#im good and all just really not vibing with this element of my job

[scalproie]

Hey, sell me on this funny Nine Sols game you're posting all of a sudden? My curiosity is piqued.

DO YOU LIKE HOLLOW KNIGHT AND OTHER METROIDVANIA?

DO YOU LIKE THE PARRY-FOCUSED COMBAT SYSTEM OF SEKIRO?

DO YOU LIKE STORY, DIALOGUE AND LORE-HEAVY GAMES WITH AN ORIGINAL AESTHETIC?

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY OF HOU YI, MYTHOLOGICAL CHINESE ARCHER THAT SHOT DOWN NINE OF THE TEN SUNS?

WELL NINE SOLS MIGHT BE THE GAME FOR YOU🫵

ok stopping with the theatrics, idk why I phrased it like that, but fr, Nine Sols is a game from Red Candle Games, a taiwanese indie game studio, that came out a month ago. It's only available on pc right now but I'm hoping for a console port at some point.

As for the general points:

You play as this little guy called Yi, who's on a quest for revenge against, well, the titular nine sols, the rulers of the land where this game's takes place: New Kunlun. But there's a twist.

The vibe of the game's style as been described as "taopunk": a lot of characters take inspiration from ancient eastern mythology, like the main character for starters, and it's mixed with some cyber-feel that makes it really slick and satisfying. It's also just a very pretty game to look at.

The game also has some disturbing science-fiction elements, if you like The Horrors™️ (The Horrors™️ are great).

As I said before, the combat really focuses on parrying but Yi has quite a few things up his arsenal to keep it interesting. He also has a little butterfly buddy. Im also told that there is a slightly bigger emphasis on platforming in general and Yi has the shmovement.

The bosses are really fun to fight and honestly? Pretty interesting as characters. The characters are all great overall. The story is nuanced overall and you can tell they really wanted to build a rich world with lore. And I wanna see people take it appart and analyse it bc there is A LOT to say about the everything.

The music owns too:

And I know it's like. Not a particularly important point but the sound design??? 👍👍👍👌👌👌 it's really good

I'm actually gonna finish the post by linking the trailer to just showcase the vibe of the game honestly, it might do a better job than me:

anyway play Nine Sols 👍

[creativesplat]

💘, 🐳, ⛩️, 🙊?

💘, 🐳, ⛩️, 🙊

💘 MIPHLINK!!! Do I have to say it? Absolutely 110% Miphlink. Honestly they are a pairing that I love more than all the other ships I have ever shipped, and I come back to them whenever other hyper fixations fizzle out or I want something comforting. I love them both so much. AoC is one of my favourite zelda games for that reason. (BoTW too, but the tragic lovers vibe is so sad)

Skyward Sword Zelink, a little bit, I wasn’t head over heals for them, but SS Zelda reminded me a fair bit of Mipha (if Mipha had been brought up in a less dangerous time and with less royal duties they would have probably been more similar), so that was that! 

I really wish I shipped Revali with someone, because I love the birb because he is stupid and fun to draw, initially I was a pining Miphvali shipper, but like, I wasn’t a massive fan of that, so maybe ZelVali? Some people ship that, and I’ve got to say the Revali and Zelda talking scene is one of my favourite cutscenes in BoTW, not to mention Zelda’s dialogue to Revali; If not romantic, definitely platonic. 

Teba and Saki are the adorable birb parents so I quite like their couple dynamic? Im not really the biggest shipper outside of Miphlink tbh.  

🐳

I honestly have no idea? Probably a Hylian (boring answer sorry!), but maybe a Rito. I love the decoration styles, and bright colours, and also they live in a cool climate and I do not like hot weather. So maybe a rito. 

⛩️

I think my favourite dungeon would have to be the Ancient Cystern in SS, I just love how beautiful the whole thing is, with all the lotus-y patterns and the pinks and turquoises and the flowers and stuff. ITs just so dang beautiful!! I also really loved the Sandship Dungeon. I think in terms of play through that was my favourite from start to finish. Location is SO much harder. Aesthetically Satori Mountain, and Rito village, story-wise and where I spend my most time in BoTW Zora’s domain, I also Love the Zora’s domain and Rito Village music. Also sweet cozy little skyloft is so nice and permanent and homely. The great plateau is so nostalgic and I love that too… AAA I don’t think I can pick! In AoC it has to be Scero’s Supplies, I know you can’t really go there, but the merging of Zora and Hateno architecture is just so beautiful and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! 

🙊

Ohhh… Unpopular Zelda opinions… I have quite a few of those. Ok. Here we go. 

ToTK is AWUFUL. Hot dang it is the worst thing ever. It wasn’t even the story that made me stop playing. It was one line from an NPC in Rito Village. Molli wants to make elemental arrows, and has an idea for arrow inventions, that can freeze enemies! No way that’s so cool, except… that is literally one of the main things in the last game. You can buy elemental arrows from the shops. Like what the heck? At least explain to me why a very common commodity that EVERYONE but Particularly the people who’s job it is to look after Bows (Harth and Moli) know about and have access to is somethign they want to invent now. I hate is. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I ha- anyway. I despise whatever Lazy idiot decided that was the way to go. Who cares about lore? Not us apparently. I also have a massive problem with the imperialist mass-destruction weapon wearing zonai as well. And as a historian I just love BoTW so much better than ToTK. It treats its history with respect, and nuance, and good golly thats not how ruins from 10,000 years ago would work and o my word stop suspending my disbelief!?! 

Anyway. I could rant for far longer about far more things, but I’ll leave it at that. 

Way more unpopular, and Zelink shippers please ignore this: I think BoTW Zelink is creepy. The power dynamic is insanely bad (princess and her servant who literally cannot disobey her father), and the age gap is also awful (16 turned 17 for one day and “20 something” from the BoTW art book). 

Also, the women deserve better from that fandom. But that’s not news.

Thank you so much for the ask Stars!

[doyouevenshipbr0]

top 10 strongest airbenders

this list is tough. we don’t see many airbenders at all throughout the show. but ive ranked all the other elements, so here’s this list now!

let’s go

*gyatso*- i dont want to put a nunber next to his name because i have 0 concrete evidence as to where he would rank. if i had to guess i feel like he’d be 2-3? but i just can’t put him there based off vibes alone lol. with that being said, i still have to give him credit. there is no number 10 lol sorry.

9. bumi- yeah he kinda sucks as an airbender lmao. i loveeeee bumi and to be so honest i really really REALLY wish he had stayed a nonbender. it was such an important part of his character and what made him so interesting. but alas he has to be an airbender. boring lame boo!!!!! but he does do a few cool things. good job bumi.

8. opal- boringggg snoozeeeee. i don’t really like opal. but she airbends which is cool. i dont remember her doing anything significant at all as an airbender though lol. maybe that’s on me because i dont care about her character so i just forgot, but from what i remember she’s a good airbender, just nothing special.

7. kai- kind of a similar situation to opal where he doesn’t seem to be special but i will say i think him and airbending compliment each other very well. he naturally is able to utilize airbending which is honestly reminiscent of aang to me a tiny bit. obviously he’s not on his level at all but the vibes are still there! but yeah other than natural ability he doesn’t have anything else of note imo. it’s kinda like he just plateaus after the timeskip i feel like? idk i shoulve made these lists immediately after my most recent rewatch lol.

6. meelo- hate him HAHAHAHA sorryyyyyyy. his fart stuff is so annoying. however i think its obvious that all of tenzins kids are great airbenders and it comes pretty naturally to them. so yeah all three are excellent he is just the least impressive to me.

5. ikki- i loveeeeeeee ikki omg. but she’s very similar to meelo to me in that she is clearly naturally gifted and practically a master airbender but i don’t remember her doing anything really impressive that would make her any higher. she gets to be higher than meelo because i like her way more and she doesn’t fartbend. congrats ikki!

4. zaheer- im kind of annoyed that he’s this high. like he should not be that good of an airbender but here he is i guess. he gave almost everybodyyyyy a run for their money during his season and was kicking lots of ass. idk why he’s so good, i guess because he was spiritually connected to airbending before he became an airbender, but he definitely is amazing. mf can fly which no one else can do. also the way he killed the earth queen was awesomeeeee! wish more airbenders could be more unhinged. but yeah he can’t be higher bc he lacks a fuck ton of experience.

3. jinora- people argue she’s the best airbender in tlok and ok she mightttt beeeee because of her spiritual abilities, but i do think she lacks some combat skills and experience. with that being said though her spiritual abilities make her insanely op. im just saying like if u average out her impeccable spiritual skills with her just good combat skills, she gets number 3 imo. but she is obviously a master who earns her tattoos at such a young age so that’s why she’s here! also i think in her adulthood she will surpass her dad, but she aint there yet!

2. tenzin- gonna get his con out of the way first, he has little to no spiritual connection. which i dont think is a HUGE detriment but it is a detriment nonetheless and it’s why i also kinda flip flop between him and jinora and who i think is the better airbender. but today, for me, it’s tenzin. what he lacks in spiritual ability he makes for in strength, agility, technique, IQ, skill, utilization, and literally any other feat you could think of. remember when he was making zaheer look like an absolute amateur? that was awesome. yeah he is the best airbender that isn’t an avatar in the whole series.

1. aang- LOLLLL im not following my own rulessss butttttt idc. there arent many airbenders to choose from anyways and for a majority of the first book we really only know aang as an airbender anyway soooo im bending my rules lol. i dont feel any need to give a big fat response. he is not like any airbender we ever see throughout the entire show and it is not even close.

[silentstaresfanficandfanart]

Hello hi good definitely night!

I just finished reading Halcyon and WOOO that was awesome! (Also I get the spino discourse now heheee).

I however noticed an issue: there isn't enough words. I wanted to keep reading. I want to keep reading of these guys. Where can I read more of Darling and Hare (and Hearts and Diamonds and Tiger and Wolf and *proceeds to name every character*)????

GOOD DEFINITELY NIGHT HELLO AND HOWDY TO YOU TOO!!!

WOO!!! im SO SO SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT pBTTHPPTH i hope the spinosaurus was to your taste <3 i know he was to lovettas- Hehehe- and OHO? is that so! my my well good news i do plan at least one big update to the fic near the beginning where you can get FAR more interactions with all the suits as Ciero sets up his little squad AND that means more interactions with several of the characters and I also plan a special scene with Acianne but im not sure yet on that one! As for where can you read more~ Ill have to work on that! I plan to make more books, but if you want more lore and info and stuff like that you can look through my blog on the Halcyon tag, and if you follow them youll probably see my other account thats specifically for Halcyon which has a lot of the early concept art and stuff in it! Which means MORE THEM!!!! Untill then though youll either have to make your own or wait~ sadly- heheh- though a friend of mine is working on a halcyon fic- we'll have to look forward to that! I hope you look forward to more Halcy- OH THATS RIGHT I DO HAVE SOMETHING YOU MIGHT LIKE I have a LOT of notes from the development of Halcyon and id be happy to share some fun neat changes that happened over the course of the books development!

Originally Acianne was a boy, but i decided I wanted to have more female characters 2. Heartbreaker had a perfectly good family wife, he only became like this after his wife died trying to save him from a superhero while he was on the job, she was a hero herself, and originally had love based powers, these were passed onto him and strengthened by her spirits love for him, and they were also passed onto Ciero! 3. Heartbreaker had a thing for Aciannes mother as she was very kind and polite to him and reminded him of his late wife, but understandably she had no interest in the man-

4. Cendre's conflict with his parents has been going on MUCH longer than he ever admits in the story and that's why during the spinosaurus thing he was glad he could blame those bruises on the spino 5. Hearts actually used to work at a zoo and was a very important figure in hyena conservation and they've always been his favorite animal! 6. The reason the younger siblings are a bunny, a kitten, and a puppy respectively, is because they're meant to represent the idea of "a future where things are more peaceful and calm" to contrast with their older siblings who are "the hare" (though shes actually just a bunny like her little brother- a tiger and a wolf!

7. Originally Cendre was going to get his powers saving a girl on a merry-go-round that caught on fire in a mall, and the girl he saved became a dear friend of his who went on to get into a fistfight with his parents in the hospital and she had to flee to not get arrested and she was the first person acianne didint kill for comitting a crime in front of her originally 8. Originally Ciero was actually an Ensemble stars oc and he wasn't supposed to go into halcyon at all but i loved his design so much i replaced the oc with another guy and made Ciero his own character : ) 9. Originally Acianne was the only main character, Ciero straight up just took over the entire story honestly, and im glad he did, he really was the heart of it- hehe- pun intended

10. Diamonds sibling group comprises of elemental vibes, her being earth, and her brothers being water, fire, and air. It was the fire sibling that died, and the only one i havent drawn a design for is air! He was killed by acianne while he was frankly, on an utter rampage, he's always had a LOT more energy and a lot less empathy than his siblings and Diamonds always was worried he was going to die.

11. Ciero has been banned from at least one craft store for "musical antics" and "unconsensually ballroom dancing with a mannequin" And one person was so angry about it they called the cops about it, Acianne wound up showing up instead because she listens to police radio calls and she had to drag him out by the ear for his poor behavior. He learned nothing from this incident.

[idontknowhowtocope]

my spoiler free thoughts on like a dragon:

i really didn't think i'd like this game as much as the other yakuza games bc the switch to turn based combat was sudden and it was risky, but somehow they found a way to make it MY FAVORITE combat system in the entirety of the franchise. ohmygod all the different jobs there is SO MUCH variety and things to explore i love it. i was wondering how they were gonna pull it off with a setting like yakuza that has no fantasy elements in it but ichiban's personality made it SO EASY for it to fit in and for it to enhance its "yakuza" identity of being silly. this is definitely the more goofy game in comparison to the others, but it still has so many heartwarming and moving moments in the story. i love that at its core, LAD rlly was just a game abt family. the entire game is abt ichiban finding his family and trying to reconnect with his family which is something im VERY VERY weak for. about putting trust in your family and the people you care about most. how family is chosen and not by blood. i love it. it's why yakuza 6 is also my favorite. it's very interesting LAD made a change in the cast from having a previously "cool" cast with ppl like kiryu, majima, etc its like you very much know how "far away" they are to you. they're built to be yakuza members. to be legends to have this certain aura surrounding them. but in lad they made a switch into a more relatable bunch of people. these people who you feel like you meet in ur day to day life and can totally see urself being friends with them. dont get me wrong tho i fucking love both approaches to the characters because in both cases they are fully fleshed out, one is not better than the other imo BUT it definitely brings a lot of a very homey and chill and fun vibe to LAD. ichiban truly is the best choice for a protagonist to "replace" kiryu. you can see all the differences in their characters but how much he is going to be LOVEDDD by all the players. all the playable characters all had such fun personalities and goals and backstories too, i truly loved them all. and i can see how much further they can be explored in future games which i am very excited for. ryo aoki is an amazing antagonist i fucking LOVED sawashiro too idk all the bossfights in this game were so memorable!! none of them ever bored me. definitely one of my favorite games in the entire franchise. top three. really fucking good and also very easily recommendable to new players which i will def be doing

[moonshynecybin]

do you have any books recommendations? 🙏

okay usually i like to know a general vibe for recommendations bc this is INTIMATE!!! and im actually in a weird place in my reading journey where im trying to branch out and try a bunch of different books in a bunch of different genres bc i got lowkey sick of what i was reading all the time so this is all over the place. whatever fuck it. here are some recent ones in no particular order that ive enjoyed OR at the very least found interesting. most of these are pretty famous i'll be real im not breaking the wheel here. under the cut bc she is long

our wives under the sea by julia armfield. was this book good hmm i dont know. was it kind of fucked up and interesting. YES. some of the prose is legitimately sooo gorgeous and the portrait it paints of the central relationship is intimate and oftentimes heartrending i still think about it which is kind of what you want from a story tbh... a really slow plot (kind of nonexistent) thats frankly more about grief than anything. theres some spooky body horror here so beware

slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut. shes a classic for a REASON. do you ever pick up a book that is very beloved and famous. and then get genuinely and pleasantly surprised that it actually rules. happened to me. legit kind of life changing and also made me laugh out loud. if you havent read it get on it

the kingdoms by natasha pulley. read this over the summer and i vividly remember sitting in the basement at my job hiding so i could read one more page i was RIVETED!!! its historical fantasy its time travel its amnesia it is. on a boat. basically like what if fucked up gay love and also magic made france win the napoleonic wars would that be crazy or what!!! and it was!! also read some of her other stuff which is VERY similar and it was like. fine to good. but i LOVED this one

carrie by stephen king. read it around halloween and i enjoyed it more than i thought i would ! some category 5 stephen king sexism but its an interesting 200 page scifi novel with epistolary elements and some great characters i can see how it launched his career into the stratosphere... really good one to start off with reading stephen king if you wanna dip a toe in but are wary of the 1000 page doorstop novels. i say give it a try !

demon copperhead by barbara kingsolver. recent pulitzer prize winner. its a retelling of david copperfield with a distinctly southern appalachian lens which im always interested in because i am from southern appalachia and frankly the way we get treated in fiction is wild. like hillbilly cannibals who are illiterate coalminers wild. if i ever catch the guy that wrote hillbilly elegy we are throwing hands. but i liked this ! the region does have a long history of poverty and it was interesting to think about that in conversation to the social commentary with a victorian vibe from david copperfield. i mean this is decidedly unvictorian but that was floating in the back of my head at all times reading it so it made me THINK.

giovanni's room by james baldwin. another one where i was like do you see this shit?? this shit is crazy. and the shit in question is one of the most acclaimed and beloved novels of all time. anyways another life changer get on it.

even as we breathe by annette saunooke clapsaddle. another southern appalachia moment ! this one rings VERY true for me actually, despite being a historical novel... written with a lot of love for the area and made me cry a bit cause i was homesick at the time... great mystery and cool local history. also! one of the better representations of the cherokee people ive seen in fiction. which usually im hesitant to like. pin that as a THE major reason you should read it bc the story is ALSO very good but its a central theme of the novel so i thought i should mention it. plus the author is cherokee so she's coming at it with knowledge and care

in memoriam by alice winn. recommendation from a tumblr mutual so i thought id continue the tradition! read it in literally a day so im fuzzy on the details but its about rich eton style english schoolboys getting their spirits basically destroyed in the trenches of ww1... also a gay love story... lots of poetry very tragic but not overly so and certainly very readable... a competent historical gay romance if thats ur thing youll probably enjoy it

the poppy war by r f kuang. interesting bc it initially feels like a historical fantasy novel with a young protagonist going to a magic school and overcoming the odds slash beating the evil enemy story thats been done one billion times. but it is DEEPLY not that. takes the conventions of the genre and kind of refuses to make them reducible or easy to package. deals with war (read the warnings etc). deals with genocide. deals with race. wrestles with the ethics of all of its characters and comes down with some nuance. kind of a slay

and then here's some all time faves that are just GOOD and im reasonably sure anyone would have a good time with:

jane eyre. i have quoted this enough on this blog cmon. also if youre following me youre probably a fan of fucked up relationships so you should go. be with the OG. fly. like its foundational to the GENRE babyyyy

dracula. yayyyyy epistolary novelssss... another "fun" classic along with dorian gray... read em both they slap

the book thief. took me a year to read. made me cry lots.

daisy jones and the six. look at me look AWAYYY from the amazon series look at ME. this is a fun book. and if you are in a reading slump i frankly HIGHLY recommend it bc it is done in the style of like. a documentary autopsy on a fleetwood mac esque band implosion so its told in 100% dialogue as if they are being interviewed. you can read it in a DAY and its FUN and sometimes they CONTRADICT each other which i LOVE

the queens thief by meghan whalen turner. GOD!!!!! all time. all time. straight relationships in fiction that make you crazyyyyyyy and also genuinely delightful twists at the end of each book i LOVED them. i read them all in the pandemic they slayyyy

howl's moving castle. delightful. if you like a silly time in a fantasy world that makes you laugh a lot i would recommend. also the sequel its fun

any terry pratchet novel thank you goodnight

[trashworldblog]

puppet history theory time!! whats gonna happen this friday???

okokokokok there some stuff to unpack here

(disclaimer! i will be posting about this ep and the finale right after i watch it right when it comes out!! so please avoid my blog until you have seen the most recent episode)

so next week is a BIG episode, i honestly was expecting the finale to be The Big Episode but its possible that both of these episodes are Thicc with lore. Makes sense, theres alot of elements to the story that needs to be wrapped up (minus whatever cliff hanger that shane will leave us hanging until s6).

I thought that we would have to wait for the finale to see this scene, but since the disclaimer, i think we'll be seeing shane in ryans chair on friday! super excited to see what deal/meeting he's having with the devil. Ive heard of a ton of good theories (if you want to read my whole breakdown of the photo look here). now that i know that it has to fit with what we know now, im assuming its Executive Producer Shane Madej™ having a serious talk with the devil. I think the hologram is going to fail, revealing the devil to be somewhat responsible. The details to How he's responsible (or if we're gonna get a nod to demon shane) are pretty unclear, which is exciting!!

my main ideas are

1) shane made a deal with the devil in order to keep the show running. He may be a demon, but it will be subtlely implied for the people who Know™

2) shane just learned that the professor was never really here and is kinda pissed that he has to deal with this bullshit. he has to finish this show and deal with the logistics of having the devil on your payroll. In this one i imagine Executive Producer Shane Madej isnt super attached or passionate about the show and is there just to get his job done (funny becuase obviously irl shane is very passionate about puppet history :) )

I think ryan's fate isnt looking very good so far. Its good that he clearly knows that something is up, but he isn't sure what it is, and seems to be getting involved. He's tried to buy the genie lamp, he's been testing and pushing "the professor" at every turn and continues to get weird and Not Correct vibes from "the professor". i think all this meddling will probably get him caught or hurt. I think theres two ways ryans fate can go he either

1) is caught red handed or off guard by "the professor" (or whoever is behind "the professor") and is hurt in some way. being turned into a puppet, meat suit, or to be eaten are my top 3 picks. If i had to choose, meat suit ryan being controlled by a puppet who doesnt know/remember how human bodies are controlled would be really funny. hijinks, office shenanigans, everyones confused faces, 10/10

2) ryan actually figures it out!! (yay beef boy!) I just can't stop thinking of this line from the professors funeral song. I know shane is always foreshadowing stuff so it Feels like that but, it could be nothing.

In this theory I'm imagining ryan finally pulls back the curtain on the hologram live on puppet history and the person behind the hologram is left exposed and suprized, making it so ryan (and the crew) can put a stop to the hologram. Ryan has been building up his courage to touch "the professor" or the box and its possible that he'll finally get fed up enough that he just does it. After that they might jump to Executive Producer Shane Madej meeting with the devil.

Now, I know its sad, but we have to talk about it.

What will be the fate of our favorite dino family?

Well...

I would love to think that that star that just keeps getting brighter is anything other then a meteor that is going to kill all the dinosaurs.

unfortunately,, this lines up so we can assume,,, this is what killed the dinosaurs. (sorry!)

and if we look closer at this photo, you can see a t-rex and a pterodactyl next to the adorable lil hat and glasses. :(

does this mean i think the dino professor is dead?

no.

He has the knowledge of his past, and he has his satchel. He probably stayed as long as he could, left his hat and glasses behind, and faked his death so he would be off the genies radar for a while. Then he time traveled to current times and has been sneaking around the puppet history and watcher set trying to stop the genie/devil.

The biggest piece of evidence for this is in episode one where theres some noises in the background while "the professor" is on stage teaching and ryan asks

"yo is this place haunted?"

I think the noise they heard is from the dino professor moving around trying to piece together what to do next. It would be best for the dino professor to do all that moving while "the professor" is busy teaching, so that he's less likely to be caught.

WHATS IN THE BOOXXXXXX

I know it has to be important. It has to. Im on board for the dino professor to be in the box. Im not as confident in my theory about the box, but! thats ok!

my thoughts are, if the dino professor is going around the set loudly in ep1, i would expect that to continue to happen more and more throughout the season. However, that has not been happening. So I think the dino professor made it to the puppet history set, made too much noise, escaped to watcher HQ where he was caught by "The professor" and was locked into the box.

Episode 2 started with ryan pointing out the chains on the box. At first i thought the box would progressively get more and more locks and chains, but it didnt. Making me feel like putting the dino professor in the box wasnt part of the plan, but "the professor" added a lock and chain and thought "that'll do".

I think in episode 1 the box was powered on jelly beans, coveted cups, and whatever other magical professor stuff was lying around. After "the professor" caught the dino professor, he needed a place to hold him. Why not this box? i got a lock and chains, that should hold him in the box! And from then on, the dino professor has been stuck in there. All those glitches? might be the dino professor trying to escape the box so he can save and forgive his favorite beef boy.

(a fun idea supporting this is the end song that is usually the backup vocals and instrumentals has been replaced by what sounds like the song playing in another room, possibly becuase the real professor is in the box, barely able to hear what is happening on stage? credit goes to the wonderful max for figuring this theory out with me, truly genius level thinking going on there)

I think i can see either see

1) the dino professor saving beef boy by cutting off the power in the box, leaving the person in charge (probably the devil, maybe the genie) exposed. this either happens live durring puppet history, or the professor escapes the box, and saves ryan from being killed/puppetified just at the last minute. The jist is, the professor saves ryan.

2) or.. ryan breaks the box or touches "the professor" exposing the hologram, and saving the dino professor from being stuck in the box. aka, beef boy saves the professor.

I can see this whole arc taking place over one or two episodes. If the dino professor is saved before the finale, the finale might be a reunion and celebration of the real professor finally coming back and teaching again. and ryan will be relieved when he doesnt win.

ANYWAYS thats my theories!! ill be sure to update yall after the episode on friday! im so excited to see if this is the path shane decides to go down. i feel like theres so many cool ways this shows lore can go and this is just a few of them. knowing shane, its gonna be crazy and entertaining the whole way through.

Super excited!

[archaictold]

PERMANENT PLOTTER.

what's this? a permanent plotter repost? in my isola radiale, at 5am? it's more likely than you think... it has been a HOT minute since i've done anything like this. seeing as zhilan has long settled into spirale, i think it's about time i cast my reel into the pond a second time and start strengthening long-term plots for him. i'll preface this by saying we do not need to have threaded before for you to express your interest! if you think your muse can vibe with any of these  ( or even if you have an idea i haven't covered here! ) , you're more than welcome to hop onto this plotter call. 'what does this do, exactly?' you might be asking. i'll tell you! by liking this, you can guarantee:

me hopping into your IMs to plot!

memes for meme day!

spontaneous starters! ( with your permission, of course! )

… and all things good for development! now! onto the real meat of this post!

RELATIONSHIPS. these are the bonds i want to see zhilan develop! some of these include——

FRIENDS. if you've been around zhilan for longer than 5 seconds, you've probably noticed that he is extremely friendly! zhilan has the personality of a sunbeam: it's bright, it's cheerful, it's warm and everything you would expect of a walking beacon of positivity. he's pretty talkative, even when faced with less talkative muses. he's also really trusting and believes the best in people, sometimes to his own detriment. he'd make a good friend to just about anyone, being a rather personable individual! he's got some good ones here, too. i'd like to have him strengthen those, while opening him to new ones! GEEK SQUAD. do you have a muse that's also super nerdy? you're in luck! they probably stand a chance of coming across zhilan in his natural element, that being his lab at the university or one of the libraries scattered about spirale. there is no greater joy to him than positing theories and discussing the nature of one's work. even if their fields differ, he'll want to hear all about it! ENEMIES. now, i feel like it's hard to get under zhilan's skin unless you're the absolute anarchy of humanity, BUT! i do think his optimism can rub people the wrong way, especially if they're more jaded. i'm not expressly looking for people to antagonize zhilan, but i do think it's impossible for him to get along with everyone. thus, i'm leaving this here! SPARRING PARTNERS. you wouldn't know it from zhilan's scrawny stature, but he does dabble a bit in martial arts! now that he's gotten his polearm back, he's actively looking to improve his combat skills… which are admittedly not that impressive, unless he's acting as a support. maybe your muse could act as a mentor, or even a fellow peer! THE MUSEUM. zhilan has a job position here! it's… kind of an odd choice, yes, but he doesn't exactly want to pursue an academic position at the university. so where better to put that treasure trove of knowledge to use than a museum! if you're visiting for any reason, you'll likely come across him among the gallery. just, er… not the abyssal gallery. he tends to keep out of there. THE UNIVERSITY. zhilan borrows one of the lab spaces here for work related things while he's in the middle of setting up his own establishment. zhilan doesn't have his own work office set up yet, but he does spend a lot of time in this one. he's gotten into the habit of helping history and anthropology majors with their research as they've started visiting him alongside clients. he's not a professor here, he swears. but he can't say no to those seeking knowledge! you'll find him here fairly often, when he's not at home or in... YESTERYEAR. zhilan frequents this branch rather often, being the sort to gravitate to old dilapidated ruins and forgotten history. if you know a thing or two about this branch, he'll be incredibly interested to hear about it! who knows! maybe the two of you can explore it together… CASTMATES. zhilan might be a fandom oc, but i'm really keen on the idea of him developing some established bonds with his canon counterparts.  ;v;  their shared canon background already gives them a good basis for interactions, so i'd like to nurture some connections for him with his genshin fellows! aaaand that’s about it! of course this doesn’t cover everything, so if you’ve got an idea and you don’t see it here you’re free to hop on this post and shoot it my way! thanks for reading!  :^)

[torialefay]

Hello! I just found your blog and I'm obsessed okay? I love the combo of Kpop and Astrology and you do such a good job at it I HAD to follow instantly 🤍 I was wondering if I could have a natal chart compatibility reading? You can write which member is best suited to me (And maybe for fun briefly mention who I should stay tf away from haha 😂) My pronouns are She/Her! Thank you so much 💋

hi baby! tysm for being patient with me <3 here you gooooo!

so for most compatible, i was really struggling to choose between felix and chan. han wasn't a bad option either. but if i had to pick just ONE, i'm sticking with felix for now. but just know any of the 3 i think would be perfectly suitable. if you want me to elaborate on the other 2 a little just lmk <3

and fun fact: your sun, mercury, venus, and mars are all the same as changbin (which COULD also lead to a good relationship, but with your placements in particular i think it'd lead to more bestie vibes than anything... bc if one of yall is delusional, then so is the other one and there's no one there to pull you out of the trenches lol.)

your ascendant in taurus:

soooo i may be partial, but i really think there is such a great aura that comes with having ascendant in taurus. taurus is such a beautiful, grounding sign that also has that element of divine femininity to it from its venus ruler. it's likely that you come across as having a loving, beautiful personality & also that you have your shit together lol. as far as looks, if you are playing into your rising (which i would encourage), i'd venture to guess that you'd look & feel best in beutiful, elevated styles. this could be anywhere from super girly pink or femme fatale, but embracing that feminine energy is gonna be key. if you hone in on that, it definitely pushes you forward in a captivating way!

for skz, i think it'd be hard for any of them to be uninterested tbh. felix is a pretty ethereal guy. he just naturally draws beauty toward him. i think he'd be really intrigued by you initially and that you'd potentially really catch his eye. especially with that lovey nature taurus risings can have- making you feel super special and seen... lixie would dig it im sure.

your sun in leo:

you are definitely an encourager & able to see what people's strong suits are. felix can get a bit unsure of himself at times and i think you'd be really good at helping him work through that. his "serving" virgo energy makes me think that he'd really really want to give you anything you wanted & he'd probably like it if you were more so in the spotlight than him.

your moon in aries:

same as felix! i love a moon matchup & think it's absolutely one of the most crucial points for predicting long term compatibility. with this placement, you probably have a deep, burning desire to find passion throughout life. whether that's in a person, in art and music, in your work or service to others, in connection with your spirit, etc etc. basically, you are hungry to have purpose and fulfill it. that's not a quality that just anyone can handle. but felix does so perfectly bc he feels the exact same. you'd definitely make the most of life together :)

your mercury in cancer:

oh so you feeeeel feel? you're likely also somewhat expressive of these emotions (whether that's through verbal, through art, through mannerisms, etc). in that case, you're super in luck bc so is lixie. you both deeply understand emotions and the beauty within them. felix's libra here is a great sign to help with re-assurance for you, should you ever need it. it'd also allow for some super heart-felt convos that make your connection deeper than what others have.

your venus in virgo:

your venus tells me you're usually more attracted to super hard-working and driven individuals. people who may come across as a more "dominant" person, while still being super charming and kind. this was a part of the reason why i was having a tough time not picking chan (bc he is a virgo venus' dream ofc), BUT i think once we get past the surface, lix would be the better choice! felix can actually have a more dominant personality at times, which usually isn't seen on camera due to his dynamic within the group itself. but he definitely know how to get shit done. his venus is in libra, which means he's gonna please the shit out of you. would he have the upper hand in the bedroom? for sure. but is he not gonna do a damn thing unless you say you want it? absolutely. you could have that man on a leash making him whatever tf you want lol (sorry lixie)

your mars in scorp:

y'all are definitely gonna have some fun times & actually probably both be borderline obsessed with each other at times. i think fights would get really messy between you two and def would involve some psychological warfare. i think it'd actually take a while to work through fights too. but the other placements make up for it.

who to stay away from?

simplest answer: lee know. now i'm not saying y'all would hate each other for REAL, but i could definitely see a "love to hate" relationship here... and y'all getting on each other's nerves BAD 😂

[sinnabee]

Here's an interesting question for your Magician AU: How do the boys have their magic in the first place? Are some people just born with it, or were they made by a magician, or did they obtain it, or what?

ALRIGHT.

i know its been... ages. sorry about that.

i originally had some steapunk-ish magical worldbuilding ideas, but it also had weird mafia themes because i was in my Sleuth Jesters Era then. so we scrapped that.

HOWEVER. i can still answer this one!!! answer under the readmore :D

basically, everything living has the "potential" to do magic. it's a part of life - to live, you have a magical core. period. however, MOST people can't access this core. sometimes they can, but only subconsciously. this might manifest as someone with a green thumb, who is just weirdly good with plants. or maybe they have an affinity for animals. or perhaps their cooking is spectacular! little things. (this doesn't mean every talent or skill someone has is a latent magical ability, just that it has been known to manifest. you can be a great cook and have a completely dormant magical core.

now, some beings have either a stronger magical core, or maybe just get lucky and have something that kicks it into gear, making it "active" rather than "dormant." these people can perform magic! lots of different types! illusions, scrying, elemental affinities, manipulating the laws of space and time and all that jazz! they can also get really really good at party tricks lmao.

maybe some of them are even craftspeople - those with active cores that can imbue inanimate objects with magic. :)

so, that's how it is with humans. speaking of imbuing inanimate objects with magic - and therefore life - animatronics.

so here's the deal - magic runs through everything. one of the most common natural sources of magic comes from leylines, shifting currents of magic that travel across the planet. (someone feel free to correct me if im doing leylines a disservice by dropping them in here, im just going with a generic "fantasy novel" definition.)

as it turns out, highly advanced animatronics with incredibly powerful learning AI's and personality chips are what one might call "susceptible" to natural magic, and leylines. Fazbear Entertainment flew a little too close to the sun on this one - eventually their creations became so advanced that, to magic, they appeared as a perfect vessel to fill with life.

Magic saw Freddy Fazbear and said "is anybody gonna turn this thing into a fantastic dad and sentient being?" and then didn't wait for an answer.

Once the magical community REALIZED what had happened - that magic had taken the next "evolutionary step," of sorts, the magical community had no choice but to fight for the rights of what they KNEW were living, thinking, feeling beings.

Since I'm no longer taking the "steampunkish" vibes for the magician AU, I'm going this route instead - it's the regular old modern world, BUT. Animatronics have been found sentient and given rights. It just so happens that, in the context of the Magician!au, Sun and Moon (and Eclipse) found magic to be really, REALLY fun. They chose a career that would let them utilize it in plain sight, and still have tons of interaction with people - Magicians!

Important context is that the magical community is very much hidden from the mundane one. Technically, all animatronics are actually witches, just like humans who have active magical cores. Sun, Moon, and Eclipse can get away with using their magic in front of mundanes because of the job they chose! :D

Part of the reason it was so easy to convince the magical community to fight for animatronic rights was because magic doesn't just bring anything vaguely human shaped to life. If it did, there wouldn't be a need for necromancers - the planet's natural magic would be raising the dead left and right. No, it was that animatronics met all the criteria magic needed to consider something "alive," and so it just. Took the final step. :)

AN IMPORTANT SIDE EFFECT OF THIS, HOWEVER - due to the nature of animatronics technically being more akin to "constructs" than a naturally "born" creature, they have inherent access to their magic. ALL animatronics can perform magic. Which was the OTHER reason the council and magical community fought so hard for their rights - they had to get these guys some kind of TRAINING before they exposed the entire magical community to the planet.

I hope that covers everything!!! Thanks for the ask!!!! <3

[sharktofu]

Get To Know Me Tag

Thank you for the tag @troubled-mind! It's sweet of you <3

Do you make your bed?

No. Well, only if I know I have guests coming.

What's your favorite number?

13 (i'm ~edgy~ like this)

What is your job?

Hmm... Short version: psycholgist/ office worker (long version is there's probably nothing that i haven't done at my job)

If you could go back to school, would you?

No. Uni wasn't bad, but i was very frustrated how everything was textbook-based and lack 'human'.

Can you parallel park?

Fuck no. I'm waiting for the car thats gonna move its wheels to parallel park to come out.

A job you had that would surprise people?

It's only surprisng if you know me because i don't like kids. And I was a babysitter. a very good one at that!

Do you think aliens are real?

Yes. The idea we're the only 'intelligent' lifeform in a vast universe is just stupid.

Can you drive a manual car?

I have only driven a manual car. The idea of automatic makes me sweat.

What's your guilty pleasure?

I think watching BL dramas? But im trying my best to not really feel guilty about it.

Tattoos?

Two! I have one each under my wrists. Am thinking about getting a lil tonberry tattoo to match the resident evil 'danger' line ✌

Favorite color?

Forest green? I'm bad at naming colors, but the kind dark green that feels like moss.

Favorite type of music?

Everything that fits The Vibe ™ - what vibe? who knows. I know i don't like violins and cellos, because they make my ears tingle and not in a good way. But i am very fond of rock.

Do you like puzzles?

The one that you put together and they make pictures? No. I don't have attention for them. But like riddles and stuff? Sure. I'm just v stupid xD

Any phobias?

I always feel uncertain talking about phobias online (bc i dont trust ppl) but i do have one. Fear of snakes. Cannot tell you its name bc everytime i googled it, it showed me snake. Not recommend.

Favorite childhood sport?

Basketball! I'm too short for it but it was always fun bc i was very quick on the court and most players didnt notice me until i was on the opposite side.

Do you talk to yourself?

All the time. if i let out the thoughts in my heads, then i can actively ignore them while im speaking them, so im never left alone with them ✌

What movies do you adore?

Hm. I like horror movies that use the horror elements as a way to express and overcome trauma? But not in a 'in your face' way. The one that you didnt even know it was about loss or grief or trauma until much later.

Coffee or tea?

Give me coffee or i'll die. i adore it. According to my coworkers i drink too much coffee, but who would listen to them.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

I wanted to be a writer. Still kind of want to but I also am? Because I do count fanfiction.

Softly tagging: @bxdcubes, @astrecora, @sunflowervc, @pixiealtaira, @dark-elf-writes, @princessravenna and mentally hard tagging anyone who would like to do that (because im very bad at talking to people 👉👈)

[skeleton-bat]

So, elemental.

I watched it and a lot of my worries were laid to rest.

Firstly; the romance was sub par. They could've stayed friends and it'd still have the same message and impact as them being lovers.

Secondly; the main story, and also the one that made me cry, was about ember and her father. I don't know who the fuck is in charge of their marketing but they did a hell of a shit job showing what the main story was about at all!

Wade still gave me white savoir complex vibes so I'm not THE biggest fan of it. And ember treated wade really harshly a good chunk of the time but he stuck around and I have mixed feelings about that as well. Let me state this as well I like wade as a character, alot in fact. I just feel like the writing for him wasn't stellar and there's some polishing for him that needs to be done.

I like ember as a character a lot too and her inner turmoil is really well written/done. She was fleshed out very well. Her being harsh to wade is understandable and believable it's how wade was written towards that harshness that Im mixed on.

So the main story of ember and her family. Perfect, 10/10. Romance part, could be better/more fleshed out/polished. Not the worst but it feels like there's something missing/loose ends. 6/10. When they are actually together they're cute though, so that's nice.

Overall I'd give it a 7/10. Predictable in the romance but not the worst, and the immigrant story is top tier. So top tier it made me cry.

[sneakyscarab]

hiya! so those of you following me may have noticed that touhou has taken over my brain over the last summer. i’ve been working my way through playing all* of the main touhou titles and after finishing th11 realized that i have many thoughts about these games and no real outlet because none of my friends play touhou so im just gonna start doing these review-esque posts about all the touhou games once ive finished them. as you can tell by the fact i just beat 11 i have a bit of a backlog here so expect to see a handful of these.

if you do not care about all that, thats fine. i just really wanna talk about touhou lol. posts in this series will be tagged “#grimoire of nina” for archival/organiztion purposes. anyways all that said it is time for the actual post

nina’s thoughts on Touhou 6 - Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

it's the first touhou! well it's not obviously there's a big 6 there but it's the first in the windows continuity, the first that ive played through to the end and finished, and supposedly the first in the streamlined danmaku style of gameplay. 

since its the first of them, its lacking in many unique elements that make it easy to talk about, so this one's probably gonna flow way worse than later reviews. it's very simple but not in a bad way, just raw shootin’ and danmaku dodgin’. one interesting “mechanic” unique to this game is ironically it's lack of one. in touhou to make dodging the bullets possible your actual hitbox is way smaller than your character sprite, and later games let you view your true hitbox while focusing. EoSD doesn't have that, so you kinda just have to get a feel for what parts of you can safely take a shot without you getting owned. it's kinda fun not knowing exactly whats safe, but probably rough if you’re used to the later games. of the different player options my favourite was Marisa’s illusion laser setup (i am not immune to master spark) but all 4 choices were pretty fun, and i ended up doing 1cc’s with both of Marisa’s options.

the characters in this one are all really good! it helps a lot that most of them show up frequently in future games and outside media and get more development. if i had to pick favourites though, id go with Rumia, Patchouli, and Koakuma. Rumia is a adorable little gremlin youkai with darkness powers who flies around t-posing, using darkness to create an orb around her during daytime to block sunlight and subsequently bumping into trees cause she can't see anything through the orb lmao. Patchouli is a tired magician youkai who spends all day in a huge magical library reading tomes and being bothered by Marisa. she has like asthma and anemia so she can't do any physical activity ever she's just the ultimate nerd. also her everyday outfit is just some comfy purple pajamas its an absolute vibe. lastly Koakuma is Patchouli’s familiar who's a summoned demon of some kind (usually interpreted as a succubus) who has the unfortunate job of actually managing and organizing the insane labyrinthine library that they live in and assisting Patchouli with personal matters. ironically Rumia and Koakuma have like the least characterization actually in the game (along with Daiyousei) but they get more love in external media and fanon. 

overall EoSD is great. it has a set of beloved characters, and really solid base gameplay. its a bit basic and lacking in a few features but its still great fun :> thanks for reading if you actually stuck with it this far!

(*not sure if i will play the first 5 games from the pc-98 era. i may check them out afterwards but theyre not high priority)

[woolieshubris]

my tamagotchi UNI review:

im so sorry its going to be long...

TL;DR it's good :3 if u want a color tamagotchi and don't mind spending 60 dollars (about what you'd pay for an after market tamagotchi ON/MEETS) i'd highly recommend it!

full review below cut

Aesthetics:

Let's be honest, the aesthetics make sense, but are still a tad disappointing none the less. they are going for a more gender neutral vibe this time around + trying to make it more similar to the way that the original tamagotchi shells look, rather than going for the hyperfem aesthetic, which I can appreciate. I just wish they made them more interesting. give me my glitter!!!!!!!!

Form Factor:

It is very much built to be played with the watch case on. Not a bad idea- but outside of the case, the buttons stick out quite a bit. I just hope they produce an official case that doesn't have the watch band attached- I'd love to be able to clip it onto my belt loop! I'm sooooo glad they continued with the rechargable battery, because it makes it so much smaller and better. It's even smaller than the smart- which to be honest, I wasn't expecting.

Engineering:

I'm so fucking glad they brought back the 3 buttons. They make it so much easier to navigate the menus. I got pretty used to the Pix's touch capacitive buttons though, and I wouldn't have minded them here- but I do understand that they were extremely hit or miss with people. (I do miss being able to do swipe gestures though. I guess that just means I need to play with the pix more.) I'm honestly incredibly glad they didn't do the touch screen here, because after playing with my smart for about a year on and off, the screen gets really dirty really fast. (not to mention the discoloration.) I'm also glad that on the official tamagotchi shell they didn't include any silicone- this pretty much solves the discoloration issue, and I hope that they sell more watch bands in even more colors. I dislike the placement of the lanyard/charm hole, I never really liked it being on the back, it should be on the side- otherwise it has a tendency to hit things, but I can understand putting it there. I do wish they upped the speaker quality though, the 16 dollar gigapet shouldn't have better speakers than the 60 UNI. I'll probably turn off the sound after a while. The speakers do their job regardless, since the tamagotchi has continued to stick to their guns and not have it play any noise other than beeps at various pitches. ALSO. USB C CHARGING IS A GAME CHANGER FOR REAL.

UI Design/Region:

The fact that this tamagotchi is not region locked is amazing. all tamagotchi UNI's share the same programming, and on startup you can pick whatever language and whatever server you want. The menus are pretty simple and not confusing, and I like a lot of the choices they made. It's not my favorite UI from a tamagotchi, but it's perfectly serviceable.

Gameplay:

It's cute! It's tamagotchi gameplay. Seems like they brought a bunch of fan favorite features back- having pets, marriages ect. I also like that each tamagotchi has a specific personality that you help them develop. I think that's really sweet. Also, being able to hold 4 accessories at once is a great way to be able to decorate the tamagotchi! I like that they added more places to go- the pix was really missing that. The games are fun and interesting, and I really like the way they use the gyroscope in some games. The growth chart seems like theres elements we haven't discovered yet which cause certain characters, so I'm curious as to see how it pans out. There's still a lot of mystery surrounding the gameplay!

Online Functionality:

The online functionality is scary to me, since I'm worried about the ability to push out updates. I haven't run into any bugs, so it seems like it'll mostly be used to push content updates? But I'm not entirely sure. I do like having the codes be exclusive, (I'm sure the modding scene will be able to find ways to automatically hack in certain items) because the PIX's QR code system made me a little bit sad with how easy it was to get any item in the game. It seems like there are also more items in this game as well. I do think the online functionality could be a really useful gateway for the modding scene, and the fact that the tamagotchi can download updates and items from the internet (not just backgrounds like the ON/Meets) is super exciting. I'm very excited to see what comes next. It is slightly worrying that bandai could in theory patch out any modding/hacking entrances, but also this is bandai we are talking about and they only really care about each tamagotchi model for about 2-3 years before phasing it out. (Though to be fair the Pix and Smart were smaller releases- they kept support for the Meets for 4 years)

OVERALL REVIEW: it's good :3 if u are a tamagotchi fan and have the money it's a must buy imo! I can def see it becoming a fan favorite down the line, esp if they release some extra lines with fun designs.

[heademptynotasinglethought]

I got the apple tv 7 day trial and I'm speedrunning watching all their popular shows

As the title suggests, I've been binge watching a lot of shows :)

A friend of mine was streaming Silo on discord and we got a couple episodes in before he had to leave for the night. But I got stuck on where the plot was going so of course I signed up for the trial just to finish it.

I don't want to give any spoilers of course in case someone hasn't seen it, its all finished for the season though, 10 episodes. Each episode is an hour long too which is good for my attention span, sometimes when theyre too short it gets annoying with the intros.

Anyway I would recommend, I think what really drew me to it was the atmosphere? I love that kinda retro futuristic energy that it caries sometimes, definitely grungier though with all the concrete. Silly, one of the first things I noticed was the tiles that they use in the kitchens, the colored oval kinds.

Also the outfits? Most are mid but some stood out to me. I mostly appreciated the uniforms? (tbh kinda giving attack on titan but its ok). Also really liked one of the characters they introduced towards the end (nothing major plot wise dont worry I dont think its a spoiler) the ginger one. He had good vibes, wish there were more characters like him. Maybe we'll encounter more in the coming season.

I also finished the season they have out of severence. This is one that I've seen people complaining about with the writers strike and everything. People are worried its just going to get canceled entirely. Which would be a shame because I do think the premise is pretty special. Feels current too. As someone who regularly fails to thrive in a regular 9-5 job, I can relate to the wish to completely separate yourself from the work place, idk if I'd let someone put a chip in me though.

Same comment as before though. the sets are super simple. Just the main room where the macrodata refinememt happens, some hallways, other departments and a couple homes. But they make a lot happen just with dialogue and some simple items. I appreciate the silly little additions like using elements that otherwise would have no use for the outside versions to become majorly useful or important for their innies. I'm trying really hard not to give spoilers but also talk about what I want lol. I'm excited to see what they can do with the next season, I was surpised what they did with Helly. I would have assumed it puts the plot into a wall but idk im sure they've got plans.

I'm currently watching that tom holland show, the crowded room? I'm about halfway through and I'm happy I stuck around, it really wasn't drawing me in at first.

Anywayyy those are all the thoughts that I had, nothing too exciting but at least now its not all just jumbled around in my head. :)

[lunatic-fandom-space]

Alrightyyyyy, I just watched the 2018 JCS Concert version and its probably my least favorite version of this musical so far and, unless theres another 'official' proshot of it that Im not aware of yet, I have little doubt that this will be my least favorite professional version. Its not bad, theres certainly things to enjoy but theyre mostly smaller details and I dont really think the whole managed to be greater than those smaller parts, yknow?

Something that I enjoyed overall as someone whos watched and analysed three other versions of this musical before watching this one, is that there were a lot of points where I could tell that the people behind this were inspired by previous versions but still trying to put their own spin on it and not directly copy certain ideas, that was fun

The camera work was fine, there were a few shots that felt kinda awkward like one where Pilate or some other character I dont really remember, just stares dead into the camera with such a weird expression, it made me cringe a little, but otherwise I dont have much to say about it. I unfortunately dont have a whole lot to say about the staging or lighting or costumes either when I usually talk a lot about those so Im expecting this post to be on the shorter side just for that lmao. Like with the musical overall, those elements arent bad theyre more just lacking or dont quite come together as a whole. I did really like the set though, that sort of under construction cathedral looks really cool and it fits this more abstract telling of the story. It kinda reminded me of the 2000s version, which was also a lot more abstract than either the 73 or 2012 versions but was bogged down by these weird occasional half-hearted attempts at more modern political commentary, which this 2018 version doesnt have so I think its an improvement in that way. And just to be clear, I dont have an issue with newer versions of JCS trying for more relevant political commentary at all, I think its actually very appropriate, they just didnt do a very good job at it in the 2000s one and it honestly seemed like they were going to have the same issues in this version at the very start but they didnt, so that was good. The direction in the 2000s movie is wayyyyyy better though and I found it more enjoyable overall despite that and despite really disliking the lead actors

Speaking of which, I actually didnt really like most of the performers in this one. Judas started out great, he reminded me a lot of 73!Judas which is high praise from me since thats my favorite version and when I rewatched it I was metaphorically laying on my stomach with my head propped up on my hands kicking my legs back and forth like a middleschooler with a crush whenever he was on screen. Unfortunately I do think he got a bit worse over the course of the show to the point where he was 'just' good, which, hey, thats still not bad at all and pretty enjoyable to watch and listen to but still a bit of a disappointment because I honestly thought he did an amazing job with Heaven On Their Minds and even in Strange Thing, Mystifying (although that song had a bit of a weak start imo) and his part in Everything's Alright so the decline was still pretty noticeable. I did like his body language and the way he characterized Judas though

This Jesus was kind of a funny one because based on his appearance and vibes alone he probably has the most Just Some Guy energy out of all the Jesuses Ive seen which is saying a lot and yknow, I enjoy that. And then he opens his mouth to sing for the first time and its absolutely amazing and Im like WOAHH because his voice instantly makes me Get why people would wanna listen to this guy and follow him and stuff. Like, I think Jesus is a very difficult role because you have to balance coming across as detached from the people around him because hes experiencing stuff they genuinely cant understand with coming across as charismatic enough to make it believable that this cult of personality would form around while not making him come across as too much of a holier-than-thou asshole, and I think casting a pretty unassuming guy with a kind of stiff but fairly unremarkable way of holding himself but whose voice is very powerful wouldve been an excellent way to portray him. Im saying 'would have' because while hes great for his first few lines and has some moments where I think he really shines sprinkled throughout the musical, but overall he just kinda gets worse from song to song imo. Its not even like hes good for the entire first act and then gets weirdly bad in the second one, like the reverse of 2012!Jesus who was pretty weak in the first act but then randomly got really good in the second one, he just gets progressively worse its a real shame. But I still wanna mention those moments where he really shines, spoiler alert theyre mostly when he gets angry; when hes yelling at Judas in Strange Thing, Mystifying, hes pretty good in The Temple, both when hes yelling n shit and when he has that short quiet verse between the two parts and during his parts in Trial Before Pilate. Funnily enough those parts are also all parts I really liked in the 1973 german version and his delivery is very similar to that Jesus but thats just a coincidence lol

I also have a lot of things to say about like, the non-singing parts of his performance but in the interest of not talking about Jesus for too much bc I still have a lot of other stuff to talk about, Im just gonna talk about something I noticed during Simon Zelotes in this. In the other versions Ive watched it was pretty clear that Jesus was uncomfortable during that part and I noticed that he really wasnt in this 2018 one, which I initially found interesting (in a positive way) because I hadnt seen that interpretation before but then I thought about it some more afterwards and I was like, ohhhhhh yeah, theres a reason I havent seen that interpretation before huh. I think him being perfectly comfortable during this scene makes him feel a lot more, idk if this is the right word exactly, thoughtless ? he feels very No Thoughts, Head Empty, is what Im trying to say. And it makes him come across as less complex and kind of undermines a big running theme in this musical which is that no one really understands Jesus because hes mentally ill on a mission from god. Also, Simon Zelotes very much feels like its trying to comment on the hollow nature of praying to a guy whose actual teachings you dont really follow and that really loses its impact when Jesus just like. agrees, basically. On top of that it makes Poor Jerusalem kinda come out of nowhere so that makes for a weird experience

So, since Ive talked about Jesus and Judas individually I also wanted to spare some time to talk about what theyre like together since their relationship is a pretty big focus. I dont have a lot to say about the kiss that I havent already said in my first post about this version, its awkward I hate how the hug thats supposed to happen afterwards comes in weirdly too late, I did not like it. at all. And after I made that initial post I realized that part of the reason it felt so weird and awkward is probably because they have basically no physical contact with each other before (or after) this and like. Theres a lot of physical contact between Mary and Jesus and Mary and Peter and I think there was atleast an attempt from her to reach out to Judas and touch his arm at some point and when you pay attention to the extras theres a lot of touching going on too, especially during the The Last Supper which is yknow, the scene that almost directly procedes the kiss so its like, extra noticeable. And its extra weird because theres a lot more physical contact between Jesus and Judas in other versions and in this one its like they wont even stand too close to each other for some reason.

Anyway, moving on to a character that I usually dont have a lot to say about: Mary. I like her but shes not that complex and while her songs definitely definitely arent bad (bc none of the songs in this show are bad imo) theyre not necessarily songs I would listen to on their own, but again, I like her and I think she usually manages to seem interesting even when the play doesnt really focus on her. So it surprised me that they could make her so bland in this one. Ive thought about this for quite a while now and I still cant quite get a handle on why exactly she comes across like that, but I think its because shes lacking that bit of edge that Mary had in the previous versions Ive watched. Like, in the 1973 movie shes kinda grimy because everyone is kinda grimy (I think 70s movies are just kinda like that) and I remember her voice having a bit of roughness to it and she did come across as a bit cold on my first watch, like, I was obviously expecting her to be a pseudo-love interest for Jesus but thats just because Im aware of certain conventions that dictate that any piece of media needs some kind of romantic subplot, not because she actually came across as romantically interested in him. Then in the 2000s version she was pretty passive agressive towards Judas and they did some stuff to make them more obvious foils of each other and Ive talked about this before, this ended up making Judas come across as really weird and bad there but I do think Mary came out of it as more interesting so that was neat. In the 2012 version I'll admit its mostly just her outfit that makes her come across as interesting to me but idk, I also really like this actress and it was neat to see her do stuff with the rest of the ensemble in the background sometimes and she definitely never came across as generic in the same way that 2018!Mary did.

The most interesting things she did were, in this order: go up to Judas after Jesus yelled at him in Strange Thing, Mystifying and he walked away, her touching everyone and calming them down at the start of Everything's Alright and her sitting down between Jesus and Judas and holding both their hands for a moment before leaving to put a candle on the table at the start of The Last Supper. And one of those things wasnt even really interesting! And honestly, shes essentially the Token Girl Character of this very male-centric play and those almost always play this kind of mediator role, so this doesnt really help in making her feel less generic to me. Also, like, idk if this really makes sense as a complaint but I feel like encapsulates my issues with this Mary and its that, when she was doing I Don't Know How To Love Him and she got to the line "I'm the one who's always been/So calm, so cool, no lovers fool" I was just like "sorry girlie, I dont believe you, youve got massive Lover's Fool vibes" yknow. Moving on

I dont have much to say about Caiaphas, Annas and their goons, they were all pretty good. My main issue with them was that they were oddly quiet during This Jesus Must Die but honestly thats an issue with the entire production. Like, idk if something went wrong or if it was meant to be like this bit I was watching this on my computer with the volume wayyyy louder than I usually have it and it was still really quiet for some reason. The fact that the audience would applaud whenever a song ended or whenever a character entered or reentered the stage didnt help bc its like, most of these songs come one right after the other with nary a break inbetween bc they obviously didnt accomodate for that and it doesnt make for a very pleasant viewing experience. But back to the priests, I wanted to give a special shoutout to that guy that sings the line "A rabbel rousing mission that I think we must ABORT" I think hes great, hes absolutely insane, hes a white boy off the shits and I love him for it

Speaking of off the shits white boys, I also really liked Simon. I dont actually remember what his singing was like or if I thought it was good or not, I just remember him going wild on stage while looking like the older version of a Die Wilden Kerle movie villain (if youre not german or didnt watch those, please google "Die Wilden Kerle Gonzo", "Die Wilden Kerle Fabi" and "Die Wilden Kerle Darkside" to understand this joke) and sometimes thats really all you need. Also, during The Last Supper everyone is being very effectionate with each other and I love that Simon is included in that. Like, hes this horrible little man whos done nothing except advocate for violence and look, hes got a friend who hugs him, hes got a woman who hugs him and hes got a guy friend who comforts him when their spiritual leader/maybe friend? has a mental breakdown and starts yelling at all of them all of a sudden. Love that for him

I didnt like Pilate though. He did a good job I guess, but idk the vibes just werent right with him. Funnily enough I had the exact opposite of that issue with Herod, whose vibes were absolutely impeccable but whose singing was just kinda strange and underwhelming. I did like him going up to the audience during that dance break to be like "Whos your king?" or whatever, thats was neat

Thats it as far as my thoughts on the cast go, it wasnt great but I did really like the ensemble. I dont have too much to say about the individual musical numbers which is why I didnt split this post up the way I did my 2012 JCS post. I dont think they did anything particularly noteworthy or striking with the chereography or the lighting that wasnt done better in other version, the most interesting part was really the fact that there were two 'audience-walls'. What I mean by that is that, usually when you have a stageplay you have your set which has three actual walls and then one non-literal wall that the audience can see the story through, but this one has two, its like a rectangle with two sides missing essentially. But they still dont do too much with that, the staging of certain numbers is a bit more dynamic than it would be on a traditional stage (like Damned For All Time/Blood Money for example) and it seems like the performers have a bit more freedom to move and turn around and whatnot but thats about it.

One thing that I did really enjoy was the use of these white scarves. They show up during Hosanna for the first time and the ensemble members and Jesus all wave them around, they look cool and I like how actually wear them and put them around their heads during Jesus' second verse. Soon after that we get The Temple, which I think couldve been better, especially the first part, but during the beggars part the ensemble is also wearing scarves (I think theyre more of a light gray but its kinda hard to tell with the lighting) and I know its a stretch to say that this is supposed to be some sortof parallel or whatever between the two scenes because theres only so many ways you can wear a scarf but idk, I really like the idea of contrasting these two scenes where Jesus is surrounded by his followers. Im pretty sure the next time they appear its during The Last Supper scene where they all have them around their shoulders and then when they all use them as blankets when they go to sleep at the end, I thought that was really cute. Also, Mary puts a scarf around Judas' shoulders and Im pretty sure its light gray instead of white which could be a nod to The Temple scene earlier but I actually think its meant to kindof tie in to Jesus' outfit. I just realized I havent talked about the costuming at all but Jesus is wearing all white with a light gray jacket over it, so yeah. The next time the white scarves make an appearance is during Pilate And Christ, all the ensemble members wrap them around their chests like some sort of faux toga and then they take them back off for that mini Hosanna reprise and wave them around like they did during the song proper. The last appearance of these scarves is during Judas' Death, they're scattered all over the floor and he picks them up and hangs himself with them. I think I wouldve preferred it if he just kept that scarf Mary gave him and hanged himself with that but at the same time this is really good and interesting too, yknow, hes hanging himself using whats essentially a symbol Jesus-worship while telling god its his fault that hes doing it. good stuff

I was getting close to ending it here but remembering that I forgot to say anything about the costuming earlier caused me to remember all the thoughts I had about it but Ive already spent too much time writing this and Im starting to forget stuff, so here are my basic thoughts about the costuming in a quick bullet point list:

the outfits do an overall better job at actually looking cool and/or punk than they did in either the 2000s or the 2012 version, although i might just feel that way because theyre the most up-to-date fashion-wise

Pilates outfit was really weird and I still dont know what to think about it, I wouldve probably liked it more if they cast a different actor with better vibes

Herods outfit was great, no notes

I didnt like those background dancer outfits, they looked like bird-themed strippers and they wouldve felt more appropriate for the first half of The Tempel (that part was also in desperate need of some dancing, basically all they did there was rub their faces against a table full of glitter for about two minutes)

Judas outfit feels like an upgrade of the one from the 2000s version, he actually looked cool, h wore red and he showed some cleavage!! Not as much as the 73 version but still

JUDAS GOT TO WEAR WHITE AGAINNN well, he got to wear an outfit covered in white rhinestones which really looked more silvef but I dont think Im getting anything better than this at this point so I'll take it

I like that Mary wore orange like in the 1973 version and her dress was very beautiful but the lighting was kept very cool/neutral throughout most of the show so it made her stick out when she wasnt supposed to and it was really distracting

I like that all the ensemble members wear white and gray outfits for the crucifixion again, to tie in to Jesus' outfit

So yeah, Conclusion Time

I'd give this one a solid 6.5/10, for reference I thought both the 1973 movie and the 2000 recording were 7/10s and the 2012 version was an 8/10. Maybe thats a pretty high score for a proshot that I didnt have a lot of kind things to say about but idk, at the end of the day I still had fun listening to and watching a musical I really enjoyed