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the-arts-of-being · 2 years ago

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the ask game! for any oc

💛- how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any?

🍰 - what is/are your oc's favorite sweets)/ dessert(s)?

🤔- what are some of your oc's quirks/ mannerisms?

Long post ahead ::3 Answered for Pollux mostly with some other characters sprinkled in for one.

No art this time, sorry. Might reblog with some later !

💛- Pollux is the only character where this answer is interesting, ignoring Cy who is a self insert and speaks/is learning everything that I speak or am learning.

Pollux's family from his father's side are immigrants from another region of Flatland, hence the odd last name "Schwarz" that sticks out from between "Campbell", "Carver", "Smith" etc. Schwarz just sounded cool, there is no actual reference nor reason there. I do not think that they speak German or anything - German and English don't precisely exist in Flatland.

But different languages do exist, though mostly have been assimilated or only differentiated by their sound, and Pollux knows some of his family's mother tongue, though Hunter is much more fluent and Madelyn learned a bit of it to impress him. Pollux possibly quite regrets not learning more of it. Might know some bits of old dead tongues and ways of writing because he loves history! On that topic, he probably talks very awkwardly, more so than originally depicted, because he really loves those ancient styles and they mess with how he talks.

He also learns [post-TAoB] English and many Planiturth languages, also learns or helps create Exwhylian/Ypwherenian/Zetwhatian and other dimension's languages, and Thought Beyond Words for communication with those languages he doesn't know. He especially likes to learn old languages even now, even if that means older than time - would be funny to see the lil guy suddenly speak in the eldritch whispers of Voidspeak.

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🍰- Pollux loooves anything he can bake. Well, except most normal types of cake. He prefers stuff like tres leches, cheesecake or flan over regular cake. He loves those! He also loves making them. While he'll gladly eat a slice of birthday cake or one or two cookies, I think he really prefers things with some moisture to them. Crunchy or dry things sadden him. He's a chocolate chip cookie enjoyer too. But I don't think he's fond of adding fruit to desserts unless its blueberries.

Bill isn't my oc but I gotta note that this guy considers pieces of drywall, entire handfuls of specifically powdered sugar, and gasoline as "desserts".

Madelyn loves anything with strawberries [sadly Pollux can't stand them] and possibly the same cake preferences as her son. Hunter thinks sugar will rot your beak.

Lastly, Marianne actually really enjoys just fruit of any sort with unhealthy amounts of chamoy. Yeah she's the kind of girl that eats flaming hot takis like her life depends on it.

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🤔- Haven't thought of this much, considering they're. Literally just. Shapes. I figure that Pollux isn't great at talking- he tends to try to talk too fast or say many things at the same time or accidentally misuse words because he's attached to old language styles. So that's one thing. Also, when he's alone or nervous he likes to repeat words that sound nice to him, or the letter x (remember he loves how it sounds?) or just clicking. Even now that he can speak with words, sometimes he mumbles things to himself in Flatland's language, that nobody knows anymore except for him, so chirping and stuff.

He also tends to keep his hands clasped together because having them hanging around feels weird, or when he's using his cane, he'll have one hand holding the arm that's holding the cane. Also avoids eye-contact. (Oh and I don't know where to put this, but he's ambidextrous. Why not? Guy's pretty much a demigod)

#asks #the arts of being #long post #all text

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lanceberyl · 1 year ago

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First tumblr post! I have no idea what I'm doing.

Hallo! My name is Lance. I am 26 years old, and am an aspiring 3d artist, animator, gamedever, vtuber, essay makerer? --I specialize with Blender trying to hone my skills and push its capabilities with NPR shading techniques. Currently working on launching an animated essay series, and maybe an indie game or two. ♾️ Autism haver, VERY introverted / shy until you start talking about something I'm hyperfixated about. Big games enjoyer; I like vidja games. Chicken enthusiast; probably in my top 5 favorite omniscient entities ever. Fears, I have many; wolves, eye contact, flan, girls, the ocean, just to name a few.. I'll attempt to post here semi-regularly, see where the algorithm takes me cuz twitter/insta/tiktok/threads ain't doing me jack-a-doodle. Vtuber Channel: youtube.com/@lanceberylgaming

#blender #blender3d #animation #animator #character design #stylized #small artist #digital artist #3d artist #b3d #3d modeling #cartoon #cartoonist #asd #actually autistic

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romulocafe · 2 years ago

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Romulo Cafe: A Filipino Culinary Adventure in the Heart of High Street Kensington

High Street Kensington is home to some of the best coffee shops and restaurants in London. Amidst the hustle and bustle of this busy street, there is a hidden gem that offers a unique culinary experience – Romulo Cafe.

Romulo Cafe is a best Filipino restaurant London that brings the flavours of the Philippines to London. The restaurant is named after Carlos P. Romulo, a Filipino diplomat and statesman who was also the first Asian to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly.

The restaurant's interior is inspired by Romulo's life and achievements, with vintage photographs and memorabilia displayed on the walls. The ambiance is warm and inviting, perfect for a romantic dinner or a casual get-together with friends and family.

Now, let's talk about the food. Romulo Cafe offers a wide range of Filipino dishes that are both delicious and authentic. The restaurant's menu is a perfect blend of traditional and modern Filipino cuisine, which means there is something for everyone.

For starters, try the Lumpia Shanghai, a Filipino-style spring roll filled with minced pork, carrots, and onions. The Tofu Sisig is another popular dish, made with crispy tofu, onion, chilli, and tangy calamansi lime.

Moving on to the main course, Romulo Cafe's Adobo is a must-try dish. This Filipino classic is made with tender chicken or pork marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black pepper. The Kare-Kare, a rich and flavorful stew made with oxtail and peanut sauce, is another must-try.

If you're in the mood for seafood, the Grilled Salmon Belly with Mango Salsa is a great choice. The salmon is perfectly cooked and served with a refreshing mango salsa that complements the dish well.

Don't forget to save room for dessert! The Halo-Halo, a Filipino dessert made with shaved ice, evaporated milk, and a variety of sweet toppings, is a popular choice. The Leche Flan, creamy caramel custard, is another favorite.

Apart from the food, Romulo Cafe also has an impressive selection of cocktails and wines. The restaurant's signature cocktail, the Romulo Sour, is a refreshing blend of gin, calamansi lime, and homemade pandan syrup.

Romulo Cafe is not just a place to eat; it's also a cultural experience. The restaurant regularly hosts events that showcase Filipino culture, such as live music performances and traditional dance shows.

The staffs at Romulo Cafe are friendly and attentive, ensuring that you have an enjoyable dining experience. They are knowledgeable about the dishes and happy to provide recommendations based on your preferences.

In conclusion, Romulo Cafe is a hidden gem in the heart of High Street Kensington coffee shops. If you're looking for a unique culinary experience, look no further than this Filipino restaurant. From the delicious food to the warm and inviting ambiance, Romulo Cafe has everything you need for a memorable dining experience.

So, whether you're in the mood for a casual brunch or a romantic dinner, call Romulo Cafe at 020 3141 6390 to make a reservation. And if you're ever in the mood for some Filipino cuisine, Romulo Cafe is the best Filipino restaurant in London, bar none.

#igh street kensington coffee shops #best filipino restaurant london

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dudeiloveflan · 5 months ago

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Ok but can we talk about how Robotnik trusts Stone inventiveness so much that in the second movie we see that Stone clearly designs Eggman’s clothes and now in the trailer for the third movie we see him categorize Stone’s shirt as “proper material” for his own fit? Leaving aside the fact that Stone probably refers to “proper material” as material that will protect the Doctor from ripping easily, catching fire, etc etc, I think it’s safe to say that Robotnik considers Stone’s clothes fitting to the Doctor’s liking. That Stone is smart and creative enough to handle Robotnik’s clothing related issues. He absolutely trusts him not only with his life but with creative decisions too, as we saw in the first two movies (the doctor explaining his creations to stone) and now in the third one.

#flan enjoyer talks #I DONT KNOW IF YOU GET WHAT I MEAN #I’m freaking out #I also lost count of how many times I’ve watched the trailer #sonic #sonic movies #agent stone #dr robotnik #dr eggman #eggman #stobotnik #sth #sonic movie 3 #sonic 3

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unseelie-grimalkin · 2 years ago

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Hello, welcome to Grimalkin’s Flannán Conspiracy Board. This is an exercise in three basic principles:

Research

Shitposting

Screamming

Unfortunately, it’s not the normal kind of RSS feed, but hey. You’ve got this document. May it bring joy and brainworms in equal measure.

However, first: a disclaimer. Three of them, actually.

While I talk about topics here in the tone and diction of an expert, I am very much someone digging in old books and sharing like an excited raccoon. Most of my expertise lies in Hellenistic studies, Western medieval alchemy, Kemetic anatomy of the soul, and bits and pieces of Norse folklore. This document is very much me reconnecting with my heritage and going “HOLY SHIT” very loudly in a way that is (hopefully) comprehensible and enjoyable.

If I’m right about any of the contents in here, I do hereby solemnly swear that I will not turn around and go “THE DEVS, THEY STOLE FROM MY IDEAS”. This is a statement I have to write down as a show of good faith.

However much I sum up the concepts here, I do not expect the game to be 1:1 with the folklore, as that wouldn’t really give much of a story for the game to tell. Alas, talking about the inspirations though is fun AND brainworm-inducing, so I’m making this document.

Some trigger warnings:

Discussion of Bodily Autonomy and the Lack Thereof

Descriptions of Body Horror (unavoidable with scholarly discussion of Cú Chulainn, I’m afraid)

Implied Discussion of Grooming

So, let’s sum up Flannán mac Lugh.

His name means (roughly) Little Red, Son of Lugh.

His real life inspiration is Cú Chulainn. Put a pin in that, I scream about that later.

He is the only one of countless sons and daughters that Lugaid actually claimed as his own child, gaining the title of warrior-“prince”.

He has been trained to be a Jack of All Trades, with regard to weaponry.

He has things he’d like for himself in the future, but would not count on actually receiving.

He actively avoids situations where he would lose control of his body (avoiding sleep, refusing to drink to intoxication).

He is a sucker for children and those who cannot fight for themselves.

He took in THREE orphaned dogs in the middle of a war, where they would’ve died without his interference. THREE dogs is a LOT of food, a lot of time, a lot of SPACE. But he did that. He fucking did that.

Don’t talk to me, I’m soft.

He’s also real sensitive about receiving luxury at the expense of others, to the point where his room is extremely Spartan, refuses to have a favourite gemstone on account that he cannot separate the abusive mining industry from any stone’s appearance, and a lot of his favourite things in general fall into pattern of common everyday guy stuff, especially for the genre conventions NDM is going for.

He has a tragic past, this goes without saying.

Like we know his DND class/subclass would be Path of the Beast Barbarian, but his DND background might as well be HAUNTED ONE in glowing all capital letters, in Impact font. We joke that he’s straight out of Skyrim, but I would argue that Flan would feel right proper home in Barovia, just on account that the populace is just as haunted as he is (there are also lawful good wereravens there, making it a lovely vacation spot for Maeve, but I digress).

He has a LOT of dog jokes about him. Like. A lot. You cannot ignore this about his character, this is the TEXT of him, not the subtext.

He cannot drink hot chocolate without his stomach getting upset.

If this is simply a dev joke or actual fact remains to be seen. He doesn’t seem to follow the entirety of dog dietary rules, so it’s very up in the air if he’s 1:1 and I refuse to go down the list of “All Things Dogs Can’t Eat” in the askbox to find out. One of you can take the L, I’m not that desperate.

If he misses you, he will wait by the window and stare until you come home.

He gets excited by the merest touch and has to restrain himself to behave and not turn into a humanoid version of his own dogs (no thoughts, only cuddles).

Epitome of Scary Dog Privilege.

His love language combo is giving acts of service (doing tricks) and receiving words of affirmation (being told he is a good boy)/physical touch (head pats).

Simultaneously “uh oh” + mental tail wagging.

This man is a dog, your honour.

For the full text of this, please follow this link here to experience the full Flannán Conspiracy Board (breaker of hearts, left and right).

#hi i realized i should post this here too #ndm flannán #flannán mac lugh #na daoine maithe #ndm theorycraft

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disinvited-guest · 5 years ago

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3/6/2020 Chicago

I got to hang out with a whole bunch of awesome people before this show, both people I knew and ones I just met that day. It almost made it worth the freezing temperatures to meet them all. Once we got in to the much warmer venue, I got a spot to the left of the keyboard, with folks to talk to on both sides.

Fresh outdid himself in the fashion department at this show. As he was setting up, he proudly displayed jagged-striped pink-and-green neon socks, a yellow sweatshirt with Simba printed all over it, and a headband with a print I didn’t catch all the details of, but included the word “Krap!” and bull horns.

Note: I am shortening the recap for the first set, since it was a copy of the one from the night before, except that they didn’t play the forward version of Sapphire Bullets. This show didn’t have much banter in the first set regardless, but I’ll share what there was. The second set recap will be the regular length

During the first block of songs, Dan had to switch to his backup electric briefly, which sounded louder than the other, but switched back by the next song. Danny had a band-aid with him when they went onstage. He unwrapped it and put it on his thumb during the first few songs, then spent the rest of the set rewrapping it as it kept peeling off.

After the first block of songs, Flans asked Linnell how it was going. Linnell told him to hold on because “I have to check.” After a pause, he decided “I think it’s going pretty good.”

Flans said he had a good day and that he had taken an afternoon nap. He had also worked on some of the songs he had messed up the day before because “There is no off-switch on this okay button.”

Linnell replied that “Buttons with switches on them are tricky,” and then changed the subject, introducing us all to his new keyboard stand. “I did get a new keyboard stand and I can’t stop talking about it.”

Flans told him that talking a lot about the keyboard stand was okay because of “how much you have to listen to us talk about guitar amps.”

Linnell gave us some more details on the keyboard stand. According to him, the stand has wells in the front because it is based on his old keyboard stand, which was designed by Brian Dewan “who’s greatest wish was to design a school desk.” “I keep my math homework over there, and over here I carved the Aerosmith logo” He then told us that the new stand has a drawer, which the old one didn’t. Linnell wanted to open the drawer to show us, but it wasn’t facing anyone, so he told Flans that they should post a video of what it looks like online.

When Linnell brought up that Minimum Wage has a whip crack in it on the album, he suggested that the audience could do it here. Flans replied that the audience would have to, since they didn’t finish sound production on the song.

Before Stilloob, Flans called it the “Playing a Song From Flood Backwards Challenge.” While explaining what they would do, he told us that for this part of the show “I don’t want to say there is no audience enjoyment, but the amount of audience enjoyment is finite.” At the next stopping point after the song Flans announced “We are challenging all other They Might Be Giants like bands. WE KNOW who they are,” to complete the ‘challenge’. During the next song, Lucky Ball and Chain, Flans pulled what I presume was the lyric sheet for Stilloob off of his stand, crumpled it up, and threw it upstage behind Curt’s riser.

Flans told the balcony that they couldn’t rock out too much, and that the venue last night had been “like playing in a coliseum.”

Later, Flans decided the show was going too fast, and he had to slow it down. He told us to get out our phones, demanding “What are you? At work?” when we were slow to do so. Then he had the whole band come up to pose for photos. We were told to post the photos and tag them @hodgeman. I wonder if any confused fans actually did.

In between sets, Fresh had to fight with a lady standing a few people to my left, who kept putting her jacket and purse on the carpet for Marty’s electronic drum kit, even after he had asked her to remove them. Saul, making sure the lights for the Quiet Storm were adjusted properly, bent his legs while checking at Linnell’s mic so that he could check how the lights were at Linnell’s height, which was a hilarious necessity I hadn’t considered before.

When the intro music for the second set began, Flans stuck onstage by going around behind the risers for some reason. Once he made it to his mic with his guitar, I realised he didn’t have his glasses on.

Once again, 2082 was the first song of the set, despite the setlist, which had 2018 written instead. Linnell’s mic was off for the first line and a half of the song, so it was a strange start, although the rest of the song was unaffected by it.

Because I was right by the electronic drum kit, the whole Quiet Storm was a bit strange, as the actual sound of the mallets hitting sounded as clear as the electronic sounds those hits generated. It was a bit disorienting at first! I also could see little pieces of fluff falling off of the mallets and floating away as he played.

After 2082, they played Music Jail, which once again blew me away. I realized that a big part of its ability to be so rocking was that the electronic drums allowed Marty to take over a larger part of the song.

Once Music Jail was finished, John Brunette slipped onstage to give Flans his glasses. Flans stepped back to grab them and even way off mic, it was easy to hear his cry of “Oh, thank god” Stepping quickly back to the mic and placing his glasses on his face, he introduced Linnell as on on the keyboards for the next song.

“Nothing makes our short, unsatisfying unplugged set better than electronic drums and a keyboard,” he announced.

“It’s acoustic!” Linnell promised us, “Except for the drums and the keyboard.”

Moving on, Flans introduced the next song. “This song is about what makes New England so special, which might not mean much here.” This led, of course, into Wicked Little Critta, and then they all left us with the Underwater Woman Video once again while the crew cleaned up.

As the song was finishing, they all returned to the stage. Linnell, watching the video as he came on, mouthed along to a few of the words, basically singing along to himself.

Rather than start back into the music right away, Flans came up to the mic and told us all “We talk a lot about healthcare in the band. Now it's time to talk about some music.” He told us the next song was off of My Murdered Remains “a name no one in our management was happy with” and mentioned that it was not available for streaming.

Linnell chimed in to say that this was a new strategy, calling it an ‘inreach’ program instead of outreach. “If you think you can help,” Flans said to the crowd “We’re okay!” Then they started into The Communists Have the Music.

From there, they played Wearing a Raincoat, and then Damn Good Times, which was their first deviation from the setlist of the night before! I had honestly grown a bit tired of this song in 2018, but clearly all I had needed was some time away, because I was overjoyed to hear it again! Dan was, of course, particularly amazing during this song, and especially smiley during the remainder of the set.

They paused only briefly after DGT to announce that the next song was about a near eastern rock band, then played The Mesopotamians, followed immediately by Spy. Linnell had a different sample this time around, a woman singing “very-very” which I couldn’t place, and he also yelled high and low opposite the band playing. Flans had a bit more luck directing the crowd than he did in Milwaukee, and also engaged in playing his guitar while pressing his mic stand to the strings.

They played Ana Ng, which is always fun live, and then Let Me Tell You About My Operation, with Flans calling out “Paging Doctor Beller!” before that absolutely epic drum part in the instrumental part of the song.

After that run of songs, everyone on stage looked a bit breathless. Linnell must have been feeling it, since he decided they needed to “take this high energy and slow it down by talking about something boring.”

Flans agreed with him and said that the show was going by too fast. “It’s like it’s still the first set. It’s like we still care!”

Linnell, who had just taken a sip from his coffee cup, mentioned that his new keyboard stand had no drink holder but “I guess school desks don’t have drink holders”

“You do have a rearview mirror,” Flans pointed out.

“I do!” He turned it around briefly so that we all could see. “It’s so Marty can keep an eye on me. So he can see if I’m making faces.”

“Marty has ways of keeping an eye on everybody,” Flans added. “Now that it’s the third act of Behind the Music all the secrets everyone already knew can come out.”

Linnell started to respond, then broke off “Danny is pressuring me to start the song, isn’t he?” Danny was waiting attentively, but patiently behind the keyboard. When Linnell asked about him, I looked over and he met my eyes. I smiled at him, and shook my head. He wasn’t pressuring Linnell at all! He smiled back at me, and walked over to stand in front of Marty’s riser. Linnell, meanwhile, had turned to look for Danny asking “Where is he?” Finding Danny’s new spot, Linnell told him “Okay Danny, we can start the song.”

This led into Museum of Idiots. Danny does seem to get a bit nervous about starting this song, which makes sense because it’s him all by himself for the first few measures. I also think that the Johns tend to intentionally go off on tangents before this song just to tease him about it, but that’s only speculation.

Istanbul was very similar to the previous night (which means it was great). I realized that Dan is playing both his acoustic and his electric guitar during the course of this song, which is awesome!

They finished out the set with Theme from Flood, but were back on soon for their first encore. This started out with New York City. Most of the time, their live version of this song starts off with an almost lullaby-esque quality to the first verse, before being kicked up into a super high-energy song from the second verse onward. During this performance though, that transition never happened, meaning that the whole song was performed in that softer tone, with Flans sweetly singing and the gentle xylophone tones on Linnell’s keyboard. It was absolutely beautiful, but perhaps not entirely intentional. I saw some of the guys exchanging ‘wtf’ looks during and after the song, and as soon as the song was over, Linnell told us all he was a bit confused.

They played Doctor Worm next, with Linnell changing the settings on the keyboard for Dan once again. Once it was over, as they were leaving the stage again, Marty smacked his head straight into a mic as he was walking offstage. I guess he wasn’t looking where he was going, but he shook it off and seemed fine.

The second encore started with She’s An Angel, the version that starts with just Linnell singing so wonderfully. They finished out their evening by playing The Guitar, with Curt and Linnell giving us the Future of Sound. During FoS Marty, who was keeping time on his kick drum, had his hands above his head, and was moving them slightly as if he might clap, then jerking them back apart, which was beautifully bizarre. Finishing the Guitar, Flans thanked us all for coming out and they left the stage for the night.

After the show, Marty and Danny were back on to give things out, Danny with a huge pile of stickers that he began passing out right away. After a few moments, he broke off to give out setlists. After giving one to me, he said “Goodnight, sweetie,” and touched my shoulder. I left the venue feeling lighter than air.

#tmbg #recap

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selfcallednowhere · 5 years ago

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March 3, 2018 San Francisco, CA

This was my second time being at the Fillmore, after an Apollo 18 show a couple of years ago. It's a really awesome venue! I just love all things historic, and it really is just a cool venue even aside from that--I especially love the beautiful chandeliers (so does Flans, but I'll get to that).

So I was hoping they were actually gonna change the setlist this time after having the exact same one the previous two nights, and there are few songs that could've made me more excited than what they opened with: "Everything Right is Wrong Again"!!! Seeing the songs I have lyric tattoos from is always so intense for me. I've seen the other one, "Ana Ng," quite a few times, but this was only the third time I'd seen this one, and it was a majorly big deal. So that was the show highlight right off the bat!

After the song was over Flans said it was a sold out show, and that selling it out had "changed our whole self-image" and now they were "strutting around all arrogant and sticking our fingers into other people's chests." Then he said they were playing two sets and he wanted us to hold our applause for the second set (he actually said "second show," but he clearly meant to say "second set") and "treat us like any other opener" and feel free to do things like catch up on our emails.

Then he asked John how his day was (I love that he usually asks him this, because I'm always curious). John said that he'd slept for most of it, and Flans said he had too but he'd been trying to keep it a secret. Then he said it was part of his "two-part program: sleep all day, then drink an insane amount of coffee."

Then they had some whole long conversation about this self-help guru I don't really know named Tony Robbins. Flans said he'd just watched some Netflix documentary about him, which he expected to be some sort of exposé but was actually "a Trojan horse for him." John said he makes you not believe in self-help and think "I'll help myself, thank you very much." Then he said that his act has gotten a lot more obscene and he's now saying things like "How do you fucking feel?" whereas before he was more "G-rated." Then Flans said he'll yell at someone who "looks like someone's grandmother 'What the fuck is wrong with you?'" John said we should watch this documentary, and Flans said we should set a timer and just watch it for ten minutes.

Then Flans said they were going to be playing "new songs, old songs, and songs we barely know how to play." People cheered, and he said, "Those are our favorites too." Then he said they have a new album and it's really good. John: "We were holding the vial of good and someone jostled our elbow." Then Flans said they're "chuffed" about how good it is.

After "I Left My Body" and "Damn Good Times" (both great as per usual), Flans said the previous song had featured "the psychedelic experience of Dan Miller," and that the Fillmore is "no stranger to endless guitar sounds." Then he said that he didn't have "enough weird guitar sounds" on the next song, and John said that "the stakes are higher" cos it's the Fillmore.

Next they played "Mrs. Bluebeard"--John did not break his sad little streak of screwing up the lyrics every single time I've seen it, siiiiiiiiigh.

After "Your Racist Friend," they played "I Palindrome I," which was another delightful surprise and show highlight for sure--I've only seen it a handful of times, and it's such a good song.

Then, John picked up the contra-alto clarinet.

JF: This is the contra-alto clarinet. The signal for political revolution! JL: Cells, awaken! JF: If not here, when? If not now, where? Maybe I'm harping on this too much. *long pause*

Then they played "All Time What." Afterwards, Flans said that Dan had provided "an adult portion of high notes" on that song.

At the Fillmore they have a person walking around carrying a tray over their head bringing people drinks so they don't have to leave their spot to go to the bar. So the girl who was doing it this time was walking up near the stage (she was nice, I chatted with her a bit at the second show) and Flans said, "It would be interesting if that person didn't work here. There's not enough mustache wax in the world to top that. Not enough top hats in the world to mustache wax that."

Then they played "Bangs" and "Hearing Aid." They're doing an interesting cacophony of sound at the end of the latter, and it's good with Curt's trumpet too. That song is one of the ones I rank lowest on Flood (I don't hate it or anything, just not particularly into it), but it's still been rather enjoyable live somehow (I've been having that experience with quite a few songs that are currently in the set, actually).

Then Flans said that he's seen some movie called Last Waltz (another pop culture reference that was entirely lost on me) like 14 times, so when they play here he imagines an announcer announcing Neil Diamond. Then he asked if they could turn the chandeliers on "at a low volume." Then he said that there was going to be a "Neil Diamond/Van Morrison cage match--only one pantsuit will survive." Then John said that they've played a bunch of shows here before but he can't remember the chandeliers ever being turned on before, and Flans said you have to play a sold-out show to make it happen. They were very pretty, once they were on!

Then they played "The Mesopotamians." I've been burned out on this song live for quite some time, just cos I've seen it a million times, so I was pleasantly surprised when I actually enjoyed it this time.

Next they did the back-to-back thing that I was loving so much at the other shows of "When the Lights Come On" followed by "Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes." GOD, I cannot even handle how good it is seeing two songs as amazing as those two back-to-back like that.

After that, Flans was describing the chandeliers as jellyfish, which was really silly. He said he wished he'd taken some psychedelic drugs to appreciate them more.

JF: There's some commercial on cable TV for some memory tablet that says "Includes an active ingredient found in jellyfish." Because jellyfish remember everything. GUY IN AUDIENCE: IT'S THE STINGER! JF: Yeh, I guess if you're stung by a jellyfish you won't forget it. JL: And neither will the jellyfish. JF: There has to be a German word for that sort of dream logic...This next song features the whole band. JL: The word "features" is being taffy-pulled to mean "includes." JF: It includes an ingredient found in jellyfish.

The song was "This Microphone," which I have been enjoying live (though I think there are several other songs from the album that would be even more suited to a live setting which they haven't yet played for some reason). Afterwards, Flans said they should play it again because there had been some sort of sound coming off the amp during it (I didn't hear anything). He said it reminded him of playing at the 9:30 Club, "where the PA liked to jam with us." Then a couple of crew guys came out to set up new amps, and Flans seemed pretty upset by them having to do this in the middle of the show. He said that one of them was "on the lam from the FBI" and that the other (Jon Carter, one of the very few crew members I can recognize just because he's been working with them forever) is from Vermont and is "made of pure maple syrup."

Flans said they only had a couple more songs to get through before the break between sets. John suggested they take the break now cos of the technical difficulties, but Flans didn't want to for some reason.

To kill time they started talking about Tony Robbins again. Flans said, "He doesn't have an asterisk, but I think he's icing," and that "his head and body are huge. He's going to join the Marvel team." John said he would be saying "How do you fucking feel now?," and Flans said he would be saying "Admit it, Hulk, your mom never loved you!" Then they were asking if the amp was working now and were apparently told that it had been working for several minutes. John: "They're waiting for us!"

So then they played "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal," and as usual I was completely rocking out. And then they played "Birdhouse in Your Soul," and I was thinking that I didn't know if I could handle rocking out to that one when I'd already rocked out so hard to the previous one. But rock out I did!

The second set started the usual way: the "Last Wave" video, then the Quiet Storm section beginning with "Older." John was doing the amusing/creepy pointing as he sang it thing again.

Afterwards, Flans said this section of the show features electronic drums, trumpet, and his "haunted mic chip," followed by some silly sounds.

They played "I Like Fun," then Flans introduced "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" in a way I haven't heard him do it before. He said that these are "contentious times, troubling times" and this next song is an election song from 1840 and is "mean-spirited and super-hostile," so we should take this as evidence that things being that way now isn't new and "things get better, then they get shittier again, but that doesn't mean it's over." I thought this was an interesting way of thinking of it, and I wonder if it was part of the motivation for them bringing the song into the set.

So they played the song, and then John introduced "James K. Polk" in the same way he has been (with some variation)--by saying that this song is from WAY IN THE FUTURE of 1844, where there are "flying driverless beards" and "electric buggy whips."

After they finished, they bowed, and when they stood all the way up again John said he should finish the bow by playing a flourish on his accordion. I know he was just being silly, but I actually thought that would be cool.

Then they were joking again about the "haunted mic stand." John: "When they got home they found that the mic stand was attached to the car handle somehow!"

Then Flans said their next song was going to be from 1848, and sang the silly "Zachary Taylor has a tail" song he made up the night before. Then he said their next song was from 1852, but neither of them could remember who was president then. Someone yelled that it was Pierce. Flans said he couldn't think of anything to make up about him, and John said he was one in a string of crappy presidents. Flans asked him how, and he said he did things that were contributing factors to the start of the Civil War (I was as always quite excited to hear him showing off his intellect). Then he said his son died in a train wreck so they weren't really allowed to make fun of him, which led to some silence and nervous laughter. Flans: "I think we should take a moment of silence for how badly we're managing this part of the show. It's gone completely off the rails." (Perhaps not the best choice of words in light of what was just said...)

Then they played MY THEME SONG, and it was incredibly special and moving and emotional for me just like every other time I've seen it.

After "Istanbul," Flans started introducing "Bills, Bills, Bills." Once again he was talking about "Tubthumping" first, and some people were cheering, presumably thinking they were going to play that one instead. "For those of you not applauding, don't worry, we're not going to play that song. Because it is a song that, once heard, cannot be unheard."

After "Particle Man" and "The Famous Polka," Flans introduced "Wicked Little Critta" by saying, "Though we're from New York City, we have deep origins in New England. Haunted, cranky, emotionally unavailable New England."

Afterwards, Flans said the next song features Dan on acoustic guitar. John: "It features the word 'feature' as well." Then Flans said Marty only plays kick drum for the whole song, and they tried to talk him into playing other things but he refused.

At some point the chandeliers had turned off, and Flans was saying he wanted them to come on again. People started chanting "Jellyfish! Jellyfish!" I saw Flans saying it too, but I didn't hear him say it at the beginning and I wasn't looking at him right then, so I'm not sure if he was actually the one who started it or if it just started spontaneously in the crowd and then he picked up on it. Then he said that whoever was in charge probably wasn't going to listen because "they might think the band Jellyfish is reuniting." Then: "It's clear someone is on their break." But then they did come on and everyone cheered.

After "Number Three" and "Answer," Flans introduced "Man, It's So Loud in Here" by saying that a few months ago they'd done a Mink Car show. "We played all the songs we know how to play. We left out the ones we don't know how to play, cos we thought that might be socially awkward."

Next was "Twisting" (rocked my face off, as always), and then it was time for band intros. Flans introduced Curt, Dan, and Danny, then he said, "Well, that just about does it!" John was really amused. But then of course he did actually introduce Marty after that, he was just pretending to have forgotten him to be funny.

They closed out the main set with "Doctor Worm," which was superfun as usual.

When they came back for the first encore, they had the house lights on.

JL: Now you know how it feels for us. JF: Confess! I want to do a special long-distance dedication to the guy flipping double birds. I know where you're coming from. I just keep it inside.

Then Flans was saying that in the dressing room they have a poster from some time the Black Crowes (man, this show was just full of pop culture references that went entirely over my head) played five nights in a row, which makes it seem like not such a big deal for them to do two.

The first encore was the same as the previous two nights: "Dead" followed by "Don't Let's Start." Even though it was no longer a surprise at this point, I was still ecstatic to see them playing two of my all-time favorite songs back-to-back.

When they were backstage again between the first encore and the second, I was trying to figure out what the second encore might be. At the previous two shows it was "Doctor Worm," but they'd already played that one so that couldn't be it this time. I decided that I'd love it if it was "No One Knows My Plan," cos I really wanted to conga again.

So they came back and Flans said, "We just have one more song. It's a dance party. We're done thinking, it's time to start dancing." And then they played "The Guitar," which yeh makes a great closer and normally I would've been perfectly contented with it, but since the idea had come into my head minutes before I'd just really had my heart set on "No One Knows My Plan," and Flans's "just one more song" absolutely ruled the possibility out.

But then! But then!! They surprised me by ACTUALLY PLAYING IT!!! I was SO EXCITED. Congaing during that song is seriously THE MOST FUN FUCKING THING EVER. The first two times I got to do it the people in front of me jumped out halfway through the song and I couldn't see where I could get in again, but this time I got to do it for the whole song, and it was so fun. Towards the end two parts of the line were passing by each other and we just all started high-fiving as we went by each other, and I was thinking that we knew how to have a real good time as opposed to all the people who were just standing around watching and MISSIN' OUT. A truly fantastic ending to a fantastic show!

The all-important JL wardrobe report: the same long-sleeved black shirt as the night before for the main set, but a black-and-white stripey t-shirt for the encores.

#tmbg #show reviews

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