there even a middle class any more?) life. This song definitely sums itself up at then end when it says “There’s a whole lot of nothin”.

7. Junky Man - Another theme that I could definitely relate to in a town of 20,000 people with like ten people who did meth...Junkies!  This song is pretty great because the dude from the Basketball Diaries does some sick poetry in it...that movie was nuts.  I like that song that he later wrote/sang about all the people he knew who died. The only way poetry can be cool is if the person is an insane drug addict with cool/sad stories to tell. Otherwise it is just loud diary reading.

8. Listed MIA - At this point I wholeheartedly agree with this song, “I’m checking out”.  I don’t know if I ever really liked this song or if this was just part of the “I accidentally left it playing after the first four songs that I liked were over”.  Lars says the derogatory f-word for homosexuals in it, because people called him that word...that doesn’t seem cool man.  I get that it rhymes with “maggots”, but maybe give white dudes in the Midwest less reasons to sing that word out loud.

9. Ruby Soho - This is one of the best songs ever, hands down.  It is beautiful and you can barely understand what Tim Armstrong is saying but it is wonderful.  I feel like deciphering his lyrics led me to be able to understand most speech impediments, so hell yeah.  This song is about loving someone a lot but having to leave them because it isn’t working out. This song was the blueprint for every romantic relationship I’ve ever had in my entire life so it might be a gypsy curse.

10. Daly City Train - Oh hell yeah, fun Reggae drums!  Through punk and ska I grew to appreciate Reggae, but through being bummed out about that culture’s deep seated homophobia and the fact that most of it is super repetitive and boring and for dad’s on vacation.  I’m just glad that 311 taught me to love those smooth Caribbean sounds again (oh god am I joking or am I serious, I can’t tell any more please save me).

11. Journey to the End of the Easy Bay - I can still play this bass line and was very proud of myself the first time I half-way pulled it off.  It doesn’t sound as smooth and nuanced as the way Matt Freeman plays it, but goddamn it I think that was the height of my skill as a musician.  This song rules themes about needing to belong and finding a place with people who thought and felt the same as you...and then losing it as everyone grows out of it.  This was most of my early 20’s. I grew up in a scene with similarly minded people, it eventually ended and I still have contact with some of those people but that point in my life will never be replicated. I finally belonged somewhere and was part of something bigger than me.  Now I do comedy and it is bleak, entitled, and sad and mostly alcoholics talking about their dicks.  Please take me back.

12. She’s Automatic - This is not a bad song but a very confusing way to describe a woman.  I get that it means she is effortless in “the way that she moves” but maybe I’m not giving Lars any poetic license because he looks like a guy who punched books. This woman sounds great though, and I’m sure they dated for three months.  Revisiting this and that era reminds me that I almost had sex with a girl at the first X-men movie...man, being punk ruled.

13. Old Friend - Back to the Raggae!  This song is pretty great, but they really missed an opportunity of selling this to a heartburn medicine company.  “Good morning heartache, you’re like an old friend come and see me again”...that would be perfect for a commercial of a guy eating a giant plate of lasagna and making a “Oh boy, I did it again!” face.  The Transplants sold a song to that fruit shampoo, maybe this is something I can retroactively help negotiate.

14. Disorder and Disarray -  I love when punk bands have songs about “business men” being evil and the industry being bad.  Like when Against Me were part of an Anarchist collective and then on a major label putting out really bad music.  Rancid was at least on Epitaph, which while arguably not “cool” it was at least run by a kind of punk dude who is responsible for the biggest/shittiest corporate garbage of a festival, The Warped Tour.  This song has a part towards the end where they talk to each other like David Lee Roth would do in Van Halen songs, that rules.

15. The Wars End - I get that this is a song about little Sammy being a punk rocker but at this point I think they should have admitted this album was fine with 10-12 songs and maybe some of these were super repetitive and unnecessary.  It's like you’re forcing it. I can’t imagine the dude who recorded it had a lot of fun and he probably fell asleep and was startled awake and had to pretend like he’d been paying attention the whole time.

16. You Don’t Care Nothin - This starts out with the exact chord progression from Journey To The End Of The East Bay….c’mon guys. You Don’t Care Nothin about being succinct and making your songs individual expressions of art! The themes even seem like something they’ve already gone over.  I’m going to eat some soup, brb.

17. As Wicked - Is this a different song or a weird breakdown?  Oh, it’s a different song.  Well...this soup is pretty good.  Chicken Noodle, but the chunky kind.  It isn’t amazing but it is good. I should really cook more.  Maybe I’ll order Chinese later.

18. Avenues & Alleyways - I don’t really have a problem with this song because it has the “Oi oi oi” chant that the bands I was in during High School would do and we had no idea why other than popular bands doing it.  It is very catchy.  It sounds like the other two songs were just building up to finally getting your attention back. Plus it has a breakdown with people clapping, that is always fun.  This has to be the last song right? It is the perfect last song on an album!

19. The Way I Feel -  FUUUUUUUCK!  What? Really should have ended the album on that last song, it had a good “anthem” vibe and at least wrapped this up into a somewhat sensible endeavor.  This song could have been stuck in the middle somewhere, or maybe just not recorded with about seven others?  The Way I Feel about this album is that there are some parts that hold up and are still fun to listen to, but the rest of it just seems like I’m being forced to read my own teenage diary and it is boring and sad. Nostalgia is a bummer, I can’t imagine having Rancid still be my favorite band.  I’d probably still wear a chain wallet and spiky bracelet and be one of those obnoxious old drunk weirdos I see at shows that stick out like crazy sore thumbs. Bummer dude.

    Oh wow, what a journey (to the end of the east bay, am I right?)...I’m glad I was finally able to get this review out so people could finally know what this album means to me and my generation of lazy weirdos. This took me six months to write and I should be congratulated for being a journalist with tons of integrity and great taste.  True punks never die, they just eventually chill out and shop at Kohl’s.

[coll2mitts]

#88 Tommy (1975)

The Who’s well-loved 1969 rock opera album Tommy has been adapted for the screen, and is almost the furthest thing from a feel-good picture that you can get.  Who knew that the sound of childhood trauma could be so goddamn catchy?

When I was a young girl, my father would play the album Tommy, he really liked the band.  Tommy was one of those albums I played on repeat when I was elementary school-aged.  My dad had copied the album to a cassette, and me and my yellow Walkman would head to the bus stop every morning blasting “The Acid Queen”.  I’ve mentioned before I was an obnoxious kid, and one memory that has unfortunately stuck with me for like 25 years is this guy on the bus asking my sister to tell me to stop singing out loud to “Pinball Wizard” because it was annoying.  I sunk into my seat as if he had punched me straight in the gut.

Being young, my understanding of the plot was pretty basic, and oh boy, the movie translation of this was um... I was not prepared for the ride I had boarded.   Even as someone who is unbelievably familiar with the source material, this was a rough watch.

Tommy begins during World War 2, and England is getting bombed by Nazis.  Tommy’s mom and dad are on their honeymoon, and when they return, Tommy’s father is sent off to war and is presumably killed in action.  Tommy is born on V.E. Day and never knows his biological father.  His mother (Ann-Margret) hooks up with a dude she met on vacation, Uncle Frank, and when Tommy’s father returns unannounced 6 years later, her lover kills him by hitting him with a lamp.  Dude lived through a plane crash, and its the bedside lamp that finally gets him.  Tommy witnesses the murder, and Uncle Frank and his mom plead with him not to tell anybody.  The trauma of this event triggers psychosomatic deafness and blindness in Tommy.  His parents are understandably concerned about him, even though they are the whole reason this happened in the first place.

His mom is weirdly fixated with his salvation, and takes Tommy to church to see if a supremely uncharismatic Eric Clapton and statue of Marilyn Monroe can heal him.  The congregation, in a very classy move that is not at all disparaging to Marilyn Monroe’s legacy, downs alcohol and prescription medication as communion.  The healing goes about as well as expected.

After this, his Uncle Frank takes Tommy to a prostitute, who drugs and presumably rapes him, thinking it might snap him out of it.  When that doesn’t work, his parents then leave him with one babysitter that beats and tortures him, and another that sexually molests him, so... fun times.  My notes perfectly illustrate how glad I was to watch this series of events unfold.

Realizing Tommy can entertain himself just by looking in a mirror, his parents get loaded on the couch, leaving him alone to wander out of the house.  He stumbles upon a pinball machine in a junkyard.  His parents discover he’s really fucking good at it, and introduce him into the very financially lucrative world of pinball competitions.

My favorite scene in this movie is watching Elton John play a keyboard attached to a pinball machine while wearing the largest shoes I’ve ever seen on a human.  They hinder his movement so much he can only point with his left arm over and over again to show his enthusiasm.  When Tommy wins the Pinball championship, a pack of Waldos haul away Elton’s defeated body.

Now that Tommy’s family is rolling in dough, his parents buy a mansion and a yacht, and Ann-Margret tries to bury her guilt surrounding Tommy’s condition through retail therapy, and literally smothering her grief with chocolate pudding.

I swear to god, Ann-Margret is the only person who actually knew what kind of movie she was filming.  She’s crazed, dramatic, and her voice is so fucking awesome (unlike some of the other actors they cast...).  Still, the disservice of making her swim in a sea of baked beans... which, FUN FACT: sent her into the ER because part of the broken champagne bottle rocketed out of the television when they were pelting bubbles at her and cut her hand large enough that she needed 27 stitches to close it.  She came back to film the next day because she is a fucking queen.

Tommy’s parents take him to Jack Nicholson putting on an haughty accent to see if he can fix Tommy, and all he succeeds in doing is putting the moves on Ann-Margret.  She takes Tommy back to the house and dances him into the mirror, which sets him free to swim and run shirtless across the country without shoes on.

It’s around this point of the movie that I realize Ann-Margret and I have *a thing* for young Roger Daltrey, and I don’t know what to do with this knowledge.

Seriously, she’s only like 3 years older than him and she’s supposed to be playing his mother.  The film industry is so fucked up.

Tommy tells his mother than she needs to relinquish all her material possessions, baptizes her in the ocean, and forms his own pinball-based religion.  His followers treat him like a messiah, looking for him to provide the path to salvation.  He invites them onto his compound, puts his child molester Uncle Ernie in charge of a bunch of children, and Uncle Frank in charge of recruitment and merchandising. 

His campers are fairly pissed they’re being milked for every dime they have, but Tommy is all, “I haven’t handed out my syllabus yet, wait until you hear what the curriculum is going to be!”  When they discover it’s about turning off all distractions and only playing pinball, his congregation are all like, “Fuck that!” and riot, murdering both of Tommy’s parents.  Now that his oppressors are dead, Tommy is truly free.  He runs through literal fire, jumps into a lake in jeans, and climbs a slippery waterfall AND a mountain in bare feet, making me wonder what kind of insurance they had on this picture that they allowed Roger Daltrey to do all of that and hang glide into a sea of bikers. The 1970s were an unencumbered time.

I watched several interviews with Peter Townshend to understand where the idea of this rock opera came about, and holy shit, this story is just based in his own traumatic childhood experiences.  From his perspective, after WW2, the people in England who had lived with the constant fear of sudden death internalized all of their associated trauma.  They had children they weren’t emotionally equip to parent, leaving them to be vulnerable to people who wanted to exploit them.

Tommy’s constant plea in the movie was to be seen and heard by those who were supposed to protect and care for him, only for them to be ignorant to the affect their negligence was having on him.  Tommy tries to save other broken people who need to feel safe, only for them to revolt, take the only family he’s ever known away from him, and abandon him.  This is an unbelievably depressing movie, and the fact it resonated with so many people, I just... I don’t know how to process that, because it’s heartbreaking.

So, yeah, this movie is weird as shit, but it does try to impart that people who are exposed to repeated stressful events will only hurt themselves and those around them if they try to repress those experiences.  I’m not sure the movie effectively communicated what The Who was trying to convey in the original album, however.  I think the message is overshadowed by the strong aesthetic.  

I suffered with intense anxiety as a child (still do, although I have mechanisms now as an adult to help manage it) and my parents didn’t know what the fuck to do with me.  I would say 90% of the time they’d treat my anxiety like I was personally trying to inconvenience them, and the other 10% they’d make fun of me for it.  So there I’d be, trying to hide my anxiety attacks and feeling like I was going to die (or if I was lucky, just vomit) because they’d get angry or tell me to suck it up if they knew what was going on.  I did not have a happy childhood.  I, like Tommy, just wanted them to understand me and show any amount of compassion.  However, watching this movie, I somehow did not find myself relating to his story at all.  I was too distracted by Marilyn Monroe-dressed nuns, a 2-story tall Elton John, child abuse and molestation played off as a joke, and Ann-Margret drowning in bean syrup that I completely missed the intention.  I also think 1970s religious movements had a tendency to be rather exploitative, and I have listened to far too many My Favorite Murders to not see Tommy’s fans and think, “You’re in a cult, call your dad.”  It’s hard to be automatically empathetic to the abused when they lead others to be victimized by their abusers.

I would 1000% recommend Tommy the album.  This movie is worth a watch if you like The Who, but even as someone who loves the original music, I’m probably not going to put it in my constant rotation.

That concludes rock band movie musical week!  The orchestra nerd inside of me is excited to move on to Carmen Jones next.

[tsuki-sennin]

Lemme ask ya something real quick... Do you have the courage to ride with the devil?

Hoo-hoo, boy~! Revice already hitting us with the good shit!

I'll say this right now, I love this cast already. All great performances, all great characters.

The action's all consistently great, all the forms and attacks have great visual design. I love how every kid in the Igarashi fam's a badass. They also lean into Ikki's soccer player past by having him kick around big-ass rocks, it reminds me a lot of how Haruto/Wizard used to be a pro soccer player. ...I get a lot of Wizard vibes from Revice, actually. Forming a contract with a naughty inner demon to beat up an evil cult, the kicks, the extra catchy transformation jingles, he even has an axe! ...we got the Ouin Buster way earlier than we did the Wizardragon's Axcalibur, but hey!

Our homegirl Sakura putting in work! I don't expect her karate skills to be super relevant to the plot ("ladies" and "combat" usually aren't allowed to mix in Kamen Rider), but goddamn! First episode and she's already throwing down against the Deadmans! ...I'm foolishly hoping for the unlikely event that it lasts and she ends up being our Secondary Rider, but hey! I'm also a big fan of Daiji so far, he reminds me a lot of Akito from Ultraman Trigger. I wonder if we'll get a similar character arc?

The comedy's admittedly been very hit or miss so far though. Y'know Deadpool? Yeah, that's what I assume they're going for with Vice. I'd rather they play more into his viciousness and his sitcom/manzai dynamic with Ikki, now those are funny character traits. But at least we're not getting assaulted with fart jokes like in the Saber epilogue. ...yet.

Do you think Fenix runs into jurisdiction problems with AIMS? Is there some kind of inter-agency rivalry between Yaiba and Karizaki? Because MetsubouJinrai and the Deadmans seem to have very similar MOs of forcing out evil, and Yaiba and Karizaki don't seem like the kind of people who'd willingly be friendly with each other. I'd personally love to be Karizaki's secretary though, I love how his reaction to his bodyguard awakening another demon is basically "What did I tell you?"

Speaking of which, our antagonists this season all lookin' fresh. Going all in on the Mexican influence feels like a call back to how the Shocker Combatmen stuck with their iconic luchador designs after they introduced the Mexican branch of Shocker. You could argue that Olteca and Julio look a bit too silly, and you're probably not wrong, but it seems as though everyone's in agreement that Aguilera... hoo! It's weird how we haven't seen our new all-powerful queen of evil transform yet, buuuuuut I wouldn't be against the idea of a main villainess as our Big Bad Rider, wink wink nudge nudge. Perhaps she forms a direct contract with their god using a variant on the Revice Driver? They did steal the stamps from Fenix. I... don't really appreciate the name of their god though. Gifu? Do you think they get mad if the English speakers in the cult call him "Jifu?" I like how the Deadmans' contracts fold into origiami monsters, that's a clever effect.

I also love the idea that they're a cult situated in the middle of a night club and they drum up hype for demonic subjugation by handing out free hits of the Vistamps, that's perfect use of your set design. They probably even have an entire city to themselves the way MetsubouJinrai did, and in their case it's likely an unholy combination of Vegas, Kabuki-cho, Miami, Ibiza, and Monaco. I'd love to see Ikki and Vice fuck shit up on the dance floor with the eventual full version of liveDevil playing in the background. And to segue... Da-iCE, my dudes! Every time I listen to this theme, I love it more! It's decadent, it's powerful, it's loud, it's proud, it's bangin'! It's the kind of club banger that feels like it should be accompanied by big booty bad bitches, bourgeois booze, and back-of-the-bar brawling. I really appreciate this bold new direction; it kinda reminds me of Defspiral's Dive into the Mirror, the theme for the Japanese dub of Dragon Knight, which has a similar energy despite the difference in genre.

Looking forward to how the rest of Revice plays out. Alright, I'm done for today, bye.