#i really want more genie in these last two eps

[bergoozter]

What if it's not Shane talking to Satan at all but just the genie in modern clothes. Alternatively, what if Shane (as the creator of this entire tale) is setting up a fourth wall break where he's been the unwitting villain all along by orchestrating what he thought was a fictional narrative

oo love that genie bit! they do have a strong resemblance to one another so i could def see the genie taking advantage of that.

lol shane yells cut after prof kills ryan and he’s like wow great job let’s take it again and prof is just like ?? bc he forgot he was supposed to be acting and actually killed the guy

[felixcloud6288]

PMMM ep 5-8 recap

So now I'm two-thirds through the main series and there's a whole lot to unpack.

First off, @sailor-arashi clued me into this so if I'm wrong, please direct all your hate to her. I'm also getting my info from jisho.org.

The kanji for "witch" and "magical girl" both use the same kanji 魔 which means things such as "demon" or "evil spirit". The full kanji for witch is 魔女 which adds the kanji for woman to the name. Magical girl meanwhile is 魔法少女. It has the same kanji as witch but includes 法少 in the middle. 法 means "law" or principle, while 少 means "little". The word for witch is pronounced "majo" while magical girl is "mahou shoujo".

So essentially, the big twist is something that a Japanese viewer could realize if they pay attention to the word play, but it's harder to notice for non-Japanese viewers.

Most of these last four episodes have been focused on Sayaka. Back in episode 3, Mami strongly recommended against making a selfless wish and we're seeing the reason why. @sailor-arashi told me there's a prequel manga where Mami mentored Kyouko until the fallout from Kyouko's wish happened. So Mami would be speaking from experience.

Sayaka holds herself to too high a standard. She wants to be a hero who protects the weak and a selfless, caring soul. She doesn't like admitting to her selfish desires. She spent her wish on something that didn't benefit her at all and she was upset that she regretted saving Hitomi because Hitomi likes Kyousuke.

She hates Homura and Kyouko because they exude an absolutely selfish aura. They do not hide that they don't care about saving the world and are only interested in their own selfish goals. But being selfish lets them deal with what they are. Being a Magical Girl is just a job they do while they pursue their own interests. Meanwhile Sayaka insists on carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and finds no joy in anything she does.

It's kind of like devoting your life to a corporate job where the boss will fire you in an instant.

Now some parallels between Sayaka and Kyouko. Both of them made a selfless wish to help someone they loved. And both of their wishes ultimately got them nothing. Sayaka wished for Kyousuke's hand to be healed, but he ended up getting with Hitomi. Kyouko wished that people would listen to her father's sermons but when he found out the truth, he killed himself and his family.

Both of them made a surface-level selfless wish with an underlying selfish motive (Sayaka wanted Kyousuke to love her; Kyouko wanted a happy family life) but the wish ultimately led to their true desire being completely unattainable and giving their soul for nothing.

Kyouko's response was to take her powers and decide to do whatever she wants. Sayaka however opted to double down and be a magical girl who acts selflessly.

And I have to say, I love how Kyubey is ultimately an amazing mix of the benevolent, jerkass, and literal genie trope. When he's not forcibly coercing girls into becoming magical girls, he adheres to the spirit of what the person's wish was. He doesn't twist their words or make it true in a way that makes them wish they didn't have it. He grants exactly what you asked for, nothing more and nothing less.

And based on Sayaka and Kyouko's story, the problem is the wishes are disingenuous. Sayaka really just wanted Kyousuke to love her, and she could have wished for that. But instead she wished for something that she thought would give her what she wanted instead. So Kyubey makes them regret their wish without actually having to do anything. They are the victims of their own despair.

And at first, I figured that witches were magical girls who got corrupted by negativity or something like that. And that is true, but it seems to be intentional. Kyubey is intentionally turning girls into witches for some reason. So girls with the "aptitude" to be magical girls are likely girls who aren't willing to be honest with themselves and think they have to be caring and selfless.

So now I just need to find out his intentions. His true name is Incubator. Is that referring to how he incubates witches?

Finally, Homura. Her magic is related to time travel. Sayaka has healing magic because she made a wish to heal someone. So I assume Homura's wish was to either restart something or undo something.

And with that emotional breakdown she had in front of Madoka, it obviously has something to do with her. My guess is she wished to save Madoka from becoming a magical girl. Madoka would be just as much of a selfless person as a magical girl. She'd be driven by love rather than justice, but she would try to carry the world on her shoulders as well. So in one timeline, she probably was crushed by the world and became a witch.

Homura has stepped in four times now to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl: She tried to kill Kyubey on their first contact, saved her when Mami was killed, stepped in when Sayaka and Kyouko were trying to kill each other, and killed Kyubey when he suggested wishing Sayaka wasn't a magical girl.

I'm not going to say Homura has freedom to travel back in time when she wants, but she does have excellent timing. She's definitely gone back at least once.

And the nature of her powers seems to be somewhat stronger than Kyubey since he wasn't aware of what her powers were and he doesn't remember making a contract with her.

Maybe that opening thing from episode 1 was the previous timeline.

And does Homura's magic or wish make it so she can't tell anyone what's happened in a previous timeline and that's why Madoka seemed to forget her when Homura opened up to her?

At this point, I'm most interested in finding out why Kyubey is making witches. He's interested in the grief seeds since he took the one Sayaka had. But there definitely has to be more to it. This process seems a bit too complex if the goal is to collect concentrated grief.

back

[married-2-the-music]

K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Girls Generation / SNSD (Part ONE)

Girls’ Generation debuted in 2007, with nine members: Taeyeon, Seohyun, Yoona, Yuri, Tiffany, Jessica (who left in 2014), Sunny, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon, and soon became one of the most popular groups of the 2nd generation of k-pop with their catchy retro songs and down-to-earth image. Also, I’ll be using the names Girls Generation and SNSD (Sonoshidae, their Korean name) interchangeably through this.

Here are my credentials: So, I’m absolutely a fan of Girls’ Generation, although I’m in that weird space where I’m more than a casual one yet not quite a SONE (a full fan), but just like with Sunmi, I have a feeling that this deep dive will make me one. I’ve heard almost all of their title tracks, and a decent amount of b-sides, but since they have over 100 songs, I’m sure I’ll find some new ones to love too. I’m also a fan of both Taeyeon and Tiffany’s solo careers.

Their 2007 debut was Into The New World, and I honestly do not know what to say about this song. It was the reason I wanted to do this review in the first place, because in my opinion, it’s the best k-pop song of all time, and I’m not even a SONE. It’s upbeat and ultra-poppy, cheesy as hell, wonderfully hopeful, and has an instantly recognizable, soaring chorus that I can sing from memory (although not as well). I’ve probably seen this MV dozens of times, but I still chuckle at the dance break and can’t stop smiling at the take-off in the last bridge and how young they are, just barely older than I was when I became a k-pop fan. In the years after Into The New World was released, it’s become an important protest song in Korea, and to many now—myself included—it’s more than just what it was meant to be.

Full warning: there is no way that I could view any song fairly after this strong a debut, but I do really like the song Girls Generation, and actually didn’t know that this was a cover until this deep dive, since I can only associate it with them. It’s very bubblegum from its first moment, heavier on the aegyo than its counterpart, but the song’s slower pre-chorus, SNSD’s great voices, and that smash of a chorus manage to prevent the cutesiness from being overwhelming.

From the 1st album, simply entitled Girls Generation, I enjoyed the springy, vintage (somewhat Christmasy?) vibes of Ooh La La, the lovely harmonizing in Complete and Tinkerbell, the elegant classical flourishes in the background of Kissing You, and the guitar and excellent vocals in Honey. Overall this album feels incredibly 2nd gen, and gave me waves of nostalgia.

Gee is probably one of Girls’ Generation’s most well-known songs, and it’s easy to see why. With simple but fun choreography, and a chorus that constantly walks the tightrope of being incessantly catchy and just a little grating, it’s a total earworm. It takes a lot to make me enjoy such a cutesy song, but I think it was the combination of nostalgia and humor or maybe just how much I wanted to dance, and enjoy this one I did. As an aside, I’d forgotten that Minho from SHINee makes a cameo in this video, so that was a nice surprise.

From the EP, Gee, I had two main hidden gems. Way To Go is very much the kind of inspiring, upbeat bubblegum that I love, and also feels very nostalgic. Dear Mom, as I expected, is more of a ballad, and reminds me a little of Chung Ha’s Goodnight My Princess, with a sweet, heartfelt message to the girls’ mothers that made me text mine and ask how she’s doing. (Love you, Mom!)

Genie (or in Korean, “Tell Me Your Wish”) is a song that I thought was released later into their careers, with the slightly more mature image it uses. While still very bubblegum, it’s more polished, with a 70’s / 80’s synth background that began SNSD’s long run of retro-inspired singles. This isn’t one of my favorites of theirs, probably because in the years since it’s come out so, so, so many more k-pop songs have used the same style and thus it doesn’t sound as unique as some of their other tracks. I do still like it though.

From the EP, Genie, I had a good time dancing to the electronic beats of Etude, and the hrd-hitting synths of Boyfriend. One Year Later is a collaboration between Jessica and Onew from SHINee, so I was drawn to it right away; it chooses an understated coffee-shop feel that eventually blossoms into a strong ballad that really suits the warmth of their voices, and serves as a great album closer.

Oh! goes back on the somewhat more mature image that Genie established, going for a cheerleader concept, but sticks with the retro pop, this time pulling from a much more 80’s video game synth. It’s very much emblematic of the era it’s from with the nearly cloying aegyo, but unlike with Gee, most of that is in the MV and less so in the song. I like this one too, more than Gee, but I don’t find myself repeating it that much; I think it needs more of a bridge.

Run Devil Run is the second single from this album, and was highly unusual for the time since “cutesy” girl groups did not do this kind of hard-hitting synth. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very much a pop song, but today it would be considered “girl crush”, like TWICE’s later-career pivot with Fancy and I Can’t Stop Me. I was worried the first time I heard this one that it would have an anti-drop, but thankfully the vocalizing in the second half of the chorus assuaged my worries. I actually showed this song to a friend of mine who enjoyed it so much that she bought it! And now “you better run, run, run, run” is stuck in my head for the foreseeable future, which I suppose is my own fault, isn’t it?

From the repackage album, Run Devil Run, I had a lot to choose from as a hidden gem. I enjoyed the choppy hook of Echo, the runway-ready confidence in Show! Show! Show!, the full-speed-ahead chiptune in Stick Wit’ U, and of course Key from SHINee’s feature in the youthful Boys & Girls.

Hoot is next up, and besides Into The New World, is my favorite so far. For some reason, it’s not talked about much as one of SNSD’s best singles, which always boggles my mind, because it’s just so delightful. I mean, it’s a spoof of classic spy movies with a percussive 60’s retro beat and such good clothes! That vocalizing under the last chorus gets me singing along every time. I even had a poster of it on my wall in high school, and it was the first k-pop choreography that I learned (albeit, very badly; I looked like a dying chicken). My only gripe is that I have no idea why this song is called Hoot and not Shoot or Trouble, which both would’ve been better names, but I digress. From the EP, my hidden gem was the jazzy, ballroom dance inspired Snowy Wish.

The Boys, admittedly, is one of those songs that I appreciate more than I actually like. I respect that it’s a classic and an important moment for k-pop, but as one reviewer said, “it feels more like a spectacle than a song, but what a spectacle it is.” Though it’s very catchy and I do hum along whenever it comes up on my shuffle, I’ve just never been a fan of anti-drop choruses, and even when they’re done well (like here or in many BTS songs), I always find myself thinking how much more I would like the song if it was changed. It feels more like a 2NE1 song than an SNSD one, though they sell it pretty well and their vocals make it at least twice as enjoyable.

From the album, The Boys, I enjoyed the dancefloor beats of Telepathy, the interesting distortion and slowdowns in Trick, the roller disco of Vitamin, the classical flourishes in My J, and especially the jazzy super-spy influence in Top Secret, which was my hidden gem and feels like a natural successor to Hoot. I also enjoyed Mr. Taxi’s Korean version, but we’ll discuss that later.

I Got A Boy, like The Boys, is a song that I appreciate more than actually enjoy. Also like The Boys, it’s a song that popularized what’s now not uncommon in k-pop: the trend of songs that are a hodge-podge of genres and tempos, and admittedly, pulls it off. I’m not the biggest fan of the hip-hop segments, but the 1st chorus, the bridge, and the hook of “here comes trouble” are pretty great. I find myself caught off guard by the breakdown and switch up every time, even though I know it’s coming, which I know is the point, but it gives me a bit of whiplash, truth be told. This is more a me thing than an issue with the song, though, because it achieves exactly what it sets out to do.

From the album, though I liked both the choppiness of Talk Talk’s chorus and the guitar breakdown in Express 999, my hidden gem was absolutely the super catchy Dancing Queen. Though it’s named after the ABBA song, its very specific instrumental really reminds me of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour.

Mr. Mr. is one of those songs that arrives, like many of SNSD’s best tracks, with a “let’s go!” and wastes no time going into its excellent chorus. It pulls from bonafide disco, and feels like the best combination between a ballroom dance in its slower moments and a club hit in its faster ones. Its bridge and last chorus’ high note is, and I don’t say this lightly, perfection, and I can never resist replaying it at least once (or mouthing along). From the EP, my hidden gem was the pathos-driven Goodbye, though I’m sure it connected more with me since this was Jessica’s last release with SNSD, and I’m sad to hear her and her great vocals go. It’s hard to make a ballad engaging, but this is a catchy, somewhat bittersweet one, which is a personal weakness of mine.

We’re ending with Mr. Mr. for this week because as mentioned, Jessica didn’t renew her contract after the seven years were up, and thus this makes for a natural stopping point. Next time, we’ll be doing a boy group supplemental and part two of this Girls Generation deep dive. Tschüss!

[girls-scenarios]

Girl Group Spotlight: IRRIS

(This post is also on Twitter!)

IRRIS is a four member girl group under JUSTICE RECORDS that debuted with their EP "Wanna Know" on July 6th. Three of the four members are former members of both Good Day and REDSQUARE, making this their third time debuting. All of the members are also adults, which is refreshing to see especially when so many groups are debuting with younger and younger idols. Their concept is mature and chic and really stands out in the industry.

Members:

I.L: I.L (Kim Jiwon) is the oldest member and leader, born in January of 1997. She was the first member of IRRIS to be revealed. You might recognize her from Good Day, REDSQUARE, and her time on The Unit. She was eliminated from The Unit on episode 7, unfortunately there isn't much focus on her though. Her previous stage names are Genie and Green. She's also an actress and has been in a handful of projects, including "I Can See Your MBTI" and "IDOL: The Coup." She's a bright person who likes coffee, and her role model is f(x)'s Krystal.

Liv: Liv (Kim Chaeyoung) is the second oldest member, born in July of 1997. She is the main dancer and rapper and was the last member of IRRIS to be revealed. You might recognize her from Good Day or REDSQUARE, her previous stage name was Cherry. She's a really good dancer and her specialty is dancing fast. She loves a lot of different colors and her role model is Lisa from BlackPink. She really wants to go on Running Man and take a drive with the other members, since she has a driver's license.

Yunseul: Yunseul (Hwang Nayoon) is the third oldest member, born in March of 1999. She is the main vocalist of the group and was the third member to be revealed. She is also a former member of Good Day and REDSQUARE and previously used her first name Nayoon as her stage name. Yunseul has also done some acting, you can see her in "I Can See Your MBTI." She's always loved singing and drama and was in choir when she was younger. She's a bright and bubbly person, and her nickname is Chick Ari. Her charming point is how positive she is. She loves animals and wants to start a shelter (?) for stray dogs. She does have a few cover videos, such as this cover of How Far I'll Go.

Nina: Nina (Nina Nadia Mateer) is the youngest member, born in March of 2003, and is the only member who wasn't part of Good Day or REDSQUARE. She is the lead dancer and a vocalist and was the second member to be revealed in the lineup. Nina was actually born in Australia, and she's said to be currently studying law there! She decided to become an idol after being scouted because she wants to experience lots of new things.

Songs:

IRRIS just made their debut with "Wanna Know," a uniquely bright song with powerful yet sweet vocals and a horn base. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of songs by Girls Day and feels very grown in a way we haven't seen in Kpop recently. There are two b-sides on the EP, "Bye Bye" and "Stay With Me." Alongside a lot of live stages, they also have a it's Live stage singing their song with a live band.

Since this group is very new, there isn't a ton of content for them yet. However, they did recently guest on Arirang Radio, where they sang their b-sides. They also did a short cover dance relay on genie's YouTube channel. You can also see them in a New Face video by TongTongCulture.

The best place to follow them is on their TikTok! IRRIS is super active on TikTok and they post dances, challenges, and other content. They aren't as active on other social media accounts, but they're also on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. It seems like their company is actually doing their best to promote them this time as this is more live stages than the members re-debuting have ever gotten to do, so I'm super hopeful for the future of this group! Go check them out and give the brave girls of IRRIS a listen!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

March 2021 Part 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. 

This is a LONG ONE, it’s been A WEEK everyone. 

Ongoing Series - Thai

Lovely Writer Ep 5 - a little slow this week, but at least Gene finally flirted back, and very cute flirting it was, too. Also we got Aey’s motivation, background, and love interest. Thank goodness for that. 

Brothers Ep 8 - still pants, what can I say? Clearly I am a BL masochist. Very embarrassing for everyone concerned. 

1000 Stars Ep 9 - the conflict over Tian’s father was REALLY well done. The plot of this drama is excellent, the leads are great together, and yes I totally cried. What, you didn’t? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Word of Honor (China) Ep 16-18 - big battle fighty fighty stabby stabby. Ep 17 switches to “this drama isn’t big enough for two chaotic-neutral godlings!” So what do they do? Drink together and bicker... A LOT. Then in Ep 18 we all get the dubious joy of really freaky puppets. (I HATE puppets.) Also how is China letting this be so SO VERY VERY GAY?  Also, I wanna walk through the forest wearing a smanshy purple robe and waving a big fuck-off white fan around simply because I’m a pretentious fuss monger. And frankly, I feel like this is an achievable life goal for me. 

We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 4 - not gonna lie, this is looking to be one of my top 3 BLs of 2021. It’s SO GOOD. Big bonus to this ep for treating stalker behavior like the mental illness it is and not as some dumb representation of enduring love. 

The Most Peaceful Place is My Place (Vietnam) Ep 1 - finally dropped (find it under NƠI BÌNH YÊN NHẤT LÀ VỀ BÊN EM on O2′s channel). It’s got actors already comfortable with BL and looks pretty good so far. An angry tsundere uke reunited with his ex, a stoic chef, giving us lots of snap, crackle, and pop out the gate. 

Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 2 - I want to love it, but it is just moving too fast. There’s not enough character dev and then they’re throwing flashbacks in? It feels like a treatment rather than a show, and a rushed treatment at that. Bummer. 

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 2 (AKA Ep 3-4) - let the cheesy popcorn continue! Idiot remains an idiot; ingenue remains an ice queen; nice gay guy remains nice and gay; obsessive stalker brother is getting ever more whackadoddle. Of course these last two have the best chemistry. (It’s caregiver codependency and the salvation trope. We got us a Leo/Fiat situation going on.​) Plus lots of classic BL tropes because OF COURSE there are lots of tropes. 

Occasionally, I am tempted to argue that shows like H4 or Cherry Magic or Ossan’s Love aren’t technically BL because of the office setting and age of the protags - but then they all behave like high school students anyway, so *shrug* 

Stand Alones

Cute little Taiwanese micro BL Friend or Lover dropped, about bisexual realization within a friendship group. Normally these are too short for me, but this one did pretty good with its 15 minutes of charm, plus it’s abad boy + shy softy pairing. 

Breaking News - Thai BL

Fish Upon the Sky released its actual trailer. The upside-down kiss is gone, which makes everyone sad, and it seems far less rivals to lovers than the first iteration, which makes ME sad. But it still looks good and a more classic BL than GMMTV has given us in a while. New trailer focused more on the makeover trope and they’ve upped Mix’s role (the object of everyone’s affection) now that he’s proved himself. (Or they are using him more to carry the trailer since he has a fan base form 1k*). Starts April 9 on GMMTV in 1K*’s time slot, probably with a 10 ep run. 

2gether the movie is apparently coming April 22 to Thai theaters. F4 Thailand must be having issues or GMMTV just wants to milk the BrightWin cash cow. It’s rumored to be a combination of 2gehter + Still 2gether with some extra scenes and ending. Also, one assumes a lot will be cut out, if it’s movie length.

Call It What You Want released its updated trailer. If anything, it looks more scary than before. What are we in for? April 9th. 

Nitiman got a release date, May 7 on One31. 

I Told Sunset About You 2 got an updated release date of May 27 on LineTV. 

Second Chance the series is coming to LineTV on March 29. I don’t know much about this one. Tons of familiar faces (mostly TharnType side dishes) and some nice looking new talent but a dearth of eng subs. I think it may take on Brothers’ time slot. Line did eng subs for Brothers so maybe they will do 2nd Chance too? 

Close Friend the series is coming April 22. This is a combination of 6 couples with 6 story arcs as music videos (maybe)? It’s an epic fan service with familiar faces like OhmFluke (UWMA), MaxNat (LBC also in Y-Destiny), YoonLay (YYY also in Y-Destiny), KimCop (GenY), and JaFirst (TT2).

Y-Destiny starts March 30, and has starting dropping couple’s trailers. I’m still suspicious given the director but it seems like there is plot (or plots) and a theme. Looks to be a series of 7 single ep vignettes (amended, see comments, might be 2 eps each for 14 eps total), different couple each time, some with supernatural elements, all with decent chemistry and acting chops. 

Sun MaxNat’s tutor/student arc

Mon jaded rich kid meets poor innocent  

Tues sports romance enemies to lovers 

Weds the messy realistic actual dating one 

Thurs hot ghost boyfriend (sad) 

Fri YoonLayPerth coping with loss and finding new love (sad). This one will all rest on Lay's acting so we know it’s in safe hands. Our boy is going to KILL it. 

Sat time-slip memory loss reunion romance 

I’m thinking we can’t expect any of these to end happy or be classic BL. They’re gonna be more slice of life-ish. 

Gossip - BL Outside of Thailand 

Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) got a legit teaser (eng sub here). @curriculumvtae​ reports that it’s releasing April 15th on WeTV (Philippines & Thailand) and Idol Romance (South Korea), while Will of Thai Bl says it’ll be on Viki too. It’s a short run of 8 ep built on a fake relationship trope (arranged marriage variant):

Ryu Ho Seon’s (Kang In Soo from You Wish) arranged marriage turns out to be with his expected bride’s brother, Choi Ki Wan (Lee Se Jin from Mr Heart). Ryu tries to undo the marriage, but his ill mother opposes this saying the scandal would be too much. Meanwhile, Kim Tae Hyeong (Jang Eui Soo from Where Your Eyes Linger), a senior at Ryu’s school, comes to congratulate him and falls in love with Choi. Then one day, the original bride disappears.

Okay it seems a bit twisty turny for ONLY 8 EPS, but oh my goodness how excited are we? Our first intentional historical BL out of Korea!

We already knew Hong Kong was doing a remake of Japan’s Ossan’s Love under the same name (not my favorite Japanese BL but so very popular) but it’s now reported to be coming to Viu in June. Who knows how the CFA will take it. Depends on whether Hong Kong bows before the NO GAY KISSES regs or if they are going to use this as a political nose thumb... things could get cray with this puppy (the original has several kisses and s shower scene). Are we back in Addicted territory only with added comedy and civil unrest?

Speaking of Japan, Absolute BL (AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko) dropped sooner than anyone thought, March 27. But being Japanese who knows how/when/if we get subs. Protag finds himself trapped in a world of BL, but being straight he fights against any hot guy that draws near, but the whole world (literally) is conspiring against him. It’s a parody adapted from a yoai.

What with Absolute BL from Japan plus Lovely Writer and Call it What You Want from Thailand, is 2021 the year of BL being ultra self referential? Sure feels like it.

In Case You Missed It

Faded a gay micro film from Taiwan from 2017 deals with parental acceptance and serves up a ton of BL tropes (piggyback, forehead kiss, etc). I’m pretty sure this was a propaganda piece for legalization of gay marriage, and it’s an interesting nugget of BL history as a result. Yes, it ends happy. It’s cute. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

Man there’s a lot going on right now! Spring has sprung... I suppose. 

P.S. I cannot believe I missed Absolute BL as a blog name. Numbnuts = me. 

[art-i-know-yes]

Well, coping mechanism. My reaction to episode 62 of DnDaddiessss!! I have fun doing these!

SPOILERS FOR EP 62

Mnnnnhh not particularly alarmed by the episode name

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE FIFUFBDJIDBDJD IT'S THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS "ON RON'S ARC, NO WAY" IM CRYING ALREADY FVCK

Ok so that ruined me already.

"Pretty in check or internalized"

Oh my gAaaahhdd Darryl this is why you don't repress

Nailed it

ELDRITCH SUGAR CRASH I FVKIN WISH

"Doesn't mean that I love you" sheesh ok Willy

Ohhhhh no safety net :(

Wow Ron's will and testament

"I'm a gentleman"

"It's not about you having a dUmptruck azz"

The return button

WOOOOOOOOOWWWW

"This isn't smooth Anthony"

"You gonna ghost me"

Erin is goals

beeeeeaaaaaacchhhh

Cute little baby creature

Banana Boat. BB.

Do we hAve to get fishing stuff

"Someone roll" "you mean mE"

They really said give us an encounter and then "I cast fireball at my highest level"

Genies?!?!

Why do they have to start playing dnd NOOOWWWW

Aaaaaannnnddd he's small

Henry almost saying he's not from here but quickly changing it to i haven't been here for a long time

FOUR DAYS

Baby sized Henry. How tall is Henry?

HUUUUH babybear

PAEDANNNNNN THAAAAAT'SSSS RUUUDDEEE

"You can't be best friends with your kid, that's what Glenn learned" jesUz i chocked

Wow look at them genuinely having fun being alive

"Half pint sized self"

Oooo an army consisting of: The Omega Daddies, the dragon Radiolab, 10 beefy bounty hunters, David (can't spell his last name), and 10 bluuueeecoaatssss so far

Hell yeah trees

Ohhhhh we have to make them break concentration

Pfftt what allies

Wow 1-10 hours chance to do something, every 5 hours the OD army can improve from 1-12 ways, aaaannddd everything is depending on good choices

Awww Grant happy that he's alive

Baby boi Grant is really debating

Smol Henry voice uwu

JESUS F V CKING CHRIST GLENN

"Read the room...read the beach!"

"A d4 is that all?"

Nobody has said anything about smol Henry

She's been training for this moment

Grant is the epitome of gay panic rn

I love Sparrow

"Ooo..sh-t"

Sparrow is just slightly worried

TJ teaching Ron how to play love it

5'10 HENRY 2'11 HENRY

Laaaaaaarkkk CPS ahhhhhh

Glenn being the most reactive and it doesn't even affect him

"There's a good chance we're not gonna get outta here so GOOD luck with one" AAHHHHH DARRYL YOU CANT SAAAAY THAT

Grant freaking out

Asking Glenn immediately for help

Reverse arcs

"Still a kid we're not giving him money" "Even if we do win my son is probably not gonna forgive me"

"This is for fun" YOU DECIDED TO ADD BETS DARRYL

"You want your kid to forgive you?!" "I wanna earn it!"

We love instigating

Awwww good brothers

The Hotties carrying it but also Grant had the best roll of the kids

JESUS HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING

MAAATTT GAAAAHHHH

Scottish mother for Ron

"We draw the line at child soldiers" "Paedan you don't count"

Rip Grant died from gay panic

I will never express how much I love Sparrow and I love Lark too but mmmhhhh

"Your grandfather is kinda a jerk" that has been established. He kept their unconscious bodies in a secret room.

Is Henry venting to his kids

Peace maker Sparrow right now love it but I am also enjoying deadpan violent Lark

"And Sparrow likewise" his kid is so gonna try and get violent

Do not ask this man if he's ok Terry, the answer is gonna be no

Awwww Terry Jr. and Ron relationship always mwah

"I knew that from the very first moment I saw you"

Terry Jr. giving an awkward laugh

The thing Ron said about his personality is really coming back to me

gasp AFFECTION TERRY GIVE AFFECTION I LOVE IT AHH CUTE THE CARE HE DOES

"Trust me you don't want me to lose my sh-t" He's gonna unleash the Doodler

Ooooo Oooo OOOOOO Laaaaarrk

Glenn's in everyone's convos

I mean this is a conversation

Ooooof oof oooff oof oof don't be cruel

"I'm gonna kill him" "He's twelve"

Beth is angy

Wow it's really bad Henry doesn't want his kombucha

"Hey Darryl as the two good dads" BDJDKDVEJSO YOU LOST UR KID AND HIS KID IS COMPLETELY TRAUMATIZED INTO A DIFFERENT PERSON

Ya know what I wanna see Glenn have a complete breakdown

Y-y-you don't you don't know what to talk about mmm hmm k

Ahahhaha Glenn book

The GROUP scream from hearing about a string of x's

Rip Erin's mushrooms

Gleeeennnn 50/50 on going back

PFFFT

beach episode

This episode just had like a biiit more emotional baggage than I was expecting

[gaysonlyocean]

say more sims things

gonna talk about some of my favourite parts of the expansions, is a long one so jhgfdfgh buckle up

world adventures - i know its the point of the expansion but i love adventuring so much, theres nothing like the feeling of getting your sim into a new part of the tomb and having to check to see if theres a trap hidden away, also TheQuxxns sadly unfinished lp of it sits in my head rent free like when i hear the name ethan i think of her sim from that

ambitions - GOD I LOVE THE GHOST HUNTER PROFESSION SO MUCH, ive never managed to progress far in it cause im a idiot and lose interest in long games but its so fun, i always like going to one of the fishing spots or the graveyard after my sim finishes work and releasing the spirits rather than donating them to science cause i just feel its the better thing to do, honourable mention to inventor though!!!

late night - yet another ep i associate with TheQuxxns lets plays cause she did her generations on in the late night town, i really like the setting of it!! ive never been too keen on celebrities and my sims dont go clubbing but its really fun, also vampires my beloved are here!!

generations - I HAVE SEVERAL THINGS!!!! the treehouses are very personal to me cause i havent had one cause we dont have trees but when i was a kid i wanted one so i would always give my sims treehouses so i could live out my dreams that way, i know a lot of people think theyre creepy but i really love the imaginary friends, theyre very beloved to me and i think its really neat, i remember one of the older patches of the game it was rare to have a imaginary friend be sent to your new baby so i was always very excited when they got one and with the last patch it happens every time which im a lil sad about but oh well, THE WALKING STICK!!!!! no one saw but when i was playing with my troutman legacy the other day one of my founders meredith aged up into a elder and since she was no longer in the household cause wren moved out she ended up getting a walking stick and i was so happy, when i was a kid i wished the walking stick could be used by more than just elders cause i wanted to set everyone to the southern gentleman walkstyle kjhgffghjk

pets - i have a very special place in my heart for the hunting skill and the minor pets, its just so fun to have your pets go off and do their own thing like in my troutman legacy cause wren is a witch i have her cat go hunting for beetles and what not to use in wrens elixirs and in a different game i have two werewolves and a dog and i have them all go hunt for gems together, minor pets are just really wonderful and i love finding them out and about the place, in two separate games my sims have minor pets just cause they happened to spawn near the house and i got excited, also the raccoons my beloved i kept wanting to add them to my household as a kid and broke everything

showtime - yet another a ep i associate with TheQuxxns lets plays, can you tell she was my favourite youtuber as a kid? ive never actually played with showtimes active careers cause im not interested in them so her videos let me experience them, i love the genie though so much, i Always have to free them cause theyre excellent and i love them, i wish they could still grant wishes after being freed cause like imagine they can now only grant one wish once a day or something but i get it, is just really fun to me

supernatural - MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE EP I LOVE IT ALL SO MUCH, i love the witches and the different spells, i love the fairies and their bastardly actions, i love the werewolves and how much they are just Not threatening, i love the zombies despite being so scared of them as a kid, i love the vampires cause is me, i love the alchemy skill, i love the lifetime wishes, i love the cas items, i love the traits, i love the buy mode items, i love the build mode items, i love the town, i love the lore, its my favourite expansion pack ever your honour theres not one thing i hold above the rest i adore this pack so much

seasons - i love the festivals!!! i set my game to have a new season every two weeks cause its too fast as a default so my sims have time to actually experience everything, ive had several sims go pie eating on a date and the haunted house the fall festival is excellent with the several different outcomes!!

university life - the street art skill!! its just really fun to me!! i love the easter eggs you can get in the art too!!

island paradise - oh the diving for sure!!! i cant go diving cause the feeling of diving equipment is sensory hell so its another time i live through my sims <3 also sharks!!! and moray eels!!! its wonderful!! TEH KRAKEN EXISTS MEAT MAN THE KRAKEN

into the future - i lvoe bot building its os much fun to customise them and make the trait chips and everything, i dont like having to hunt for nanites and crystals but i get it, i will always remember meatica holding me at gunpoint to name a plumbot tungas

[bronyinabottle]

In a recent post on I Dream of Twilight Sparkle I said that I noticed asks that were not in my inbox the last time I decided to read through my entire ask box. So I did the same for my mod blog. And while there were some also that I didn't see before. Most are questions I feel either I feel like I may have already sufficiently answered enough with my thoughts on an episode and/or it'd be weird at this point to answer something that's obviously years after the fact.

But there is two I found that I feel like I may want to respond to. The person who sent it was someone who used to discuss the show with me almost all the time, though obviously they must no longer be on Tumblr as all their blogs are deactivated. But I still want to answer since it is sort of relevant to recent stuff. Particularly in their 2nd ask.

By the way, I'm always open to questions on the show or even non-pony topics here on my modblog. I still do love talking about G4 ponies and I wouldn't mind some questions if any of you would like to know my opinion on anything. Now that the show has been over for nearly 2 years , I can have a perspective on many topics about Friendship is Magic that I wouldn't mind sharing. Maybe some things have changed here and there, though I think I still generally have a positive attitude towards most things for certain. I stuck with the show until the very end, and was satisfied with how it ended. And I still have interest in doing more in G4's world even as G5 approaches. (Though I'm sure perhaps once that movie has aired that may be the focus of any questions sent here)

((My answer and more after the break))

For the most part, I think I still generally agree with what I said in my initial thoughts about the Season 6 finale. It's a solid episode with some great interactions between Starlight, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax. Though the way the ending is executed is a bit of a headscratcher. Maybe somewhat less so since thinking about it now, like even if Chrysalis did keep some things loyal. What would stop them from eventually seeing what Thorax's changelings did shortly after.

But I suppose I wanted to answer this mostly about Starlight. Since while the Season 6 finale made HomerJ get over some remaining feelings about Starlight. I'll admit it took literally until writing Secrets of the Dragon's Tear (A year after the show was over) to realize the sort of potential that Starlight had. The baggage from the Season 5 finale always felt like a cloud above her for the entire rest of the show's run. And I consider Season 6's largest mistake is not trying harder to endear us to Starlight. That's what that season's entire job was, to try to make us feel a little better of how rather rushed Starlight's redemption was by giving us a more expanded look into Starlight's character. And unfortunately, I feel like it failed at that in my opinion. Thus I basically disagree (Though respect the opinion of) with those who would say the Season 6 finale was when Starlight finally won them over.

Don't get me wrong, I like how Starlight is portrayed in the episode. But it would of been stronger if say the season had explained more about Starlight's past. How did Starlight get her cutie mark, and given her opinion on Cutie Marks how did she feel at the time?

Instead, we mostly just got Starlight reuniting with Sunburst that didn't exactly give any more details to her rather vague reasons for turning to darkness from him moving away other then finding out Sunburst's personality and how his side of the story went. And from there we had Starlight befriend Trixie... in an episode I still don't really like to this day.

Ironically, the character in the Hearth's Warming episode that casts Starlight as the story's version of Scrooge (Snowfall Frost) is given more reason to sympathize with then Starlight herself.

Starlight then just about disappears up until the episode that introduces Thorax. Where she doesn't do much other then be among the crowd that Spike has to convince that Thorax is not evil.

The next time we see her is Every Little Thing She Does. Which is something of a controversial ep from what I hear, though ironically despite my skepticism of Starlight at the time. I actually sort of liked that episode since it was basically Starlight's own Lesson Zero. Though I get why Starlight deciding to hypnotize all the Mane 6 besides Twilight against their will would not be approved of. Though it does feel like at the very least Twilight and the rest give her enough of a piece of their mind at the end.

And that's how things stood before the Season 6 finale happened. Even though I do think Starlight has good moments in said finale, nothing earlier in the season really dispelled many of my feelings about the Season 5 finale's ending. So despite a good showing, I could hardly care for it. I wasn't convinced yet we were given a satisfactory answer about the many questions that Starlight's sudden redemption prompted.

Another part of my thoughts I feel still applies is when I mentioned that Starlight's a "Diet Sunset Shimmer" (Which considering what I did to link the two for SOTDT, is a bit funny in hindsight). It took just one movie (Rainbow Rocks) for the fanbase to turn a 180 on Sunset. While an entire season with Starlight as one of the good guys goes by and she remained just as divisive as before if not more so by the end of Season 6.

Come Season 7, and Starlight appears quite a bit more often though under the assumption that the Season 6 finale was enough to warm you up to her. There were many complaints during the first half of Season 7 that she was appearing more then she should (Even in an Equestria Girls special where she got to meet the character she was so often compared to). Though another thing about Starlight in Season 7 in hindsight is besides from her meeting a few more friends like Maud. Starlight isn't actually given much to actually work towards. They dropped the whole student aspect so it's not like she was doing friendship lessons under Twilight anymore (Though I suppose on the bright side for the detractors, it lessened worries about her becoming an Alicorn). Season 8 and 9 does somewhat fix that by having Starlight employed at the school, first as a counselor and ultimately ending with her as the school's Principal as Twilight herself got promoted to sole ruler. Which I'm still unsure about if fans of her character feel that was a proper ending for her. Though probably the best that could of been done in context of not much having been done with her over time.

Still, at least for me personally it felt there was alot missing about Starlight and as time went on it became obvious I wasn't going to get the satisfactory answers about her that I wanted. So as a result, I only had lukewarm reactions when a new Starlight episode was coming up. It also didn't help that there were two episodes that raised my hopes of at least one interesting aspect that would of been cool to see. The first being the episode "All Bottled Up" which I had hoped would mean it would be an episode that's somewhat genie related. And then there was Road to Friendship where Starlight and Trixie try to travel to Saddle Arabia (which is an important location in I Dream of Twilight Sparkle)... and yet never actually get there. So even on the few times that I was hoping to be excited about a Starlight episode, it dropped the ball. Partly my fault for getting so hyped about something that wasn't promised, but I would of loved to at least SEEN canon Saddle Arabia.

I'd never say that I hated Starlight back during the show's run. But she was a frustrating character for certain back then. I couldn't hate Starlight as much as some others did, but at the same time I couldn't like her as much as others. She was in likability limbo. For every fun and or good moment that included her, it's brought right back by either lingering problems that arised from the Season 5 finale or otherwise dropping the ball in some way.

In some ways, she's still a frustrating character. Though that's just how it'll always be with the canon Starlight. It's up entirely now to fanon to give their approach on Starlight that was never done in Canon. With SOTDT, I obviously did a bit of a "Fine, I'll do it myself" when it comes to making Starlight a more satisfactory character for me. Though I'm sure there are many interpretations that are vastly different from how I approached it that can satisfy others and probably be more popular and better written then mine. (My interpretation might be understandably controversial just for Starlight being put back on a path where she'll likely become an Alicorn eventually. Something Starlight detractors feared the most. Though I think I at least try to explain as best I could that makes sense with the story, her cutie mark moment being similar to Twilight's, and the identity of her mother. And I myself sort of feared Starlight becoming an Alicorn might happen, so for me to actually write it so that it might be inevitable. That's just how much of a 180 I've taken on Starlight because of writing SOTDT)

I think I mentioned this before, but I can pretty much say that in a way that I can actually say I like Starlight now. But sort of in a "FiM's biggest missed opportunity" sort of way that it becomes sort of sad to look at how canon Starlight was done. Rather then me simply shrugging her off back when I didn't care so much about her. I also understand it's a bit cheating to say I like Starlight now after doing my own sort of fanfic that had her in a major role since that might be me tooting my own horn a bit.

Though I will say as much as necessary that I am very aware alot of what happens in SOTDT would have been impossible to do in canon and I don't plan on pushing what I did to expand on Starlight's backstory as gospel. It only applies to what I'm doing on the blog, I will not be making a case that my interpretation is the only correct one. I'd actually welcome seeing some different interpretations on things such as who Starlight's mother is, what they feel her past was like outside of the Sunburst leaving incident, and/or especially how Starlight originally got her cutie mark. (I've even said my personal guess is different then how I did it in SOTDT, as my guess is she got it the first time she discovered the cutie mark removal spell). Cause if nothing else, I've realized Starlight is a very interesting character that I think would be fun to explore all the possibilities with. It certainly could be something for those still on the G4 train to talk with one another about.

[eddiestattoos]

Smallville chronicles part 62 (Chloe's chronicles pun very much intended. But no I've never seen them) warning, there's a lot going on. Fortune. You get me. Carry on

Oh boy its lionel

"Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated" LIONEL YOU LITERALLY DIED 3 YEARS AGO YOU WERE SHOVED OFF A ROOF YOU FOOL

"What. No hug for your long lost daddy" I'll give E2 Lionel one thing. He amuses

The way Chloe is just laying on top of, admiring Oliver as he sleeps. I used to not like her all that much (way back in like season 1 and 2) now I want what she's got

Did I really just say that? Oh boy I've officially lost it

Also love that they've set up their bed in the middle of watchtower

Wait so uh, watchtower was bought by Jimmy. Lol this isn't weird at all

I'm going to stop because you know. I'm insane

I could take quotes from this Chloe Ollie bed scene but I'd be quoting the entire damn thing so I'll just leave it

Go mama K!!

Mama K??

Martha really just ripped off her sling

Chloe considers Martha as her mom!!

Oliver's non green arrow undercover outfit

Lois trying to make sure her muffins get noticed

"Lois. Don't worry. I've been impressed with you for years"

"That is so low rent and so rebel"

"Well what father doesnt want to make his son happy" he says after Lex tells him killing him was the greatest moment of his life

Chloe's outfit 😂

"That explains the smell of old spice and young ambition"

"I just need you to hack into a couple national news websites" "how many?" "All of them"

"You're a convicted felon" oh but so are you Lionel

"Well snow dad's been a little frosty lately right? Maybe we should figure out a different way to get that genie back in the bottle"

Mama K defending her son!!

"How can you be so good Clark?"

The way Clark whipped Lionel across the ground after pulling him from the mansion

The Luthor mansion burning to the ground was not something I expected to see ever

Lois and Chloe taking their stand against the vra!!!

"You have no idea how much you mean to people Clark Kent" my heart!!

"I saw me, I mean Clark Kent, disguised with glasses and a bad haircut"

Mama bear Tess!

Ok well.... that's peachy

"Look Clark. I want to plan this wedding as much as I wanna jump off of a building"

"Please tell me you didn't hop across the pond for a gallon of milk" "what makes you think I'd be in England?" Clark you're standing on Big Ben

"That better be some damn good milk Smallville" "Smallville. I must be in trouble"

"I think Oliver Queen would be an absolute fool to let someone like you get away" there is not a single Chlollie scene I don't enjoy

"I feel like I can't believe you did this to my jacket" I mean yeah it's terrible but it's somehow better

"You are going global now, which is awesome quite frankly"

"Why don't I just save you the trouble and superspeed out all on my own, ok. Whoosh"

"A phone call from your wife, Mr Jones"

*trying to keep it together* "hello dear"

"It's an adrenaline thing. See I'm little bit bigger than you"

Ok that whole Clark's telescopic visions with his eyes changing. Why are we just getting this now?

"You know, when I said I wanted to spoon earlier, this isn't really what I had in mind"

"This is definitely the most romantic of my recent kidnappings"

"Yeah he's right, we should probably introduce ourselves" *takes them all out**Chloe knocks dude out with a book*

That kiss after they kicked ass

"The last thing we want is a billionaire superhero ex fugitive kicking down the door of a sex club"

My ninja baby Oliver

"Don't leave goldilocks out in the cold"

"Should we just serve up charcoal too"

"It's my power I can call it whatever I want"

"Now stay put" "like hell" come on Clark you should've known there was no chance Ollie would

"You just have to act like you're re miserable" "that shouldn't be a problem"

"When they see this adorable blond, and you are, on this adorable blond's arm" I love Ollie calling himself an adorable blond. I mean, he's not wrong

NO OLLIE NOOOOO why did he have to get tagged

Ok I've arrived at what I've heard is one of the best eps of the series so I'm excited. But still scared for Ollie

I nearly pissed myself when Clark woke up with a lemur on him

He has a ring on 😂😂 Chloe?? I'm crying laughing already

*throws chip bag in closet for lemur*

What is Chloe's dress?

"Yeah well my memory etch a sketch is blank too"

Chloe just goes in public in this weird ass wedding dress

"Are those Emil's pants?"

"Holy matrimony that's my signature"

Clark runs into the wall

😂😂😂😂😂

"Well Emil always was an overachiever"

Emil and Tess duet 😂😂

"I'm looking for the girl I came in here with last night. She probably insulted you more than once"

"Clarkie, there's only one person I know that can make an armored car go adios in seconds" drunk Tess 😂

Oliver and Lois are just casually on a rail bed

Ollie's face hugging Lo 😂😂

His face when he comes to is even better

"Morning. Sorry" I'm still crying

Oliver's giggle when he sees his outfit

I may not get through anymore eps tonight because I'm taking 20 minutes per scene here

"Clark you're beeping"

The truck is in the barn 😂😂😂

"I hate to break it to you but the last thing I want to go around with for the rest of my life is a lie propagated by my ex boyfriend" "oh"

"There's something stuck in my bra" "that's not my territory anymore"

"I can't believe in my first drunken night out I lose Lois, commit a felony, and I land my friend in jail. I'm so reckless"

Why is Chloe still in that dress?

"My lucky lemur"

Huge siren flashbacks with Lois and Ollie tied up

"One, two, shuffle"

"I didn't exactly bring my green arrow gear to the bachelor party"

"Lois? Oliver?" The dance scene 😂😂

The casino fight this is beautiful

"The only one getting luckier tonight is yours truly" *knocks him out* who needs green arrow when you have plain old Oliver Queen

I just noticed Ollie lost the bra

"Way to go all in gorgeous" "back at ya hot stuff" I love Chlollie

"I found it in a puddle of champagne in the limo"

THE VIDEO 😂😂😂😂 I'm not going to bother quoting the whole thing

"A monkey?!" Chlo it's a lemur

"I hope you weren't gonna run off without your husband"

Now I have to endure some Ollie free eps and that's sad but here goes

"Tess. You didn't have to come all the way out here. There's caffeine givers in metropolis"

"he's outside in the car"

They made a child with Lex AND Clark's dna? This can only go one way

"I'm saving him from an encore performance of daddy dearest"

"Your son is dead Lionel" have I ever mentioned I love Tess?

"Mutation's a bitch"

"Are you like my dad?" "I prefer brother"

"Are you trying to tell me that Conner is the genetic lovechild of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor?" I hate that I laughed at that sentence

"But how is Lex able to shake up a human krypto cocktail without you realizing it?"

"Hold on chicken little"

Lois is pretty. That is all

Clark just standing there in a burnt shirt

It's like Kara all over again

"I was just stopping by to see how things are going but it looks like I should've brought marshmallows"

Well oops the child found out

Just when I was starting to like this kid

Oh good lord the kid is on red k this'll be fun

"Believe me I'll trade a little motion sickness for a bullet in the bonnet any day"

Lol Connor ok. This kid just grabbed a jacket and a necklace for Lois for

*Lois tosses stolen necklace back to police* "sorry"

"You destroyed Lex with your secrets and lies" Bull. Shit.

That fur coat is a look Lo

"I'll speed you away to Paris"

"It may bring out his inner angst a little but it doesn't turn him into this"

Clark busting the ring

Damnit Lionel

How does everyone but Clark bust kryptonite with their heat vision

Ok I did not miss the classical music in every Lionel scene

"You'll always be a Luthor" oh but she won't

"I hope it's not too presumptuous but I figured you needed a last name"

"I'm sure that when we have kids of our own, you will be an amazing father" damn right he will

[tvdversefanfiction]

So the last show within the TVDverse to this 30 day challenge within one day and one post is "Legacies", as always feel free to do this yourself and tell me you opinions in the comments 💖

1 - Lizzie Saltzman, I just love how in so many ways she's Caroline's daughter but she's also her own person, I loved her mother in TVD from beginning to end and I have a theory the same will happen here with Lizzie. Bonus points: she's named after Liz Forbes, easily the best of the TVD characters parents 💖

2 - This is hard, I forever find myself up and down with alot of chracters within the show largely depending on episode...i do love the necromancer and his minion though, get super cute, super unhealthy couple vibes there and I'm totally down for that 😂

3 - Hosie, I love how both the actresses who play Hope and Josie low key ship it too and have been pushing Plec to make it happen. And if Klaroline did not happen I love the idea their children get to be endgame.

4 - Pass, I tend to not rewatch a show until I caj binge it, ie atleast 3 seasons worth...so far ive only watched the eps as they have aired...so my soundtrack knowledge is hit/miss 😂

5 - The first finale "There's always a loophole" is so far one of the few episodes that really felt like the TVDverse and that cliffhanger was everything, it got me beyond excited for season 2.

6 - The santa episode, like I get this show hits different and is for a younger audience but that was just too much 😂

7 - Hope and Lizzie, I am really enjoying their frenemies going to besties mode and they make a great team.

8 - Now with TVD and TO i could list them off like that...Legacies however, hmm...I'd have to say most of Hope's speech in the pilot episode that was really well written and im saying entire speech as I cant remember the exact line that I loved 😂

9 - Klaroline being married in one of Lizzie's genie worlds 😍

10 - Josie's Ariana inspired outfit when her and Hope are heavy flirting in one of those genie worlds, Josie's casual wadrobe tends to be the best casual looks too.

11 - I love Landon's perfectly placed curls, I have curls and not once have they been perfectly placed 😂 so theres admiration and envy thwre 😂

12 - Hope, we do not see it enough though...clearly learned how to smile from Klaus the king of smiles 💖

13 - Freya and Hope when Freya remembers her, oh that tugged at the heart strings 😪

14 - Hosie, when it happens...but none so far although the scene where Josie is literally a pig and hints for Hope to kiss her scene was brill 😂

15 - The one which ends in Lizzie hugging Hope after Hope realises the dress she was wearing was Carolines, who had been gifted it from Klaus 💖

16 - Okay so far I have not been impressed with the monsters or the cgi being used for them...however the necromancer is a strong character so Im going for him.

17 - Again hard to pick just one here...so im going to say the fake santa because that whole episode was a miss for me.

18 - Hope playing Lizzie playing Hope 😂

19 - Sebastians death, mainly because I found him so intruiging and wanted more...

20 - Josie's spell when she returns everyone's memories of Hope.

21 - Hope throwing herself into the pit in the season one finale, or her slaying the zombies in mombie dearest or anytime she gives me Buffy vibes tbh 😂

22 - I do not really see myself in any of them as of yet, though it has only been two seasons so far, but the closest I would say Id be to remotely resembling would be Lizzie.

23 - Josie admitting her crush for Hope and Hopes response 😍

24 - Hizzie, maybe in later seasons another will claim their throne but I highly doubt it.

25 - Anytime we see them delve into Lizzie's mental health, I hope they do more of this and really do this justice 💚

26 - When Hope joins them on the bed for a sisterly hug, the sisterhood between those three are so strong I just love it 💖

27 - The non squad with Landon as their leader in that cupid episode 😂 the good kind of cringe 😂😂

28 - Landon showing his Phoenix wings, cant wait to see more of what he can do 👀

29 - The necromancer as a human working in an ice cream shop 😂

30 - Lizzie, Josie, or any female character other than Hope tbh I like Hope but why is everyone tripping over her when Lizzie and Josie are just as beautiful and badass as her, like come on writers not everybody has to fancy hope...like rafael for example I much preffered his chemistry with Josie but they squashed that for another one in love with Hope...like we get it she's amazing but unless she's casting love spells right left and center lets get over this obsession with everyone needing to be in love with her while rejecting all the others 😂 ofcourse MG does love Lizzie so I'll give him points but I do not ship that sadly guys 😂 to play the devils advocate though...do not shoot me...i prefer Hopes chemistry with Clarke than Landon but Hosie for the win 😂

[yoshimickster]

WELCOME TO THE ANGST ZONE-RWBY Volume 6x02 “Uncovered” Micksterecap(Rwby volume 6 spoilers)

HEY EVERBAH-happy Saturday-WELCOME BACK TO MICKSTERECAP! I’m sure this episode will start out with  something completely norma-

HOLY SHIT-Cinder’s corpse!  OOOOOOOOOOOOR  IS  IT?!

1:49 HUZZAH-she’s alive-OR IS SHE?!  I ask because I’m  live-blogging here, FRESH reactions today!

But seriously, TURNS OUT-this isn’t a dream sequence and she IS still alive...for NOOOOOOW! Cinder than punches her way out of the cave using what LITTLE strength she had left after her Avatar battle with Raven “Mother of the Year” Branwen, and upon escaping-SHE MEETS-

2:57 SOME RANDOM LADY WITH  FOOD! Man THAT was convenient eh Cinder? Will she beg for food, or just murder her and take the basket-LET’S FIND  OU-

3:11  We need to take the relic to Atlas?

GAH-I forgot this show had multiple plotlines-CURSE YOU SHOW I LOVE!

AW  NEAT-a  pointless flashback, taking place in that house that they...rented? Or did Qrow or the school own it? They never explained WHOSE house that was and it will always always ALWAYS bug me despite it never mattering in terms of plot.

BUT-said flashback ALSO features Weiss’ initial response  to going  back to Atlas!

3:20

“You’ve GOT to be joking”.

I feel for  ya Weiss, escape your shit  dad in Atlas, pay a plane to leave, get attacked by  bees, get kidnapped by one of your possible love-interest’s moms, go to a school, fight bad guys, get IMPALED, get healed by ANOTHER of your possible love-interest( I said POSSIBLE, don’t hate me) ONLY to learn your going  back to the place you escaped! MAN-how she don’t have whiplash from that I don’t know HOW she wouldn’t!

They also  bring up a nice secondary reason for bringing the  relic to Atlas that I admittedly didn’t think  of-

3:33

Qrow: Without the Spring  Maiden here to  seal the relic back in its vault,  its our best option.

Yang:  And I just want to say its NO-ONE’S FAULT for not having Raven  seal the  vault back up after verbally decimating her for years of neglect.

Ruby: Yang its cool, you needed a cry.

3:50 We ALSO LEARN why their going to Argus in the first place, its the last Atlas  military installation that still has soldiers...and considering Adam  MOST PROBABLY hijacked the train to Argus they  BEST get  to steppin’ after this flashback is  done!

Through that they figure through  either asking nicely, or telling them they found  one of three of Jacques Schnee’s abuse victims that they could get to Atlas. After they set up the low-down, Jaune asks Oz-

4:38

Jaune: Speaking of, what does it(the  relic) do, exactly?

Oz: HAHA-definitely doesn’t attract monsters-DEFINITELY not!

But seriously, turns out it can answer ANY three questions(GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENIE) once every 100 years about the present or past. NORA of course geeks out about it-

5:29 

Nora: CAN WE ASK FOR MORE QUESTIONS?! CAN WE ASK WHY ME AND REN HAVEN’T KISSED ON SCREEN YET?!

Ruby: Yeah what’s up with that, y’all are CLEARLY a couple!

Ren: I’m as confused as you are.

SADLY THOUGH-the magical knowledge genie can’t answer ANY of our deepest ship questions as  it turns out they were all used up before it was sealed-OR WERE THEY?! Seriously I’m legit wondering, for all we know Oz is lying.

5:40 Ruby: Well, we’ll be sure to keep it safe.

Yang: GIMME THAT STUPID LAMP-I’ma SMASH IT! 

Ruby: Isn’t that more Nora’s thing?

Yang: I DON’T CARE I’M JUST PISSED AT OUR STUPID PRINCIPAL IN A FARMBOY’S BODY!

But seriously everyone is LOGICALLY pissed off about the current  run of events, half their party is gone, Yang’s gonna push her motorcycle she should’ve left at home through  snow-

6:11 -and they  now have ANOTHER mysterious mystic old person who REEKS  of  mysterious mysticism...AAAAAAAAAAND THE PROOOOOOOOOOOOOM IS TOMOOOOOOOOOOOORROW! Remember that joke? Practically dissapeared.

LOGICALLY pissed off at Ozpin for LYING about how the ancient relic of ultimate destiny attracted murderous chimera after them, and I’m sure he won’t pull some bull-shit line like-

6:47

Ozpin: I did not lie  to you.

PFFT-look at Maria’s face here, her bullshit detectory is on POINT! Because not  informing them of the dangerous GRIMM MAGNET wasn’t a half-truth. Can we get a wizard who DOESN’T give the main heroes the run-around with their bullshit for a change, CAN WE PLEASE?!

Oz than  explains that the reason he  held  the truth  is because  he wanted to save them from anxiety and negativity, AS WELL as that being the reason for why he had it so Lionheart wasn’t revealed to be a traitor after his death, in what KINDA sounds like  a villain speech, even going  as  far  as saying “The people of Remnant  deserve more than the truth”, (because THAT line is never condescending) as WELL as saying he’s been betrayed so many times he’s straight up used to it.

Oz than  puts it all to a head when he asks where the relic is and TURNS OUT-

8:32 RUBY HAS IT! Way to stay on task girl, especially in quite possibly the most STRESSFUL year of your LIFE! Remember the silly school dance? I miss that.

Ruby than LOGICALLY calls him out for saying he had so much faith in humanity in these years when the opposite is true. Its also a good thing that he didn’t lie about the relic not being able to ask questi-

9:10

Oscar:HURRY...he’s trying...to stop you...he’s afraid you’ll find out...what  he’s hiding!

...well that’s ominous but as long as it turns out the relic still can’t work I say its o-

9:31 

Oscar: Her name...is Djinn...say her name to summon her.

...well that’s good to know but AS OZPIN SAID-the relic TOTALLY doesn’t work so saying it won’t do ANYTHI-

Ruby:...Djinn?

9:45 ...OKAY-time just happened to freeze, I’M SURE NOTHING ELSE OZPIN MURDERINGLY MAGICAL HAPPE-

10:33 Djinn: Wonderful!

...OKAY-so there was a genie in it that every single person on planet Earth saw coming, but SURELY it still can’t answer 3 questi-

10:40 Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?

SON OF A BITCH OZPIN-not ONLY did you lie about the lamp housing a genie whose PRIME waifu material, but ALSO lied about the questions being used up! Because just saying “Don’t use the relic to ask questions” would be SO hard you dis-trustworthy ass old man!

Well surely the next thing to happen is Team RWBYOMQ asking how to best murder Ozpi-

10:47 ...or cut to a random dirty ass alley, because the writers like to TORTURE us!

10:55 DAMN-Cinder, you even stole the bitch’s CLOTHES! What are you, the Terminator?!

Cinder walks through the rainy ass street of scum and villainy-UNTIL SHE SEES-

11:37 RANDOM SPIDER-MAN GRAFFITI! Didn’t know Remnant had such a Marvel fan-base, NEAT!

But seriously, it turns out to be the INSIGNIA OF-

PURPLE CLAD GANGSTERS! I gotta  assume they are like, REALLY good criminals becasue DEAR GOD do her two guards look silly, LOOK AT THEIR SCARFS!

Cinder than bribes her  for information-

Cinder: You’re little Miss Malachite?

Malachite: Is that a fat joke or color joke? Because I’ve TRIED changing my name to Violet, but UGH the system.

She then tells Spiderlady that she’s looking for team RWBYJNR by SHOWING HER-

12:35 SEASON THREE SCREEN SHOTS! ALSO-yes those are all from the Vytal festival, for some reason I thought the JNPR pics were from the placement exam. And now we wait for the Pyrrha fans to be mad she was cropped out!

AFTER Little Miss Malachite(Her name should STILL be Violet dammit, or maybe Amethyst) gives a spooky spider speech, she tells Cinder she’ll find the team in a few days-BUT IT TURNS OUT-

13:34 

Chaps: Little Miss, we all ready know where they are.

Little Miss:  Oh really, we do? Why don’t you say it louder SO THE MYSTERIOUS MURDER LADY WE DON’T KNOW CAN HEAR YOU?!

Cinder: What was that?

Little Miss: Nothin’ sweetie, just makin’ creepy spider metaphors!

A THEN CUT BACK TO-

13:55 MARIA-adjusting her broken ass cyborg eyes to double-check if she’s not looking at a floating Navii from Avatar.

And WOULDN’T YA KNOW IT-turns out Djinn can still answer TWO more questions this era! ALSO-

14:25 

Djinn: A-heh, its a pleasure to see you again old man.

AND-she’s met Oz before, PROBABLY since he asked the first question.

Ozpin pleads Ruby not to ask Djinn a question, which prompts Qrow  to ask-

Qrow: Hey-

Weiss: WANNA DIE OLD MAN?!

Qrow: GAH-I was just gonna tell Ruby to do what she felt was right!

Yang: Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse us if we can’t trust OLD PEOPLE RIGHT NOW!

Ruby than asks Djinn what is Ozpin hiding from them WHICH CAUSES OZPIN-

14:56 ...to...attempt to  tag her...slap her...push her-WHAT WERE YOU ATTEMPTING TO DO TO MY DAUGHTER YOU WEIRD OLD MAN?!

BUT-before Ozpin  can  commit attempted assault and/or attempted game of tag-TEAM RWBYQOM-

A FREAKY ASS VOID-that turns INTO-

“Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower”-

ALSO-

Blake turns into Qrow because...genies? BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT-

“-that sheltered a lonely girl...named-

“-Salem”.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH SHIT-Salem used to look NORMAL ONCE! BACKSTORY MOTHER FUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!

AND THAT’S SEASON SIX EP TWO-following the classic RWBY formula of exposition episode after action episode and I gotta say we learned...A LOT! FOR ONE-Ozpin pulls a full Rose Quartz in revealing he’s not the ethical leader we all thought he was, AS WELL as showing he has a secret connection TO Salem, implying...A BILLION possible things  that I won’t put here because this is a recap blog and not a theory blog perse. HOO BOY-what a cliffhanger, NEXT WEEK-backstory time baby! SEE YOU NEXT WEEK on MICKSTERECAP!

   If you like what you read, donate to my paypal here, or my Kofi page here. I put the link for my Paypal and Kofi here as I have JUST now realized the paypal link is under the search bar on my Tumblr homepage and is impossible to click so THERE ya go!

[nightlet]

Hi Simmers -

We want you to know we’ve been seeing all your feedback and we hear you.

We HeAr YoU

Fuck I’m sorry I just really hate that phrase it always feels to damn patronizing. “We hear you, but that doesn’t mean we’re listening.” Anyways.

As we always have been, we’re committed to growing The Sims as a game and as a community, so instead of trying to respond to a variety of tweets we wanted to consolidate some thoughts and updates in one place:

We are working on adding significantly more skin tones before the end of the year, and will share news on our progress soon. Beyond that, we’re committed to continuing to expand representation in The Sims 4. This is not one step, but a journey.

I’m still not really getting why they aren’t working on making the color wheel instead. Or even just to keep it simple: two sliders, one for skin tone and then an undertone. That right there would give a HUGE range of customization.

But come on. You guys HAVE A COLOR WHEEL THAT YOU’VE ALREADY BUILT. And we all know how much you love reusing assets! So fuck just reuse the one asset that I think just about everyone would be ok with!

And I realize that it’s not that simple, the genetics system would possibly need an overhaul to play nicely with it. But again, that’s something that you’ve already done with pets. You have a working system that you can already piggyback off of. Shit, don’t even do the whole painting thing again if it’s so hard. I mean you’d have to if you actually care about your players being able to recreate themselves but whatever, just give us a wheel.

On upcoming content - when we consider something for addition to the game we consider what it will take to update it meaningfully. This is just as true for babies as it would be for cars, bunk beds or any other number of feature requests. Sometimes there is foundational technology we need to work through and sometimes we need to dig into designs more deeply to make sure we understand your expectations. This work takes time, and we don’t update you on these projects until they become more real. Game development in general can feel like a long process and, like most of the world, we are adjusting to a continued state of working from home.

I can understand this. As a non-programmer but with some experience in web coding, I try to give them some benefit of the doubt because I can only imagine how easy it is for something to just not work. Buuuut that doesn’t mean I’m going to overlook how, once again, it feels like we’re in the dark. The dev team is constantly saying “yes, ok, we’ll start making more effort to be transparent and share with you what’s going on.” It lasts for like two packs and then it kinda just sinks back into silence.

In just a matter of weeks we’ll be sharing more about our next Expansion Pack, which we’ve been working on since last year. I want to set expectations now, though, that cars, babies, farms and bunk beds are not part of this EP. We understand how important these features are to you but we want to be honest that they are not part of this upcoming pack.

I am a little bummed that this pack isn’t going to be anything we’ve been asking for, again. But I do find it funny that she’s throwing out the time they’ve been working on it. Like as if to say, “see how long it takes? We started on this a long time ago and that’s why it’s not including anything you’ve been asking for!” EXCEPT WE’VE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS SHIT FOR YEARS. Ok, maybe not farming, I haven’t seen the calls for that until more recently. I’ll give you another bogus pass for that. But all that other shit? DAY ONE.

I swear to god this pack had better be super fucking good. It better be something that at least a large part of the community has been asking for, especially after this SW bullshit. Personally, I’d like to see a supernatural pack, though I know that’s hit or miss with the community.

But I’d love to get so many different life states (as well as some more development for existing occult like aliens or ghosts). Werewolves, fairies, zombies, ACTUAL FUCKING PLANTSIMS PLEASE, genies or djinn, you could bring back Bigfoot (and give Plumbella Bonehilda while you’re at it, you bastards!) AND SO MUCH MORE. Why not some variety? Werecats, werebears, actual witches that have a centuries-old war with spellcasters or maybe voodoo? Honor different cultures through bringing in different creatures from their lores. Make cemeteries and crypts a thing with it! Put all of the Happy Haunts ideas in. PLEASE GIVE US BACK AT LEAST SOME HYBRIDS I WANT TO FUCK UP MY FAMILY TREES SO BAD OH MY GOD.

But regardless of what it is, MAKE SOMETHING WITH DEPTH. There’s SO MANY packs that I’ve bought that I’ve done literally next to nothing with because everything feels so shallow. I don’t think I’ve actually explored a single pack 100% (and I’m actually debating making a legacy just for that now) because they feel so incomplete. Believe me, devs, I want to buy all of your packs. I want to support the Sims team and absolutely fall in love with everything y’all put out. But how can I justify giving you my money when it feels like you’re saying “I hear you” but you’re not actually listening?

As a team, we are going to make more of an effort to communicate what’s coming with more regularity and transparency so that you continue to feel in the loop about new features, experiences, packs, and general information.

That’s it for now, and you’ll be hearing more from us soon. In the meantime, all we ask of you is to be kind, engage in constructive conversations with each other, and continue to celebrate what makes the Sims special to YOU. And I can assure you that we will continue to listen, continue to invest in The Sims 4 and continue to engage with you. We could not do what we do without our players.

SimGuru Lyndsay & the Sims Team

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

A Few of My Favourite Things | 2018

Hey People of Earth!

So it happens to be December 31st, AKA, the last day of the year, AKA another year has gone by, and I’m back to share a couple favourite things I found in these last twelve months. 2017 has been an insane, but relatively good year. Regardless of the bumps in the road, I had a pretty great time, and I’m excited to see what 2018 brings! This blog truly grew this year, and for that, I’m eternally grateful for you guys... Here’s to another year!

Like last year, I’ll be discussing a few of my favourite things I’ve come across throughout 2017. This post will be sectioned off in four categories: MUSIC, FILMS, BOOKS and WRITING.

I listened to so much amazing music this year, and I’m so stoked to formally share the lovely artists I’ve acquainted with in 2017.

I’ll be listing these in the order in which I found them this year, for the sake of also keeping a timeline!

1. First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes

Genre: Garage/alternative rock

This albummmm. <3 I started listening to this album at the very beginning of the year, and I’m so happy I did. The Strokes is my favourite band, and FIOE is definitely my favourite work they’ve put out so far (head to head with Room On Fire). What a perfect way to start the year.

If you like: Alternative rock, great lyrics, AMAZZZING instruments, the sickest of all sick guitar solos, and grungy vocals, this album is the way to go

Favourites off this album are: Ize of the World (my favourite song ever), Razorblade, Electricityscape (though the entire album is my favourite lol)

2. ÷ by Ed Sheeran

Genre: Pop

This album was worth the wait, as it quickly became a favourite. If you were here in the 2015 days, you’d have gone through my *I love Ed Sheeran above everything in the entire world* phase (actually not a phase ha). Though my music tastes have changed a lot since I started listening to Ed years ago, his music is like coming home.

If you like: Pop with folky vibes, awesome music you can dance and sing to, pop music that is super fresh and cute but powerful vocals, here you goooo.

Favourites off this album: Barcelona, Dive, Shape Of You, New Man, Eraser

3. Light Upon the Lake by Whitney

Genre: Indie rock tho I would say alt country with psychedelic pop vibes ft. some indie works

OH BOY what an amazing find this was. This album is literal gold. My mom loves this album. ‘Tis mom approved. I’m really excited for another Whitney release.

If you like: Really chill music you listen to on early morning train rides, unique, soft male vocals with blessed guitar riffs and trumpet stuff, this is my go to.

Favourites: No Woman, Polly, Golden Days

4. Angles by the Strokes

Genre: Alternative rock with some new wave vibes maybe?

This was my final album endeavor in The Strokes’ discography, and oh boi it did not disappoint. Some of the songs on here are very different in sound to their first three albums, but I dig it.

If you like: Rock music with 70s pop vibes, Angles is perfect for ya.

Favourites off this album: Two Kinds of Happiness, Machu Picchu, Games

5. Buds by Surf Curse

Genre: Surf rock/punk, lo-fi vibes

ENTER THE START OF A NEW BEGINNING. Surf Curse is literally the best band I found in 2017, no lie. I found them after clicking around on YouTube, and haven’t looked back since. This is literally the best music to listen to when you need to get through them summer finals/want to go to the beach but can’t go to the beach/need some quality grade angst in your life.

If you like: Punk music with loooots of drums and lit rhythm guitar, would recommend. Also if you enjoy supporting really sweet bands, send Nick and Jacob some love.

Favourites off this album: Heathers, Fire Walk With Me, Goth Babe, The Smell Saved My Life

6. Future Present Past EP by the Strokes

Genre: Alternative rock with more new wave vibes lol I think

THIS EP. This EP is so groovy. Literally, if you need some groove in your life, this is perfect.

If you like: Groovy tunes, here we goooo

Favourites off this EP: It’s so short, but Oblivius (Moretti Remix) and Threat of Joy are the bomb dot com.

7. Sad Boys EP by Surf Curse

sad bois

Genre: Surf rock, punk

More blessed Surf Curse fammmm. If you seriously need to go to a mental beach, this EP will immediately take you there. Sad Boys is the kind of music that plays over like beachy montages in like 80s coming of age films.

If you like: Hardcore beach vibes, the end of summer aesthetic, this EP is lovely.

Favourites: Forever Dumb, Beach Whatever, I’m Not Making Out With You, Reality Bites

8. Nothing Yet by Surf Curse

Genre: Surf rock with those beachy vibes though this album is harder to describe

THIS ALBUM is so good. I listened to this while I was in Mexico with my family, and it will forever be my ‘Mexico’ album. It’s got some really amazing riffs mixed in there which is a little different from Buds, but soooo good. Surf Curse signed my copy of this also. Love. <3

If you like: Punk with more indie vibes I guess? This album’s genre is hard to describe for me ha, but if you like some chill music that's kinda existential, here we goooo.

Favourites off this album: (the entire thing is so good but here are a few): Christine F, Doom Generation, The Strange and the Kind, Sleeping, All Is Lost, Falling Apart

9. Music From Before the Storm by Daughter

Genre: Indie rock

I don't know how to express my love for this album in a way that’ll be remotely coherent. This was the soundtrack to Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

If you like: Mostly instrumental stuff, this album is perfect for you. The majority of this album is instrumental, so it’s my go to rec for people looking for music to write to. This soundtrack is sweeping, but so emotional, even though most if it is instrumental, those instruments speak for themselves. Daughter is one of my favourite bands of all time, and they did such an amazing job on this album.

Favourites: A Hole in the Earth (which imo I think is their best song yet), Dreams of William, All I Wanted, The Right Way Around, Burn It Down

10. Across the Universe Soundtrack

Genre: Rock (?)

So this is the soundtrack to the musical, Across the Universe which centres around songs from The Beatles. I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH. And this soundtrack is lovely too. My parents are both mega Beatles fans, so I grew up listening to a loooot of their music. This soundtrack is literally life.

If you like: The Beatles, musicals, amazing vocals from everybody, I totally recommend this soundtrack.

Favourites: Hold Me Tight, All My Loving, With A Little Help From My Friends, If I Fell, Because, Something, Revolution, Across the Universe

11. Me Oh My Mirror by Current Joys

Genre: I really don't know with this one, rock with indie feels sometimes?

Current Joys is Nick from Surf Curse’s solo project, and I’m literally in love, lol. This album is so beautiful, and what I’m currently digging.

If you like: Sort of chill music that can get very not chill as the songs progress, indie, songs about angst, love, finding your place in the worldz, this is my go to. This album is art. It will make you feel all the emotions. It’s legit so poignant.

Favourites: Desire and also the Desire Demo, Home Pt. 3, My Motorcycle, These Times Will Never Change, Don’t Be Consumed, Home Pt. 1 and 2, Here’s To The Afterlife

So that’s it for albums! Onto some singles/other songs I really enjoyed this year:

- Jaded by Precious Kid

- Dirty Disposition by Precious Kid

- Obstacles by Syd Matters

- To All Of You by Syd Matters

- 11th Dimension by Julian Casablancas

- Modern Girls and Old Fashioned Men by The Strokes

And that's a wrap for music!

2017 was the year I really started getting into film. I solidified that if I didn't study writing, I’d go into film instead! This year pretty much verified my love and passion for film and the like. I have many recommendations for you all, and whilst I know this category is for films, ha, I’m also going to include television shows.

First up are the short films I watched this year. In no particular order, I present to you, All Of The Films I Watched Instead Of Writing And I Have No Regrets At All

1. Andy by Mikey Murphey

The cinematography in this short is so good? Like I’m shook? And the acting? And the colour-grade? Just everything about this is so good. This is the little description of it on YouTube:

After being horribly bullied throughout high school, a mistake at a party leads Andy into getting back at an old friend of his... by outing her relationship with a teacher...

I’ve watched this at least 5 times now, and I have zero regrets. A would recommend, especially if you write YA contemporary!

2. Friend Like Me by Sammy Paul

Everything about this is so good?? I was very shook??? The acting?? The script?? The audio??? So GOOD??

Description from YouTube:

A story of Toby, his genie and the very last wish...

This idea is literally so cool, and this is absolutely one of my fave short films of all time. If you want to get into short films, I’d highly recommend giving this one a try!

3. Tick Where It Hurts by Bertie Gilbert

This film is so beautiful, so emotional, and the colours are so gorgeous. The story is also so amazing and hit home. Also, my boy Bertie gives off some major Clifford vibes in this one, ha. I would go into this one without knowing what’s up, but I’ll give a trigger warning for suicide here in case.

4. Playground by Bertie Gilbert and Sammy Paul

I started my Bertie Gilbert film adventures with this one, and it did not disappointed. This film is so so so good, and if there’s one film I urge you to watch off this list, it’s this one.

Summary off IMDb:

Ezra finds himself dealing with the loss of his younger brother in a rather unconventional way. On route to the funeral service he (and his bike) are taken hostage by a gang of forest dwelling children. In return for his release Ezra must help them fix their rocket ship. However, in the process of doing so, he finds an escape from grief.

5. Comfort Food by Sam Saffold

THIS. I absolutely love the story, and the coolest part is, there is no talking. Sam managed to create such a beautiful story in such an effective way. This film is gold. This film follows a relationship ft. popcorn ft. food ft. everything you ever wanted in a short film.

So that’s it for my favourites! I watched so many other amazing short films this year, so if you want anymore recs, I’ve got tons I didn't get to mention here!

As for TV shows, I enjoyed quite a few this year, namely:

1. 13 Reasons Why

A controversial show I wouldn't have watched it if it weren't for my boy Dylan who I was following through The Narwhals for a while. Not a fan of the book, but I think this show is actually incredibly important to watch. I’ve struggled with suicidal thoughts all my life, so this one was great for me. I truly enjoyed the writing in the show as well.

2. Criminal Minds

So I’ve actually watched Criminal Minds since I was like 7, and it was always one of my faves growing up. After watching a couple episodes with my family on our drive up to Pennsylvania, @sarahkelsiwrites decided to watch all of it from season one. Currently on season 11 (or 10 if we rewatch), and it’s been so good? I can’t tell you how helpful this show has been in inspiring me writing-wise, so if you like crime shows (which are my favourite) and haven’t watched Criminal Minds, this is a huge recommend!

So that’​s it for TV because I’m not much of a TV watcher lol.

Which is a wrap for films as a whole!

I’m just going to preface this entire section by saying I failed big time in the reading department this year. I read a total of 10 books, which seems okay, but then 5 of them were re-reads, and 2 of them were for school lol.

This was definitely the year of audiobooks. I will say that. I listened to all three of The Darkest Minds books this year because that’s probably my favourite series ever, listened to Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore after having read it twice because you gotta live that audiobook life, and also listened to All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven because that’s also one of my favourites and that audiobook life amirite. So. The five re-reads were actually listened to lol. I tried. I’m almost done my listen through of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (another re-read) which I’ve been listening to for a year. lol. I don't know what to do with myself.

So yes. I don't have much to say in this department, other than that. I’ve also started narrating audiobooks for fun which is a cool thing?

Honestly crossing my fingers for next year, ha.

Oh boy, do I have some favourites for you.

1. WordBook

WordBook is a dictionary and thesaurus app for PC and it’s the best thing I found all year. It works online and off, so it’s perfect for on the go, and I’m going to cry for a straight week when I get a Mac next year because they don't have a Mac version. :( This app is so easy to use, gives me great words when I’m looking for synonyms for something, and is actually my favourite thesaurus. I much prefer this to googling, so I’ll have to find a replacement before I go to uni! But if you have a PC and are looking for a great dictionary and thesaurus app, this one is my favourite.

2. OneLook Reverse Dictionary

This literally saved my life this year many times, so I’m putting it here. If you ever can’t find a word but know its definition/words in the vein of what you want, this app is PERFECT. I can’t tell you how many times a word has slipped my mind, and this has helped me find it.  

3. Word’s text to speech feature

As noted in my books section, I’m a huge fan of audiobooks. Listening to my work was a thing that became super prevalent this year, and I truly think helped me out in a number of areas in my writing: flow, voice, and catching typos! I often listened to my chapters after I wrote them to get a feel for what content was there. This was one of my favourite things I implemented into my writing process this year by far.

4. You

Okay so here is my moment to get cheesy, lol. This year, I started my Doing the Write Thing series, which I’ve mentioned multiple times, has been pivotal in my writing journey. I would say that’s a favourite of mine, and while the series itself is great and so important to me, the reason it has become so integral in my life, is because of you guys. Your continuous support means so, so much to me, especially on that series. So thank you for reading those, and for making that series so much more special to me, and in general, making this one of the best years of my life.

So that’s it for this post! Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favourites from this year! Happy 2018!

--Rachel

[10sportacus10]

Guys, gals, and pals!! This is it!! The announcement I’ve been dying to make! This idea has been in the works since late April! A Summer-long fandom-wide viewing of LazyTown!

It starts June 27th, the first night of the “course.” We’ll be watching LazyTown twice a week on Tuesday and Friday nights at midnight eastern standard time! (That’s the midnights between Tues and Wednesday, and Friday and Saturday!) I’d love to start it earlier, but this is the only time i can assure my work schedule will not get in the way.

We’ll start out watching 4 episodes of LazyTown per night. As we approach the return of school, it will decrease to 2 episodes of LazyTown. Each night we will finish it off with an episode of LazyTown Extra! :D The last night will be September 22nd. That’s 26 viewing sessions in all. (This post will be updated with a link to a detailed schedule soon!)

Why am I pushing for this?

Because I want us to have a fandom-wide celebration of LazyTown! Everyone is welcomed! If you think you’re not, you are wrong! When I say everyone, I mean everyone! Let’s celebrate the results of the hard work put forth by Magnus, Stefan, and everyone involved in the making of LazyTown!

My other goal in holding this is to expand the fandom! So please please bring along a willing friend who may or may not have heard of LazyTown and hasn’t seen all the episodes!

How do I sign up?

There’s no real need to! You can just show up if you want! Here’s the thing though, rabb.it allows up to 25 people besides the host to be in one room at a time, so please let me know if you intend to participate! If there’s enough people interested in it, I will run it multiple nights! For example, I will show the first 8 eps Sunday and Wednesday, Monday and Thursday, Tuesday and Friday, and possibly double up on Saturdays. (The Saturday session would only be once a week, but the flip side is the viewing would be at least 3 hours and 45 minutes plus a few short breaks.) So please contact me to let me know if you will be participating, if you will be bringing a friend, and which nights you prefer. The last bit of info is only in case this gets really big and I need to expand it beyond Tuesday and Friday nights. Also the other sessions will start later. (ex: Sun and Wed session would start on July 2nd, Mon and Thurs July 3rd, etc. Keep in mind, these will end later and will cut into school days more.) But like I said, if you just feel like showing up and you haven’t told me beforehand, please show up anyways! There won’t be a guaranteed spot for you, but you’re more than welcome to try!

Badges

That’s right! As a little reward for participating in this fandom-wide event, you will receive badges! Well, they’re actually small images, and I can’t keep people who didn’t participate from stealing them, but this is just for fun! Can you get all four participation badges?? ;)

Rules (please read carefully)

People who contacted me ahead of time about participating will receive first access to the room. Then I will make a public post with the link inviting everyone else to join.

We will be skipping three episodes: “Double Trouble,” “The Lazy Genie,” and “The Fortune Teller” for controversial content that I refuse to endorse.

I ask that you tell me your url when you enter the room so that I can keep track of attendance. This is the only way I can hand out badges. If you don’t care about badges then it doesn’t really matter I suppose, but I’d still like to know who you are.

no drama, no arguing, no bullying, no slurs, no hate of any kind. no rpfing, no pedofilia, no racism, no nsfw content of any kind. First sign of any of this and you will be kicked, no warning.

no mention of daddy kinks or dd/lg, no topics of sexual things or posting emojis used for sexual symbols. this includes in a joking manner. You will receive one warn

no cursing (sorry folks but not in this setting please), you will receive three warnings before being kicked.

in general, keep the chatroom at pg-13 tops.

there will be fictionkin. I am fictionkin. I’m not asking anyone to believe in us being these characters, just to be respectful of us. You will be given two warnings before being kicked. 

Fickin, I ask that in this setting we refrain from using “I” or “me” when talking about a character on screen. This may confuse some people, and if there are multiples of the same kin, it might invalidate them unintentionally. So please use the characters’ names and he/she/them, even when it is yourself.

Lastly, please consider donating to Stefan Karl Stefansson’s cause. He and his family will need every kind of support we can give right now. Here’s the link: https://www.gofundme.com/2tm9tqk

That’s it, folks!! Please spread the word, and spread it far and wide! This fandom-wide event starts in 4 days!!

Let’s Go!!!

[lizacstuff]

6x11 Spoilery Anon Asks

My intention was to shy away from talking about 6x11 spoilers, however there are so many upset people in my ask box, and since I did not walk away from the episode upset in the slightest I feel compelled to answer. 

Beware spoilers under the cut

Did you like the episode?

Yes. It’s so much better than 6.10. It’s not my favorite by any means, but I found it entertaining and not rage-inducing.  The “lesson” that Emma had to learn in this one was a heckuva lot more relevant and meaningful than in the last episode. This episode was about her realizing that she is not welded to her fate and she can make her own destiny (just like The Ugly Duckling did when he became a swan, which is referenced in the story multip-times and is how she choose her name.)  

That, to me, made all the sense in the world when it comes to Emma’s journey in 6a. She needed to remember she could punch back! Make her own way. I liked that. I really liked her back-story with baby!Emma and the way she choose her name, it’s the kind of backstory that Emma fans always say they are clamoring for, I thought this ep really focused on her personally.

Not as much CS as I would have liked, but the Emma was good, and there’s nice Captain Charming scenes.

Hey Liza, since you’ve seen the episode, I’d love to get your opinion on it overall. Also how was the panel, and what was ur takeaway about CS for the 2nd half? (Also I knew people would be angry about au!hook regardless, but at this point i don’t really care about it much cause i’d already moved past it when we got spoilers. And I’ve kinda reached a point where i just don’t want to be angry at the show anymore) (also i noticed there wasn’t much mention of regina in the panel lol thankfully)

If you’re over being angry about the show, then I don’t think this episode will upset you.  It’s entertaining, and honestly I think that’s what they were going for in this wish AU.  Emma makes it crystal clear that it’s not real and then when Regina is talking (to Robin I think) she references that this place is Emma’s wish, but not really her wish.  So in the narrative I don’t think they’re trying to make a larger statement about any character. It’s all just a farce they were plunged into. Look at it like that, and it’s not upsetting. 

I came away feeling super pumped about CS in the second half. It felt like they were pleased with themselves when talking about CS. You know like they were being coy because they knew all sorts of thing that are coming down the pike. Honestly. 

Please tell me Emma and Queen Queen split up for awhile at some point in the wish realm.

Oh, yes, they do. Will it help if I tell you that I think those fans of Emma/Regina will HATE this episode? Emma and Regina both have their own agendas in this ep. Regina is focused on Robin, and Emma is focused on going home. In fact Emma and Regina go to find August so he can help them get home via Enchanted wood and Regina sneaks off and leaves Emma a note that basically says “go home without me, I need to find Robin” Emma doesn’t blink and continues to work the problem of going home. BWAH!  

When they do get home Emma lands in the woods near Storybrooke, then Regina lands. When Robin doesn’t immediately appear, they assume Robin isn’t going to be able to make it from the WISHAU.  Regina is obviously upset and tells Emma to go, she wants to be alone, and Emma jets without even a look back.  

Then in the final standoff, Emma’s battle with Gideon, it’s Hook, Henry and David who are in her corner, it’s about their reactions and when she defeats him they are the ones she hugs. Regina and Robin arrive, but Regina is all about Robin. 

Liza, could you please put the “sort of live together” line in context for me? Because to me it sounds like Emma is embarrassed of Killian or like she’s downplaying their relationship, and I really hope that isn’t the case :

There was absolutely NO feeling that Emma was downplaying her connection to Hook or was embarrassed of him at all!  Nonsense! That line didn’t even hit me like that at all. In fact, I took it as the “we” that was “sort of,” not the living together.  She was trying to explain her connection to this person (old hook) standing in front of them to August, why she knew this crazy character, and referring to Old Hook saying “we sort of live together” meaning I live with a very different version of this guy.  The “we” is sort of, because this is not her version of Hook. They are not the exact same person. Get it? I swear people invent stuff to get upset over.

So from what I gathering, Killian was used as nothing more a joke and din’t add anything of consequence to the wish adventure. That’s insulting. Thanks Adam, thanks Eddy.

Relax. Good grief. You haven’t even seen it, how can you be insulted?

I’d advise you to stop thinking of it as “they made Killian a joke” and more like “they made the situation a joke.”  It’s a big farce. 

It is made very clear that Emma doesn’t think any of it is real.  Hook comes on the scene and attempts to rescue Emma from August. Hilarity ensues. At first Emma is just so surprised to see him, and then so surprised to see him so altered and she’s sort of enjoying the oddity of the situation. Then Hook reveals that he knows there’s a prize for the safe return of the princess and Emma knows he’s going to get in the way of her getting back to her real Hook, (getting home is 100% Emma’s motivation through everything, girlfriend is focused) and that this Hook could get hurt, so she magics him back to the Jolly Roger so she can get back to business and he’s safe and out of the way. 

Jen and Colin clearly had a ball filming those scenes, and there were big laughs from the audience. If you go in with the mindset to find the humor, enjoy and laugh, I think you will.

Did Emma fat shame wish realm Hook? I didn’t look at Specific spoilers but I’m seeing a bunch of people talking about that.

I didn’t take it that way. Wish!Killian was nothing like himself, drunk, disheveled, ungroomed, scraggly, giant pot belly, all twisted by the Genie’s wish, but no matter how you slice it, he was not the embodiment of a healthy person. She made a joke that maybe they’d need to lay off the rum… and desserts, as if she was looking at a cautionary tale. If it pleases you to be upset, have at it, but I’m not.  

In my opinion, she was not looking at him with scorn, or ridicule or revulsion, she was amused and awed by the fantastical situation, but again she didn’t think any of it was real, she was 100% focused on the job at hand and getting home to the real thing. 

Do we have to endure Regina insulting Killian? And of course, how many CS scenes are there in the episode?

Regina has nothing to do with Killian this episode.  

There are two CS scenes in the wish realm, and then the long action/reunion/hug(s) scene at the end.

I’m very confused. Why does Gideon think killing Emma will make him the new Savior? Since when does being the Savior have the “kill the previous one and you become it” clause that the Dark One curse has? And why does he want to be the Savior anyway?

I have no idea why he thinks he’ll get to be the new Savior if he kills her. However, I do know why he wants to be a Savior. He wants to be a Savior to his realm, save the realm he grew up in, from the Black Fairy

Was the engagement ring from the promo in the episode? If not we can assume it’s from a later one but they wanted to start drumming up excitement over the break.

It is not in the episode. I’ve always assumed it would be in 6x12 (since that is the only other episode that was shot at the time the promo aired) and because we know other spoilers *ahem* for that one.

Too much to hope for a CS kiss in 6x11? They haven’t kissed since 606.

No, but can I interest you in a couple of hugs? The hug-game was on point this episode. Emma was not letting her boys go.

Why on earth would Emma of all people suggest bringing Robin back after what happened with notMarian?

Because it was all part of her “lesson” for the episode.  Her lesson, as I said above, was about believing she can control her own destiny and she’s not tied to fate.  That was her message to Regina. Regina said she thought part of her Robin was in this Robin, so Emma said if that was true, then she should make her own destiny, take a chance. Emma mentions that Robin is different than everyone else in the not-real Realm (and it’s made clear that Emma does not think it’s real or that anyone in it is real) he hasn’t aged or changed much, and it’s suggested via the feather than maybe part of her Robin’s (soul)  is here.

At least that’s what I got.

You went to the panel today right? (If not please disregard)Can you tell us how emma described wishworld hook to killian if she did? Pretty please!

They don’t really get a chance to talk about it, there’s some back and forth because Robin shows up, but during the second hug (Emma is really holding on tight) she makes a quip that they’re going to switch to water and Killian makes a face and says, “to drink?” It’s a funny moment.

(more later)

[peckhampeculiar]

All revved up

Rock band REV are making a name for themselves with a seductive sound that’s reminiscent of groups including The Stone Roses and the Arctic Monkeys. Our writer finds out why 2018 is promising to be their biggest year yet

Words Rosario Blue; Photo Joe Magowan

REV are a four-piece independent rock band from Paris and Preston, who possess a sound somewhere in between the guitar bands of the noughties and the breezy, chilled guitar sound of The Stone Roses, with vocals reminiscent of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.

Listening to REV you are transported into a sonic reverie of seductive rock, funk and soul grooves that match their beautifully diverse heritage – they are Vietnamese and German, French and British. Last year saw REV make their mark in south-east London, while 2018 looks set to stay firmly in their grip.

I met up with Dorian and Julian Tran (guitar, vocals), Jonathan Quiot (drums) and Jonny Haze (bass) at their rehearsal room just over the Peckham border in Bermondsey.

“It started with Julian, me, and Jonathan – so, back in Paris,” Dorian says. “We started playing together at 12 or 13, something like that.”

“I wasn’t really into it, to be honest,” Julian recalls, amused. “It was more like they were starting to play and Dad was like, ‘Alright, take your brother to rehearsal with you’.”

“A bit like that.” Dorian laughs. “That’s basically where it started from. We used to do lots of different covers at the time, like...”

“AC/DC,” the band say in unison.

“And Lynyrd Skynyrd,” Dorian adds. “That kind of thing. And, yeah, as time went by it became something we really wanted to do professionally. We really couldn’t see ourselves doing something else.”

They decided they would wait till they finished school, after turning 18.

“After we finished school I went to London,” says Dorian. “I spent a year there and then Jonathan and Julian arrived as well and then we got our stuff together, made a little studio in there and started making music together and writing our own songs.

“That was our plan all along; it was always to come to England, especially because we were fascinated by so many great bands. It was really very much of the time when indie music was very in, and we listened to the Arctic Monkeys and all of that. It was very inspiring and we thought, ‘Well, England is the place to be.’”

Finding their bass player was “fateful”, they say. “We were supposed to see a lot of different bass players and [Jonny] was the first one we saw,” Julian says. “It went so well that we cancelled everything else.”

“'This is the one. The chosen one,” Julian says and everyone laughs.

When recalling what it was like trying to decide which part of London the band would settle in, Julian says it was a case of, “Do we move south-east or north-east? I had a lot of friends who had bands that were based around Shoreditch and Hoxton, but in the end we didn’t find anything there.

“I didn’t really know Peckham, but Jonny is from south-east and we had a bunch of friends going out in Peckham. I didn’t really know what artists were there, but I knew there was a big scene. We thought afterwards, ‘It’s a great place to do music.’”

After first hearing REV, when they performed at The Nines as part of Coal Line Vibez, a fundraising event for the Peckham Coal Line project, I was blown away. Fast-forward to today, where I am treated to a live set of old-but-updated songs as well as a couple of exclusive tracks that still maintain their refreshing sound. What I see is a band evolving fast.

“After we played at The Nines we thought, ‘Well that was good, but we could do it a lot better’,” Jonny explains. “We thought, ‘We’re not going to do a gig for a month or two and we came in twice a week and just absolutely hammered on those songs.

“I really think that by examining what we were doing and listening to it we came up with a sound, rather than just a mish-mash, so it’s more coherent and together now. As a result of that the songs have changed and we’re looking to re-record a couple of them.”

Dorian goes a little further. “That’s also because it took us a while to adapt and comprehend that there’s a difference between a live situation and a studio situation – I think we didn’t quite think at first about how you perceive a gig. If we had to watch ourselves would we want to hear six minutes of that?”

“Now, we’re more structured,” says Julian. “[We] go to the studio and have maybe a verse and a chorus and then we build things around that; we have a listen together and then it’s, ‘What can we do now, what can we do better?’ We have an open talk and everyone throws in ideas.

This leads us to talking more generally about their creative process.

“Sometimes it’s just going through one idea and then building a track on top of it,” says Jonathan. “Sometimes it’s just us jamming in the studio and coming up with a good riff. It really depends. We don’t settle on one way to do it, we just find out every way to do it.”

Jonny adds: “By taking away, you know what you need. If you can take it out and it still sounds good, you don’t need it. They say that if you write a good song you should be able to play it on an acoustic guitar.”

The band recently supported number one-selling, multi award-winning, Taiwanese- American singer-songwriter Joanna Wang at a special intimate gig at the Amersham Arms in New Cross.

It was undoubtedly a career highlight for them and one that would prove to be crucial in cementing their name as a band to watch, even piquing the interest of a few very important industry heads.

REV feel that they owe a lot of their success to DJ and musician Genie Graham, who has believed in them from the beginning. “Genie’s helped the band a lot and she’s also a great musician, as we found out lately," says Julian. “I think she’s part of the band really.”

“Yeah, she’s really helped and really made a lot of things possible for us,” Dorian adds.

REV are an indie band in every sense of the word. They write and produce their own music, play their own instruments and work out of their self-made studio as well as their rehearsal space, where they can be found at least twice a week while balancing part-time jobs to help make their dreams a reality.

The band is everything to them and they hope the love that they put into their music is felt by those who listen to it. Julian says: “One thing I would like the band to do, is that when people come to see our shows, they feel love and have a good time.”

Dorian adds: “I hope that whenever someone listens to our songs they retain one thing, that they get emotions out of it, that they feel something. That’s why I started to do music, because when I listened to certain songs, they would make me feel in a way that nothing else could.”

The year ahead is looking bright for REV, and with the boost that 2017 gave their collective confidence, they have been even more determined to get new projects out and expand their body of work.

“Once we’ve done all our recording and mixing, we’ll formally be on iTunes and Spotify – and there’s going to be a website coming out as well,” Julian says.

And they are not stopping there. “We launched a label,” Jonathan says. “Also, we are doing music on our own – different stuff, aside from the band, separately – and we’ve launched a separate SoundCloud and will have a separate website which will feature artists from the label.”

"It's called the REV Collective,” Dorian adds.

In terms of the band itself, Jonny says: “I feel like this time next year, I’d probably like to have 30 gigs under our belt.”

“Oh yeah definitely,” Julian agrees. “Now that we’re finally satisfied with our live set and we feel like when we play it’s working out and all the songs are done and the recording is done, we’re going to gig as much as possible.”

In 2018 we’re set to see an even more improved and self-assured REV, with new material, a new label, solo projects and many more live shows.

The world is REV’s oyster. Be ready to take a bite.

.........................

REV’s new EP is due for release early 2018 and will be available on iTunes and Spotify. Follow REV and keep up-to-date with their shows and music on Facebook and Instagram @revsounds. For bookings, email rev.music.band@gmail.com.