#god the 4th episode was PHENOMENAL

[ratpoizonz]

"i want to go home."

[thefringespod]

Welcome wanderers to another #AudioDramaSunday! We're going to start off with the @tellnotalespod April Fools episode because I laughed so hard it was so chaotic. It was just a silly good time! Leanne and Asher did incredible work playing each other's characters. Also on the Tell No Tales front I am CONCERNED about the ACTUAL episode 7 because uhhhh what was Frank doing? I am also shaking Leo once again I love them but LEO TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS

@souloperatorpod episode 7 was excellent as always. Tessa Whitlock has 2 hands and I am going to convince myself that this won't end poorly. The end of the episode makes me ConcernedTM but. But nothing actually I'm scared of episode 8

@woebegonepod 152 has brought back my beloved Tex and he is doing suspicious things and im love him anyway. I don't know what he's up to and I don't know what Stinky is up to and honestly I don't know what Dylan is up to but gods I love Woe.Begone

I finally did as I said I was going to and listened to @audistorium and gods yall it's so fucking good!!! They also just launched a patreon so if you want to support the show (and I highly recommend it if you can) visit their patreon

The @grottopod season finale hurt me so fucking bad. The entire cast did an incredible job and it hurt me SO BAD. Athan has also released the album for the entire first season and it's absolutely phenomenal (and um. I might be on it?) Check it out on bandcamp! (It will be streaming at some point I just don't use Spotify or anything like that so idk)

The lovely folks behind Fawx & Stallion (@224bbaker ) have started their crowdfunding for s2! Fawx & Stallion is one of my favorite shows from last year, it's fun and funny and delightful. If you can support them, please check out their indiegogo campaign!

Pod Jam has officially kicked off and some of my delightful friends are working on @working-tidal-pod! They just announced their cast yesterday and it's amazing. I can't wait to see what they do!

Here on the Fringes, I finished my recordings for season 3 which still doesn't feel real. I've also started brainstorming some ideas for further patreon content! If you've enjoyed the show and want to support us, you can do so at patreon.com/PineTreePods

And over on @forgedbondspod I've been working on the second half of the show! The writing is 3/4ths of the way through, just working on the last arc of the show now. I can't wait to share what we've been working on with yall!

In personal news, I've made the difficult decision to leave my job as it was causing a lot of stress and exacerbating my mental health issues. Gonna take a bit of a break from Day Jobs to work on finishing out Forged Bonds and then will be getting back into the swing of things. In the meantime, this should mean even more time for podcasts (both my own and other peoples) which should help me reset before heading back into a Day Job. My to listen list is very long and I'm excited to chip away at it some!

[aci32]

WACKEN OPEN AIR 2023 PART III!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Picking up where I left off from part II, after Wardruna I then made my way to the Louder stage to catch BLOODBATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 2nd time seeing them as I remember seeing them 8 years ago before Sabaton took the stage at that time and I remember they were good. This time around, they were better because I got to see a full set as opposed to seeing them play their last songs. Nick Holmes has awesome stage presence and it's my 4th time overall seeing him live, twice with Paradise Lost and twice more with Bloodbath. Here's their setlist:

So You DiePlay Video

Brave New HellPlay Video

Zombie InfernoPlay Video

Breeding DeathPlay Video

Weak AsidePlay Video

Like FirePlay Video

Outnumbering the DayPlay Video

CarvedPlay Video

Cancer of the SoulPlay Video

Putrefying CorpsePlay Video

Mock the CrossPlay Video

Cry My NamePlay Video

Eaten

After Bloodbath, I then got myself some Pommes mit Mayo and while I was eating, a person near one of the food stands had a medical episode that required the attention of medics and I'm thinking to myself "I hope this poor soul is okay". After I was done eating, I then retreated to my tent and crashed for the night.

Saturday August 5: This was the final day of Wacken and it was on that day I met Garreth or affectionately known as "Gaga" or maybe it was the day before, I can't remember.

After having what became the last hangout at the camp, I made my way into the infield to catch ENSIFERUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 9th time seeing Ensiferum, first time seeing them at Wacken in 8 years, and first time in 4 years seeing Ensiferum overall. When I saw Ensiferum at Wacken 8 years ago they had Emmi Silvennoinen as their keyboardist, this time they have Pekka Montin and I must say Pekka was quite awesome to hear especially with his falsetto and clean vocals on one of the songs. At one point Sami Hinkka had told the crowd to raise their middle fingers to the rain gods which we all did since the rain gods had left us all exhausted and angry. It certainly felt awesome to end the Ensiferum at Wacken drought. Here's their setlist:

Seafarer's DreamPlay Video

Rum, Women, VictoryPlay Video

In My Sword I TrustPlay Video

Token of TimePlay Video

Run From the Crushing TidePlay Video

For SirensPlay Video

One Man ArmyPlay Video

One More Magic PotionPlay Video

Lai Lai HeiPlay Video

AndromedaPlay Video

From AfarPlay Video

Vanha suomalaisten poikain vitutuslaulu(Lapinlahden Linnut song)

One finished Ensiferum set and a loo break later, I then made my way to the Louder stage to catch BIOHAZARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had never seen this band before but I had heard of them through watching Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal where Evan Seinfeld and Billy Graziadei were being interviewed and as well Evan Seinfeld making a guest appearance on an old episode of Miami Ink back in the day. This band had a phenomenal live show and if I had grown up back in the day I would've totally seen these guys with Pantera and Sepultura on the Far Beyond Driven tour in 1994 or with Slayer and Machine Head back in 1995 because they have incredible energy. Plus it was funny hearing BIlly roasting Evan in between songs at times. I do look forward to seeing these guys again in the future. Here's their setlist:

Urban DisciplinePlay Video

What Makes Us TickPlay Video

Down for LifePlay Video

Tales From the Hard SidePlay Video

Wrong Side of the TracksPlay Video

Black and White and Red All OverPlay Video

Shades of GreyPlay Video

VictoryPlay Video

Love DeniedPlay Video

We're Only Gonna Die(Bad Religion cover)Play Video

Encore:

PunishmentPlay Video

Hold My Own

After they got done, I met up with my pals Bob and Marianne for a beer at the beer garden and got chatting with them for a good while to pass the time.

After that was done it was time for the band who coined the subgenre death metal, POSSESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 2nd time seeing these guys and first time in 6 years catching them as I also saw them play Wacken Open Air except at that time, they played at noon on the Faster stage. This time around they play close to the evening and they play on the Louder stage. They once again put on a great live show, even though Jeff Becerra was sporting an eyepatch since he had surgery on it awhile back, but that didn't stop him from having all the fun on the stage. Here's what their setlist looked like:

Chant of OblivionPlay Video

No More Room in HellPlay Video

DamnedPlay Video

PentagramPlay Video

TribulationPlay Video

Beyond the GatesPlay Video

Storm in My MindPlay Video

Swing of the AxePlay Video

GravenPlay Video

The ExorcistPlay Video

DemonPlay Video

Fallen AngelPlay Video

Death MetalPlay Video

Burning in Hell

End of Part III, stay tuned for Voivod

[whats-9plus10]

Here’s a top 10 list of my favorite Gary moments based on absolutely nothing but my personal opinions.

10. Gary’s haircut

Move over Zuko. Gary’s character development hasn’t finished yet. I feel like this signified a whole new chapter for him that we were supposed to see in season 8, but now will hopefully get to see in the movie. Also he looks so good with his little slut strands.

9. Grippy socks Gary

Gary helping Hank and Dermott was cute. That’s it. It was so damn cute. It was the trio I didn’t know I needed until it happened. Gary was creeping around the compound looking for an adventure, and unlike Al who got roped into Hank’s nonsense, Gary encouraged it. He provided the intel, made the plan, and probably drove them to the bank. Gary crafting was adorable and he looks so good in scrubs. This is an underrated Gary episode.

I also found it interesting that he continued to call himself Viceroy after cutting ties with the Monarch. I guess following a man dressed as a butterfly since in middle school does things to the developing adolescent brain. Gary was still seeing butterflies, literally (although to be fair, those ink blots do look like butterflies).

8. Hero with a number

The original Captain Sunshine has Gary pegged. I don’t know if I would go so far to call him a “hero”, but he is one of the most genuine characters on the show and the people around him respond to that. He made an impression on Shore Leave that later made way for him to join S.P.H.I.N.X. After his iconic fight with Brock, Brock didn’t walk away. He sat down next to him and waited at least long enough to light up a smoke until Gary woke up. Then they worked together to defeat a common enemy. Gary must’ve made a good enough impression on Hank so that he could later appeal to Enrico Matassa to save the Monarch from being shot in season 7. And after robbing Hatred blind for years, Hatred ended up bonding with Gary. Even if it was just for a moment. He’s the nice guy Dean wishes he was. Side note - Gary in only a loincloth and mask keeps me up at night. Why doesn’t this man have more bitches? How has RUSTY seen more action than Gary. I’ll volunteer guys don’t worry I’m on it.

7. Suiting up

Please see my meow meow edit.

But seriously how does Gary just know everything? He knew about Enzo’s, he knew about Teddy at Dunwitch, he made it his job to know what’s good and he’s good at it. What’s more impressive than his physical glow up is how loyal and competent he’s become. He’s a guy that will it handle it. How? He’ll just handle it don’t worry about it.

6. Kano

Amazing. Phenomenal. A masterpiece. Gary as Kano was setting boundaries. He was addressing his trauma. He was competent and cool and he looked so damn good. And most importantly, IT WAS HIS IDEA! The Monarch didn’t want to dress up as his dead dad. Monarch wanted to do the same old “I’ll get you Dr. Venture” schtick. Gary came up with the idea to be bad guys dressed as good guys so they can kill bad guys so they can arch a good guy. Are you following along? Because Gary sure is.

5. S.P.H.I.N.X

God I wanted this to work out for him. This phase highlighted Gary’s main motivation. It’s not to be a hero or a villain, he just wants to be a part of something. His conversation with Hatred at the end of season 5 touches on that. When he was 1/2 of a nameless duo that was good enough for him. Being a leader after 24 died didn’t seem to satisfy him. He pursued a relationship with Dr. Mrs. but was rejected. He tried to follow Brock to the OSI but wasn’t accepted. He tried rebuilding a new team but was betrayed. I don’t know if he knew going back to the Monarch was the right choice, but it ended up being what he needed. The Monarch needed a new number 2 and Gary needed a new best friend. This all led up to his speech in his last scene during the last episode of season 7, which makes me appreciate this arc even more. 

4. Gary breaks the 4th wall

21 and 24 aren’t “invulnerable” despite what the Monarch thought. There are many instances in the show that shows exactly how these two idiots survived. They know the game. Gary reads the comics and watches the movies and plays the video games. And unlike Henchman 1, he can see a cliché coming. He’s a henchman and he knows exactly what that means, and it’s not worth dying for. He’s not the main character, he knows the good guys always win, so he hauls his ass out of whatever situation he’s in and hides so he can live another day. He can practically see the plot unfolding before him. He was competent long before his transformation whether he wanted to admit it or not. That’s why he didn’t buckle his seatbelt.

3. Gary climbs the Rocky Steps

I think we all agree that Gary’s transformation was one of the best developments in the show. He loved and he lost. Then he took a hard look in the mirror and decided to change. Season 4 Gary was motivated by grief. But what I love about him is that it didn’t turn him into a mean, cruel, jaded guy. He got dieseled and went back to the cocoon to make it a better place for himself and for all the other henchman. This was the ultimate taking of responsibility. Something we hadn’t seen in most of the other characters at the time.

2. Gary drives Dr. Girlfriend back to the cocoon.

I know what you’re thinking. Why did op put this random ass scene in the top 3? Because this is when Gary became my favorite character. I don’t care that he fought Brock (I still think it was awesome). I don’t care that he became General 21. When he was babbling about spin art to someone who could not care less, but he was just exited and thought it was cool, and I know he thought going from talking about their failed attempt to paint the car to spin art made sense in his head. It made sense to me. I remember being a kid and seeing this scene and realizing that whoever made this cartoon really understood me. That’s why he was so distraught when 24 sided with Killinger and devastated when he died. When you’re like that, it feels like nobody understands you and everybody thinks you’re weird. It took me forever to realize that a lot of people react similarly to Dr. Girlfriend, annoyed. So you learn to turn that side of you off. Gary didn’t have to do that because he had 24. And even though he had his glow up, that side of him remained intact. It’s one of the best aspects of his character. 

Also because I would play with my Cra-Z-Art spin art toy for hours it’s such a strange specific memory that this scene unlocked for me.

And finally….

1. You already know

Gary in sweatpants sent me through a second puberty. That’s it.

There are so many other moments that deserve to be in my top 10. Gary’s fight with Brock, Gary suiting up after the Monarch’s jail break, that moment at 15 where he just decided to stay with a guy that kidnapped him and work for him for the rest of his life. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think Gary has one of the best written character arcs ever. I hope we get to see more of him one day. Everyone please support the movie when it comes out.

[thefirsthogokage]

Me reacting to the 4th episode iCarly Revival:

(Spoiler-y but also not spoiler-y in some parts. I am sorry. Might want to follow watch and read this at the same time?)

Freddie is as much of a disaster with dating as Carly. I might just need to actually ship them based on that alone.

Nathan Kress does things with his voice that you just have to have an instinct for, and he always has. He was always phenomenal on the original show, and was my favorite between Carly, Sam, and Freddie acting-wise. (That doesn't mean I liked Freddie the best, or thought he was the best actor, I just personally liked his acting the best.)

I think they changed the theme song again. Has more of the original, but doesn't have Bell's part. I can live with it.

We got Carly and Harper's meet-cute story, nice!

Well at least she learned Hebrew. If she hadn't, that would have been...

Mentioning a cesarean is definitely not so.ething they would do on a kids show. The way they casually are adulting this show is just phenomenal. Hats off to their writers!

I am so thankful this show is letting Black hair styles shine (yes, I am aware it's because they have Black hair stylists, including their head stylist, I believe). They aren't giving white hairstyles to Laci and Jaidyn and is important. It adds real representation though a different, and very culture-based way than is normally given, even in the best circumstances.

Miranda looks great in all of those dresses...

They are really driving home that Harper is bi. Like, she's even a bit of a disaster bi, which, although it's a stereotype, it's true. Like,being queer is difficult and a lot of of are disasters. But at least she gets to be a HAPPY and POSITIVE disaster.

OMG AN(/A QUEER) ESCORT!

Omg Spencer. Definitely a grown up plot point.

God I just love this show. Like, holy crap there is Galaxy-Brain stuff being done with it.

OMG THIS GUY.

OH GOD.

I don't think he qualifies as a Zaddy.

OMG.

"read" My RuPaul knowledge banging in my skull.

Good thing Spencer is rich. I had forgotten that for a minute.

LACI DID WHAT?! I am NOT ok with that, holy crap. That's a bit of a disappointment.

I knew a fight was coming this episode. Always happens when they discuss how characters meet. Wish I had written that earlier, but I consider myself and honorable human being in that regard.

I love hearing Spencer say "himbo." Like, I just do.

Carly with a sex-worker friend = them saying sex-worker rights. Nice job, iCarly writers!

Well that came back and made me sad again. Not ok with that decision the writers made.

"We live here now," HAHAHAHAHAHA

Well ok then. That was mostly fun. Wish I had more to watch.

[coldcanadianwinters]

Oh my god okay so y'all may or may not know that the newest chapters on the LN comic app have dropped, right? The hype continues to build in my very soul for the next game to come out yall I am SO READY. Anyways, I saw someone saying how the kid in the 4th episode is strangely well-dressed and has candy, two things that you would think would be impossible for children to get, seeing as the world is against them and if they're caught they're turned into something terrible or just straight-up killed. So for that person who's commented on that and asked for theories, here's my theory: I think that the School is a place for indoctrination (the parallels in this game to the real world are phenomenal), and that, much like the Maw, real children are kept there to be taught... something, probably along the lines that they will never amount to anything. They are probably exposed to the televisions, and if one of my other theories are right, then the School is actually where giants begin to get made, because enough exposure to the waves then turns the children into monsters (I'm thinking that's what happens to Six, so I'm not fully sure about other children but it's a guess haha). So, along those lines, this boy was one of the kids who were kept at the School, but he felt that he needed to escape because he saw something he shouldn't have and is now terrified. He'd been a good boy before, so he'd been allowed candy perhaps the day before, but he uses it against the Bullies when they stand in his way because he figures he might as well use it as a weapon. [SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE COMICS YET, GO READ THEM THEY'RE GOOD AND THE APP IS FREE] Then when he's caught by the Teacher, I think he's taken and turned into one of the Bullies (his face removed for future use and head replaced with a doll's head), as I believe that the children's souls are used for a number of things to fuel the giant's magic, like with the Lady and her shadow children who were clearly souls of the Nomes from the past, or that glitchy kid we've seen in the Hospital teasers who is probably one of millions fueling the Signal Tower. Anyways hope this satisfies, see y'all next time!

[ducktracy]

103. my green fedora (1935)

release date: may 4th, 1935

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: tommy bond (peter)

this one has some interesting history. it’s seemingly a sequel to country boy. according to an interview by mike barrier, bob clampett claims he wrote the story for this episode for a story competition. here’s the quote from the interview, which you can read here:

“About the same time as the first Porky story, Leon announced a studio-wide contest, with a money prize to whichever member of the staff turned in the best original story. So many of us entered the contest that the animation footage went down. My story, which was about a rabbit family, won first prize, and was made as My Green Fedora. This gave me a big boost, since I'd just originated a couple of characters (Porky and Beans) and now I'd won the story contest.”

the porky and beans stuff is totally false—friz was the true creator of the two. bob clampett had a habit of passing off characters he didn’t make as his own. but, to be fair, that was just how it was in those days. directors weren’t viewed or respected the way they are today. if you didn’t make bugs bunny, you weren’t important. so EVERYONE in those days tried to pass off various characters as their own, but bob clampett was certainly the biggest offender. really, the characters were a collaborative effort (though they all have their origins, porky and beans originating from friz)

ANYWAY! some interesting history. an unofficial sequel to country boy, peter has to take care of his baby brother elmer, but a hungry weasel decides to intervene.

peter’s mother peeps her head outside the cottage door, looking for her mischievous son. her target overhears her calls, sneaking around the edge of the house and hoping not to get caught. too late. peter’s mother snags him from outside, dragging him in through an open window. it seems she’s going out for the day, collecting her picnic basket and hat. she instructs peter to watch his little brother, elmer (a favorite name for babies? remember cookie’s little brother elmer?) while she goes out to shop, adding a stern “and keep out of mischief!”

elmer watches his mother walk down the lane outside. the coast clear, he shifts his eyes around before puffing out his chest and wailing. what a good gag! we’ve all seen that baby who throws a tantrum just for the hell of it. they get some sort of amusement out of it in their tiny little brains. peter, clearly annoyed, shakes elmer’s rattle, who snags it up and beats peter on the head with it, wailing once more. i love how nonchalant he looks, propping himself up by the elbow and screaming like nobody’s business.

unable to take any more, peter plugs his ears and marches into the closet for relief. i’m sure all older siblings have felt like doing that with baby siblings, right? (i’m speaking as the youngest sibling, so i sympathize with elmer more than i do peter LOL.) peter sulks on a box inside the closet... until he spots a green fedora. he places it on his head and moves over to put on a coat hanging on a mannequin, which disperses into a cloud of moths. nevertheless, he finds a matching green coat hanging by the door and puts it on.

darting back into the nursery, peter sings the titular “my green fedora”. i love this scene! peter’s voice actor is tommy bond, who was butch in our gang/little rascals. he was also the voice of owl jolson in tex’s i love to singa. the scene is very cute—peter’s doing an impression of comedian joe penner, hence his guttural, slightly warbly but very endearing vocals. the dance he does is great, strutting around with a fake cigar. elmer laughs at the act, doing a joe penner laugh (which is highly annoying but VERY funny. peter finds it obnoxious and grimaces before continuing).

elsewhere, a hungry weasel pops its head out of its hole outside the cottage, overhearing peter’s singing. peter finishes the act and elmer gives another laugh, irritating peter. in fact, he’s so irritated that he throws the fedora on the ground, fedora bouncing back up a few times on his head. he tosses his coat on the ground and stalks angrily outside, leaving elmer to his own devices.

the hungry weasel recognizes he has his chance to get in and feast on some baby rabbit. he digs a hole under the floor, right under elmer’s rug. he gets in with ease and ties a handkerchief around his head to give the illusion of bunny ears, a gag daffy would use on porky to convince him he was the easter bunny in what price porky.

lovely staging. elmer, who had settled in for a nap, wakes up and spots the looming silhouette on his wall, happily exclaiming “mommy!” he turns around and screams—a very grotesque shot of the weasel’s bloodshot eyes and elongated snout. elmer tugs in the weasel’s snout and lets go, but it does little to shake the weasel. the weasel dumps elmer in a brown sack and leaps into the hole he dug, pulling the rug over it to cover his tracks.

meanwhile, peter is still sulking along outside. his mother’s words come back to him, and fear pings him. awww, it’s cute that peter has some remorse in this cartoon. i liked how mischevious he was in country boy, but this is a good balance between mischevious and caring. obligatory big brother duties. he senses something is wrong and rushes back to the house, only to find the nursery completely empty. while looking around frantically, he steps onto the rug and plummets right into the tunnel.

very moody lighting in the tunnel scenes, i love it! once peter stops tumbling, he lights a match to see better.

this lighting is phenomenal. the weasel picks up elmer and salts him, dumping him into a frying pan and roasting him over a flame. nice detail of hesitation—it takes just a second for the flames to actually burn elmer. the weasel shushes elmer’s screams, but elmer doesn’t listen, crying “help! help!”

thank god for peter! he overhears his brother’s screams, the match falling as he gets startled. he cries “elmer, elmer! where are you? elmer! i’m coming, elmer!” bad news for the weasel, who stuffs elmer back in the brown sack and takes off.

peter follows the weasel’s tracks through twists and turns. he pops his head out of a hole, where the weasel is waiting just to sock him in the face. can’t go wrong with some slapstick as peter propels through the twists and turns of the tunnels, popping out at ANOTHER hole where the weasel socks him, the pattern continuing.

it’s especially amusing to watch elmer, whose little ears are poking out of the sack, run away, just a sack with legs. the weasel chases him down, while peter falls out of the hole one last time in a daze, knocked unconscious. elmer drops through a hole and runs through some tunnels, parallel to the ones peter slid through. the animation is great. what’s funnier than seeing a little bag with feet run around aimlessly? the camera angles are very nice, too, and really add to the flow of the scene.

elmer is free! or so he thinks. he exits a tunnel and barrels straight into the butt of the weasel, who snatches him up and sneers. meanwhile, peter finally wakes up, immediately becoming punchy and shadow boxing with an invisible foe. the weasel spots he’s being followed once more and crouches in a tunnel. there are two tunnels—one continuing in the ground, one leading upwards. the weasel clogs the ground tunnel and serves as a ramp for peter to run up, running up a tree branch and falling back on his head, another gag that we’ll see quite often (such as in porky in wackyland).

thankfully, a hose is right next to the opening of the hole. a nice little underscore of “my green fedora” plays energetically as peter drowns the weasel out of his hiding place. various geysers gush out of multiple holes, including elmer, who’s closest to peter, and the weasel further away.

peter plugs the hole with his foot and reunites with his baby brother, freeing him from the sack. peter smiles as he increases the water pressure, sending the weasel flying into the air uncontrollably. once he’s high enough in the air, peter cuts off the water, sending the weasel crashing to the ground... right into a cactus patch. strange anecdote i suppose, but i remember one time we were staying at a vacation house which had a tiny little patch of cacti. i don’t know what happened or HOW it happened, but i remember my dad having to spend that night picking out a TON of cactus needles in my skin LOL. the curiosity of a 5/6 year old is a dangerous thing. i think that was the same year i accidentally tumbled down on some of the largest sand dunes on the east coast.

anyway, the weasel takes off in pain, and elmer gives his obnoxious joe penner laugh. all brotherly bonds are broken as peter, annoyed, turns on the hose and sends elmer into the air, smiling as he falls back down. wow, what an ending!

this is a really good merrie melody, especially for its time. friz doesn’t get enough credit. the merrie melodies are no mona lisa, but they definitely brought some much needed entertainment in the era of buddy. peter, elmer, and the weasel all have distinct personalities, archetypal as they may be. i LOVED peter. mischevious older brother who clearly didn’t sign up to be the older brother, but rushing to the rescue regardless. still, if the baby’s annoying, even after all they’ve been through, he’ll still squirt him with water! the song “my green fedora” is ridiculously catchy, peter’s less than perfect rendition very amusing and endearing. this feels a lot like a cartoon you’d see in the late 30s, like around 1938 or so. i definitely recommend it! bob clampett’s influence is certainly lingering. animation was nice, story was nice, characters were nice... i may also be biased since i have a big brother of my own, who i wish would send ME flying into the air with a hose. anyway, give it a watch! i can’t really think of many downsides to it. a happy, feel good cartoon.

link!

[vvivacious101]

Re-rewatching S05E16 - Dark Side of the Moon

Oh god, this episode totally floored me. There is so much happening in this one but despite the information overload, this episode is phenomenal. I can already tell this is going to be a long post.

So, in “Dark Side of the Moon” Dean and Sam die and go to Heaven where Cas tells them not to let the angels find them yet because he sees this as an opportunity to talk to Joshua. Joshua is an angel who resides in the garden at Heaven and is rumored to talk to God, so Cas needs Sam and Dean to find the garden and talk to Joshua. Meanwhile, Zachariah is looking for the boys so he can put them back into their meatsuits so they can play their parts in the apocalypse but not before he gets some time to play (read torture) with them.

Zachariah is an interesting character. I have somehow always liked his character. He reminds me of Crowley.

Zachariah is an overacheiver, a teacher’s pet who thought his job would be so easy. Getting two monkeys to play their part, how hard could it be? He, of course, had never met the Winchesters and I get how he feels. Even though he is a dick, I understand the place where his anger comes from but I guess he does a pretty good job of illuminating that place himself.

Let me tell you something. I was on the fast track once. Employee of the Month, every month forever. I’d walk these halls, and people would AVERT THEIR EYES! I HAD RESPECT! And then, they assigend me you.

And the rest as they say is history. His downfall is so total that it’s almost comedic, but he was an interesting piece of this apocalyptic puzzle.

This dialogue of his from this epiosde is one of my favourites.

Wow. Running from angels... On foot... In heaven. With out-of-the-box thinking like that, I'm surprised you guys haven't stopped the apocalypse already.

Zach catches up with the boys and just as he is really getting started, Joshua arrives on the scene and tells Zach to let Sam and Dean go as God demands it and they get rescued.

This entire season especially after the Colt didn’t pan out, finding God was the only way they had of averting the apocalypse and Joshua basically tells them ‘sorry, no dice’.

But he also mentions other interesting facts about God that I didn’t pay attention to earlier like the fact that he is on Earth and that the amulet wouldn’t enable them to find him, which is an interesting way to put it because in season 11 we will learn that the amulet was basically turned off and thus doesn’t actually work the way it’s supposed to.

So we get that God doesn’t want to intervene. He feels like he has done enough which brings me to another realisation - why did he intervene in the first place why did he put Sam and Dean on the aeroplane, why did he bring Cas back?

The first one is easy to answer when Sam and Dean are in the convent as Lucifer’s cage is opening two things are clear, number one, an archangel going supernova could probably be fatal and since Dean and Sam are critical to what comes next having them killed does no good, number two, considering what had just happened no way was Sam going to say yes to Lucifer on the spot. So Sam and Dean would have to be broken down gradually like we have been watching all season, so even if God hadn’t interevened on the first count nothing major would have changed. But the second question isn’t that easy to answer.

Why did God bring Cas back? In season five, Cas has done very little to influence events. He could easily be written off. The problem is that when Cas came back I immediately felt it was because he still had a part to play but the problem is Cas doesn’t come back to do something Cas comes back because he surprised the hell out of God. Things become really clear when you realise that God is Chuck. Chuck who sees Cas rip up the ending and still be brave enough to stand up to an archangel. Chuck who sees Cas and is inspired beyond belief because for the first time the omniscient has found his blind spot and he is intrigued by Cas and that’s why Cas comes back because of the story he changed, the story that didn’t go the way it was supposed to.

But now God is done, after all what he wants is to see his favourite story end the way it was always meant to and Sam, Dean and Cas are no longer interesting as they increasingly fall into the ruts of his story. In this very episode, both Cas and Dean lose their faith and things look very bleak. So in God’s POV the story is going where it’s supposed to and he wants to play his part in making sure that it ends the way it is intended to go. Famous last words.

I can’t believe I have typed this much and there is still so much more to go.

In their trip to Heaven, Sam and Dean meet Ash and Pamela. Ash is amazing, he was one character I would have loved to see more of and he is still as cool as ever and it was amazing to have him back on the show.

But what I want to talk about is Pamela’s conversation with Dean. She tells Dean that the worst case scenario is Heaven and Heaven is all about reliving life’s happiest moments, so really how bad could things be. Even if the apocalypse kills a bunch of people they get to come to Heaven which is not so bad and Pamela definitely sees it as a better place. When I initially watched the show this made a lot of sense to me and I didn’t exactly get Dean’s POV and this time around I am totally on Dean’s side. Heaven is run by angels, you are in their control and more importantly the fact is that you aren’t alive. We can‘t just all kill ourselves even if the evidence points to the fact that Heaven is a better place because free will only exists on Earth, the place where your decisions can actually make a difference. Living beats dying even if Heaven trumps Earth and I’m on Dean’s side.

The most important thing to come out of this episode is the loss of faith. Cas’ loses his faith in God when it becomes clear that all the efforts he put into finding God were for naught and the righteousness that was the wind beneath his wings falls away. Cas believed that God wouldn’t want the end of the World especially when he brought him back. Cas believed he was brought back to stop the apocalypse and he puts all his efforts into it, buoyed by the fact that God wants it that way and now that hope is all but dashed as Cas crumbles under the rubble of his faith in his father.

The second person who loses faith is Dean. Dean comes to Heaven and sees two memories one of him and Sam as they spend one 4th of July lighting up firecrackers in an empty field and one of him and his mother when she is in the middle of a bad fight with John.

Dean’s heaven is memories of his family while Sam’s best memories are spending a Thanksgiving Dinner at a friend’s place, about living two weeks by himself and about the day he left his family behind to go to college. And as Dean comes to realise this truth he wonders whether he and Sam were ever on the same page.

Dean: Your heaven is somebody else's Thanksgiving, okay? It's bailing on your family. I mean, what do you want me to say? Sam: Man, I never got the crusts cut off my PB&J... I just don't look at family the way you do. Dean: Yeah, but *I'm* your family. We're supposed to be a team, it's supposed to be you and me against the world, right? Sam: Dean, it is. Dean: ...Is it?

What I found most heartbreaking is when Sam reminds him that going to Stanford was a happy memory because he finally got away from Dad and Dean reminds him he wasn’t the only one Sam got away from.

At the end of the episode when Dean drops the amulet that Cas returned into a garbage bin, the message is clear. Dean’s lost faith in Sam. The amulet is an interesting artifact in this context when they had faith the amulet was invaluable to Cas and Dean but as soon as they lose faith Cas doesn't want it any longer and neither does Dean. It's interesting how faith is the difference between something being indispensable and something being garbage.

I can’t believe I have talked so much and I still have more to say. This epsiode is a treasure.

So, I couldn’t end this post without talking about John. John is prominently brought up twice in this episode. Once when Dean tells Sam that their parents' marriage was only perfect after Mary died. This made sense. Every marriage has tough spots and this was a particularly bad one for John and Mary. But John loved Mary and after her death it was easy to remember the good memories, it was easier to put her on a pedestal and fight a war in her name, so of course their marriage was perfect, immortalised forever in John’s heart. But the thing that got me was when Mary, stressed after her fight with John, is soothed by Dean. Dean who is what four years old and Sam has this to say about this - I didn’t know how long you have been cleaning up Dad’s messes. This makes more sense especially in light of another memory. It’s the memory of Sam running away from his family on Dean’s watch and Dean can’t even verbalise what happened when John came back. This is one piece of dialogue that is imcomplete but the words that aren’t spoken are practically engraved on your heart and the pain is hard to overlook. Sometimes, it's easy to forget how traumatic Dean's childhood was while Sam got to rebel, got to be who he wanted to be because John wasn't the only one raising Sam, Dean was too and Dean taught Sam that he was important, he was loved and valued something that John couldn't instil in Dean.

Dean is broken in the aftermath of this episode and if “My Bloody Valentine” had aired after this episode Dean being dead inside would have made a lot of sense, because presently Dean is dead inside. He has lost all faith and their every chance at averting the apocalypse has been dashed.

[rapha-reads]

Humans series 3 episode 5

(random thoughts)

SOPH AND SAM

MY KIDS ! MY BABIES ! MY CHILDREN. Protect them. Cherish them. My poor baby Sam. I'm still sad about Karen. And I want Laura to adopt Sam. Also to adopt me because Laura is a great mom. And Soph is absolutely phenomenal, the sass, the heart, the cuteness... She's the best and I love her and she's my fav.

Also. Leo and Sam. Oh. My. Gods. And Leo being all "what the hell are these kids doing... you know what I don't wanna know". And Leo has PTSD, what a surprise.

Someone should def keep an eye on Sam... Good job, Joe... You lost the synth kid who just lost his mother. I'm sure everything will be fine. Hey, Joe too has issues. Poor Sam. Grieving when you're a human is not easy, but grieving when you're a conscious kid synth? Must be horrible.

"He was talking to the ground, Joe." OMG, SAM.

So Joe and Laur have a 4th kid. 5 if you count Leo, actually...

I don't trust that Audrey. Who is she? What does she want? Okay, she's a friend for Mattie, so there's that... But my theory is also that she's an undercover agent after the person responsible for Day Zero.

MIA RULES. MIA IS THE QUEEN. MIA WILL CHANGE THE WORLD. MIA PRESIDENT. I may have a tiny aro crush on Gemma Chan, tbh... And Laura is also Queen. Mia and Laur working together? Best duo ever.

Anatole is hiding something too... After Agnes's stunt, I'm ready for things to go sideways at the rail yard at any time. But also, poor Agnes. She's claustrophobic and Max did a mistake there...

KNEW IT. AUDREY IS HERE TO INVESTIGATE MATTIE.

Mia versus the Dryden commission. That's gonna be something...

Okay, I'm taking bets. What are the odds that Leo's quest and Niska's (the synth who sleeps) have something in common?

I'M SORRY. STANLEY AND ANATOLE. WTF. I knew it, I knew Stanley was weird! Holy shit, that is not good. And with Audrey finding out about Leo and Mattie, ooooh, damn, things are getting more and more complicated!

[madamemerola]

We are set for a sizzling Season 3, Episode 31 on Live A Phenomenal Life Show tomorrow, 4th of May, 2020. We are thrilled to have Dr Samuel Ekundayo @drsamekundayo speaking to us from 🇳🇿 New Zealand. Dr Samuel Ekundayo is a Senior Lecturer, author, preacher and transformational speaker. Often referred to as 'The Purpose Preacher', his mandate is to help people discover their purpose so they can maximise their potentials towards a fulfilled, influential and impactful life to the glory of God. An internationally sought-after speaker, he has been privileged to consult for corporate organisations, as well as speak on various platforms including churches, independently organised conferences and events all over the world. He is married to a woman he calls his Treasure - Blessing Ekundayo - and they are blessed with two boys, to the glory of God. Get your hearts and minds ready to be ignited and ask him questions as we seek to inspire, empower and transform lives one show at a time. XoXo from #madamemerola #bangcreator #liveaphenomenallifeshow #purposecoach #liveyourbestlife #livestream #inspiration #personaldevelopment #africanqueenoftalkshow (at Katampe Estate) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_vAjwtF7x-/?igshid=1vv6iw8w6c7h7

[pretty-little-investigators]

Thoughts about the finale

mixed feelings about this. 

I didn’t like it. Don’t get me wrong. I was rooting for twincer, I was rooting for the emison babies. I was rooting for mona being the bad bitch she is. I was rooting for wren being involved. But my problem isn’t with all this. Going with the twincer story, there was only one way marlene could’ve presented this, and it was the abandoned twin is sad lonely and vengeful. Which i understand. It was boring yes, but my theory came true so im not complaining. this is my problem:

It was the presentation that was just god awful. The first 30 minuted of the show had absolutely NOTHING happening. I kept checking the time and waiting for something to happen. I understand that we were supposed to see the liars lives and choices post A.D, but i’ve been watching this show for 5 years for the mystery!! I do want to see the liars in their lives but i wish the priority had been the mystery.

The reveal

I got so excited when i saw spencer look into her reflection. All she had to do was look at herself for me to know what was about to happen. Boy i got SO excited. That scene was AMAZING. Troian acting was phenomenal. That was one of the few things that i absolutely loved. I was expecting that twin but i was not expecting that accent. That left me shook. Besides that i really didn’t really particularly enjoy the reveal. The problem was that it was SO predictable. We all had guessed the airport scene was twincer. We all guessed wren shot twincer to look identical. We all guessed twincer had sex with toby. I was expecting that. What i wanted to know though, was the lies within charlotte’s story? why sara was working for charlotte. I know they mentioned that but i still have no clue. and out of ALL people, it was jenna who realized the truth about twincer. not toby not aria not melissa but jenna. One thing i truly will never know is if jenna is really blind or not. Bitch can see i swear.

More plot holes. How did spencer know what book toby was referring to if alex gave it to him? They played it way too safe in my opinion. Jenna is one bad bitch, they could have incorporated her into the story so much more. Lets not forget WREN. wren could’ve been an AMAZING sidekick. He was a creep in radley, it would have explained how charlotte got in and out at times? Secondly, before wren was ingested into the rosewood crap, he was a pretty decent guy. When you see your exgirlfriend’s sisters secret twin, you just hook up with her? That is some creepy shit how did he not pick up the phone and dial up melissa? that is the most unreal thing i’ve ever heard of.

The end

Let’s talk about that ending. Toby not knowing his way around his own house that he built? come on? I enjoyed the last scene with the liars together. However i really wished we could have seen more of the hastings. I mean, i wanted to see Veronica react to Alex. I wanted melissa’s reacting. When they said they were bring melissa back i was SO excited. She is one of the best actors. But what we got was 1 scene of her next to a horse? i mean are you kidding me. i get she has chicago med to film, but they couldn’t have her in one more 2 minute scene, maybe of her hugging spencer post alex or SOMETHING. Besides that the end scene with mona. Loved it. Really made me feel full circle. i didn’t quite understand how that happened but i was okay with it. I don’t know why mary was in there. She didn’t really do anything wrong in my opinion. I actually liked mary but ok fine. The end scene. Those 3 girls in the cabin. one girl wakes up (aria parallel), asks where addison is. The 4th girl (spencer parallel) comes in. Addison’s gone. “i think i heard her scream”. LITERALLY WORST ENDING EVERY HOLY SHIT. I don’t think ive ever been so angry. That was TERRIBLE. JUST AWFUL. I hated it. I had suspected this happening, when addison+4 were cast but i prayed no. I hate the whole history repeats itself thing. History already repeated itself x3 already! jessica/mary. Spencer/alex. Lily/grace. If this addison thing is really history repeating itself then we already know whats to come. not to mention how many damn girls disappear in this town damn. I get it was supposed to be full circle or whatever. But it felt like a fucking pentagon. The devil’s pentagon. Hated it. I probably would have minded it soo much, if it wasnt so specific. but everything down to the lines was exactly. the. same. I did not watch this show for 5 years and waste my youth to watch addison and co. being the last scene

I’m not even disappointed to be honest. I have always watched the show with low expectations. I hoped this being a series finale would make it somewhat better, but nope. I thought i would cry at some point. But no scene in this whole episode made me cry. I didn’t hate it completely. There were times where i was smiling so wide. I was having a stroke during that twincer reveal. I loved parts of it. Lily and Grace were cool. Troians acting was amazing. all the scenes with the 5 girls were also so lovely. but generally i wasn’t too impressed. If anything i feel content that its finally over. 

Goodbye pretty little liars. You had the potential to be the greatest show, instead you got fucked over time and time again. 2010-2017. 

[missingnine]

6 minute review of:

SAVE ME

oK BITCH THIS DRAMA FUCKING DESTROYED MEEE 

the entire plot was fucking fantastic it was something i have never ever seen in a kdrama wow and the way they executed this show was phenomenal. props to all the actors and actresses because everyone was amazing

i started watching it solely because taecyeon was gonna enlist and said that this is “””goodbye””” present for hottests (2pm’s fandom name) and me being the crying bitch that i am, decided to watch it because i know i will miss taec once he enlists. goddamn this show was good. the first episode was scary as fuck ((in my opinion, bc im a scaredy cat and only used to watch teen romcoms)) the religious cult was not something was ever touched upon in kdramas and this show took it to a whole other level. the people in that cult, whatever it’s called guseowon???, spooked me so much. they were so dedicated to the spiritual father and can i saY I HATE HIM SO OOOOO MUCH HE’S FUCKING DISGUSTING AKSJDFLKASJ thank god he died in that fire. i was getting riled up when sanghwan prevented sangmi from just setting him on fire but luckily, the spiritual father did that himself heh 

sangmi is an angel. i love her. a lot of people were pissed that she didn’t really do much to get herself out of there??? but lowkey she was traumatized asf so her willpower wasn’t that great to begin with. i mean, her brother committed suicide, her mom is drugged to insanity and her father is brainwashed by the spiritual father. so ofc, she’s shaken up. she had no one to rely on. the cult fucking trapped her. okkk but moooooving on,,,, even tho this show had like -0.003% romance, i still shipped sangmi with dongcheol, THEY WERE CUTE TOGETHER THEY HAD THEIR MOMENTS but you know, there’s nothing. no kiss. nothing.ugh jdskfjsl;dkf maybe next time

sPEAKING OF DONGCHEOL, MY BEAUTIFUL SON AND RAY OF SUNSHINE he’s great. i felt so much pain for him when his grandmother died and when he found out his dad was basically a prisoner in that cult shnnnn but what hurt me the most was when he was released from prison and he saw his friends hanging out together from afar. so when he went to eat a bowl of noodles, he deadass starTED CRYING THAT WAS SO SAD dongcheol was fucked over so many times. and throughout the entire show, i was begging that he doesn’t die in the end bc that would suck ass. but im soooooo glad that he has a sorta happy ending :’))) and he’s back with his friends!!!! ((also btw woo dohwan is hot as fuck damn he looked good in glasses and i cant’ wait to see him in mad dog)) 

ok oK for the “”””real””””” male lead : sanghwan lol. i like him but he did fucking frustrate me to no end sometimes,, he kept going back to the police thinking that they will help but he hasn’t learned that you shouldn’t trust the system??? he needs to take matters into his own hands smh. he should know better that the muji gov is not something you should rely on,, damn. also i know so many hottests were pissed that taec didn’t get enough screentime which i understand because this is LAST DRAMA before he enlisted on the 4th (((another note, i crIED when i found out he enlisted on their fucking anniversary)))) so ofc, taec should have a role that is fit for a male lead!!! but in reality,,, dongcheol sorta was the male lead in this drama and sanghwan was portrayed as the second lead as the show went on,, rip. i really hope that taec gets to film another drama after his enlistment!! i’ll be waiting for him to come back safely :’)) 

lollloll the side characters. i was surprised when i found out that one of the main cast guys was actually from let’s fight ghost! lol so he and taec have worked previously in another horror drama,, 

and the guys who dongcheol was friends with in prison are hot,,, just sayin

alSO can i just say,, this drama had the worst antagonists ever. i actually DESPISED the spiritual father and sangmi’s dad ((i feel no mercy for him, i hope he chokes)) and apostle jo can get run over by a truck for all i care damn. there were so many scenes in which i wanted to punch sangmi’s dad because he’s so fucking dense and doesn’t see how much his own daughter is suffering???? and apostle kang,,, sweetie, uhhh she is a complicated character and i’m not really sure how i feel about her tbh,,, i mean, her daughter committed suicide and i feel like she was also brainwashed by the spiritual father too,, but she sorta figured out that the spiritual father is a #fake but still went along with all his antics.. and in the end, she decides to recreate a guseowon 2.0?? yikes 

BUT DO YOU KNOW WHO I HATE THE MOST???!?!? IT’S THOSE FUCKING SNOBBY ASS KIDS WHO CAUSED SANGMI’S BROTHER TO DIE AND MADE DONGCHEOL GO TO PRISON DKLFJ;SDJF UGHHHH 

N E ways,,, this was one of the best shows in 2017 okk this was a great horror action mystery drama and it was a nice break from all of the romcoms. i’m gonna miss this show and i hope to see the actors and actresses in future dramas!!!! also the FUKCING OSTS WERE SOOO GOOD thank u 

[thefringespod]

It has been a busy and exhausting week but we're back for another #AudioDramaSunday! We're gonna start with the Technomancy Project because it's the 1st of the month and I adore The Technomancy Project. They put my boy (Elijah) through the WRINGER please just let him REST

Also new today is public access for @malevolentcast ep 36 and the boys are fighting!! They are best friends (by force but shh) and will move on eventually but gods I'm worried about John. Also worried that Arthur starting to trust people will bite him in the ass. Gods what a show though

@re-dracula is getting into chunky episode season and they're all so GOOD. Ive been crying at my desk a LOT due to Re: Dracula (David Ault as Arthur is BREAKING ME). The one bit of light is the genuine joy in Jonny Sims' voice every time Dr Seward says Quincy Morris' name <3

I'm almost caught up on @thesiltverses and whooboy the back half of season 2 is a LOT. Paige and Hayword are a duo I didn't know I needed but also I am WORRIED ABOUT THEM. Carpenter and Faulkner are siblings and I adore them <3

@doyoucopypod ripped my heart out of my chest and squeezed it this week. Its a brilliant and beautiful discussion of grief and the different ways it manifests and it hurt me so bad while I was in office.Listen to Do You Copy. Do it. Its so good.

It is officially 31 Days of Halloween season on Tiny Terrors! I, like many, am afraid of spider. This episode did not help that. But my gods it was good. Alex C Telander wrote one hell of an ep and Kira Apple performed it excellently. I cant wait for more Tiny Terrors this month.

We are days away from the premiere of @eelerschoice and gods I'm excited!! Maritime horror fantasy? Created by Lou Sutcliffe and Daisy McNamara? With a phenomenal cast? And a punny title? How could I NOT be excited for Eeler's Choice its gonna be SO GOOD

Here on the Fringes I have the first ep of season 2 fully edited and am working my way through editing the rest of the season! Also currently have 5 episodes written for season 3 and I am putting some characters through the wringer :)

On the @forgedbondspod front I've also got 5 eps written, 3 people cast, and currently just trying to figure out the best way to contact the 4th person I'm hoping to have involved. Things! They are happening!! I'm so excited to share Forged Bonds with yall its already so fun

That's all for this week! It's come to my attention that I *may* be working a little too much between full time job, 1-2 hours of editing each week day, and 2-5 hours of writing on Saturdays 😅 Gonna keep trying to refine this to avoid burnout but there are fun things coming!

[mikeyd1986]

GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL (MELBOURNE) @ Flemington Racecourse, December 2019

A couple of years ago, I made a silent vow to myself that I was done with attending music festivals. There were a number of reasons for this: the large crowds, the lengthy duration, getting dirty and sweaty in the moshpit. It just wasn’t my thing anymore. Though I did push myself to attend Unify in 2018, it wasn’t an enjoyable experience for me. The lonely overnight camping plus my unruly neighbours and my fragile mental state also didn’t help matters. It was more to say that I did it and crossed it off my bucket list. But I wouldn’t do it again.

However, when I considered going to Good Things this year, it felt like a throwback to the days of the Big Day Out (1999-2014) which I used to go to. Similar lineup of bands. Similar layout of stages, rides, food trucks. And it’s only a single day festival. I said to myself “You know what? I’ll give it a shot.” And so I opted for the pay over time installment option as I couldn’t afford the full cost of the ticket at the time. I used to complain about how expensive festival tickets are but if you consider how many big international bands are on the lineup, it’s actually pretty reasonable.

My biggest concern going it to this was how my energy levels and tiredness would fare. This is after all a 9-10 hour event so I knew that I would have to pace myself throughout the day and place plenty of rest breaks in between bands. The most important decision of the day was working out which bands to see. It’s good that Good Things offers fans plenty of variety and choice but that means there’s a lot of potential for timetable clashes. The biggest offender would have to be between Windwaker and The Veronicas which actually sparked a lot of outrage, shit posting and memes on social media.

From catching the train from Southern Cross to Flemington Racecourse to lining up outside the entry gates, I felt a huge rush of anticipation and anxiety. Even though I was well and truly prepared for this, my brain decided to overthink things big time. I figured that this would be like an episode of Border Security when it comes to the bag checking process. However, the girl wasn’t even that thorough. She barely giving the contents of my backpack more than a glance.

The only odd thing was having my photo ID checked twice by two different security staff. Not that it really bothered me to be honest. It was more that I expected to be scanned for metallic items and be searched by sniffer dogs, according to the information on the Good Things website. But getting through the entry gates did make me feel more at ease. It took a while to get my bearings of the festival site layout but it wasn’t too difficult to navigate. I had a printout of the map and digital copy on my phone just in case.

POPPY...Like most people, I only discovered this Massachusetts-born singer songwriter a few months ago. Her style is a unique fusion of pop, electronica, metal and industrial often with sweet melodic choruses and heavy breakdowns in the verses. She came out onto the stage with a drummer and guitarist, both wearing weird face masks, platinum blonde wigs and black leather suits. In the words of Kath and Kim, she could be described perfectly as noice, unusual, different. Set List: Concrete, Am I A Girl?, Play Destroy, Scary Mask. https://music.apple.com/au/artist/poppy/1004130511

GRAVEMIND...I can’t say that I’m as invested in Death Metal bands as I used to be. However, I do have a soft spot for these guys. I was particularly impressed by their connection with the crowd both in supporting local bands and the importance of overcoming mental health issues. They delivered a super heavy set with lots of emotion and heart.Set List: Lifelike, Phantom Pain, Volgin. https://music.apple.com/au/album/conduit/1462900465  

WINDWAKER...Okay look. I was honestly very divided about whether to split my time between my boys in Windwaker and The Veronicas. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a pointless idea. Being a music festival, there is so much ducking and weaving between the crowds of people and therefore it’s time consuming getting from one stage to another. So I went with my gut and stayed where I was, which I believe ended up being the right decision.

Today was Liam Guinane’s last show with Windwaker. It was a very bittersweet experience for me. But it was such a pleasure watching him perform a keyboard and vocal solo of the track Colourless with the entire crowd kneeling down. I was crying internal tears, that’s for damn sure! The band had some technical issues early on which delayed their starting time. However, they more than made up for it by the awesome show they put on, complete with plastic beach balls, crowd singalongs and an epic circle pit to rival The Veronicas wall of death! Set List: The Sitch, Grey World, Reject, Colourless, My Empire. Freak (Silverchair cover) https://music.apple.com/au/album/empire-ep/1448666181

TRIVIUM / BAD RELIGION...After Windwaker’s set, I decided to take a break and chilled out on the lawn between Stages 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I began getting myself overcome with conflicting emotions, depression and loneliness. I couldn’t really work out where it was coming from, though witnessing people hanging out in groups may have been a trigger. It’s not a new thing for me as I’ve always been “flying solo” when it comes to attending gigs and music festivals. And yet it’s still not always easy accepting that I don’t really have a close circle of friends around me.

I decided to try meditating, reached out to a few friends on social media and listened to the sets of Trivium and Bad Religion from a far distance away. It was difficult trying to shake the black dog off me but slowly I started to feel better. Considering how far I’d come just to attend Good Things for the first time, it was an important reminder to put things into perspective. Plus I had already met and bumped into lots of amazing band mates so I was far from alone, even though I was hanging out by myself.

SIMPLE PLAN...It’s hard to conceive that this Pop-Rock-Punk outfit from Montreal in Canada has been going for 20 years. Admittedly, I decided to watch their set for the nostalgic value of their classic anthems, mainly from 2002 to 2009. I found myself singing along with the crowd around me to songs I grew up with in my late teenage years and early adulthood. And after such a long time together, they still sounded great and the lyrical messages of not fitting in and not feeling accepted are still relatable today. People were randomly throwing rolls of toilet paper through the air and tossing giant black beach balls back and forth.        Set List: I’m Just a Kid, I’d Do Anything, Addicted, Perfect, Welcome to My Life, Shut Up, Jet Lag, Summer Paradise, Boom! https://music.apple.com/us/artist/simple-plan/150861

KARNIVOOL...This was the band I was the most keen for today. The Perth-based Progressive Rock outfit have been around since 1997 and this was my first time catching them live. I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore fan, even though I do own all of their albums. But their quality of songwriting and musical output in truly phenomenal. Their style is complex and out of the box, touching on important social and political themes such as media corruption, the end of the world, the existence of God and the function of society and governments.

Vocalist Ian Kenny still has one of the best clean singing voices in any Australian band and put on an outstanding performance tonight. And I’m sure many Karnivool fans out there are still wondering when the 4th album is going to drop? I guess you just can’t rush art! Set List: We Are, Simple Boy, Themata, The Refusal, New Day. https://music.apple.com/us/artist/karnivool/85099785

I did consider staying for PARKWAY DRIVE but then remembered the announcement after arriving at Flemington Racecourse. The last train to depart will be at 9.20pm. Which meant that I would only be able to see about half of Parkway’s set. Honestly, I was pretty wrecked after Karnivool and decided to leave early. I saw all the bands I really wanted to see and therefore didn’t feel the need to stay any longer.

Overall, it was a pretty good festival. The very long queues for entry, cloaking, band merch, the toilets and food trucks were annoying but inevitable considering how large the attendance was. The litter on the ground was fairly disappointing considering how many bins there were available. The free water stations and first aid tents were an excellent idea. The weather did get deceivingly warm today and I did get sunburned but it could have been much worse, considering it is meant to be summer now. I’m really glad I came out!

[eurusholmmes]

Does supernatural refer to Jesus at any point? Also do you think Cas has a thing for trenchcoats? Also who do you think he was talking to when he said let me tell you my story, God in the first real prayer he'd said for awhile or was it a 4th walk break to us? Also didn't you find him saying he was God at some point blasphemous?

Wow. I am amazed at how many people have been coming to me with questions like these lately. So.. let’s get to it!

1. Does Supernatural mention Jesus? - No. It doesn’t. That was one of the first things I kept an eye out for whenever I started the show back in May, and not once has it mentioned Jesus. I’m still keeping my eyes open though, because dang that would hook me back in with his character entrance. (have tom payne play him NOW)

2. Does Cas have a thing for trench coats? - LOL I LOVE this question. I think he totally has a thing for trench coats. His closet in the bunker is probably full of different colored ones!!

3. Who do you think he was talking to in The Man Who Would Be King’s monologue? - Let me tell you, I adore Misha Collins as an actor. That entire episode should’ve won multiple awards because it was executed in a way that was so phenomenal that it draws me to tears almost every time I watch it. I can’t not appreciate that monologue. But if I remember correctly, he does mention His Father directly at the end when he’s asking for guidance in how to approach the situation that he’s in. 

  PART B- I don’t quite get what you mean by the 4th walk break. Come talk to me if you’d like an answer to that part!

4. Did you think that it was blasphemous to see Cas trying to be God? - As I’ve stated multiple times since I’ve joined this fandom, this is a show written by a group of secular people. There are going to be things in it that aren’t biblically correct. Cas’ interpretation of God is mainly fueled by the insanity brought upon by the Leviathans, in my belief. I might need to go back and watch it again.. but yes, I did. 

Do you guys want me to make a meta of what Supernatural did right and wrong in the show in regards to scripture? Let me know. I’d be more then willing to do so. 

[madamemerola]

Live A Phenomenal Life Show is globally minded so this week we have gone all the way to New Zealand 🇳🇿 to get you the best of the best to share insights about “FULFILLING PURPOSE IN CRISIS”. Season 3, Episode 11 will be featuring Dr Samuel Ekundayo, @drsamekundayo alongside Madame Merola. Dr Samuel Ekundayo is a Senior Lecturer, author, preacher and transformational speaker. Often referred to as 'The Purpose Preacher', his mandate is to help people discover their purpose so they can maximise their potentials towards a fulfilled, influential and impactful life to the glory of God. An internationally sought-after speaker, he has been privileged to consult for corporate organisations, as well as speak on various platforms including churches, independently organised conferences and events all over the world. He is married to a woman he calls his Treasure - Blessing Ekundayo - and they are blessed with two boys, to the glory of God. Date: Monday 4th of May, 2020 Time: 12noon Nigeria 🇳🇬, 11pm New Zealand 🇳🇿. Venue: Facebook @madamemerola page. Get ready to be inspired, empowered and ignited on Monday. Share this poster with others. XoXo from #madamemerola #bangcreator #liveaphenomenallifeshow #purposefulliving #purposeincrisis #inspiration #personaldevelopment #guestapprarance (at Abuja, Nigeria) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_rrYR4FrqV/?igshid=d6arxfwdh83n