#i want weird stuff from the 80s too not the top 5 new releases or whatever

[youcanthandelthetruth]

Where do you even buy dvds anymore

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Whats your favorite song at the moment

Hey Nonny!

Ooof Too many, hahhaha! Because I don’t leave home anymore, I’m not looking constantly for new music to add to my Playlist, so mostly it’s stuff that I come across on Tumblr and is living rent-free in my head on repeat, or me digging on my harddrives for a nostalgia kick.... currently, these are the top 5 cycling in my head, no particular order:

(EDIT IT’S NOW TEN. I COULDN’T CHOOSE. LISTEN TO THEM ALL. THEY’RE ALL AMAZING)

(EDIT 2 SORRY IT’S NOW 15!! NONNY I’M SO SORRY. I know no one cares, but I LOVE sharing my Music with people)

(EDIT 3 *SIGH* Now 20. :| HELP. Stopping before I get carried away. No one ever likes my music so I love when people ask me for my songs with genuine interest)

Nathan Evans - The Wellerman (220 Kid X Billen Ted Remix) (flashing images CW in video!) – Got into the original of this one during the sea shanty trend, and then this dance remix came out... those of you who know me well, know that I am HOOKED on remixes, especially dance remixes. So I was so happy about this official one.

The Kiffness - Ievan Polkka ft. Bilal Göregen (Club Remix) – This one I got into because I think, again, the original with the blind man was trending, and then I found this remix artist on YouTube from his remix of The Wellerman, and his is SOOOO good!! I loved this song back in the early noughts when it was popular as “Leek Spin”. But then these young folks had to go and make it amazing again!!

ZHU, partywithray - Came For The Low – (LOTS OF FLASHING LIGHTS IN VIDEO CW!) Thank Falcon And the Winter Soldier for this one! It took me a WEEK to find out what song they’re playing in the club in Episode 3 when Zemo’s dancing, and YAY I found this finally (not the one hour one, sadly, still trying to find the song D+ Marvel used for that one). I LOVE IT. LISTEN TO IT. SO good if you like heavy club beats

Sim Gretina - A Friend Like Me (Electro Swing Remix) – This is SATISFYING. I LOVE IT. Found it years ago after that homemade Aladdin carpet video was going viral, and every time it comes up on my playlist, I replay it like 6 times.

Linkin Park - Numb (80′s Remix) – That tumblr meme song that went around years ago? HERE YOU ARE!!! :D This is TOO SHORT and it’s also on repeat when I listen to it. Y’all, this is what depression feels like when you’re trying to pretend to be happy all the time LOL. It’s a whole MOOD. This one is great to blast in the car and have people confused at you singing at the top of your lungs. Like, “I AM NUMB AND AN EDGELORD BUT READY TO PARTY!!!”.

One Ton - Supersexworld – Okay, this is an OLLLLLLDDD one by a one-hit wonder Canadian band that I stumbled upon recently when I was going through my hard drives to find new stuff to put onto my iPhone. I was OBSESSED with this song when it first came out, forgot about it, and NOW... SHIT I can’t STOP. This one is BLARING when I hear it, and am so happy I found it again. It’s simple, amazing, and AWESOME. LISTEN TO IT. You will love it. Please. It’s got one verse and one chorus over and over, and it’s catchy as hell. It’s on my personal Johnlock playlist :D

Deorro - Rise and Shine – GUYS. This song. Also on my personal Johnlock Playlist, this one is SOMETHING. First heard it in my BodyPump class, I NEEDED it. It’s SO GOOD. Jazzy Club Music??? YES PLEASE! Video is all kinds of amazing? YES PLEASE. PLEASE listen to this. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Bloodhound Gang - The Bad Touch (Eiffel 65 Remix) – Is this song a decade old? YES. Has it been on my iPod since it first came out? FUCK YES. Y’all, Eiffel 65 is SO underrated for their remixes. This is one of their best remixes, and it’s the PERFECT walking song. YES I look like an idiot walking to it, but I love it SO MUCH. It’s better than the original, imho.

Gotye feat. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know (Bastian Van Shield Remix) – LOL I KNOW: sacrilege to remix Gotye, but Y’ALL. This is the DEFINITIVE remix of one of his best songs. Six minutes of pure club beats, and just... ANOTHER perfect walking song that you need to SCREAM at the top of your lungs. Also on my personal Playlist, John POV, that I will share eventually.... it makes sense in the song order on the list, I promise LOL)

Tee Lopes - Marble Zone '12 – Tee Lopes is the official composer for Sonic Mania, hired because of all his AMAZING Classic Sonic remixes he did as a hobby on his YouTube channel. This one has a Tango flavour, and it’s SO good and not long enough. There’s an extended version here. Also love his Flying Battery and Ice Cap remixes. If you love video game music remixes like I do, check out his YT channel. There’s a TONNE there and it’s GREAT music to write to.

Aaron Smith - Dancin’ (KRONO Remix) – I dunno where I first heard this one, but I LOVE it. It’s like trancey club music. It’s beautiful, and WORTH a listen.

Pet Shop Boys - I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing [Extended Nude Mix] – Ooooof this one has been on my faves for a LONG time. Originally heard this on the PSB’s album Disco 2, back when their remixes were this good and long and clubby. I miss these so much. If you want a good club beat to thump your car, this is it my friends.

Informätik - A Matter of Time – FUCK ME I love this song. This is the song that made me want to start a Johnlock playlist. I talk more in length about it on this post here, but yeah, I still just.. MM. It’s just so beautiful and is what got me into EBM music in the first place. I listened to this and a lot of their music quite often in college when I was pining over people. Always the pining and never the requited, LOL. I just really love it. 

Pride and Fall - Paragon – GUYS. This one is SO good. Trancey EBM and just, UGHGGHHGHGHHHG It gives me so many feels. I’ve loved this song for SO many years, and just, still has to be on every iPod I own. It’s beautiful, and the lyrics are beautiful and I wish I was as beautiful as this song, LOL. Please listen and enjoy. Best bit is a 3:11 :D <3

Rammstein - Mein Teil (Pet Shop Boys Remix) – GUYS. This is one of the greatest collabs of all time. I love both Rammstein AND Pet Shop Boys, and was SO EXCITED when they remixed this song for the single. This is the better of the two remixes PSB did for them, and YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO IT. PURE CLUB BLISS. This is the PSB in their remixing best!!!! <3 Plus, it’s SUPER WEIRD to hear these angry Germans backing a club beat, I LOVE IT. Also, it’s literally a song about a true story of literally eating a dick, so.... *shrugs*

Pet Shop Boys - Love Etc. (PSB Mix) – Y’ALL. This is 6 minutes of LITERAL dance music BLISS. A fantastic remix of one of my fave songs from the PSB, which is essentially shitting on the materialism of relationships. And I love this one, it’s a great work out and car song. Honestly PLEASE listen to it.

Apoptygma Berzerk - Kathy’s Song (Beborn Beton Remix) – GUYYYYYYYYYsSSSS I love this song so much. The original is much slower, and I discovered Beborn Beton FROM this song (another great artist, check them out). This song is just, a great dance song, and just makes me scream out when I hear it. Full volume, beautiful song, beautiful lyrics. It’s my Android!lock headcanon song, but it is also on my JL Personal Playlist, LOL.

Darude vs. Robert Miles - Children of the Sandstorm – One of the BEST MASHUPS in the world, and I am CERTAIN it is an official one; I was obsessed with mashups when I was in college so I have a TONNE of them, but this one has always been a fave, and I still jam to it over a decade later. Seriously, these songs SEAMLESSLY blend together, it’s fantastic. Classic club and trance? HELLS YES. 

Eminem - Nobody Listen to Techno (Deep Dish Mix) – Another nostalgia hit for me. Is it pointless? Not if I enjoy it!! I LOVE this song. Deep Dish mixes were THE JAM in my college years, and like, this is just 9 minutes of PURE techno with some of his song “Without Me” sampled throughout. I LOVE IT. SO MUCH. This is a banger, and just, if you need music to listen to while driving or writing, this is one for you!!

Rammstein feat. Sharleen Spiteri - Stirb Nicht Vor Mir (Don't Die Before I Do) – And to bring the mood WAYYY down, did you know Rammstein did a love song? A beautiful, moves-me-to-tears love song? Because I did and it’s one of my FAVE songs by them. It’s SO beautiful, and the Till’s harsh voice WORKS for it. It’s gentle and soothing. It’s a German/English duet, and it makes me nearly cry EVERY TIME. Because I imagine John and Sherlock and then I die inside LOL. It’s so beautiful and I listen to this one years after it was released. Look up the translation, it is so beautiful.

AND if you guys happen to like any of these songs, copy the youtube video link and use this :)

Most of these that aren’t silly are on my Johnlock playlist, so do give the latter songs a listen! <3 I’m sorry for adding more than five... I just really love sharing things with you guys I like because I’m so lonely, LOL.

If any of y’all are playing these and trying to pick me up, *finger guns* Let’s go get cake and jam :D

AHH I like when I get asks like this! Sorry I took so long Nonny, but I just kept ADDING to it, as you can see. Had to stop because I could keep going.

[xcziel]

get to know me

tagged by @vishcount (thank you!!) and i'll follow her format bc making two posts seems a little much - i'm not that interesting!!

(hilariously, this post shows up as blocked for me bc of the tag 'joker' which? tumblr?????)

Part I

name: i'm an internet old, so i never use my real name online, mainly because it's spelled in a very unique way (thanks mom & dad) - i mean like, if you googled it you could find my home address in a few seconds kind of unique - but also, though i do enjoy the spelling, i actually don't like it very much when it's said out loud? (is it weird that my name written down is 'me', but my name aloud has never felt like 'me'?) always wanted a nickname but never acquired one :/

at any rate, i've had the username xcziel forever and i go by that 😊 (pronounced ex-SEE-zee-el, similar to etc. or ex-SET-er-ah! thanks @xia-xueyi for pointing out that it can be confusing to guess!)

rest behind a cut because it got long!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: i don't ... really *do* astrology? but technically saggitarius

height: 5'4" (162.5cm for the intl folks)

time: 5:43pm but these thing take me forever to type out so ... ???

birthday: playing the 'internet old' card again .. but it floats around american Thanksgiving depending on the year

nationality: american

fave bands/groups/solo artists: lumping these together because i just .. don't really do music much anymore. if you had asked me this back in my 20s i'm sure i would have had all kinds of opinions and things to share, but these days i actually mostly prefer to listen music from when i was a kid. part of it is also that as an old, i prefer to buy my music, even digitally, and i don't really use spotify - which does so much to enable diverse music exploration i admit! but i mostly have earplugs in all the time and music does not work for me as background noise, so...

so i guess my answer would be 70s disco and classic rock and 80s new wave artists? i've never liked any artist's entire discography and prefer greatest hits-type compilations, but i guess duran duran and def leppard and depeche mode would be considered formative? i love new order but specifically late 80s new order, NOT joy division. the only concert t-shirt i've ever worn was the cult? i loved sonic temple but i can't listen to most of it anymore though i still adore love removal machine. i think maybe if you get old enough, for some of us there's TOO MUCH good music and we can't pare it down anymore

song stuck in your head: jamiroquai's canned heat

last movie you watched: re: the above, i re-watched center stage, the 2000 one with zoe saldana and the mandy moore soundtrack, bc it's a happy comfort movie and i just got a digital version

last show you binged: i can't really "binge" very often bc after a couple of hours i need a break, so i guess i'd say the tgcf donghua on netflix since it was short enough to get through all in one go

when you created your blog: in 2012 i stopped lurking so i could post about the avengers movie

the last thing you googled: 5'4" in cm? lol before that it was chinese wrapped street food

other blogs: everything is here! i discovered i compartmentalize about as well as i tag reliably (😓) but i do have several automated ao3feed-tag style sideblogs. and i did, very briefly, have a *winces* hockey sideblog too

why i chose my url: ooh i know i've done this before, sorry if it's repetitive, basically it was the username i picked back when my family first got aol: short, unique combo of letters - 14-year-old me really thought about it! and then it wouldn't let me use anything other than my name. thirty-some-odd years later, trying to come up with a livejournal username that wasn't already taken and getting fed up, i plugged it in and went: good enough!

how many people are you following: like 760-something last i checked? although many, many, many of them are deactivated

how many followers do you have: idk i don't like looking at that stuff, but way fewer than i am following

average hours of sleep: it varies too much day by day, my sleep schedule is too wonky, i have no idea what the average would be

lucky numbers: 7? cliché i know, and again not really buying into it, but somewhere in my hindbrain i like it that my first, middle, and last names all have seven letters

instruments: none. i like singing

what i'm currently wearing: giant black t-shirt and baggy black drawstring shorts, standard sitting around the house gear

dream job: don't have one. if i did it would give me something to be working towards *sigh* this is how you end up in retail for decades, kids! but also, to quote a random post i saw in true tumblr fashion "i simply do not dream of labor"

dream trip: covered this one before but: back to the uk and some railway daytrips, or a really fancy northern cruise, atlantic/pacific either one

fave food: uhhh, don't really have a favorite but i'm almost always in the mood for pizza

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: none really, if i had to still be me..maybe some kind of actually utopian future? but the pandemic has confirmed for me that i do NOT like living in interesting times, so most fictional story universes are RIGHT out. my favorites to read about like discworld or diana wynne jones' worlds would be way to chaotic for my comfort. possibly diane duane's young wizards universe would be safe enough to be okay?

Part II

last song: watching center stage made me think of my dance playlist so sunrise by simply red

last movielast stream: i don't watch streams or youtube often, so it was the same as you, vish! liu chang's birthday stream was SO enjoyable i screenrecorded the entire thing just so i could play it back (and maybe gif sometime if i ever get the drive to actually do it)

currently reading: well i just finished the translated quan qiu gao kao or global university entrance exam novel, which was sparked purely from catching a single rec post here on tumblr and basically just *falling* into this 166 chapter epic that is *amazing* and not coming up for air until i got to the end, which is typical novel-reading behavior for me (yes i was the kid who read through lunch period and got hassled by people who kept pestering me with "what're you reading" questions and yes i realize probably a lot of you on tumblr were too) plus, the new murderbot novel is out tomorrow!!!!! so that'll be where i end up next!

currently watching: the entire dmbj verse (that i can get my hands on) but ... sporadically and stopping at random different parts because the thing is ... this type of show is not really the kind i enjoy so much? so since it's more for "research" and learning character arcs (and let's be honest: shots of liu sang), etc. it's easy to get distracted by other stuff. i'm also watching the sleuth of the ming dynasty, mr queen, bromance, the expanse, re-watching farscape and stargate sg-1, just finished the falcon and the winter soldier, and then anytime something new and short gets introduced it jumps the queue. there are just. so. many. things. to. watch! (now i have to look into anti-fraud league too!? you all are cruel ...)

what is antipoetry to you: i ... don't really think much about poetry? i know what i prefer is usually the more basic rhymed kind like lewis carroll, emily dickinson, poe, coleridge, etc. so i suppose i don't have much use for classifying non-rhyming verse? i can appreciate stuff like rupi kaur which i guess would qualify? or that william carlos williams plums poem? but it doesn't really stick with me the way lyric-like verse does

currently craving: i never know what exactly this is meant to be in reference to ... hmmm, i would love a new high-concept, high production-quality movie like say, pacific rim, to be released, just for that massive, excited energy that comes with something new that hasn't already got tons of disappointing or conflicting history behind it - that would be so fun!!

other than that, right now, i mostly kinda want some fried fish? but that will have to wait until i go to get my second vaccine shot on wednesday since it's on the way there. i'd also like my internal body parts to settle down and fly right but it's been more than a month and they don't seem inclined :(((( maybe once i'm fully vaxxed i'll think about consulting somebody about it

tagging @foxofninetales @xia-xueyi @momosandlemonsoda @memorydragon @thewindsofsong @elvencantation @mylastbraincql @hesayshesgotboyfriend @aurawolfgirl2000 @smaragdine-galaxy and anyone who wants to! but never feel obligated and if you don't get around to it for like half a year that's totally fine, i am still interested!!!

[daggerzine]

Sunday Runners.....the Corvair interview.

The music of Corvair fell into my hands recently thanks to Heather Larimer, who makes up one half of the band. The Portland duo, comprised of Larimer and her husband Brian Naubert (and drummer Eric Eagle for the recordings) haven’t been around for too long but being together a lot the past year or so gave them plenty of time to work on songs. I was a big fan of Larimer’s previous band, Eux Autres, and wondered if they were still around (see the first question) so was anxious to hear Corvair. I really liked what I heard. A healthy dose of all things 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s and not quite new wave, note quite indie rock but 100% deluxe. The S/T record, which was released in February, was a co-release between their own label and WIAIWYA label in the UK.  Read on and find out the history of the band, where they’ve been and where they’re headed. Oh and make sure you listen to their music.

 Heather and Brian and Brian and Heather 

Tell us about the end of Eux Autres. Why did that band end?

It actually has not officially ended. While Sun is Sunk was coming out, we left SF because it felt like that city as we knew it was dying—all the artists we knew were moving out, and I moved back to Portland and Nick to LA. Then I had a baby and then Nick had a baby and then soon we each had another baby. With 4 little kids among us, it became really hard to fly back and forth to work on new material. We tried it for a couple years and then one day we calculated that at our pace, the record we were making would take 5 years. So we just kind of gave each other permission to prioritize other projects. Nick is working on some songs I truly love right now. They’re a real gut punch.

 …and about the beginning of Corvair. How/when did the band form?

We had known each other for many years and then we got married three-ish years ago and suddenly neither of us had other musical projects going on. So we kind of shrugged and said, what if we worked together? We would sing in the car or while cooking or whatever so we knew our voices sounded great together. Then it was just a matter of figuring out what sort of project it would be. We went into the studio with a session drummer (Eric Eagle) in late 2019 and then a few months later, the pandemic suddenly gave as a LOT of time to make progress on the tracks. So the creative center of the record was defined in a weird apocalyptic bubble. But it was helpful to have that break with reality as we knew it, because we’ve both made a lot of records, and I suppose that could have somehow blunted our ambition or our edges. But we just hit the “fuck it” button and gave ourselves over to it completely. We were very nervous to mix, because no one else in the world had heard it, and we thought it was great, but we also could have been in a shared hallucination. Really, we’d be the last to know.

 The debut....

Who came up with the name? I have always loved those cars.

Brian’s mom drove a Corvair with a hole in the floor. They would drive it on the special outings to the beach, the weekend adventures. So it was a very romantic car, and the name is just very nice to say. It makes you feel good. Both of us had been in bands with names that were a nightmare to tell someone  in a crowded club, or really anywhere (Eux Autres and Ruston Mire). You’d have to repeat it 3 times, then explain it, and then they just kind of shrug with pity. We vowed to have a band name anyone could understand the first time.

 Did the WIAIWYA label approach you about releasing the record (or co-releasing it)?

John had approached Eux Autres right after our second record and so we did an EP (Strangled Days) with him and then we were on his label ever since. Late last summer, I posted a picture of Brian and I holding the CD Master on my Instagram and John said, what the hell is this? And then I emailed him the record and he wrote right back: “It’s RAD Heather!” I’m not sure if he was making fun of me by saying “rad”--probably, actually. I think I used to say it a lot. But he immediately wanted to put out the record. Nick and I had some really great times in the UK and Europe thanks to John and he has a very devoted audience, so Corvair felt it was a great fit for us.

 Is the Pink Room your own studio?

Yes, it is literally a room in our house that is pink. Brian has been making records at home for most of his life, since he was about 14. And despite having done fancier stuff like making studio demos for Columbia several times and recording with Peter Buck in a nice place, he really prefers to work at home because he likes to spend a ton of time on overdubs—they’re not even really “overdubs,” more like a second wave of writing for him. And I had found being in the studio very stressful in the past because I’m not a technically proficient musician and that makes me self-conscious. So I was grateful to be in the privacy of my own home, in my soft pants.

 Single from last year

Did the songs on the album come fairly easily or did you feel like you labored over them?

The initial writing of them came very easily and fast. Brian did a couple of 30 day writing challenges where he wrote several songs a day. But then once we laid down the basic tracks, we spent a ton of time building them and experimenting with them. We actually recorded probably twice as many parts as we ended up using. And half of what we did in the mix was kill things. In fact, we cut five totally finished songs from the record. 

 Tell us about making those videos? Were you freezing?

Consistently very very cold, yes. Ironically, the one in the snow (Green Mean Time) was the warmest because we were properly dressed. But the ocean ones were just brutal. Especially Sunday Runner. The video was Brian’s idea, he had a very specific vision and made it sound all easy: OK, just go down to the beach and dance for 90 seconds. And I was like, huh?!? And then I kept falling down and got absolutely soaked to the bone. When we finished shooting, I couldn’t feel my hands or feet and he was steering me down the beach with his coat wrapped around me and these little kids were staring horrified, like, Mom what’s wrong with that lady?

 Prior to the pandemic had you played out live much? Done any tours?

We have never ever played live as Corvair. Which is just wild. We will likely be recording this next album before we even have a line-up for performing. But we are very excited to play together. Likely this fall. Hopefully John will bring us to England soon so we will have a great excuse to get it together.

 What are your top 10 desert island discs?

 Brian:

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie - Low

Nada Surf - Let Go

Brian Eno - Another Green World

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon (yeah I know, but I don’t care)

 Heather:

GBV  - Alien Lanes

Kinks  - Village Green

Elliott Smith - Either/Or

Radiohead - Kid A

Ruston Mire - Steady Jobs and Flying Cars

  Who are some of your favorite current bands, local otherwise?

HL: I’m interested in the Dry Cleaning juggernaut. And I really dig Deep Sea Diver, Cloud Nothings, Courtney Barnett, Big Thief/Lenker. And then, I’m also very ready to embrace a new angry band whose music makes you think your stereo is broken when you play it--I’m taking suggestions.

 BN: Alt J, Elbow, Doves, Metric, Foals, Snail Mail

 What’s next for the band?

HL: We are recording this summer and trying to put some sort of live outfit together ASAP. Trying to stay out of the ocean for a while. 

 Closing comments? Words of wisdom? Final thoughts?

Thank you so much for having us! 

 www.corvair.bandcamp.com

[some-thrilling-heroics]

thank you for tagging me @basmathgirl 😊💛 this is handy with new followers *waves*

name/nickname: you can call me stormy or i guess mom / mama hen, some ppl also call me granny lol

gender: as of this month officially 🎉 agender yay! ✨🎊

star sign: scorpio

height: 1.58 m

time: 22:53

birthday: 13.11

favourite bands: look, usually i like 1-3 songs per singer / band and the rest is trash, some are a bit better and maybe have like 6 songs i will listen while i ignore the rest of discography - with that in mind, i do like the ‘greatest hits’ of 80s, 90s and 00s bc that’s when i was growing up and the radio was on lmao; also like some shanties, and as for actual band names: e nomine, imagine dragons, the irish rovers, yanni (does he count as a band when he plays with a whole bloody orchestra? but dammit look at how HAPPY they look when they play!!!!! )

favourite artists: wow that is so vague... hmm sorry im blanking

last movie: “Jingle Jangle” (it wasn’t spectacular but it also wasn’t horrible)

last show: been rewatching BBC ghosts, 911 Lone Star and POSE in the past few days

when did I create this blog: ........when was the first hobbit movie released? sometime around that time

what do I post: queer stuff, fandom, cats and other animals, mental health and abuse related stuff, and all kinds of educational posts and resources

last thing you googled: ODAAT - and i still am super confused bc apparently pop tv cancelled them too and they look for another place, but also another page says tomorrow premieres another ep so i am a bit frustrated and sad for a great show 😭🤧😩

other blogs: used to have LJ (still probably exists) and DW but that was just backup to LJ posts, I used to run a blog like on some blog domain lmao (i know, so specific) that was 100% personal posts and things but that was long ago and idk if it exists still or maybe they deleted it

why I chose my url: i wanted a thing that didn’t scream a specific fandom right away bc i wanted it to last and i know i hop fandoms like a bunny on steroids; the actual thing is a quote from the show firefly

average hours of sleep: ideally around 9 and usually i do my best to go to bed to have at least 8

lucky number: 13

what am I wearing: purple tank top with grey sweatpants (huh, ace colors without planning lol)

dream job: never had one but I do enjoy what i do

dream trip: scotland, south of spain, would love to go back to greece for a proper visit, totally open to other destinations

favourite food: i suppose depends on the mood but turkey, plum soup, croquettes (ideally homemade), pizza (bacon, shrooms, corn on top), and more

nationality: 😩🤢😒😭😡 (that is all I’m gonna say on the matter)

favourite song: lmao, no such thing *EDIT* YES, BC I ALWAYS REC PPL THIS ONE FROM ABOVE - THE YANNI SONG LINKED ABOVE XD

last book read: as in finished? lemme check....  The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)

top three fictional universes I’d like to live in: middle earth (except not really bc i do like my indoor plumbing and internet but i do enjoy fantasizing abt being a hero on a quest), doctor who (aliens, people! who cares i would die in the first 5 mins bc i am not able to do that much running) and let’s go... hmm.... a weird mix of btvs and shadowhunters except i wanna be a slayer and i need vampires and werewolves and witches / warlocks but you can keep the shadowhunter dictatorship (then again we would need an antagonist...)

gonna tag: @brokenfannibal @lewispanda @shunthepotato @curlycutiepetunia @fangirl--extraordinaire @tothetrashwhereibelong 

[imacrowcawcaw]

Eyes of Juniper Ch. 1 (A Metallica Fic)

Ao3 Link

Author (as known on Various sites): Lady Lover- Rockfic, Luluthechoosingcrow - AO3, theladylovingcrow - Deviantart and Wattpad, @sammy_bluebells - Instagram, @imacrowcawcaw - main Tumblr, @insannywestan - Sanny shipping Tumblr Pairing: Lars Ulrich/James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett/Cliff Burton, Lars/Female Character (briefly), Lars/Male Character (kinda, more just awkward one sided flirting then Lars gets rescued by his knight in a ratty Motorhead shirt) Fandom: Metallica Tags/warnings: Sex-swap AU, early 80s era 'tallica, smut, gay smut, also het smut since the whole gender switch thing, drinking and alcohol, lots of cussing and profanity, should warn that Lars goes into detail about taking a piss cuz ya know it's new to him, Idk I'll add tags per chapter as I think of shit

Notes: 

1. Okay, so I spent like months thinking about whether to do this or not. On the one hand, yes this has so much potential to be fun (and I've seen some other sex swap stories i like). On the other hand, a lot of the whole sex/Gender swap thing is really stereotypical gender shit and goes against what I personally believe. But, creative juices won out and I'll try to keep true to character as much as possible while also making this funny and not too misogynistic (if that's possible).

2. This is a work in progress! I started it a year and a half ago, and now a friend is helping me continue 

3. This story is inspired by the song 'Jewel of the Summertime' by Audioslave (on their album Revelations) I love this song and it is awesome you should totally go listen to it.

4. The witch-lady is inspired by Aine, Celtic goddess of love, summer, wealth, and sovereignty. I literally just googled 'goddess of love' then scrolled through a list to find someone other than Aphrodite (don't get me wrong I love Greek mythology but it just wasn't right for this fic) and came across this girl. I only did a quick Wikipedia read, I'm not planning on going too heavy into her myth and more just using her for the plot but.... If anybody is more well versed in Celtic mythology and I seem to get something wrong, please feel free to comment and I'll try my best to make it accurate!

5. Woo damn that was a lot of stuff, I don't blame you if you didn't bother reading it. Now, on with the show!

----------

1984 (Lars' POV)

The first thing I felt when I woke up was this odd sense of.... well, just something being fuckin' off. Like I was missing something, but also like I had gained something? I felt like a brand-new person, although in my gut I was still me.... Man, I must have had WAY too much Jager last night, it's fucking with my head.

I slowly peeled the itchy fleece blanket off of my body and rolled onto the floor, which was about a foot from the bare mattress. We really needed to invest in some sheets, especially if we wanted to keep bringing chicks back to the house. Apparently, most girls are not at all impressed by stained, lumpy mattresses with almost no bedding on them.

Speaking of girls and mattresses, didn't I bring one home last night? I raised my head slightly from its position from the threadbare carpet and looked at the bed, trying to see if Anna (Was that her name?) was still there. Yep, there was a naked hippy still passed out in my bed, sweet!

I groaned quietly as I stood and shuffled my way out the door and down the hall to the bathroom. It was then I noticed that I didn't really have the usual alcohol-and-early-morning-and-piss induced erection, but my bladder was still straining. Huh, weird.

Whatever. I just wanted to pee, get rid of that feeling in my gut, and get that dead possum taste out of my mouth. Pushing open the door and wincing as the creaky hinges screeched through my headache, I pulled down my boxers and reached for my dick.... What the fuck?

WHAT THE FUCK?

WHERE WAS MY MOTHERFUCKIN DICK?!

Trying not to panic, I looked down, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment so I wouldn't have to see right away. But, of course, that kind of defeated the purpose of looking down, so I opened them again. No dick. The hell was going on?

Taking a deep, calming breath, I tried to think through this rationally. My dick, for whatever reason, was not where it was supposed to be. But, my bladder was still full and begging to be released, so obviously my system or whatever was still working. That need to pee was turning into a burning pain, so I tried to come up with a solution. If I don't have a cock, then I can piss through....what, exactly? Is there anything down there at all? What is even going on!?

Pulling in another deep breath through my nose, I let it hiss out between clenched teeth as I slowly, so slowly, touched my fingers to my abdomen and moved them downwards, dreading what I would find. Annnnnd....... Yep, there it was.

Velvety soft lips, slick, pungent juices; anatomy I knew so well but never, EVER expected to feel on myself. My crisis would have to wait a minute, though, 'cause my bladder was going to explode and no dick be damned I needed to do something about it.

Gingerly sitting my ass down on the toilet (god, so weird sitting down just to piss) I tried to slowly let it out. The feeling was...well there was certainly relief of the pressure, but it also felt strange in a way I couldn't really describe. I could possibly get used to it, not that I'm planning on staying like this or anything.

Cringing as I wiped, I slowly pulled the boxers back up to my hips that I just now noticed were a little wider than usual. And my hands, were they smaller? Softer? My chest too....HOLY SHIT I HAVE BOOBS! That, I might be able to get used to.

I turned to the mirror, and was quite shocked at what I saw. There was a girl standing there, with large, doe-like green eyes staring back at me from underneath brown bangs. She had a nice tan on her upper body, although her breasts were still pale where she clutched at them, small rosy nipples poking through her fingers. A pair of black cotton boxers stretched tight around the small curve of her hips, but hung loose around her milky thighs that almost touched. And this...this chick was me. ME.

Shaking my head, I splashed some water onto my face and rubbed my eyes, hoping it was just a fucked up dream. No such luck.

I was considering hiding in the bathroom forever, because no way in hell could I let the guys see me like this, let alone figure out how to explain, when I heard a scream. It sounded a lot like Kirk's voice, so I pushed my problems to the back of my head and ran into the hallway, stopping dead in my tracks at what I saw.

Anna, or whatever her name was, stood at the top of the stairs, dressed in flowing black robes with green Celtic designs all over them. She had jewels and charms hanging from her waist, wrists, neck, and ears, each tinkling as she tossed some sort of... Powder onto a very shocked looking Kirk. Or at least, I was pretty sure it was Kirk. He (she?) seemed to be in the same boat as me as far as bodies were concerned at the moment.

With a final dusting of powder, witchy-chick turned to me and smirked. "I hope you learn your lesson, I'll be back in a week. And as for you...." She turned to Kirk, "Well, you're just too damn cute! I couldn't resist seeing what a pretty girl you'd make!"

"This is your fault? You bitch! " I yelled. "Why the hell did you do this to us? Who are you? Change us back, then get the fuck out! I don't wanna be a damn girl, and neither does Kirk!" God this was fucking insane, that chick was crazy!

She hissed at me, eyes flashing in a way that could not be human. "Now you listen, GIRL. You'll stay like this for as long as I deem fit. You need to learn some respect for women, and being one is the best way to do that. I suppose you don't remember what you did last night?" She asked, looking bored and ready lo go fuck up someone else's life.

I thought hard, then it came creeping back to me. The bar, the Jager, the flirting with a group of girls, copping a feel and getting slapped, then her changing her mind and coming home with me, talking dirty in her ear, then unworldly sex, her whispering what sounded like a spell in my ear as I came... Holy shit.

"Is this about me grabbing your ass? I'm sorry! Please don't do this!" I begged, finally starting to let the situation sink in and desperation set. This could not be happening.

"Hmph," she snorted, "Begging isn't going to get you anywhere. I've seen humans beg for much less, and they still didn't get it. No, you'll love your life as a woman for a week, both of you, and hopefully you'll come to realize the struggles and terror that comes with it. If you've learned your lessons and are truly sorry, then you will be turned back. If not... Well you'll just have to stay like this until you do."

And just like that, she turned with a flourish and disappeared into thin air. My morning could not get any crazier, I was sure if it. But, because I wasn't actually sure and was suddenly doubting all logical occurrences in the world, I knocked on the wooden railing. That done, I turned towards Kirk.

He (seriously, do I call us he's or she's now? This is so fucked up) was shaking like a leaf, looking like he'd fall over any moment. I went over to grab him, calm him down, something.

"Shh shh, it's all right, Kirk," I muttered in his ear, awkwardly patting his back. I never thought I'd need to, but it really fucking sucks I can't comfort him any better than this. It was like this sour feeling in my chest that nestled in right next to my heart, whispering how awful I was at this and how he's probably mad at me for getting him into this situation.

Before I could ask him if he wanted to punt me out of a window, though, I heard some shuffling and talking coming from downstairs. James and Cliff were headed up here. As much as I wanted to hide for a week until my fuckin' "lesson" was up, I couldn't exactly drag Kirk into the hall closet in his current state, so I stood my ground.

"Hey, ladies, we do appreciate the service you've done our ugly ass friends, but could you keep the cat fight down until you've left the house?"

Ah, James, the man still didn't know how to talk to women after all this time. He was either too shy to form a sentence, or he put on this macho bravado that turned him into a drink asshole. Either way, this lady was not pleased.

By now I guess the guys had reached the landing Kirk and I were at and saw me hugging him, because Cliff chimed in, "Aww, they've made up! Good! Now, can I ask what exactly you two were telling about so loudly that it woke me and my boy James up? Did Lars do something?"

My back straightened at that, and I turned my head to him indignantly. "I did fucking not!" I retorted, even though apparently this whole situation was my fault. No need for them to know that, though.

"Holy shit, Lars!?!" James screamed.

I sighed. "Hi, Jamie."

----------

Chapter 2

[stevecanmakeanythingnerdy]

Battle #23

Gaunt: Kryptonite ( Side Gene )

Vs.

The Wipers: Youth of America ( Side One )

Gaunt: Kryptonite ( Side Gene )

Gaunt was a pop punk band formed in Columbus, Ohio, in 1991. The band released five albums and a crap ton of singles before splitting in 1998. Actually 5 albums is a bit of a stretch. Sob Story is really more of an extended EP and clocks in Around 20 minutes, but anyway... yeah the 90s Ohio scene was pretty rock and punk and roll. But at the top of that list was New Bomb Turks and these guys. Really almost compliments to each other. NBT was down and dirty, and Gaunt filled in for the poppier and peppier parts. In fact in the earliest days, they shared members with NBT, but it was short lived. They bounced around a few independent labels and one last album was recorded for Thrill Jockey, entitled Kryptonite, and released in 1996. Kryptonite was released with a metallic lime green cover and contained lyrics about Superman, Lois Lane, and lost love. Over the course of the next year, the band began to drift apart, with Wick recording solo material. The band managed to scrape together one more album for record giant Warner Bros when they came sniffing around after Green Day had made it evident that punk rock sells, but they broke up soon after due to little to no support of it. So in the grand scheme of things, their time was brief, but powerful. And in true punk rock fashion, I don’t think the band really gave a crap about any of it. They just played music and had fun. Unfortunately in 2001, lead singer Jerry Wick was hit and killed by a car while bicycling home. It’s sad too, because he was a great songwriter. “Kryptonite” is the lead tune of course. Blast off into the rock and roll Metropolis of garage punk rock and roll. The very thing that made this band cool is that they weren’t afraid to try different things. This one features piano. “Savior Breath” is not only a great pun but another great song as well. That catchy 3 chord stuff lo-fi blast off! Hell yeah! Certainly not gaunt on the rock (#seewhatididthere). “Hope You’re Happy “ is about as punk rock as you can expect to get. This is what it would sound like if NBT did less yelling and sang more harmonies. Horns and $#!t on this number, again utilizing some new tricks with the old. Not immune to the catchy AF pop punk vibe that Green Day had a stranglehold on in the mid 90s comes “Transistor Sister”. It’s a no brainer but a head banger too. There’s even a video for it! “Bust” follows with the breakneck speedy Gonzalez “bust you in your head!” It’s perfectly placed pauses and fuzzed out guitar will leave you wanting more. The last fast track is “Hand in Pants”. Gaunt never lets up and the backing harmonies prevail. This band had something special. They were a band you could respect. Quick, catchy and no frills. Serious but fun all at once. Hook laden and made to order madness. This and Bricks and Blackouts may be one of their most experimental albums. It’s damn good though. R. I. P. Gaunt. Oh! And Of course there’s a “side Gene”. You have to get a Kiss reference in. (The other side is Paul, duh)

The Wipers: Youth of America ( Side One )

Technically just Wipers, but “The” is often attached. Wipers was a punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1977 by guitarist Greg Sage, along with drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. The group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion were hailed as extremely influential by numerous critics and musicians. The band is considered the first Pacific Northwest punk band. Possibly most famous for being both influential to and covered by Nirvana. Greg was interested in music at an early age and has a rather unique perspective on music. His father worked in the broadcast industry so he had access at an early age to a record lathe. He would often study music under the microscope and loved the way it was produced from the record. This gave him a very deep understanding of the way the sound was reproduced. That and Hendrix inspired him to pick up a guitar and the rest is history. Originally they formed just as a recording project. The plan was to record 15 albums in 10 years without touring or promotion. Sage thought that the mystique built from the lack of playing traditional rock 'n' roll would make people listen to their recordings much deeper with only their imagination to go by. He thought it would be easy to avoid press, shows, pictures and interviews. He looked at music as art rather than entertainment; he thought music was personal to the listener rather than a commodity. He is not wrong, but soon shows and touring did happen. Sage has been quoted and remarked on their initial reception: "We weren't even really a punk band. See, we were even farther out in left field than the punk movement because we didn't even wish to be classified, and that was kind of a new territory. ... When we put out Is This Real? ... it definitely did not fit in; none of our records did. Then nine, ten years later people are saying: 'Yeah, it's the punk classic of the '80s'". So this is their second album, and it’s a reaction to the quick short burst of songs all the punk bands were doing in the early 80s. In fact the title track is nearly 10 minutes long! But that’s on the other side. This side contains “Taking too Long” which has highly advanced guitar for a 2nd LP. It’s a serene and peaceful song. Not the BEST Wipers song but still pleasing. “Can This Be” is more the rocking style Wipers fans are used to. Punk elements but wrapped in rock with those fuzz crunch guitars the6 helped stylize. Like a grunge burrito! The dropout bridge and energy are worth the listen alone. For me, the best tune on this side has got to be “Pushing The Extreme”. The Wipers are good at that “haunted melody” sound. You know, kind of creepy sounding but low frequency and underscored by punching bass lines. Accentuated really. I also like the weird phrasing of the word Extreme, it’s partly why Wipers stand out so much. A very loooooooong song though. “When it’s Over” sees Sage showcasing his guitar prowess. Very surfy (another signature of the Wipers sound) and with all of the builds it’s a pretty great piece. Some spoken word but it’s essentially instrumental. These early records have a great cohesion and consistency in their cyclical riffs. Not bad for one of the Northwest’s most influential acts and precursors to the “Seattle sound”.

So it was a real epic battle today of old vs new punk. Well, I guess they’re both old. More like old vs really old? Anyway. Gaunt had a secret weapon on hand, Kryptonite...but will it weaken The Wipers? Gaunt burned 99 calories over 15 minutes and 6 songs. They averaged 16.50 calories burned per song and 6.60 calories burned per minute. They earned 15 out of 18 possible stars. The Wipers tried to engage the youth of America. The Wipers burned 105 calories over 4 songs and 16 minutes. They averaged 26.25 calories burned per song and 6.56 calories burned per minute. They earned 10 out of 12 possible stars. Looks like Gaunt’s Kryptonite worked! They walk away champs today!

Gaunt: “Transistor Sister” (sorry for the piss poor quality but it was the 90s)

https://youtu.be/T7GTSYz1Bmw

#Randomrecordworkoutseasonseven

#Randomrecordworkout

[professorpalmarosa]

I made Fullmetal Alchemist-inspired bath bombs!

Remember how I said that I have a secret side project in the works for this year? Here’s the big reveal: it’s a Fullmetal Alchemist story focusing on a pair of minor characters who only appeared in a light novel (The Land of Sand) and the 2003 version of the series. This guy in particular...

The Unholy Man of the North will be 2003 anime canon-compliant (rather than Brotherhood-compliant) and takes place 1 year after the original series ended. Russell Tringham (a young alchemist who has stolen Ed’s identity before) falls back on old habits, convinces someone he’s Edward Elric...and ends up getting kidnapped by foreigners. Before long, he’s dragged into a political conspiracy to rid the Drachman tsar of his family’s spiritual advisor: a priest the tsar’s brother-in-law believes may be performing some old, occult variant of what Amestris calls alchemy.

While I won’t be releasing this story to anyone other than beta readers until the first draft is complete (I’m about 50,000 words in), I can share a related creative endeavor with you.

Russell and his brother Fletcher created an artificial Philosopher’s Stone (a “Red Stone”) that, while powerful, didn’t quite measure up to the real thing. That had me thinking: what if I made a luxury blend...then intentionally tried to dupe it with ingredients I often use as substitutes? Here’s how it turned out!

Details are listed below, including the recipe if you want to try making “Cruelty-Free Philosopher’s Stones/Red Stones” at home!

Philosopher’s Stone Bath Bomb

Essential Oils:

Frankincense Carteri (2g)

Elemi (1g)

Finger Root (1g)

Clove (1g)

Mandarin (1g)

Cedarwood (Texan) (1g)

Colorants:

Red 40 Blooming Dye (Activated)

Red 23 Blooming Dye (Activated)

Red Oxide

Red Mica (for sparkle)

Look at this pretty color! The pink tint comes from the Red 23--but don’t overdo it! Add too much pink colorant and you’ll be pink too! This is what the mixture looked like before I added baking soda and citric acid.

Red Stone Bath Bomb

Essential Oils:

Frankincense Serrata (2g)

Myrrh (1g)

Ginger CO2 Supercritical (1g)

Cardamom (1g)

Blood Orange (1g)

Cedarwood (Himalayan) (1g)

Colorants:

Red 40 Blooming Dye (Activated)

Red Oxide

Red Mica (for sparkle)

Additional Additives:

Bath-grade pop-rocks (5g)

The first thing to note about the Red Stone blend is that it doesn’t have the splash of pink that the Philosopher’s Stone blend does. This is because I excluded the Red 23 blooming dye and traded it for more Red Oxide. This is what the mix looked like prior to adding the baking soda and citric acid. In person, it kind of looked like half-congealed blood...

The bath water was gorgeous, though! After the froth and foam died down, the color was the exact same shade as the Red Water in the anime! The scents played nicely together and I found myself dozing off in the water.

However, I’m not sure if it was the oils in this bomb or something else--but my sleep suffered after using the leftovers. I woke up from a very vivid nightmare at 2 AM and had to pee (Myrrh can stimulate your kidneys in higher doses, so my sleeping in the bath probably didn’t do me any favors).

Once I returned to bed, it was near impossible to turn my brain off again. It was going into overdrive with ideas and only let me rest again after I wrote everything down. A small silver lining to the nightmare: it did give me some pretty good ideas for the story I’m writing...so at least there’s that?

Now for a bit of good news, the Red Stone didn’t stain me or my tub! Once it went down the drain, the only thing that lingered was the smell. And even that disappeared by 2 AM.

Procedure

Mix wet ingredients (essential oils and carrier oil. For these blends, I used coconut and have some notes regarding that in the “Tips & Safety Warnings” section)

Mix all dry ingredients (300g Sodium Bicarbonate, 15g Cream of Tartar, 5g Kaolin Clay, 5g Rassoul Clay, 10g SLSA, 3g Titanium Dioxide) except Citric Acid (150g)

Mix dry ingredient blend with wet ingredients until color and texture is consistent.

Add Citric Acid and mix evenly.

Pour into molds and allow to cure for 1-2 days

Tips & Safety Warnings

1. NEVER handle essential oils with your bare hands! These chemicals are VERY potent and your body can absorb them through your skin. You should always wear gloves when handling these sorts of projects.

2. Coconut Oil solidifies at room temperature! This means that you’ll need to heat it up when you’re mixing your wet ingredients. If you’re making multiple batches at the same time, it’s also possible your coconut oil will resolidify. I made a poor man’s double boiler in my lab out of a bowl of hot water and just let the containers where I’d mixed my wet ingredients float on top of the water. It kept them in a liquid state until I was ready for them. Of course, you could always substitute for another (easier) carrier like Rosehip or Argan Oil--but I wanted to include this in case you’re using Coconut.

Take a look at the oils I’ve mixed in this photo. See how it’s getting cloudy? That’s the coconut oil resolidfying:

3. Too much Red 23 may stain you and your bathtub! I haven’t had any problems with Red Oxide or Red 40, but Red 23 (which is what gives the Philosopher’s Stone its pinkish hue) and I have a love/hate relationship. It’s a beautiful colorant and a little goes a long way, but it can stain you like nothing else if you overdo it!

4. If you are using mica colorant in your bath bomb, be sure to include a little Polysorbate 80 to your wet ingredients too! Mica can make your bombs sparkle and glitter, but it will stick to EVERYTHING if you don’t add Polysorbate 80!

5. If you plan to make these for yourself or as gifts, please look up contraindications and potential side effects of overexposure to these oils first. Some oils are not safe for children, people with certain medical conditions, or people taking certain medications. Some people may also be allergic to certain ingredients and the scent of myrrh makes some people nauseous (three guesses why it went in the Red Stone blend). Just be cautious and conscientious!

End Result

Here are the two blends side by side. There’s only one Philosopher’s Stone in the image, but it’s rather obvious which one it is thanks to the Red 23.

I’m mildly creeped out by how similar the scent profiles are to the two blends. Sometimes I’ll substitute one of these oils for another when I’m running low in a popular blend, but this was my first time literally using ALL substitutes to make a dupe. Here are my notes:

The first thing you smell in both stones is a rich, luxurious, resin-like scent. This is because both synergies contain Frankincense (which is a resin oil) and a secondary resin oil (Elemi in the Philosopher’s Stone and Myrrh in the Red Stone).

Although both stones contain a citrus oil; you only smell traces of it in the Red Stone and it’s almost nonexistent in the Philosopher’s Stone. There’s two reasons this may have happened. My Blood Orange essential oil is fresher than my Mandarin oil, so it may be more potent. Also, Blood Orange just has a stronger scent profile in general. Mandarin’s an oil I often substitute for Sweet Orange or Tangerine since it plays nicely with a lot of stuff and doesn’t try to steal the show. Blood Orange does.

The Philosopher’s Stone has a peppery bite to it that the Red Stone does not. I suspect the culprit is the Finger Root, which is a “sister smell” to the Ginger I used for the Red Stone blend. Finger Root is a lesser-known oil that I sometimes interchange with Ginger or Turmeric in my synergies. It’s got a slightly earthier smell than Ginger (which is mildly sweet on top of its spice), and packs a bit more heat. It’s also possible that the eugenol content of the Clove Bud oil I used was super high, but the company I got it from didn’t provide a chemical breakdown of the batch. I have no way of knowing.

The Red Stone gives off a weird “burning” smell that the Philosopher’s Stone does not. My guess is it’s the difference between the two Cedarwood oils. Texan Cedarwood (which I used in the Philosopher’s Stone) has a dry firewood smell to it when paired with Sage, but is much milder than Himalayan Cedarwood (which smells a bit more like the “cedar” most people are familiar with). Also, the Red Stone’s secondary resin oil is Myrrh: which can amplify warm smells like Turmeric, Black Pepper, or Cinnamon when mixed in a blend. I think the Myrrh and Himalayan Cedarwood mixed together to cause that effect.

The scent profile is about an 85% match, but that 15% difference puts it almost in an aromatherapeutic uncanny valley: like it’s “not quite right” but close enough to fool someone if they sniffed these two blind and didn’t know they were different blends.

I highly recommend trying both scents out if you aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients. It’s a fun activity, and one I’m hoping to do a live demo for at a convention in the future!

[secretgamergirl]

The Workification of Games

I like games. Quite a bit. Play them constantly. Used to review them for a living. I make them. I’m perpetually tempted to maybe stream them for a new living. But there’s so many times where I look at the stack of new games I haven’t started in on, or ones I’m presently in the middle of, and I just start groaning, because there’s this whole sense of obligation and drudgery and that’s not actually fun, so I avoid playing them. And we kinda need to talk about that.

We’ve had games that are secretly jobs for as long as we’ve had games that aren’t designed to be played in a single sitting, really. At the dawn of time, there was just arcade games. Classic arcade games had no real sense of progress to them. There’s a sense of ADVANCEMENT. You can get better at playing Centipede, and clear more boards, and see more palette swaps, but there’s no real end goal to it, and when you step away from the machine, you know you’re starting over from the beginning the next time you play. The only way there can be any sort of obligation is if you have some personal challenge you set for yourself, like getting to the top of the high score chart at your local arcade maybe. And that’s not something that takes constant effort, that’s just having one really good game one day.

Then later, we got relatively long-form console games. Super Mario Bros. has 32 levels. There’s an implicit goal that you need to plow through all 32 of those levels and save the princess. But still, like the personal high score challenge, any given time you sit down, either you complete the game, or you don’t. Next time you’re starting fresh. You’re taking that challenge on your own terms, whenever you want to, and while learning the game is kind of a thing, there’s no sense that you’re falling behind if you take a break for a while.

Later still, we got the first wave of games that are meant to take more than a sitting. Dragon Quest, Zelda, Metroid, Ultima. There’s still some end goal you’re working towards, but now the expectation is you aren’t just going to sit down and make it or not. You’re going to play the game a while, have some sense you’ve made some progress by gathering stuff or leveling up or whatever, get your password/save the game, and come back to keep chipping away. And hey, at the time, that was novel and cool and kinda made you feel good that you’re always advancing instead of starting from scratch.

RPGs then became kind of a thing. They got longer and more involved. There was a stretch where basically, every 5 years, the amount of time you had to sink into a single RPG to see the ending doubled, until they turned into these 80+ hour Commitments. It isn’t “today I think I’m going to sit down and play Xenogears before dinner.” It’s “this month I’m going to spend like 4 hours between getting home and making dinner playing Xenogears, should be finished by the 30th or so.” And hey, whoops! That’s a job now! In my own personal experience, that was literally a job. I spent some time reviewing games professionally. I was being paid by the article, and seeing the game through before reviewing it was a policy at that outlet, so, yeah. I had to sit down with these big 80 hour epics and slog through them, getting in as many hours as I could each day, just like some people had to go stand behind a counter flipping hamburgers or sit at a desk making phone calls. A full on job.

Now granted, at the time, it was mainly just RPGs that did that, and most people didn’t literally play them for a living. So OK you have your one big PROJECT of a game to slowly chip through and then everything else you’re playing is relatively light. Only relatively though, because hey, RPGs were the first genre to really get LONG, and took it to the greatest extremes, but damn near ALL games in the mid-90s could be counted on to have some main story-progression mode too long to be played in a single sitting, with save files to maintain your progress. And that PROGRESSION creep never went away. Super Mario Odyssey has somewhere around 1000 moons for you to go find before you can say you’re done. That’s a pretty sizeable commitment to plug away at.

And really, even around the late 90s, things were getting pretty bad. Game production started really picking up steam, so it went from “hey like 5 really great games came out this year” to “wow, there are 5 games coming out this month alone I want to play” and all of them are some sort of time commitment. So if that’s how you spend your time, not only is this game you’re playing making the demand that you sink 20-100 hours into it, there’s a stack of games piling up behind it and more on the way. You need to stay on the daily grind or you’ll fall behind and the unplayed stack is going to start getting taller. Gotta keep your head down and work towards that ending if you want to stay on top of new releases and not skip anything.

And then MMOs happened. WOW are those ever obligating! You���re not just buying a game, you’re paying for a subscription. And that means, really, any time you’re NOT spending playing the game, well that’s just throwing your money away. And the games want you to stay subscribed, so they have every incentive to keep you from ever feeling like you’re done, but still want you to feel like you’re getting somewhere. So we’ve got the slow slow grind of leveling up, like once every couple hours you sit there. And the long long quest chains. And the random loot drop based stuff to stall you out and buy more time to add more long quest chains. And oh, the SOCIAL obligations! You’ll have more fun and make more progress if you have a group! But everyone has other obligations in life, so this six hour block from 8 to 2 AM every night, you simply have to be logged in. Can’t do this raid without our best healer. It’s literally a job, but you pay for the privilege!

And that mindset spread. And people started actually researching howto take advantage of human psychology to make everyone feel even more obligated. Gotta have that PLAYER RETENTION. If you aren’t being incentivized to log in every day (here’s your daily log-in bonus!) you might drift away and start something else. You’re not going to stick around for any DLC or in-game purchases or whatever, where people make the real money. Better make it feel like you’re punished if you don’t maintain some minimum daily commitment, really.

And again. This started with RPGs, but it’s just everywhere now. Even games that should be light breezy things, where you just sit down for an hour, play a match, and you’re done, those come with daily log-in rewards and experience bars and stuff you need to unlock just as a matter of course. Can’t just sit down and shoot robots for an hour to relax, you have to be MAKING PROGRESS and working towards unlocking stuff. Gotta be a job. Gotta make it a commitment.

It’s awful. It’s draining. It keeps you from ever really relaxing and having fun, and developers have no real incentive at all to stop doing it, so it’s on us to start identifying it and saying no, and highlighting the games that don’t suck you in like that and you can just have fun.

The one game lately that devours the most of my time right now is Risk of Rain 2. Risk of Rain 2 is pretty damn great. There’s SOME sense of “there is progress still to be made here!” in the form of achievements/challenges left for me to tick off. A LITTLE of that is good, arguably. It rationalizes me playing it still if I can’t fully shake that weird urge to be “productive” with my leisure time, rather than “wasting it” on a game where I’m not advancing or unlocking anything, but the fundamental structure of it is this very arcade-y, somewhat rogue-adjacent game.

If I sit down and play Risk of Rain 2 for an hour, I’m not pushing any sort of progress bar up one damn bit. I’m just in the moment, playing me a quick run. I might have some goal I’m trying to hit with that run. Some little side challenge for an achievement, but whether I actually pull that off is really just going to come down to luck, and I know this probably isn’t going to be the run where I do it. If I do, cool. If I don’t, I’m still having this really intense frenetic little hour here where there’s the excitement of whether I’m going to do great or die quick and start from the beginning again. It’s like the old arcade experience. All I’m working towards is mastery so I can have some bragging rights, but really, I’m going to be as “far into finishing the game” after today’s little session as I was yesterday. Or a week ago. I’d say “or a month before that” but nah there was a big recent patch and I unlocked Acrid that day. Still, it’s just a fun, for its own sake, non-obligatory time. And I can play it with friends if I want to. But nobody falls behind if I play without them in any sense, just, hey, I have company to talk to tonight while I run around shooting space lizards.

And maybe Risk of Rain 2 is not your thing. You like slower paced games, maybe an old school feel? Well then might I suggest you look into the wide wonderful world of randomizers? Whatever your favorite game was 20-30 years ago, odds are surprisingly good that some entrepreneuring hacker in the last 3 years or so has gone and made either a quick little downloadable program, or a website, where you can take that old game, scramble it around, and get a fresh little remixed experience out of it. And this is all an offshoot from the speedrunning community too, so even i that game of yours used to be a big 20+ hour commitment the first time around, NOW there’s randomizer settings to trim out the fat and turn it into something where you’re basically guaranteed to be able to finish the whole thing in like 2-4 hours tops. If this is your first introduction to the concept, here, have a random let’s play to give you an idea how these things go. You get this nice mix of the comfortable and familiar, while still doing something new and exciting for the first time. There’s really no sense of long term obligation since it’s a single sitting thing. And if you finish or you feel stuck, cool, flush that ROM, generate a new one, and you can do it again.

There’s also something just very freeing about just going back to some old game that at one point DID have a big ol’ progress bar to fill up, but you did it and now you can play it without any real goal anymore. The Saints Row games are particularly great for this, because they have a little option to go replay old missions you’ve already done, and a lot of customizability options. So just, hey, load your old save up, give your character a fancy new makeover, switch to a wackier voice, and replay whatever part of the game you remember most fondly. Or crank the radio and drive around exploring the city. Whatever. Relax and enjoy it, it’s a game. It’s fun and relaxing.

As for everything else? All those JOBS you’ve accidentally installed on your hard drive or on your phone or on a shelf in a nice little row of cases? You need to think, really think. “Is this something I’m really enthused about the idea of PLAYING, or is this something I’m looking forward to being DONE WITH?” I mean, not all games that are jobs are miserable and unrewarding. I will crack open an Etrian Odyssey or something like a lobster and suck the meat out of every leg, drawing those maps and finishing those floors in such rough shape I barely make it back to town and have a good time doing it, and that’s fine. But I am SURE right this minute there’s at least one game that you’re playing because you want the closure of saying”hey, I played all the way through Metal Zone 6. Credits rolled.” Or there’s that one where you’re just logging in every day to “do your dailies.” Or some awful thing on your phone where you’re waiting for your action points to fill back up because there’s an Event going this weekend and it’s your only chance for that gacha pull that’ll give you the big boobed princess in her winter vacation alt costume or whatever.

And those are all terrible reasons to be playing a game! Screw it! Quit that soul sucking job! Uninstall it, take it off your mind, enjoy all the extra free time you just opened by doing something you actually enjoy! Real life doesn’t have some completion percentage and if it did, 100%ing every damn game in the world wouldn’t count towards 100%. Those things are just randomly generated side content that don’t count for progression. Which.... OK this is honestly the worst metaphor I could possibly be using, but the point is, games should be fun, not jobs. Don’t work jobs for no reason. That’s just an awful thing to do.

[janiedean]

so admittingly I don't know much about springsteen but your top 5/10 springsteen songs and why?

WELL THEN HERE WE GO (sorry this required a long answer) (also if I start going like ‘this is it bUT IN THIS VERSION NOT IN THAT ONE it’s because actually he has wildly different version of the same song XDDD)

*cough* *drum roll* videos for the first five + links for the others as usual xD

one: the ghost of tom joad

I once ranted about this specific song in detail so here if anyone’s interested, but: it took me years to decide on which one was my favorite overall but then I went for tom joad because it has all. it’s a heartbreaking song that updates one of my favorite ever novels (the grapes of wrath) to current days situations and guys I swear to god the fact that he put to music tom’s speech to his mother in the novel at the end after rehashing the themes in a new light in the rest of it killed me and I want it tattooed, so. tom joad now and always thanks guys. I love this damned song to levels that are embarrassing as hell.

two: no surrender (in the live 75-85 version)

so: no surrender is originally on born in the usa and actually it’s my favorite song from that record regardless - like, it opens side two and I remember that the first time I heard it was on a tape a friend’s dad (haha) had lent me bc he knew I was into bruce and he was too and I turned it to the second side of the tape and played it and I was like holy crap this is it but then I heard the acoustic live version from the following tour and guys. guys. if you ever had friends you fell out of touch with but still remember fondly and/or friendships you know that even if you don’t talk for a while you’ll always be close when you meet again this is.. just… idk it hit me like a punch in the stomach and it never left. I cried every single time he played it live when I went to see him. no regrets. I love this song sfm and the melancholy in the acoustic version just destroys me.

three: for you (acoustic piano version)

I 100% realize this is probably a weird choice for top three, but: this was on his first album and the version on there is pretty damned good - it’s about a guy whose girlfriend tries to commit suicide and reminesces about their relationship - and you’d go like why, but: first of all he has some of his best lines in this (my electric surges free I just sdgsldjl) and the entire last stanza where he goes from where I found you broken at the beach to the end is just a knife into your heart, but this goddamned version here just goes and tears your heart out and stomps on it and I swear if there is one thing I want from bruce is that he plays this in front of me next time I see him live because for now I never managed and just - the slow piano kills me. I love it. the fact that when I asked brian fallon in a tumblr q&a his fave bruce song and he said this specific one just confirmed he’s a true intellectual. ;)

four: drive all night

or: this is the love song. I just. the first time I heard this I fell off the chair or something and it was the studio version which is nowhere near as heartfelt as the live versions and I swear it’s just - it has very lovely lyrics that perfectly balance melancholy and hopeful and don’t make it saccharine, the fucking sax solo destroys me every single goddamned time I hear it and when you get to the end and he says that she has his love heart and soul it’s The Most Heartfelt Thing I Have Ever Heard In My Life Or Close To It and I just, I love drive all night with every inch of my atoms, bye.

five: badlands

I ranted about this extensively yesterday here so I refer you to it for long rant about it, but tldr: this was actually the first bruce song I ever heard knowing it was by bruce - it wasn’t what got me on that train but it still was the first and like… I didn’t understand it for a long time bc my first run-in with bruce was a hit and miss but then I did and like, this song is basically quintessential bruce because it has all his themes rolled up into one, all the good stuff, everything that is good about his music and most of all live it’s a goddamned religious experience. 

so, that was for the top five, but top ten…

six: youngstown (click here for full rant from last year) which was a hard choice but this damned song slays me whether acoustic or electric and I love his use of language and how he built it and how he teaches you things in five minutes pretty much and how the music/mood matches the words in both versions and seems to mean different approaches but still doesn’t change the core of it, and is2g the last two lines and the second stanza and the line he recycled from the mahardige book he inspired himself with when he wrote this are just goddamned out of this world and like this one raised the ladder for years but I just, love it to pieces

seven: rosalita (come out tonight), or: bruce does serious and politics incredibly well but this one is just a delight from beginning to end, it’s fun, I could listen to it for a month without getting tired, it always puts a smile on my face and the entire last part where he tells her to inform her dad he has a record company now so no reason to hate that his daughter is with a moneyless musician is just… so… lovely and fun and lighthearted and I just really love this song a lot ;;

eight: highway patrolman or, there’s no way a top ten bruce songs has no nebraska material from me because nebraska Is A Damn Masterpiece and this one’s my fave off it, but tldr: the utter, absolute way this thing slays you with just voice and guitar and the way he makes you feel about the cop who ends up letting his brother with ptsd from vietnam escape after he accidentally kills someone is out of this world and I just, this one really has a way to make you empathize with the narrator and my heart ;_; (also the movie they made from it which is in that video is really good k viggo mortensen playing the brother with ptsd isn’t leaving me anytime soon)

nine: thunder road (rant attached to the link) or: this one is short and sweet but honest, it’s not The Definitive Love Song To Me just bc drive all night exists. this damned song is a masterpiece in itself. it’s flawless. it has the crescendo, it has the fact that at whichever moment in his life he sings it it works, ‘it’s a town full of losers and I’m pulling out of here to win’ is the most iconic line that ever ended a song or close to it and it’s exactly the kinda love song you wanna hear if you want realistic love song material and just, legendary. okay? legendary.

ten: american skin (41 shots), or: this actually is what got me into springsteen bc I borrowed the live album it was published on originally after my first try with darkness went so-so, I listened to it and was like ‘okay yeah he’s good’, then I got to this one and went like ‘wait a fucking moment this isn’t just good’ (count that I was twelve and understood maybe 1/5th in the english songs I heard), I actually looked it up, went like woah wait aaand listened to it for two weeks straight, bought the record, translated everything by hand, started reading about what the fuck was wrong with the circumstances for which it was written and here I am twenty years later dying over bruce and having been introduced thanks to him to 80% of his country’s societal issues or I’d have had no idea that early in my life. anyway: other than the sentimental value, it’s honestly out of this world good and the live version just nailed it way better than the studio that was released years later and I love bruce a lot, k? k.

thanks for letting me rant ;)

[radiantresplendence]

Big Grill in Little Chaldea - Review

Overview: KP is the best unit of 2019 and she was released back in March. Also it’s only May. 

Kingprotea is the Alterego G of the Sakura Five, a High-Servant composed of multiple Earth Mother Goddesses, particularly everyone’s favorite Beast II, Tiamat, as indicated by her final ascension. 

KP’s kit is unique, encouraging a lot of creative and non-conventional team building due to the versatility of the Alterego class and KP’s own kit. In a lot of ways, she’s self-sufficient out of the box, boasting a power level that is essentially unchallenged by other units in the game, without even taking into account her active skills or Noble Phantasm. I consider her the best Alterego in the game, at least for most situations. 

Generally speaking, her kit is pretty simple almost deceptively so when you take into account her unique self-buffs, widely-varying in length cooldowns, and situational buff procs. Essentially, she’s a bruiser-type unit who can take and deal significant amounts of damage. 

Under the Hood: Kingprotea is a Buster unit, boasting two single-hit Buster cards, two triple-hit Arts cards and a lone triple-hit Quick card. Her extra attack hits six times. She has a Buster Noble Phantasm that is area of effect and shares some level of similarity to Ishtar’s Noble Phantasm in that it has a low scaling, but regardless can deal serious damage. 

Generally speaking, KP fits in well with almost any Buster team, although, I would personally discourage the choice to use her with Osakabe. 

Kingprotea’s stats are monstrous. She boasts the second-highest attack stat in the game, a whopping 13835 at level 90 with silver Fous. She’s no slouch in terms of HP either, with a 14338 pool at level 90, but that starting point is largely negligible for our headpat goddess. 

Generally speaking, all of KP’s cards are awesome, save for her lone Quick card, which honestly isn’t even that bad. 

Passive Skills: KP is honestly overloaded in this department. In my opinion, she has the best set of passives currently in game. Every single one, roughly equates to a relatively generic Craft Essence of decent potency.

Mad Enhancement A+ is starting off extremely strong. An 11% Buster up for free on a Buster unit makes most Merlin targets jealous. This is most often found in Berserkers, who balance their offensive power with a certain level of frailty, KP doesn’t share that general weakness.

Independent Action B is probably KP’s weakest passive. An 8% free boost to critical damage really isn’t a bad boon at all, as we’ve been in a crit meta since Merlin was released, but KP really isn’t a crit unit. With that in mind, she totally can take good advantage of this, depending on your team. 

Territory Creation EX is extremely strong. Honestly, most units would kill to have KP’s passives up to this point. A 12% boon to Arts performance at all times, turns KP’s Arts cards from “good” to “very good.”

Divine Essence A is KP’s defensive skill. 25% debuff resistance makes her just a little more robust and reliable and 250 free damage on every attack is nice, even if it largely won’t make too much of a difference at high-level content. I guess at least it adds up over time?

Active Skills: At first glance, KP’s actives are odd, but upon closer inspection, they are both potent and grant good synergy with the rest of her kit. 

Huge Scale C is one of KP’s id_es skills. This grants her a unique “Infinite Growth” buff that grants her stacking max HP buffs with a permanent duration every turn. These buffs start at 2000 HP and at max level reach 3000. KP can stack up to 10 of these for a max boon of 30000 HP. This acts as faux-healing of sorts and it also fuels some of her other abilities. It has a 10 turn CD. 

Infantile Regression C is KP’s internal engine of sorts. It eats her “Infinite Growth” buff and any stacks that she has acquired in order to give her a turn of skill haste and grant her NP charge based upon the number of stacks she consumed. The NP charge ranges from 10 to 20% per stack, resulting in a maximum NP charge effect of 200%. It winds up with a 5 turn CD. 

Monstrous Strength EX is an excellent self attack buff. 40% for 3 turns on a 5 turn CD is nothing to scoff at, especially with a skill haste effect. With certain compositions, it becomes possible for two of these buffs to be active at once, granting our headpat goddess a nightmarish 80% attack up atop the unit with the second highest attack stat in the game. This is without taking into account other party members, as this can be easily achieved with KP and the Atlas Academy Mystic Code. (Oh pardon me, I’m getting ahead of myself.)

Noble Phantasm: 

Airavata King Size: The Colossal Figure Coming Out From The Ocean of Life

E Rank, Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm

KP headpats the enemy party. If they’re not dead, she consumes her stacks and pats them again. If she needs a little more oomph, she waits a turn after the consumption. 

This attack is a 5 hit Buster NP. It increases own Buster performance between 20 and 60% depending upon overcharge and if KP has so much as a single stack of growth when activated, it grants her an additional 20% Buster buff. Both of these buffs last the turn and KP is capable of Buster Brave Chaining. 

This Noble Phantasm is very very good and provides perfect explanation for KP’s surface level weirdness. 

Bond 10 CE: 

These Are, Both Arms of Full of... is a perfect CE for KP. Depending on your choice of usage of her, it may not always be optimal but, no matter how you use her, it is quite potent. This CE increases her Buster performance by 20% and additionally increases her attack by 20% if she has at least one stack of growth. With this CE equipped and without any additional party members, KP can Buster Brave Chain with an 100% attack buff and a 71% Buster performance buff while boasting base attack second only to Alterjeanne. 

Tips and Tricks: 

KP is incredibly hard to claim a definitive means of use for. She can solo, she can be a primary damage-dealer, she can be a crit unit, she can be an NP spammer... honestly, she can fill a lot of roles. Consequently, claiming a best CE for her can be tough, as it depends on what you want her to do. In general, her bond CE probably has the best effect for economy, challenged only by The Black Grail (especially if you want her to NP spam.)

I like to use her to fight Riders, who can sometimes discourage conventional support-type units. A typical comp includes Florence (shout out to @acclerated-railgun) and some sort of tank, typically her sister-Alterego Passionlip. A very good argument could be made for Leonidas, especially if you happen to have his Bond CE. Essentially, Florence and the Tank keep everything running smoothly while KP winds up to give headpats of destruction, powered by Angel’s Outcry and sometimes with a nice bounty of crit stars. Mashu is also an excellent choice. 

With Merlin and Tamamo you can create a potent NP spammer that is entirely overloaded with buffs. Tamamo’s party skill haste and KP’s own haste skill enables the 80% attack up (or 100% with Merlin) that I mentioned earlier and you can combine that with The Black Grail’s NP damage boon, with the demerit all but entirely mitigated by infinite growth. The result is a KP who can consistently hit like the Beast she is partially derived from and with party upkeep and defense options that resemble a dedicated stall team. 

Waver and Andersen legitimately go with anything. If the only rare unit that you happen to have is KP, Andersen + Merlin is a top tier Buster-Crit support set up that will enable her. 

If you’re really going for broke, Shakespeare isn’t a bad unit to pair her with, although the previously mentioned units are all better picks. 

She works decently well with fellow Sakuras, Passionlip and Summer BB. Where Passionlip tanks and heals and Summer BB controls and enables broken KP Buster Brave Chains. 

In terms of Mystic Codes, Fragments of 2004 is an excellent choice, particularly in tandem with her Bond CE and/or a Leonidas tank for optimal application of the stars from Thermopylae Enomotia. 

The Atlas Academy Uniform freely enables the attack shenanigans that I mentioned before, I’d recommend it when trying to solo with a CE like Duke of Flames or Demonic Bodhisattva. (Less optimal for that regard is Before Awakening and even worse at that is Steel Training.) 

The Arctic Chaldea Uniform is a great choice for general application, though it is the hardest Mystic Code to level.

KP is weak to buff removal, so running her with Tamamo and Tropical Summer can help mitigate that. 

The Chaldea Combat Uniform, New Years and Chaldea Uniform are also viable for less niche reasons. Also Anniversary Blonde, because Buster. 

Recommended CEs: 

Her Bond CE and The Black Grail are probably the most optimal. Throwing a Crit CE if you’re trying a crit build with likely be beneficial. I would personally recommend Knight’s Pride as she has more than enough HP to offset the defense demerit. 

I personally think you should try and focus on NP damage, as her NP scaling is low and you want to fire her NP as often as possible when trying to do damage, even in crit-focused teams. 

With that in mind, anything that buffs Buster or attack in general is likely at least usable on her. 

Any CEs I mentioned earlier are also good choices, especially in the context I mentioned them. 

Conclusion: If there was ever a Servant to Grail for gameplay, KP is it. She can literally make the most of any base attack increase with her own absurd self-buffing. 

She’s also an adorable giant headpat goddess with a completely distinctive sprite. 

Also her kit is so unique that using her feels completely different from every other unit in the game. Even other high damage units or AoE Alteregos don’t feel anything like Kingprotea. 

In a lot of ways, you can really just try stuff with her, a lot of it works a lot better than you’d think it would on the surface. 

She’s really good fun honestly, and I can’t recommend her enough. 

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

COMMANDER LILITH

THIS NEWS @ ME AND THE VINE COMP

LETS GOOOOOOOOO

BEST NEWS FIRST

IT’S SUPPOSEDLY FREE AND COMING OUT NOT THE 11TH BUT THE 9TH LIKE THIS MONTH THE 9TH LIKE IN 4 DAYS

I FEEL BAD FOR THE PEOPLE GOING TO E3 CAUSE NOW THEY CAN’T PLAY THIS DLC UNTIL THEY GET HOME, F IN CHAT FOR THE BOYS

HOLY SHIT THIS IS REAL OKAY

EVERYBODY STAY CALM

SANCTUARY IS UNDER SIEGE

TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW, BABY

THE VAULT MAP HAS BEEN STOLEN

OH WE’RE OFFICIALLY CALLING IT THE VAULT MAP NOW, OKAY, CALYPSO TWINS CONFIRMED TO HAVE TAKEN OUR OLD KEY

YOU KNOW WHAT’S NOT CONFIRMED WHATEVER THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH ALL THESE GODDAMN PLANTS

YOU GUYS REMEMBER THAT OLD CANCELED TPS DLC? OF COURSE YOU DO, THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE APPARENTLY USING AS A BASE FOR THIS ONE

REMEMBER THE “INFECTED” STATUS EFFECT? WELL, I’M ASSUMING THAT’S WHAT THE TOXIC GAS IS

“A DERANGED VILLAIN HELL-BENT ON RULING THE PLANET” SO WE’RE NOT FIGHTING THE CALYPSO TWINS?! SOMEONE UNDER THEM??? I ALMOST WANT TO BELIEVE IT’S SOMEONE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT- JUST SOME RANDOM ASSHOLE WHO WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD AND THE TWINS SHOW UP AT THE END OF THE DLC AND WIPE HIS ASS OFF THE MAP FOR US AND YOINK THE VAULT MAP THAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS AWAY FROM UNDER US

NEW LEVEL CAP 80?? HOLY FUCK?????? AND WE CAN START PLAYING IMMEDIATELY AT LEVEL 30 OH MY GOD I COULD KISS WHOEVER DECIDED THAT WAS NECESSARY I LOVE YOU

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OP LEVELS? AM I GONNA BOP IN WITH MY OP8 ZER0 AND END UP FIGHTING ENEMIES AT LEVEL 88 WHEN I FINALLY LEVEL UP??? WHEN MY GEAR IS LEVEL 80 (AS THAT’S WHAT OP8 DOES) BECAUSE OH MY SWEET JESUS I DON’T WANNA GRIND MY HIDE OF TERRA AGAIN AHHGGGGGG

okay im gonna take a breath now

we’re calm

we’re good. this is good, we’re okay, i have to type everything 5 times over so its coherent but you know what this is okay this is happening, we’re cool.

i have to be the bearer of bad news as well but i don’t know if those screencaps of the ship from bl3 are what we’re seeing here in the new dlc (as much as I want to be right lmao). the screencaps of the ship definitely seemed like a insect infestation, not a plant one, ya know?

THEY’RE TURNING THE CARS GAY

or at least like... Buttstallion themed... check out the little horseshoe emoticon in the back there

but it’s pride month, they totally knew what they were doing and the fact that pre-ordered copies of bl3 apparently get a buttstallion themed skin for their ...gear... guns..? iirc... that means we can have gay guns in bl3, too. gearbox is treating us so fucking right, thank you

anyway the location the car is in looks like the highlands or a hammerlock’s big game hunt-type area. mossy/grassy with boulders in the background.

it looks almost like uranus spawns in right at the start of the dlc! which is awesome, and now i understand why they boost you to 30 before you start.

im verrrryyyy interested in that shot of Sanctuary up in the sky there. you can see the drill, its surrounded by a cloud of dust, it looks like its falling to pieces. i also don’t know where exactly this screenshot takes place but my first thought was the eridium blight (because of the mountain in the back) but that wouldn’t match the sky at all. I then thought maybe the ruins of helios? but we would be able to see more rocks and shit around the edges. then i was all “maybe the highlands”? the rock would match as it has grass growing on top, and sanctuary is very close to overlook, so it’s definitely possible. im gonna say somewhere near the highlands, yeah. the WEP and Opportunity are both fairly near there and it does have some pretty mountainous areas... so. maybe the highlands.

it looks like the giant vines are reaching up towards sanctuary so i retract my previous statement. i don’t think that’s dust. i think they’re drilling away at the plants trying to grow up to it lol

“Shooting the Moon” makes me think this has something to do with Elpis (not a surprise, if you realize the dlc they’re basing this off of is an old TPS dlc called Luxy’s Space Adventure where a bunch of mutated plant people end up on the space-cruise ship) 

honestly i’m really fucking hoping they bring back the flamethrower for the final boss (elon musk’s..?)

an area where we can see exactly what this space-cruise ship was supposed to look like

we also know in the dlc that the disease was spread by some space pirates, so i don’t know if that’s going to be the case here (they board the cruise ship and start spreading disease). Loader bots are apparently ‘Hacked’ so it’s probably not Hyperion we’re going at again. I could see them throwing the space pirates at us, tho maybe changing the guys a little bit so it’s not too much like Captain Scarlett. 

there is this boss character and that logo on the bottom, possibly a logo for who we’re going to fight in the new dlc? Interestingly enough, she’s got the red and black color scheme, too. cough troy cough. god them having space pirate as a backstory would be fucking AWESOME

i have been going thru the concept art album here if you want to take a look for yourself and tbh

this pic got me thinking about that “Atlas ice cream shop” prompt the VA for lorelei released 🤔

anyway, moving on from old dlc to what’s new! because lord knows they must’ve changed a lot lol

the infected psychos on the title art

also, correct me if im wrong, but it looks like lily is standing in 2 places at once- flying sanctuary on the right and three horns divide on the left

anyway

uranus looks a lot more DAHL themed than i originally noticed, like yeah he looks like saturn, but check that color scheme. may be the work of the new baddies.

this logo may hold some importance, but i can’t recall ever seeing something like it before.

so this minimap

lucky me i extracted all the textures from bl2 a couple days ago

im very pleased to say this doesn’t look like any minimap we’ve been shown so far, although i did a very quick glance through, so if you guys recognize it, please tell me!!

i can’t believe they made the guns sparkly and gay. Thank you gearbox. fucking thank you.

the area sal is in reminds of that one place in frostburn canyon, but i doubt that’s actually where he is. likely a new area we haven’t discovered yet!!

lily

the background is uhhh disgusting, but it is giving me WEP vibes, with the windmill/lighthouse (wherever that area is where you find maya’s ECHO log) and the walls. though the texture of the ground is giving me hammerlock’s hunt vibes.

anyone know why her wings are giving off the digital pixel look angel’s did? like the digistruct vibe?

weird.

tina! she’s clearly playing a big part in this dlc. wondering if pickle and athena are also around. I don’t think this is sanctuary. the big wall in the back. perhaps where the vines are actually growing from below the mining ship?

would then pin this as somewhere near overlook.

brick! looks to be the same-ish area as tina (if the buildings have anything to say about it)

honestly the people in the ground is killing me lol. person on the left seems like some random civilian..? he’s just got pants and loafers on. maybe the cruise ship crashed on pandora and the pirates aboard are taking their changes lol

doubtful, though, considering the plan seems premeditated with the huge cloud of toxic gas and shit

now I’m just wondering if the reason the CoV psychos are wearing those respirator-like masks is because the twins showed up with them and were like “if you wear these ‘blessed masks’ when you go to fight the plant shit, you won’t die. yeah, we’re gods. join our cult lmao”.

im just really curious how this ties into the CoV. I imagine either the twins are working with the (new?) villain somehow, or they end up stealing the Vault Map away from us (and possibly killing the bad guy first) at the very end of the DLC. I do want to entertain the idea that they’re like “hey!!! we can help!!!” and then end up betraying us right at the end and toppling Sanctuary for good and taking the key.

alright, that’s all i’ve got. I’m gonna go scream into my pillows now until the 9th happens. 

btw, season 1 of vip stuff happens TOMORROW (the 6th!). hype!!!

edit:

lilith’s digistruct pack has a red accent on it now

im wondering if this is some sort of projection of Lily since her wings have the weird pixels...

[kuciradio]

As 2018 is coming to an end it’s time to reflect on this amazing year for new music and artistry. KUCI is a diverse group of DJs and we are proud to represent all genres of music. I have finally put together our Top 10 albums of 2018 along with some honorable mentions towards the end accompanied by some lovely words written by our fellow DJs. We can’t wait for what 2019 brings for us and continue tuning in on kuci.org or 88.9 FM if you’re in the Orange County area. Have a safe and happy new year!

1. Mitski - Be The Cowboy

“Mitski Miyawaki’s powerhouse voice resonates with a haunting clarity on her stunning masterpiece Be the Cowboy. She creates entire worlds and characters out of pieces of herself, from paranoid, awkward women who yearn for traditionalism and some idealist version of what life or love should be (hello “Lonesome Love”), to cowgirls who can do it all on their own. From sorrowful to triumphant, Mitski colors the spaces in between from soul-bearing ballad “Geyser” to unforgettable dancing-alone-in-your-bedroom anthem “Nobody.” (Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp)

“This album was so personal and raw and I also liked how the songs flowed well on this album.” (Heidi Barragan)

2. The Internet - Hive Mind

“I can't talk about this album without mentioning how mad I am at myself for missing the tour. Syd, Pat, Steve, Matt, and Chris, The Internet, are prominent figures of musical evolution; this speaks volumes and not just because they got their start with Odd Future, a hub of avid freeform artists. If you’re inclined to believe what I believe, Ego Death is a heartbreak album and Hive Mind is loaded with recovery anthems and passionate songs to share with your new partner who is not a rebound. Across the timeline, the sounds change from R&B and Hip-Hop to Funk and Soul; but what captures my attention the most, from Ego Death to Hive Mind, is the way a facade is casted aside. Hive Mind is just so sincere and therefore, perfectly fitting for being a part of my top three.” (Thorson Munoz)

“[This album] is a very funky album with heavy tones of R&B. The Internet does not disappoint with their funky sounds, which can be heard on “La Di Da”. Overall the album has powerful baselines, thanks to the amazing Steve Lacy, and groovy beats backed by Syd’s smooth vocals. It is hard to listen to this album and not dance along to it.” (Melissa Palma)

3. Kali Uchis - Isolation

“Colombian singer Kali Uchis’ long-awaited debut album is a high-production value journey into her uniquely sultry, dreamy world of R&B. The songstress’s silky voice pushes boundaries of various genres, from bossa-inspired intro “Body Language” to the Amy Winehouse-esque “Killer,” each track better and more of a banger than the last. Isolation features artists like The Internet guitarist Steve Lacy, British soul success Jorja Smith, and reggaeton icon Reykon. Uchis also recruited her friends Tyler, the Creator and legendary bassist Bootsy Collins for the hit single “After the Storm,” a follow-up to her and Tyler’s song “See You Again” from his 2017 album Flower Boy (supported by a stunningly whimsical music video by director Nadia Lee Cohen). The producer credits are just as stacked, including the likes of Thundercat, BROCKHAMPTON’s Romil Hemnani, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn. Uchis proves herself as the new sound of pop, never veering from her originality that made her a Soundcloud sweetheart.” (Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp)

4. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

“She’s such an intelligent creative weirdo and I LOVE HER. Not to mention her oozing femme POWER.” (Naseem Eskandari)

“About the moxie I mentioned earlier, this emotional rollercoaster has an abudnace of it and I cannot get enough! Cover to cover this album packs a punch, and as the visual companion--which brought me to tears--would suggest, this entire album is a celebration of deviant bodies and identities. This album contains the perfect ratio of soft and tender tracks and upbeat exciting ones so its no wonder why NPR named Dirty Computer their number one of 2018.” (Thorson Munoz)

5. Anderson .paak - Oxnard

“Sometimes artists, after huge successes, feel that they need to make music that sounds just like their previous work to gain the same traction, but really the true artists are the ones that stay honest and true to their creative ability - their sound moves through life with them.” (Naseem Eskandari)

“Anderson .Paak, to me, is responsible for every playlist I've ever built that revolves around driving in Los Angeles with the windows down, no matter the time of day. However, I don't drive a convertible, so instead I honored Venice and Malibu using my radio program, Detours. Not only am I excited to honor Oxnard as well, but Oxnard was built for driving; this is evident after listening to "Tints", the first release, and "Headlow". This album, just like Malibu, is masterful; the only difference is that Dr. Dre stepped out of the shadows and was a feature. Oxnard is beyond incredible and worthy of it's legendary features, Snoop Dog, Q-Tip, and Kadhja Bonet, to name a few. I'm really excited for what will likely be Anderson .Paak's next Grammy nomination.” (Thorson Munoz)

6. Blood Orange - Negro Swan

“AMAZING production, amazing narrative!!!!!!!” (Angel Cortez)

“Dev Hynes never fails to make master pieces of albums that narrate the experience of marginalized people in an oppressive and toxic environment. Hynes brings together artists as big as ASAP Rocky to smaller artists of equal talent such as Steve Lacey creating a beautiful medley of indie hip hop to soul and funk.  Coupled with interviews, Hynes is able to make this album a personal experience for the listener. For me it always feels as though he is singing to me personally, something that not many artists are able to do.” (Kelsey Villacorte)

7. Kevin Krauter - Toss Up

“Toss Up has to be my personal #1 favorite album of 2018 by Kevin Krauter who began making music apart from lo-fi dream pop band Hoops in 2015. Toss Up was released this past summer and was the perfect album to listen to during warm summer nights and has carried through to the end of the year as a comforting reminder of those warm times during these cold nights. It has that dreamy, nostalgic feeling, something that you would listen to as you’re reflecting on the tender moments of your life. Krauter mixes vaporwave-esque sounds with sweet ballads with no one song sounding like the other.” (Kelsey Villacorte)

8. MGMT - Little Dark Age

“MGMT's come-back album is focused, synthy, and fresh. Without abandoning the dark undertones present in their older albums, this album reflects the band's personal growth and resonates with fans, old and new. Tracks like TSLAMP and Little dark Age are some of my favorites!” (Angelica Sheen)

“MGMT has maintained their status as an alternative staple and has since transformed their sound into something more experimental since their debut album Oracular Spectacular. MGMT did not disappoint and gave us an album that went from the weird wii-fit/dystopian vibes of She Works Out To Much to 80s dance of Me and Michael to another sweet ballad titled Hand It Over which is super reminiscent of the ending/title song of their second album Congratulations. MGMT never fails to write well thought out lyrics that all almost feel like their own story. All in all, they did not disappoint and this is exactly the kind of MGMT album I was hoping for after a 5 year hiatus.” (Kelsey Villacorte)

9. Ian Sweet - Crush Crusher

“Jilian Medford refines IAN SWEET’s sound and practices self-care on sophomore album Crush Crusher, her most intimate release yet. Medford rediscovers her identity as she considers how much of herself she has forgotten while preoccupying herself with being a guardian to others (she warbles “The sun built me to shade everybody” on “Holographic Jesus”). Ever poetic while satisfyingly straightforward, she notes that “It’s been too long since I let myself cry about something that wasn’t even sad” on the pummeling single “Spit.” She coos, squeaks, and screams in perfect, dissonant harmony over her guitar’s cathartically melancholic reverb. IAN SWEET remains a perfect contradiction that only grows sweeter.” (Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp)

10. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!

“This band's genius shows through with every new release. Wide Awake throws all of their influences together and expels energetic funk beats with poignant, dark, and brutal lyrics that are especially political. The juxtaposition of these themes with upbeat and optimistic instrumentals speaks to their compositional talent, making it a fan favorite. AND THEY USE COWBELLS.” (Angelica Sheen)

Honorable Mentions:

Glenn Crytzer Orchestra, "Ain't it Grand?"

This album couldn't have been better aimed at me if the band had come and asked me what I wanted to hear.  A modern swing-style orchestra performing both classic tunes from the 1930s and modern pieces written in the big band style.  The ensemble playing is tight, the solos just exactly right, and the production quality a lot sharper than any of the original Duke Ellington recordings.  Top notch stuff. (Michael Payne)

The Vaccines - Combat Sports

"The Vaccines brought back the spirit and energy of their debut album but with a new twist when they released their 4th album early in 2018. Get pumped up with the "I Can't Quit" and "Nightclub" or settle down with  "Maybe (The Luck of the Draw)" or "Young American". The Vaccines perfectly embody the sound and snark of the '70s and '80s artists of which their influenced while still creating a modern feel of the 2010's. My personal favorite off the album "Out on the Street" definitely a treat live! Over all Combat Sports is an excellent album and what we needed in 2018." (Stacey Brizuela)

Cobra Man - Toxic Planet

“Los Angeles local duo Cobra Man blows it out of the water with their sophomore album that carries the heart and groove of something you'd hear out of '84. It is indeed one of the best albums of the year because it utilizes one of the most underrated instruments in the game, the saxophone.” (Spartacus Avina)

Nu Guinea "Nu Guinea"

Heaven & Earth by Kamasi Washington is an album that’s loud and bold in both sound and vocals. A lot of the album often creates an ethereal effect with the heavy instrumentals ascending into a grand peak, most notably heard on “Street Fighter Mas”. The vocals on the album accompany the instrumentals in their same form, loud and climaxing. Listening to this album is like a rollercoaster with its thrilling jazz sounds. (Melissa Palma)

Drug Church - Cheer

Mac Miller - Swimming

“The tragic beauty of this album speaks for itself. Mac was such a raw and very real individual and it reflects in his music the way that many others cannot replicate. May he rest in peace - I hope the next life will be better for him.” (Naseem Eskandari)

Thank you to all the amazing DJs who submitted their Top 10 list of 2018! I am super glad to have been part of an amazing and diverse radio station for this past year and this is only a small piece of what our DJs music tastes are like here. I hope everyone has an incredible and safe New Years Eve and a happy 2019 :)

-Kelsey Villacorte (Music Director)

[jewishlensnart]

So it’s the holiday season, which in a lot of households means presents. You know who has more merch than almost any other Flash villain (1. being Reverse Flash as of my last count)? Captain Cold!

Have a Len lover in your life? Need to give your family gift ideas? Peep this list, y’all!

I used to own...basically everything with Len on it. I had the largest Flash collection in the southern US until about 3 years ago, when I sold the vast majority of it, and gave away even more. These reviews come from in-hand experience. Let’s start with the Original Lad:

DC Direct Captain Cold

Holy macaroni, was this figure terrible. Yes it was comic-accurate at the time, but you could not pose it, you could not keep it standing, and the face when you removed the glasses? Nightmare fuel. Still, it was a figure from 2001, and they really were doing their best, so I’d have to rate this guy a 2 out of 5.

These next two came out around roughly the same time, but could not be more different in quality. First up, DC Direct Justice Captain Cold

Strictly speaking, this figure was beautiful. Yeah it was in the hyper-realistic style of Alex Ross, who I’ve never been a fan of, but it was toned down in a way that made it less uncanny valley. The figure had stubble painted on, and if you removed the hood (which you technically could but shouldn’t), he had hair under there! But still, this was a DC Direct figure from 2008, so it had all the same flaws that a figure from that time period tended to have: absolutely a bitch to pose, hard to keep upright without the base (I let mine lean against the wall whenever I needed the base for even more precarious figures), joints prone to snapping if you worked him too hard. Still, by far my favorite of the DC Direct/Collectibles Len figures, if not my favorite full-size figure. 4.5 of 5.

Meanwhile in big box stores across the nation, DC Universe Classics was releasing their best wave yet, wave 7. Man, I had that whole thing aside from Aquaman; Big Barda, Flash, Kid Flash, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, and of course, Captain Cold

This is the ugliest Len figure. Hands down, the least visually appealing. Which is a shame, because it’s also one of the best! Completely comic accurate until you hit the upper torso/head area, a ridiculous amount of articulation, with the single best cold gun of any of these figures...but jfc that expression. The weird poncho/hood always bothered me too, because while it was almost comic accurate, something just threw it off the track and made it look more ridiculous than cool. 3.5 out of 5.

After the New 52 hit, DC Collectibles released 2 Captain Cold figures in rapid succession, one that was packaged alone, and one that came as part of a 7-figure set

Can you spot the differences? There’s just one: the Len from the 7-figure set is in a dark blue suit, and doesn’t come with the ice mace and ice dagger. Like all DC Direct figures before them, these DC Collectibles figures are pretty to look at, but offer very little in the way of articulation. They could be hard to keep upright, which was annoying, as neither came with a stand, and do not try to take off the hood. Nothing under there. Still, they were very pretty depictions of a popular redesign, so I feel alright giving these guys a 3 of 5.

DC Collectibles spat out a final Len figure for the CWverse line back in 2015

As a big fan of Wentworth Miller and his face, I feel this figure could have been better. I mean, I’ve seen Arrowverse figures that are spot on, and this one just is not. Maybe it’s because the goggles obscure a good portion of the face, I don’t know. That being said, I love this figure, and it’s actually one I re-bought at a convention recently, along with the Heatwave figure from the same line, that hadn’t been released when I’d started selling off all of my toys. The costume is show-accurate, the figure comes with an extra set of hands, and the gun is just really cool. This is a solid 4 of 5 figure.

These next toys aren’t action figures per say, as they don’t do much in the way of action, but they’re cute and I like them, for the most part.

Funko took over the market and the world back in 2010 when it first introduced the Pop Vinyl figures, but it took a hit TV show to get Flash villains other than the Reverse Flash into production. There are 3 Captain Cold Funko products currently out, the two Pop Vinyls and a Re-Action figure

Now, I love the first Pop Vinyl. The round, lifeless black eyes of the Pops have freaked me out for a long time, but with Len in his sweet goggles, this Pop is perfect for me. I actually have him on a shelf in my closet. The variant...look, I like how they included the actual real-life hairline Wentworth Miller has, but those creepy eyes just kill it for me. The Re-Action figure, by the way, is garbage. They’re supposed to be based on the lines of toys that came out back in the 80s, but all that means to me is little to no articulation, weird molds that look nothing like the character they’re supposed to be, and few if any accessories. Why is he wearing a tie??? Just. The worst. 5 of 5 for Pop 1, 3 of 5 for Pop 2, and 1 of 5 for the Re-Action figure.

There are a bunch of figures that came out before Funko’s reign that have little to no articulation, and here they are:

Action League Citizen Cold, from the Batman: The Brave and the Bold line

I love a good boy??? 5 of 5, absolutely perfect. No you can’t pose him, but he already comes in a dynamic, interesting pose. This is my absolute favorite of all the non-poseable figures, and I miss mine all the time.

Imaginext, a line of toys for very young superhero fans, made a New 52 Captain Cold a few years back

Honestly, Imaginext toys are ridiculous, and I love every single one of them. They’re great toys for little kids, and yeah, Len is completely bald underneath that hoodie and ice gun backpack, but he has a snowball cannon to compensate with, so who’s the real loser?! 5 of 5, beautiful.

Did you kno w that back in 2011, McDonalds put out a line of Happy Meal Young Justice toys featuring Captain Cold??? Did you want to know? Too bad, you know now.

My dad’s dog chewed up his ice projectile, rendering the actual immobile figure completely useless...but I still really like it??? Like, it’s a toy that came with food that I sweet-talked the counter guy into giving me. It’s a worthless little nothing of a toy...but I still like it. 3 of 5.

Pocket Heroes were a weird little line of 3-inch figures that came in two-packs. One of those packs contained Flash and Captain Cold

You can basically only move their arms and legs, and while this figure comes with a cold gun and a remarkably ripped set of abs and pecs, the design never really appealed to me. 2.5 out of 5.

I collected MiniMates once upon a time. 2.5 inch figures that were basically fancy LEGOs? Deal me in! ViniMates are uh. Not that.

ViniMates are 6-inch figures and I Do Not Like Them. Being made of vinyl makes them almost completely free of articulation, so the post you get them in is the one they stay in. Also, this one is based on the show-interpretation of Len and it seems to be smoldering at me. Don’t like that. 1 out of 5.

On the other end of the vinyl spectrum, the Mini-Mezitz line from Mezco is simply delightful.

Mini-Mezitz were 2-inch figures with articulation in their arms, legs, and neck joints. I love mine, and they have been hanging out on the top of my bookcase for like 7 years now. 4 out of 5, absolutely weird-dorable.

Eaglemoss once put my blog on the front page of their website without telling me, back when I was actively snapping pictures of my Flash collection. The Eaglemoss lead figures, once you get past the fact that yes, these dudes are made of painted lead so maybe handle with care, are a good staple in any collection. Captain Cold got two

Both Eaglemoss figures came with information booklets about Captain Cold, though the chess piece New 52 version focused almost solely on his New 52 history. They’re both very detailed, and I really like them. 3.5 out of 5.

I never watched Thomas the Tank Engine as a kid...but I saw this weirdass thing in a HomeGoods one day and just kinda. Stopped and stared.

He’s a train. Len is a train now. Don’t like it. 1 out of 5.

So there’s this company called Kotobukiya. They’re most famous for their bishoujo statues, but they make guys too. I had the Flash Kotobukiya statue, back in the day. I was not collecting Flash stuff when they made a Captain Cold one.

I’m actually apparently getting this as a gift from my boyfriend for Hanukkah. He finally got access to my wishlist. This statue is based on the Francis Manapul New 52 redesign, and it is what we call Big Sexy. Frankly, I give it a 5 out of 5.

No offense to Wentworth Miller, but my favorite Captain Cold TV appearance is always going to be his role in the JLU episode, Flash and Substance.

The JLU figures were all godawful, but hell if we as a fandom didn’t gobble them up back in the day. I had all the available Rogues, Len, Heatwave, Captain Boomerang, Weather Wizard, “Justice Lords Flash” (who was really just Reverse Flash, let’s be real), Mirror Master...it’s the most complete set of Rogues you can get, actually. But they were terrible figures; the Dorito-like shape of the shoulder to waist ratio combined with the narrow feet of the figure guaranteed that these toys would not stay upright without a stand. They had no articulation, and most came without weapons. But you could get three-packs of them in Target for like $12, and they were designed with children in mind, so. 3.5 out of 5, because frankly, the Timmverse designs will always tug at my nostalgia strings.

Captain Cold is available in two official LEGO forms

The first is from the Mighty Macros line, and features Len vs the Flash in a racecar vs snowmobile race. It’s very cute and easy to build. The second is the more challenging Gorilla Grodd Goes Bananas set, which also includes Flash, Grodd, and strangely enough, Batman and Wonder Woman. I never owned that set, and it’s pretty hard to find these days, regularly running $80 and up. Both sets are a 5 out of 5, though, because LEGO does not mess around when it comes to quality fun.

I saved my favorites for last. In the 70s, there was a line of toys called MEGOs, which were plastic-bodied toys with cloth suits. Mattel, and later the Figures Toy Company, would both do their own versions of Captain Cold

The first version, by Mattel, is amazing. Mine is literally sitting next to me as I type this. I took him to Universal with me when I won a trip to Halloween Horror Nights back in 2015, I take him to the movies with me when I don’t have anyone else to go with, he’s my little buddy. My dad’s dog, again, chewed his left arm completely off at one point, but I don’t care. I love him. As for the Figures Toys version, I actually won a fairly cheap auction for him earlier this week, so we shall see! I don’t know if I like how he has the whole “Super Friends hypothermia Len” look going on, but I do like how his costume isn’t just cheap, tearable vinyl. We shall see what’s under that hood soon. I give the Mattel one a 5 out of 5 for the years of joy he’s given me. The Figures Toys one is pending, but I’m gonna give a tentative 4 out of 5, because it really does look nice.

You could get Len in other forms, like as a game piece in the Heroclix and Dice Masters games, as a paintable figure for a Batman tabletop roleplaying game, as trading cards, as a set of guitar picks, as a card holder, as a very hard to find but still lovely statue from DC Direct, in official pin form from Funko and Fansets, on an old 7-Eleven cup, and of course, in the pages of the comics...but I’ve always liked toys, so that’s what I decided to go over. Hope y’all enjoyed this, and maybe got some ideas for your own collections.

[bethoumyvision123]

Album Review of Erica Case’s record Top bitch

I am reviewing this album because I am a huge fan of any kind of local music that isn’t predictable. This album is bringing the weird California freak scene vibes that the Nashville underground has been leaning towards for awhile. This phenomenon was started by the forsaken Freakin’ Weekend festivals, which was a garage-rock/punk/and some electronica festival that was making Nashville a  by bringing down artists such as Jack Name and Ty Segall. Certain Nashville artists still play with these acts, like Dylan Watson playing for Jack Name. This scene grew strongly, but unfortunately dissipated after almost a decade in like 2017 when one of the male higher ups turned out to have sexually assaulted someone. It’s all there on Nashvillesdead.com if that is still a website. It made me really gag and shameful to have watched these acts. However, I was very glad when I learned that instead of this scene having any lasting local acts, many female electronica and electronica influenced rock music artists have risen to take over the East Nashville Underground since then. I am of course talking about Eve Maret. As far as I have learned, she is really the only one doing anything as interesting and diverse as great local musicians like Daniel Pujol did (please make a comeback if you’re reading this pujol)! That is, until now! Erica Case has released a new album called Top bitch and it is better than any of this crap I have listened to in Nashville for as long as I can remember. Of course I haven’t yet mentioned her rootsy country influence, which I will.

Of course some of my favorite locals that are now famous highly remind me of this album. Taylor Swift newest albums have a similar indie flair, and there is an undeniable Halyey Williams (and that is a lazy comparison) vibe whether conscious or not. I have grown un with my sisters an I very interested in this kind of music, and so Erica Case was right up my alley. Here is a track by track review.

Top bitch: This is the sole bluesy track on the album I would say. It comes off very tongue and cheek, which conjures that LA freak scene like Geneva Jacuzzi and Charles (yes these are Ariel Pink’s ex girlfriends, but I don’t want to mention that asshole genius). This is why I wasn’t surprised when I saw Weirdo Music Forever, an LA freak scene Instagram, like Erica’s IG video of a a live electric version of her later song, For A While. Favorite lyric from the title track I am reading is “I hope you’re ready to pick your teeth up off the ground.”

When I Call: This song you can really hear that Joey Ramone influence she talks about by her numerous covers on Soundcloud, with the emphasis on melody. Which brings me to another California freak band, The Cramps. She has covered them on SC, but I wouldn’t really associate them as much as joey Ramone. As in, I am not hearing any Psycho billy, although some tracks on this record have that punk rockabilly thing going. This track really sets the tone for the moody lyrics of this record, “So don't tell me you love me, If you're only gonna go away.”

Waste of Time: This is a power pop song. Reminds me of my old favorite local band Pujol in the nostalgic vibe. 60s sunshine pop, but an undeniably current sad girl.  This is when you get the idea that this artist is very eclectic in her command of genres. You have no idea what genre will come next. Will it be blues, pop-punk, or power-pop? Fav lyric is “poisoning my brain.”

And the winner is power pop! A good stride to stick on. The chord changes in this, my favorite being the chord change into the chorus, are very 80s new wave in the melody in my opinion. The highly sustained lead guitar riff throughout is no exception. I need to listen to the Cure more..

And here is when the always much anticipated track 5 happens, and on this record this means when it completely switches to a singular genre for the rest of the 5 tracks on the album. I remember the last five songs better than any others. That is for course a country type, definitely resembling the likes of Margo Price. Although Erica’s lyrics are much more playful, and child-like. This positivity os shown by it’s dominant chords and counter-acted by sad and depressing flashing images like, “lie to me, say it’s alright.”

This track is when you begin to realize that Erica really likes vocal harmonies, and rightfully so. It is fully old-school country, but you can still hear the melody flourishes that remind you of current sad girl music like Miley Cyrus working with the Flaming Lips, which is probably a weird comparison that belongs easier in theses track reviews, but nonetheless stands. Of course the slide guitar on all these country tracks is impeccable. I also heard on IG that the violin played in this song is by the great Gorgo bordello influenced local gypsy band Fable Cry. They have played a lot of shows with my sister’s circus. Amazing and technical band, and these performances are no exception to that. Very Appalachian too in the fiddle approach.

This song has an anthemic and traditional folk structure. Lovely lyrics of self-love and being able to fix a car which I am jealous of. This one has the Americana attitude to the max, and I am sure that local country legends would love this sass-country variant. Musically, this for me conjures country sass like Jeanie C Riley’s hit Harper Valley PTA which use to play like at the Viva Nashvegas Radio Show in Franklin.

For a While: What can I say about this one! Possibly my favorite on the record. Heart-wrenching melancholy with an explosive chorus. She really knows how to pack a lot of emotions in relatively simple lyrics.

I heard on IG that this is supposed to be a sister song with the previous one, in terms of who they are written about. The dominant jazz chords come to their max on this one, which adds to the eclectic vibe. The toy xylophone conjures early Velvet Underground. I am certainly glad that this relationship milked not one but two great songs! I haven’t been this sad for a girl since early Taylor Swift. Yes, track 8 and 9 are very fun ones to wail (she wants her fans to send a tik toc of people singing her songs, which I will have to do eventually).

Ah yes, the album closer. I actually first heard this song several years ago as a free CD sitting at Grimey’s. It was made with a handmade CD package with glue, and so there is a cool sentimental craft thing going on. I had forgotten about that till now. This song tells the story of who I think is her grandpa. It has many details and local references. I am sure the people I know that are associated with the Grand Ole Opry would love to hear stuff like this!

The narrative of this album involves a few tough relationships and a lot of southern pride, but the boundary-less kind. These different narratives daydream into one another on one of the most exciting and high-definition (quality wise) albums from the Nashville area that I have heard in a while. Great job, Erica!

10/10!

[tsunderrated]

I got tagged by @astolforiderofblack

what was your last…

1. drink; water boys!

2. phone call; i answered a spam call on accident

3. message sent; I think i can do it!

4. song you listened to; i absolutely can not remember this.

5. time you cried; i cry every day cos that’s just how mental illness is

— have you ever…

6. dated someone twice; no

7. kissed someone and regretted it; no

8. been cheated on; yah

9. lost someone special; yah

10. been depressed; every day cos that’s just how mental illness is

11. gotten drunk and thrown up; nah

— favourite colours…

12. Blue

13. Pink

14. Yellow

— in the last year have you…

15. made new friends; uhhhh. I upgraded an acquaintance to a friend but i dont really think ive made a completely new friend.

16. fallen out of love; absolutely not

17. laughed until you cried; mmmm no? who remembers this for a whole year

18. found out someone was talking about you; no. are they? almost definitely. but i don’t know.

19. met someone who changed you; nah

20. found out who your friends are; been hanging out with like 4 people exclusively if that’s what you mean, as far as irl friends go.

21. kissed someone on your Facebook friends list; yah

— general

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know irl; most. there’s a couple i don’t know who i accepted because we had at least 100 mutual friends, but not many. never accepted just a complete and total stranger.

23. do you have any pets; my dog is the most important one in the world

24. do you want to change your name; no, my name is cool

25. what did you do for your last birthday; my family and i went to top golf. this birthday i haven’t decided what i want to do and we’re celebrating in 3 days lol

26. what time did you wake up today; fucking 2:30 ass in the morning. went back to sleep after lunch and i’ll go back to sleep after dinner then i’ll do it fucking again. cool.

27. what were you doing at midnight last night; got damn asleep

28. what’s something you can’t wait for; may/june when i’ve gotten a couple paychecks, have all my bills squared away, and have some fucking disposable income for once.

29. what’s your favourite animal; foxes, red pandas, and dogs

30. what are you listening to rn; it is extremely silent in my room.

31. have you ever talked to a person named Tom; the guy ive been shadowing at work is named tom, also one of my parents’ friends

32. something that’s getting on your nerves; this fucking jobsite i’m on that runs from 2-9 in the morning.

33. most visited website; tumblr almost definitely

34. hair colour; brown

35. long or short; hair? short-medium for a guy. i get it cut pretty short but i also go like 2-3 months without a haircut.

36. do you have a crush on someone; my gf. also i guess i have crushes on some other people but that’s like whatever

37. what do you like about yourself; im hot and talented and a disaster

38. want any piercings; nah

39. blood type; u really think i’m just gonna but my blood type on tumblr.

40. nicknames; meta, that’s about it. my name’s shorter than any nickname that doesn’t sound like baby talk

41. relationship status; in fucking LOVE with my gf

42. Sign; Star Aries Moon Leo Rising Virgo. Star aries is absolutely true and moon leo is generally accurate too but i have never identified less with any horoscope than the rising virgo stuff.

43. pronouns; he/him. idk sometimes i think i’d prefer they/them but idrc that much

44. fave tv show; uhhhh. mbmbam  seeso.

45. tattoos; i have a cicada and an angel right now; i can think of 3 more i know i want a get and a few more ideas i have w/o placement or places i wanna get one but no idea.

46. right or left handed; right

47. ever had surgery; yeah a couple times

48. piercings; none

49. sport; like, to play? i played baseball and soccer as a kid, and i played tennis with my dad occasionally but i wasnt very good.

50. vacation; i’d like to go to japan some day. also i know it became basic but i wanted to go to iceland back before OMAM got popular when no one though about it.

51. trainers; what the fuck does this mean. best gym leader was elesa.

52. eating; nothing?? i had leftover spaghetti for lunch.

53. drinking; water boys!

54. about to watch; i’ll catch up on this season’s anime soon.

55. waiting for; the sweet release of death

56. want; the sweet release of death

57. get married; for sure

58. career; in the end, something musical. I’m not sure what i’d most enjoy yet.

— which is better…

59. hugs or kisses; mmmm close but hugs probs

60. lips or eyes; what? i like my eyes and lips both very much.

61. taller or shorter; i’d like to be taller. i like shorter girls.

62. older or younger; this is so fucking weird. is this supposed to be about a partner or like if i’d rather get younger or older. what is this question.

63. nice arms or stomach; stomach

64. hookups or relationships; i love my gf very much so relationships. if i didn’t have her though? uhhh probably hookups for a while

65. troublemaker or hesitant; what.

66.  kissed a stranger; yah

67. drank hard liquor; yeah i mostly drink rum. usually either rum and coke or add something fruity though, i don’t drink liquor straight usually

68. turned someone down; yeah

69. sex on first date; uhhh. i’m usually more of a “sex before the first date” kinda guy.

70. broken someone’s heart; almost definitely

71. had your heart broken; absolutely definitely

72. been arrested; nope

73. cried when someone died; not usually when, it doesn’t usually hit me til after.

74. fallen for a friend; hmmm. i guess never really a close friend. they’re usually acquaintances or friends of friends or i ask them out before we have a chance to be friends

— do you believe in…

75. yourself; sometimes

76. miracles; usually

77. love at first sight; yeah

78. Santa Claus; no. who the fuck believes in santa clause.

79. angels; hm

— misc…

80. eye colour; blue/grey

81. best friends name; uhhhhHHHH

82. Favourite movie: i really like Her and Moonrise Kingdom. One of those.

83. favourite actor; my boy Jakey G (jake gyllenhaal)

84. favourite cartoon; Avatar the Last Airbender is hands down the best animated show ever. i dont generally consider it a “cartoon” but sure

this is so fucking long i’m not gonna tag anyone but if were mutuals and you want to do it just say i tagged you