#it really encapsulates the experience of being the favorite of kids...

[wutheringheightsfilm]

"what are you crying about?" the fact that wei wuxian and lan wangji were so adored by their disciples that immediately after guanyin temple all of the kids come rushing in asking if they're okay and being like oh my god wei qianbei!!! hanguang jun!!!!!!

[stxrr-strxckk]

Something I noticed about I Saw the TV Glow that I haven't seen anybody mention yet

I saw this movie in theaters back in early may when it was released (Twice!), and it's been lingering in my head ever since then. Something I noticed on my second watch through: When Owen (and the audience) first see the Pink Opaque, we see Tara and Isabel in this sort of 90s nostalgia light, and I always thought they looked quite similar to Maddy and Owen. For example: Here is Owen and Isabel next to each other for reference.

While it's not entirely the same (Owen has softer features and is warmer toned, Isabel is more sharp and cool toned), they do look like they'd at least be related, cousins at least?

Same with Maddy and Tara, though not as much. (They looked more similar after Maddy's haircut, but I'm too lazy to change the photo)

But then, at the end when Owen is rewatching Pink Opaque? It's completely different. That nostalgic effect is gone and all of a sudden Tara is nowhere to be seen (Since Maddy left the world they were trapped in), and Isabel is completely different. Instead of being the confident, strong, WOC we see her as originally, she's just the same boring white protagonist of every little girl's show we grew up on.

And of course Owen is panicking, realizing that he lost his chance: He buried Isabel; she's dead underground, without her heart and instead of being who he truly is where he truly belongs, he's just... Owen. Stuck in suburbia, living the hell of being a queer kid growing up in the suburbs. Except now, he's an adult living a lie, knowing what he could have had is gone and he's stuck.

And another thing: I think the choice of the fun zone being where Owen works is deliberate. Sure, they could have kept him at the theater, but the theater shutting down is not only accurate (sad but true- please support your local movie theaters!) but shows how everyone is moving on from that experience of going to see a movie in person- choosing streaming instead.

And we also notice this change in the Pink Opaque when Owen is watching it streaming. This is a reflection of how media felt more special growing up when it was in a physical form. Cds, vinyl, Dvds, casettes, film reels, even game cartridges, we've always had some physical object that bonds us to the worlds of creativity in which artists express themselves. And whether you've noticed or not, it's a special sort of feeling that just... Dies with streaming. Its like you own a piece of the media. Like saying: "This is mine, it's my personal piece of media that belongs to me and only me." and that's always made it feel special. Sure, there may be multiple copies, but this one belongs just to you. Not to mention the ritual of actually putting in cds, dvds, casettes into a player, or playing vinyl on a record player. There's this action you have to take to consume this media that's familiar and sort of gets you to anticipate what you're about to watch (much like Owen and Maddy's ritual of Maddy taping the show then leaving them around school for Owen to find) whereas now, you're just on a streaming service that lots of people own, and you're just mindlessly scrolling through hundreds of options.

Another thing: What do we see when Owen cuts his chest open in the final few minutes? TV static. Like when a tape finishes and you don't take it out of the player. Now with streaming, you don't get that static. His connection with the Pink Opaque stems from his friendship with Maddy, the nostalgia of his favorite childhood show, and of course: his own queerness.

It's no secret this movie is about growing up queer and feeling like something is wrong. Like some part of you missing, the part that makes you normal. I've seen many reviews on IMDB that clearly missed the point, so I really want to spell it out here: THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT QUEER PEOPLE FOR QUEER PEOPLE. And I've never seen a movie so perfectly encapsulate that feeling more than this one.

From my experience as a queer POC growing up with little to no representation I know this feeling all too well of seeing someone and realizing: "Wow, that's me." And projecting who I wanted to be onto that person. Then, later revisiting that media to realize that a: you've become them, your true self, or b, in Owen's case: that you've buried that person alive and barely recognize yourself.

It's really such a unique experience that I've never been able to put into words before. These scenes gave me such a visceral feeling and I almost cried in the theater. The scene of Owen in Isabel's dress is just the cherry on top. I myself am lucky enough to not need to transition and growing up I didn't feel as much dysphoria as my other trans friends, but this reminds me of a good friend of mine who used to dress in heels, makeup, skirts, and dresses to try and lessen the dysphoria she felt growing up in the wrong body.

I also love how the movie shows being queer in school.

Like how Maddy asks Owen if he likes girls or boys, and he replies with: "I think I like TV shows."

Avoiding the question because you either don't know the answer, or are so afraid you're gonna get bullied even more for being who you are.

Growing up, there weren't many queer kids in my school. So when we found each other, we stuck together. But for most of school, we were alone. No groups, not many friends, no space at the lunch table for us.

And seeing Owen, I just felt this connection to him almost immediately. Alone, not part of any group, until he finally finds Maddy. They don't have anything in common except the show, which is really the only reason they're friends, but it keeps them together, They're bonded.

For me, I see this as finding another queer kid in a mostly straight school. You may not have much in common, but that identity means you two will stick together, no matter what.

TLDR: I love isttvg, it makes me cry, everyone in gay and fuck imdb.

[carefulfears]

kae’s sunday fic recs <3

this week i’m sharing @gaycrouton’s “words of” series (words of love & words of lust), which each feature a chapter based on every letter of the alphabet! nicole writes everything from her fic to her meta to her tweets with nothing but earnest compassion, and whether she’s taking you through the most unimaginably dark upsetting shit you’ve ever read in your life or the filthiest smut, every word is from such a position of affection, her love for the characters and their’s for each other.

she had so much room to play in this series and it was always so much fun to see where her creativity went next!

my top 3 chapters of each:

words of love

- Supportive (desc: Mulder had never heard Scully get called Mrs. Spooky before.)

everything will always come back to squeeze, honestly, and “mrs. spooky” encapsulates the choices made in that episode, what they mean. association with mulder is inherently derogatory, inherently ridiculed, but for scully, it’s also tainted by misogyny; she has to be more careful, and she knows that, but she’s unwilling to sacrifice her convictions in order to cleave to authority.

when this one-shot picks up a year later, what stands out to me is like…mulder’s obliviousness 😭😭 mulder is extremely socially-aware, i don’t think he’s actually oblivious of much, but he can fall into a lil earnest delusion when it comes to scully, i feel like. i love the way nicole explores the differences in their exposure to the outside world consistently in her work.

(also, like i said on twitter, scully heard “mrs. spooky” and said BET!!!! that association doesn’t scare her.)

- Unforgettable (taking place during s8/s9)

“She had ghost cramps that night. The doctors said it was from the stress, she figured the baby was mourning with her.”

this one just really broke my heart, lol. i think this is my favorite use of monica in fic that i’ve read though, and how much it means to scully for her son to have a believer in his life.

- Epilogue (post-ghouli, jackson’s POV)

y’all know!! how i feel. jackson’s randomly surfacing birth parents are weepy and weird but they really love him, and that’s something.

the end of their story was always going to be through this kid’s eyes, where he ended up himself, and i love that it’s where this story ends as a well.

(the line about going through photos and samantha being referred to as his aunt, something more than an experiment to “more than 2 people.” yeah.)

words of lust

(my FAVORITEEEE)

- Once (post-IVF failure)

okay this chapter had me weeping in my office at work….i personally headcanon their first time as around the end of IVF and this was such a sad (but hopeful) view of it. so much heart as always.

- Quiver

i promised y’all a dom scully list and i’ll try to get one done next week but for now i offer you… ❤️

- Yours

i really loved this one, LET DANA SCULLY BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF PEOPLE!! you know she wants to!!!

don’t miss the epilogue! 😁

this is kinda out of it because i’m exhausted from traveling but i had the best time with these stories!! love y’all

[earlgreytea68]

Thinking about Pete's infamous Q&A and Livejournal posts about Patrick (not to mention the birthday tweets), I think it's absolutely hilarious and adorable that since Patrick isn't as online as Pete is, Pete used that to his advantage, and just spent his internet time gushing about his crush, and how amazing he is, behind his back. I mean, he even called Patrick his celebrity crush in an interview, but notably when said crush wasn't present.

I'm sure at least some of it was played up for our benefit, of course, but he must have known that his comments would get back to Patrick eventually, and that people would ask questions. I can't help but wonder how much of it was just Pete trolling us and, by extension Patrick, and how much of it was him honestly being too shy to say anything out loud, and lowkey hoping that Patrick would catch on. Considering the man is both a hopeless romantic and a perpetual 13-year-old, I wouldn't put either past him honestly!

I honestly feel like Pete (and Patrick, tbh) had no actual words for how he felt about Patrick, that no previous experience of how relationships were supposed to be prepared him for the cosmic knockout of meeting your creative soulmate. There was nothing in his family life that would have made him ever think about such a possibility, and when it happened I think he was just so absolutely blown away by the wonder and magic of the whole thing that he really just never stopped talking about it. And I don't blame him for it. But I think he's teasing a little bit, but mostly the whole thing is completely genuine, Patrick is just his favorite person, he just wants to talk about him all the time, and everything comes back to PatrickPatrickPatrick. And yes, in a weird way, even though sharing it online was sharing it with the world, it wasn't sharing it directly with Patrick, since Patrick wasn't online, and it probably seemed safer than gushing all this stuff to him directly. It's like sometimes you can only reveal the depth of your emotions by kidding about it to other people.

Also, I always laugh at that birthday tweet that's like, "Happy birthday Patrick 'I hate it when you guys even say the word Twitter' Stump," or whatever it is, I think it's a hilarious encapsulation of their entire dynamic lol.

[angel-armed]

Tristamp OST analysis

This is going to be a bit of a monster even with me just jumping to favorite songs so bear with me... I'm a classically trained vocalist, I play piano, guitar, and a load of different woodwinds.

1.KNIVES’s Piano

This is the most important leitmotif in the series, legit. This is part of how Knives ‘haunts the narrative.’ While he doesn’t appear in every episode, his leitmotif is everwhere. This melody appears even in songs that are not necessarily about him, and can also be tied directly to the concept of Plant Song, which is another track on here. It gives the idea that Knives’ theme is not something he just magically composed and pulled out of the aether– it’s a primordial melody that belongs to the Plants themselves. We see this especially in the scene in Episode 11 (Or 12, they blend together for me oops) where Vash starts to sing this very melody and the Plants sing along with him. 

Millions Knives vocal Ver.

This is probably the most obvious and prominent track in the entire show. It takes the same melody and motif as Knives piano theme and adds lyrics that are really only fully heard here and in Drain Arm, the 2nd to last track. These lyrics turn that Plant Song into a blatant lovesong, even including a call and response– a lyrical/vocal style used primarily in lovesongs in musicals and even Disney Lovesongs. Without official lyrics to look at the, lyrics I hear go as follows: 

Can we breathe (or maybe be, but breathe is more likely) the same way together?

All of the lives(Lights? Lies? All fit) are a part of me

Wish we could stay here forever

Although the stars are falling down.

Remember how

We used to be

No turning back

Stars falling down

These are the main vocals, but the response is, either right after the last stanza or during it, underneath the vocals as a joined swell “I still care for you” suggesting that said response is Vash responding to Nai’s previous thoughts. I could go on about this one forever, but those are the main points to take away. 

Vash the Stampede

This is Vash’s main theme and leitmotif, heard very prominently throughout the first few episodes. It harkens back to the more Western heavy themes of the original anime and manga, and really represents Vash’s spirit. It’s upbeat and introduces several motifs that will be used to represent Vash throughout the rest of the OST. It also includes the big brass fanfare that are the main Trigun Stampede theme from the first OST (which I haven’t played to death as much as the 2nd one) We’ve got the harmonica and guitar that brings us that western feel, but that quickly gets wrapped up in a modern almost hip-hop rock beat and really encapsulates the way Vash presents himself, less than his actual inner being. It almost feels like this song is how Vash wants the world to view him. That cool cowboy that Nai talked about when they were kids. 

10. Boyhood/ NICHOLAS THE PUNISHER/ Whom to let live

This gives us Nico’s leitmotif, and some that might later be associated with Livio depending on how they decide to utilize him in season two. This is the only place in the soundtrack where we hear the use of the theramin (A very cool instrument you should look up the history of) which is famous from classic sci fi shows like the Twilight Zone and the Original Star Trek. It’s used to invoke a sense of spookiness, and often used to tell us through the music that something strange and alien is happening which is appropriate, as part of Boyhood is used during the scene where we’re shown how Conrad’s experiments transformed Wolfwood and Livio.This and NICHOLAS THe PUNISHER makes use of another instrument we don’t really hear anywhere else– the Saxophone, which if you know Trimax and the 98 anime, is a cool throwback. Whom to let live uses it even more prominently. Whom to let live is a personal favorite of mine, it’s so introspective and soft– almost soothing. This plays on the Sand Steamer during one of Wolfwood’s introspective moments; when he’s trying to choose who he should save. 

11. Energy of the Plant

This one contains some of the same musical elements of Knives’ vocal theme, eventually ramping up into the violins that are often used, in my opinion, to represent Vash in a theme– a cool little nod to them being connected literally and figuratively. 

20. Home

This track is SO near and dear to my heart. It’s built out of melodies and themes that are simply not present in the rest of the OST. No sign of Nai’s theme, yet the theme is played on the instrument associated with him– piano. It starts out simple and then bit by bit, brass and woodwinds come in to swell the melody into a heart-bursting wave of warmth. Just as it reaches that climax, the violins that represent Vash come in, and give us a tiny glimpse of the leitmotif from Vash the Stampede, as though whispering of the man he will become after growing up in the company of the people from Ship Three. See if you can pick it out right at 1:46!  This right here is why I believe the violin is the instrument used to represent Vash throughout the rest of the OST. 

23. Last Run

I can’t help but mention this track, as it is probably one of my top three favorites. Of course the most obvious part is how it incorporates Knives’ theme towards the middle and end, but the build up to that point is a masterclass in creating musical tension. It starts with the underlying sound of weeping violins, and then a synth instrument that just barely offers a TEASE of Nai’s theme as the other elements, discordant slides and very subtle percussion build up. As Vash enters the scene, the violins become more tense as well, playing short staccato notes instead of the long, weeping notes before. It drops off into that synthesized guitar bomb slide, which is used to almost simulate the beating of a heart along with deep bass. Then, the Plantsong itself comes in– the same vocals used to represent the Plants in other songs just as the Climax of the scene begins, and then Knives’ piano theme slowly comes in, falling like tears before another stop that leads into the actual climax. Honestly this song is an absolute masterpiece. Just then, some organs come in very softly, picking up what can only be called a transformative moment for Knives as his worldview is cemented into stone, his path to becoming the god of this planet laid out before him in rage and fury. Then in the very last quarter of the song, it transforms almost entirely into his theme just around the time Vash’s gate manifests– but with the added oomph of Vash’s absolutely gut-wrenching violin playing along in a duet. They are both in so much pain in this scene, and the song spells it all out. 

28&29: Erhu in July and Plant Song on erhu

I love these two tracks because they really are one song, and go one into another seamlessly– they are simply Vash’s and then Knives’ leitmotifs played on an Erhu, which is legit one of my favorite instruments of all time. Really brings into focus that July has a TON of Chinese influence!

41. Conception

Jumping way ahead on this because while there are a lot of great tracks, I really wanna focus on the ones that stand out. This one in particular is really special because it takes Knives’ theme that is usually played in Minor key and moves it almost entirely into Major Key. It’s triumphant! His eden is at hand, and then, those sad strings come in (a cello this time–) that just suddenly dies out, just as Vash cuts him off. 

42. Memory of Rem

This song is really cool because it is, once again, part of the same melody that Knives always plays– but it’s only ONE part of it accompanied by violin, likely to represent the half of the melody that is attributed to Vash. Obviously it represents his connection to Rem and his childhood. 

44. Drain Arm

This song is a fucking magnum opus, and starts with the same notes that are present in Memory of Rem, symbolizing how she lives on through Vash. It almost immediately starts with a slow, sad violin melody that then builds up and up using some of the same melodic motifs as Home– and then Nai’s piano comes in, cascading downward along with the vocals that are used to represent plants. The beginning movement really is a mix of everything that made Vash who he is today. Then, it moves into mirroring the melody of Knives’ piano theme entirely with new added piano flourishes that make this moment feel so beautiful and yet sad. Vash and Knives are both becoming who they are going to be for the duration of the rest of the story. The old is dying, and the new is being born– very painfully. The vocals swell and then drop, bringing the focus back to the piano and some ominous percussion and bells before coming back up into a crescendo. This is where the lyrics from Knives’ Vocal theme appear, expressing Knives’ pain and Vash’s desperate “I still care for you,” 

I’ve said it before but the piano here really feels like cascading tears, which are then joined by the weeping of a violin as that lyric: “I still care for you” plays. The melodies all start to join up into one as the violin now starts to play the intro to Knives’ theme and carry the song into its final climax and the pain we all know it overlays. This time, the violins play Knives’ theme– while his usual piano plays a countermelody and harmony. Still, the two are unavoidably intertwined. I can’t help but feel as though this represents Vash taking that melody into himself, carrying the Knives he knew and loved with him. 

[icarianarts]

More about me under the cut! ;P

Icarian • he/they/she (no preference) • transsexual • 21 y/o

I'm a Graphic Design Major ^_^

A running joke about me is a lot of my points of interest reflect that of a cishet boy but I promise I am normal about everything I get into. I may talk about some things more than others because I get embarrassed with what I like easily, but here's a general list!

General Movies + TV Shows

• Seinfeld

• The Birdcage

• The Yellow Submarine

• The Muppets

• The Shrek series (Unironically, whenever I talk about Shrek it is never for the meme, but for my love of the movies and characters.)

Various Adam Sandler movies + things that are so bad they're good, if that makes any sense. I love regularly watching tacky things that were poorly produced and/or written. Pretty much anything I can commentate on easily with my friends and complain about lightly LOL

Anime + Manga

• Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Parts 1 + 3 + 6 are usually my areas of focus, but I have read all of it up to 9, which I've yet to really dive into.)

• Dragon Ball (Childhood interest of mine, I haven't watched the series regularly or have drawn fanart regularly since I was 14 or so. Hilariously, I still find myself to this day getting into conversations surrounding it so I might as well include it!)

• Berserk (I LOVE PUCK ^_^)

• Devilman (Obligatory post-Berserk catch up read so I could see the elements Miura was inspired by.)

Video Games

• Pretty much most Nintendo games, I have a baseline knowledge of everything under that company's label. (Focus on Pokémon + Mario + Kid Icarus + etc. it'll be glaringly obvious what my favorites are just by checking my old smash bros ultimate tags...)

• Mega Man Classic

• Second Life + VR Chat (If you ever consider wanting to play any of these games, feel free to shoot me an ask or DM if you'd like an insider's explanation on what the scene is like on them! I can go into great detail the amount of stories I have accumulated from my excursions, all the good and the bad LMAO)

• Genshin Impact (I do not engage with the fanbase, and find a lot of the fans genuinely exhausting to be around. While it is no worse than The Legend of Zelda with its issues, the fans remarkably make it so much more agonizing to talk about.)

• Ball Gay 3

Miscellaneous

• I love the Abrahamic Faiths and sometimes post about my experiences struggling in queer spaces predominantly ran by culturally christian white atheists who choose to say all organized faith is inherently bad and perpetuate the "queer vs. religion" issue.

• I went to a Japanese immersion school from the ages 5 through 11 and have been casually keeping up with the language since!

• I love classic country and folk rock. When I say I like country, I specifically mean the genre and general scene behind country that predates the 9/11 shift in music. I also (embarrassingly) know a shit ton of Beatles trivia. John Denver is my favorite music artist.

...and much more I am probably forgetting to list out! I am critical of all my interests, so please do not be presumptuous. Ultimately, I consider a lot of "Fandom DNI" things to be hypocritical and performative in the sense that it eliminates any nuance.

Simply put, I will just block you if you are someone who refuses to have any critical thinking skills...that being said, given how tumblrinas seem to be incapable of figuring out what that means, here is a brief rundown of what I that tends to encapsulate. LMAOOOOOO

No stupid discourse No creeps No "it's just fictional!" No whatever I deem to be genuinely sickening I know "DNI" pages are performative and areas for people to flaunt their basic morality but lately I have had to block so many people I feel as though I need to put a typical warning up so. You Know. Gestures Vaguely. For Genshin Fans specifically coming to my blog know I do not put up with any ship remotely creepy. I see a good portion of the "short" character model characters as children, and genuinely cannot "unsee" it. This is not something to argue in my asks about. Just leave me alone, I do not participate in the fandom for a reason.

[four-bandaids]

i was tagged by my movie bestie @garethsedwards and i'm REALLY excited to Write About Movies! film hoe mode activated.

rules: post 10 of your favorite comfort movies then tag 10 people.

CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994): not my absolute favorite wong kar-wai, but definitely the one that feels most like home. i'm a city girl through and through, and deeply relate to the narrative's mournfulness over identity - its yearning to (re)gain a sense of personhood amid frayed connections and persistent loneliness. the feelings just fucking hit.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001-2003): easiest answer for me to give, because these films made me a film hoe. it doesn't matter how many times i've watched the behind-the-scenes appendices for each movie - how much i've dispelled the ~fantasy for myself by reading up every factoid about production possible. for years, i return to middle-earth gladly.

SAW (2004): uh, this one is a comfort movie because i revisit it every single time i want to shut my brain off. the ending always gets me, man.

ZODIAC (2007): when i was a kid, i primarily watched crime dramas. but if i had to pick ONE to watch for the rest of my life, it would be this. like most of david fincher's movies, it's cut-and-dry until it's not - anticipatory without being unfulfillingly predictable. a simple kind of compelling. side note: it's also a film i show to my loved ones a ton.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012): maybe it's andrew garfield's aura, james horner's devastatingly emotive score, or peter parker's sheer earnestness. or maybe it's because marc webb directed all the my chemical romance music videos that raised me into the emo i am today. but i fucking love this movie and how it simply represents a very specific, nostalgic time in my life.

INTERSTELLAR (2014): sci-fi, my beloved! nolan, my other beloved! this is one of his most tender works - an emotional rollercoaster that starts and ends on the undeniable force that truly runs our universe - love. i'm left a puddle of jelly after every rewatch, and am thankful for it.

MISS STEVENS (2016): this is the timmy chalamet movie for me, although he's not the reason it's particularly comforting. rather, it talks about how being an adult after a certain age is daunting. whatever road maps that are left over from our more youthful years now seem smudged and the future is forever unclear. this film is about kindly and empathetically navigating that - the journey, not the destination - and i that, to me, is the very definition of being comforted.

FACES PLACES / VISAGES, VILLAGES (2017): part of agnes varda's sheer genius was always her ability to encapsulate snapshots of time while simultaneously creating timelessness in her films. she was always so viscerally present on the pulse point of whatever topic she wanted to unpack, and you feel held in each of her frames. faces places was the first of her movies for me, so it holds a special place in my heart.

UNICORN STORE (2017): every day i thank brie larson for making a film so unabashedly warm, sparkly, and vibrant. it's so healing for the inner child in me who felt forced to grow up too soon.

MIDSOMMAR (2019): this film is all about trauma and mental illness, which is extremely unnerving and confronting to watch. despite that, i experience such unadulterated catharsis whenever i put midsommar on. feeling seen and getting to unpack these issues safely within the confines of horror - that's everything to me.

tagging @satellitemp4 @zoewashburne @betharmon @riley-keoughs @whatelsecanwedonow @lovestream @buffystark @ellargent @dolanx @alechardison @captainbobbiedraper

[mister-e-muss]

Alright. I’m late but here’s my backlog report for January. How did my first month of 2024 go in terms of games?

In a word, rather well.

Trails from Zero:

The first game of the new year that I beat. Would you believe me if I said this whole thing only took me about a week of concentrated play to beat?

Anyways, it’s probably the most solid title in the Trails series so far. As I’ve said before my journey into Trails was a bit screwy, due to only having a Switch and a standard laptop. It was surprising to find that a lot of the good that the series accumulated was actually added in this entry specifically, from attacking enemies on-screen, to bonus experience, to being able to use combo attacks a la Chrono Trigger.

Also, music good.

Star Ocean Second Story R:

I’m a sucker for anything that can blend science fiction and fantasy, which means that this was almost as good as drugs.

The only two negative things I can say about it is that 1.) the music wasn’t really bad, but not what I’d call my favorite, and 2.) I wish that characters had more interaction in Private Actions. I like the Private Action events, but I wish more involved more than the protag and the character in question.

My complaints with First Departure, mainly that the combat felt very barebones and there was no fast travel, have been destroyed here with extreme prejudice. The breaks and sidesteps are fun additions that don’t break the game, and the fast travel system not only gives you easy access, but also notes when and where events are available, so no more cursing yourself for not having the exact timing to recruit a character.

Gunvolt Chronicles 2:

If you liked Mega Man Zero/ZX, chances are you will like or do like this series. I myself have been a fan since the 3DS days.

Unfortunately, while I did enjoy my time with this, I was a little bit disappointed.

In terms of gameplay, Copen no longer feels like Copen. The high-speed human pinball has been grounded and his range has been shortened. While he gets his wings back once the kudos reach a certain threshold, this means that I was constantly cursing my muscle memory, having to remind myself that I only had one air dash and the attack button was no longer a straight shot but a melee saw.

In terms of story, while I like a few of the ideas and the new character of Null, I found it hard to truly get invested. None of Gunvolt Chronicles 1’s supporting cast is present aside from Kohaku, and we frankly don’t spend enough time with Null or Ypsilon for them to be compelling. Also ‘character falls into portal because reasons!’ is a trope I hate. They explain it eventually, but it’s just the perfect encapsulation of how break-neck fast this story moves. Prologue movie where characters get isekai’d, short two-sentence long introduction to Null, and Bam! Months long time-skip.

I feel like Inti-creates and I just have different opinions on the Gunvolt series’ identity, but that’s a discussion for an entirely separate time. I make these reports to have fun, not to vent.

Final Fantasy IV (DS version):

Would you believe me if I said this one took half the month?

Anyways, I first encountered this game on the Wii’s Virtual Console shop, back in the good old days of owning your own retro software. Being a kid of average intelligence, it completely escaped me that you could save on the overworld, which meant that despite trying to get into it a few times, FFIV was the first game to be booted when I needed memory space.

A few years back I finally got my hands on a copy of the DS remake with 3D models and voice acting by the likes of Yuri Lowenthal. And it rocked.

I think the augment system is undercooked, but that is the only complaint I can think of, because the music, the story, and the gameplay are all great! Let me put it to you this way: FFIV’s active time battle system was so good that they used it for five more games straight, and borrowed from it heavily for 12.

I know that the Crystal Remasters have come out and gained notoriety, but I still prefer this version because of the solid voice cast, fun art direction, and balanced yet challenging difficulty.

[bowtiesnmusicals]

Here is my recap of the We Missed a LOT (w/ Josh Sussman) episode of the podcast.

Jenna said this was a really awesome honest conversation about Josh's experience on the show. Kevin said he was fully prepared to be as honest as possible.

Josh said he was very happy to be there.

Jenna said she ran into him at their favorite spot. He told her he listens to the show. They also talked about his experience on Britney/Brittany. They had been meaning to ask him to be on the show but were waiting for more juicy Jacob Ben Israel content. The Britney/Brittany encapsulates that.

Josh said that episode was crazy. He prepared himself to share stories he had never shared publicly before. He figured this is the place to do it. To give it a tease he mentioned that before that episode he had never experienced cyber bullying. He said being on Glee was the best thing ever but because of the creepy terrible things JBI did in Britney/Brittany he got a lot of horrible things written to him. It made him so sad. He's never vocalized that before because who is he to complain. He is so lucky to be on this fantastic show that is also his favorite show. It's so good. He couldn't comprehend because the show dealt with antibullying. He said 99% of the Glee fans are amazing.

He read a letter he received. The person said they wanted to punch him in the face and moved on to saying they wanted to punch him the balls so he could never procreate and have filthy kids like yourself.  You ruined what should have been one of the best songs, Toxic. I hate you, go die. Jenn said she is so sorry. Josh said he isn't looking for a pity party. She said that is horrible and not funny. Kevin said with the advent of Twitter and social media becoming what it is today. Now we know how to deal with cyber bullying in a way. Back then it was still so new and people would say the wildest shit. How are you supposed to know how to deal with that? Josh said he would read everything which was not smart. He said Wreck it Ralph 2 hadn't come out yet and that is where you learn not to read the comments. Josh said to that point people would say nice things but after Britney/Brittany that changed. He said he couldn't stop because he was trying to find the nice comments. Usually the nice heavily outweighs the bad/mean comments.

Jenna said it wasn't Josh. It was a character. It was something that was written for his character. They didn't get any say in what was written for them. They felt so lucky and who were they to speak up against any of the things they were doing. They were just so lucky to have a job and be in the position they were in.

Josh said he had no issue with it. He thought it was funny and envelop pushing. He had no desire to ever say no. Even being naked he was in his trailer doing push-ups but at crafty their was a sandwich truck where you could make your own sandwich. He said he was so good at making a sandwich he made himself a second sandwich. He was like no you are going to be naked. Jenna was laughing through all of this. They shaved his body hair to I guess make him more youthful. The only thing he worried about was getting fired because he was 25 in the first season. He wasn't the oldest one though. Harry and Cory were both older then him. Jenna said they can't escape that everyone knows their ages at this point. Kevin said it also just wild the passion that fans have and had for the show. Most of it was overwhelmingly positive. They get to be on a show that is representing people that aren't normally represented. However the disparity of not being able to tell the difference between Josh and JBI who is very much not Josh. In real life Josh is the sweetest most thoughtful person and playing a character that is the opposite of that. He said he doesn't know where people get off thinking that any of that remotely okay to get on and attack someone for a role they are playing. Josh said that they think we are so similar. They are basing it off what they see in interviews and interviews are awkward especially if you aren't used to them. They would said he is just as creepy as his character or something is wrong with him. He said there is no escape. You can meet people in person and leave them with a great impression. Like oh yeah wow you are nothing like the character you play. Jenna said there is a lot we can't control. She said she is sorry again. She knows he is not looking for a pity party. Cyberbullying is never acceptable. For someone who is just doing their job and doing it well that is really shitty. It makes her very upset. For a long time they would read the comments. At some point she had to close her computer and say she wasn't doing it anymore because it is very harmful. It's really hard to walk the line of wanting to read the good things and then having to take the bad but not having to take the bad. She just wanted to acknowledge that and move away from it.

Josh mentioned that IMDB used to have message boards. The show had a message board and the actors also had boards. On his board there were messages about kicking him off Glee. Others said he's too creepy its not funny. He doesn't know if any of that affected his place on the show. He was only originally booked on one episode. Originally in his script JBI sneezed on Figgins or Schuester but it at some point changed to Lauren doing it. There was a while he wasn't on the show. So he wondered if those comments affected him getting to come to work.

Kevin said it's so hard because Josh showed up and was just so good. He said Josh was very very good. Kevin said their is sort of their world and experience and then people like Josh who weren't in the Glee club and not one of the teachers. Kevin said they didn't see him a lot but he was in a lot of episodes. He said Josh had to play a character that wasn't overly likeable. He said Josh did a great job at the job he was hired to perform. Kevin said he felt like they were around each other but not a close as the glee club was. When they started getting weird things they had each other to turn to. They didn't have that same relationship with Josh. Kevin asked if that was hard. Josh said he felt close to Max because they were in similar positions. The glee club, series regulars, blew up over night. Then there were the recurring characters that were in the radius of this huge show and became recognizable. It was so strange and he said there are things he could only talk about with Max. Josh mentioned again that he was only booked for one episode and it turned into over 20 episodes. Kevin said you were too good. You don't turn a 1 episode role into over 20 by being bad. Kevin said when you have writers like Ian, Brad, and Ryan and they give you something and you made it better then they could have imagined its like keep bringing him back.

Josh's first day was in celibacy club. Ryan started to give him lines to say. These weren't lines in the script. Josh said he felt like Ryan just picked him and said thank you to Ryan. He was in 5 of the first 13 episodes. He only saw those scripts and didn't know who was pregnant with and had fun watching the show putting together the puzzle pieces. Jenna said that is so funny that he didn't know but he was here throughout.

Josh showed up at the Grove when they did a special viewing of Hello. He was mobbed by fans. Security escorted him out and he was put in holding with the rest of the cast. He said he hoped they didn't think he was trying to crash the event. He was paranoid and worried thinking the others thought why is he here. He said no one said anything. It was something he accidentally got thrown into. Kevin and Jenna said no one wondered why he was there. Everyone was around all the time. They just thought of course he would be there. Jenna said that was funny, not for his safety, but just not expecting that all. Josh said he had never experienced anything like that. Kevin said Josh's resume is bonkers. Josh said that is nice of you to say. Josh said he remembers seeing the first episode and thinking he was a part of the best show in the world. He said when Rachel said being a part of something special makes you special. It was a very special time going from doing something and not knowing.

Jenna asked if with each episode would they tell him he might come back or did he not expect it or wait for the phone to ring. Josh said great question. He waited by the phone every time not knowing if he was going to come back.

In the first episode his name was Randy Hankis. During Push It when he was in the audience, Ryan told him if he sees his name in future scripts it would be Jacob. That was his first inkling that he would be back. He came back for Rhodes Not Taken, Throwdown, Wheels, and Sectionals. Kevin said Josh was in all the best episodes. In sectionals he got to join Glee club for a tiny bit. That was short lived.

Josh auditioned for a Fox show. They wanted to test him to be a series regular but because Glee was a Fox show they ended up putting him under contract for the back 9 episodes of season 1 of Glee. That's why he sometimes was only in the background or only had one line. He also had series regular option for season 2 in his contract. They didn't take that option. He said it was so exciting. Jenna and Kevin said he wasn't the only that happened to and that had that same contract. (Chord and Darren) Josh said for the beginning of season 2 he would be in the first 2 episodes. He was in the sixth one as well. After the fallout with Britney/Brittany and people not liking Toxic and he didn't know if he was back. He was brought back for Night of Neglect. He said it didn't make any sense he would heckle at them. In season 3 he did two episodes and season 4 he did two episodes. In the first season the phone rang a lot and then he just kept hoping he would come back. Kevin said it is hard to go from being a guest star that is a one episode thing to getting a series option possible contract in the back 9 and then going back to being a guest star and not knowing. He said people don't understand or realize that is all they want is to get to do this fun job and get to be given an opportunity. When you get the chance to be on a show that is successful and be in episodes if you aren't a regular you would never know. Kevin said he was in two episodes a show and in the second episode a wardrobe person came up to him and said they were so said they were said his character was being killed off. He had no idea. The experience of being on these things is so much fun and its like I am just trying to keep my head down and do good work and make sure no one wants to fire me for any reason. Please keep brining me back because 1 the paycheck is great and 2 I love being a part of this and it's fun.. Kevin said it is just tough out here.

Josh asked if it was okay to do light light gossip. Kevin and Jenna said yeah do whatever you want. Josh said in his very last episode there was a cast member that asked why is he here. That made him wonder if there was a reason he wasn't supposed to be here. He didn't know if something where it was talked about that now Jacob is done. He said he doesn't know why they said that. Kevin said sounds like their issue and not yours. It's unfortunate because we know hard it is to come in and out of a show like that. Also they aren't calling the shots and they aren't writing things. If someone shows up in a scene who are we to question such things. Jenna said it doesn't just take the core cast but you need the guest and recurring actors made the show colorful and elevated it so much. She said just because we have the contract and were there everyday didn't mean the guest and recurring characters didn't belong. Kevin said things did come off the rails a bit in season 5 and 6. There were some behavior issues with a lot of people. Jenna said they learned very early to make people feel comfortable when they come in because it must be hard to come into such a massive show. A show that has so much visibility and has such a tight knit crew. She said they really did try to be more conscious of it towards later seasons to be welcoming and tired to put themselves in their shoes. She said she hoped Josh felt welcome aside from the individual humans that chose to not be so kind. Josh said he can't believe someone would say that and he witnessed things that he can't believe he witnessed.

Josh mentioned that people from that docuseries tried to convince him to be a part of it. They were trying to tell him it was a fun feel good thing. He said this is where he wants to be to tell his story. Apparently they were all approached about it and it was very misleading. Jenna said they feel a responsibility to bring on people like Josh that helped make the show so great and to talk about the good times they had. She said people don't get to hear from Josh and Max as mush. Kevin said they do this without trying to put a spin on it. Jenna said they don't have an agenda. Kevin said it takes a giant community to put together a tv show. He said it was humbling to have Josh feel safe to tell his story.

Jenna called him Jacob. She said I did it again and she knew she was going to fucking do it again on this show. She thinks it's the J's. Her brain sometimes she just wants to call him Jacob.

Kevin started laughing when Jenna put on her glasses.

Jenna asked Josh to talk about his experience in being recognized as the show blew up and recently does he still get recognized or did he feel a resurgence when Glee came back on the streamers? Josh said he feels like it ever really stopped. Jenna and Kevin said he is so recognizable. Josh said he cut off his hair in season 4, he buzz cut it, and it was like disguise for him for a time. He said he would rather have an overwhelming amount of recognition if it means he is working. He said he gets recognized for Drake and Josh, Wizards, and Glee. It's always one of those three. He said sometimes people come up and don't tell you which it is and sometimes people just put their phone in his face for a selfie. Kevin asked if Josh can tell what show they recognized him from. Josh said usually not but sometimes he can guess. He said his least favorite and hardest thing is when someone askes what do I know you from. Kevin said he hates that. Josh's go to answer is maybe we go to the same Starbucks because when he moved out to LA he saw someone that looked familiar. He asked him if they knew each other and the guy said well I have a recurring role on One Tree Hill and said it so douchey. Josh said he never wants to be that person. So even though he thinks there is a 90% chance they know him from Glee or something else, unless they say are you an actor he doesn't want to seem like he is just listing his resume. Kevin and Jenna said their brains work the same way. Jenna said she has gotten a lot of recognition lately. Josh said he gets a lot of you were my childhood which is a little weird. He said best perk of fame is to make people happy. Talking to someone for even just a minute could make their whole day. He remembers meeting John Stamos and he was cloud nine. He realized maybe people have the same feeling when they meet him.

(This is just part 1 Click HERE for part 2.)

[voxmyriad]

I posted 4,932 times in 2022

19 posts created (0%)

4,913 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@kd-heart

@thesummoningdark

@unpretty

@hixystix

@sashaforthewin

I tagged 4,867 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#what even are cats - 236 posts

#cal kestis - 230 posts

#anakin skywalker - 214 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 210 posts

#spoilers - 155 posts

#good stuff - 136 posts

#recovery - 131 posts

#fallen order - 114 posts

#darth vader - 109 posts

#kenobi show - 107 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#but i remember when there was a trend toward getting emails from a site that let you have whatever domain name you wanted and they all filte

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Sith Obi-wan Kenobi is the most lethal of the enemies, not because he is powerful on the force like Sidius or Vader, but because he has charm, he makes allies, his control over his own power is precise, deadly precise, he has the Jedi training integrated on his body and (depending on how far in his life he is and how canon you want to count his life of absolute misery during his padawanship) years upon years of experience that not many in the galaxy can say that they have and much less survive out of it, he was set on a pad of Infinite Sadness, and he took it, made his feelings fester and grow until one day he decided that he was done, his Fall was a surprise to everyone but himself

I love this song See, THIS is why I like the Sith Obi-Wan AU idea. I think Obi-Wan has a lot of motivation not to fall, but I also think he has a lot of potential points in his life where he could if the wrong thing happened at the wrong time. And if he did, everyone would be fucked, because ALL THESE REASONS.

I love thinking about things like always-a-Sith!Obi-Wan as a general leading the Separatists, I've read a couple good fics like that, but I also like imagining that conversation between Obi-Wan and Dooku going very differently in Attack of the Clones. If Obi-Wan was just a little more tired, or frustrated, if Dooku had focused all his attention on his grandpadawan and taken the sympathetic tack instead of dangling (true) intel because he knew Obi-Wan would never believe it...I don't know, it's a fun what-if to consider.

7 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

#4

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39321261

My Obi Wan is Cal’s father fic. I have two fics in the series so far 😊

Throws this at the Cal Kestis Kenobi crew!

10 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

#3

Hiii I’m Obi-Anon!! About the Anakin god thingy is just because he is son of the Force but you are right is closer to the anti-Christ or straight up Eldrich anomaly lol

Honestly would love to see more fics or art with Anakin as an eldritch manifestation of the Force while he's a little kid, although neither Shmi nor Obi-Wan deserves him being all creepy.

It would be very funny though if his Force powers started manifesting really hard for a short time when he was a little kid. Floating a couple inches off the floor instead of walking until Shmi asks him to stop, things like that. Just doesn't mention this to Obi-Wan or any of the other Jedi because he assumes everyone goes through the "floating instead of walking" phase.

12 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

#2

I'm not even watching the tags, but the posts I've seen on my dash from the sudden Goncharov fandom seem to be encapsulating all the essential elements:

Posts doing deep-dive analyses into cinematography, costuming, characterization, music, and other aspects of this piece of forgotten cinema

Artistic gifsets and fanart and fics

The Ship Wars

This feels like if Christopher Guest had made a mockumentary about a Tumblr Movie Fandom.

14 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Cal Kestis is Obi-wan’s son, I just know it he was to be!! What other redhead is there that can look so similar to pawadan Obi?! Or is the lack of sleep finally catching up with me?!

Look

Look

"Cal Kestis is Obi-Wan's son" is my favorite Star War conspiracy theory. The timing works out perfectly if Obi-Wan had a delightful evening with a lovely woman on whatever planet he and Qui-Gon visited before Naboo. And no shade to those who love them but I really don't care much at all about Satine or Korkie or especially Korkie's parentage

At this point unless they disprove it in canon I'm just embracing the madness that is Cal Kestis Kenobi.

23 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[keikakudori]

( heyo friendo!! I just wanted to pop in here and ask what your favorite thing is about writing Aizen! :D )

out.

i am incredibly late on answering this question and i apologize for that. as for my favorite thing when it comes to writing aizen? oh man, i gotta pick just one thing? just one thing? hm, boy --- that's a toughie but i would say that there's several favorite things so i'll go with what came to mind first. i suppose i like to explore the nuances between aizen's power and who he is as a person the most. he is, absolutely, a shonen villain. there is no doubt about that. he has killed people. he has murdered innocents, even if not with his own hands. and, in most other shonens i read, those actions are all taken on in the name of gaining more power. and at first glance, it's easy to see that with aizen. and then ... it's not. because i think a lot about what aizen was doing. of what could motivate him to want to take over the position of soul king. he calls it the empty throne in the heavens and that kind of plan and ambition has to take time to ferment and grow. he's not doing this just out of boredom or for fun. he has a purpose in what he's doing. and then we have that line from ichigo at the end of Deicide that always destroys me whenever i think about it. "maybe he was hunting for someone who could see things from his perspective and the moment he gave up looking, he began to wish somewhere in his heart that he could be just a normal shinigami." and see ... i think that's apt. i really do. ichigo said that once he could fight on aizen's level (which means that aizen was still stronger than he was, even then), all he could feel in aizen's sword was loneliness. and, speaking from personal experience, being seen as strange or Other is -- extremely isolating. and aizen's always been Other, i feel, even as a kid. and being intelligent is also isolating and aizen's so damn smart. he says that the only person who comes near to his own intellect is kisuke. but lbr gin's right up there with him he absolutely is.

all the same, i've always seen aizen's power being something that's isolated him. he never asked for the power he has. why not turn it to a stronger ambition? why not use it to improve the lives of those around him? like, yeah, aizen is a villain. i'll never deny that. i think it's very sexy of him to be a villain. but i still keep coming back to that statement from ichigo.

there's so much to be said here, honestly. so i love exploring that with him. i love exploring how much the isolation that aizen's been through all of his life has shaped him and influenced his world views. i love to make it clear that aizen was a victim as well of the system though no one speaks about that. like, the way he speaks to shinji about it is so full of this bitterness with it, this disillusionment. there's so much i could say about his speech to shinji because goddamn that is one of the best moments full of insight involving aizen and i can't even begin to encapsulate it in a singularly coherent manner. but yeah --- writing aizen is a treat because, sure --- on the surface, to the layman, he comes off as a power-hungry narcissist. i've seen him called that flat out by people. but there's so much more to him than that. i think i just adore getting to explore how he's been shaped into being who he is and how he is more than anything. like there's just so much to him. i want to say so many more things but this is already getting long so lmao I WILL STOP HERE AND JUST SAY THERE'S SO MANY FAVORITE THINGS FOR ME WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING HIM HOW DO I PICK JUST ONE THING?

[kirstynbot]

Media Focus: Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan

When Gaku Kuze's "Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan" anime adaptation was announced back in 2019, we were all blissfully unaware of what 2020 had in store for us. After some production issues that prevented the series from airing as planned in 2020, Life Lessons... finally premiered in 2021. It's comedic how coincidental the themes of this series fit with our own world.

To sum the show and overall premise up, Life Lessons... centers around Omota Uramichi (surname first), a 31 year-old ex-gymnast turned children's television show host. Each episode follows the life of Uramichi-Oniisan on set and outside of work, showcasing a duality that many adults find themselves mimicking.

At its core, this show is a painfully funny expression of how many adults feel as they reach their 30s, facing the soul-sucking abyss known as "reality". I think there's a tasteful and a tasteless way to approach morbid humor, and this show is definitely the former.

Uramichi-Oniisan's bleak outlook on life is often paired in contrast with curious and rambunctious children. He isn't completely transparent with his feelings about life in front of the kids, but sometimes, they pick up on his mindset and he grimly agrees with them. Despite his downtrodden work life, he cares deeply about the children and wants to preserve as much of their youthfulness as possible. The supporting cast on this show are great as well. Some characters induce Uramichi-Oniisan's bottled rage to show itself, and some make him realize that they too are also hiding a part of themselves.

I enjoy this show for a few reasons, but relatability is the biggest reason. I'm now a thirty-something year-old woman who shakes my fist at the cult of capitalism from my own rented porch, and I share the same sentiments as the main character. From jokes about back pain and hangovers to sucking up personal feelings in order to get through work, this show feels like it was written by a millennial for a millennial (though I have yet to confirm if this is true since my search turned up nothing on the author's age). Uramichi-Oniisan feels very human, and I feel a sense of hope for him. I hope he continuously finds happiness even when he's at his most cynical.

Another reason why I enjoy this show is for the art style. I think the studio did a great job helping bring the characters to life. Their unique characteristics are defined as well. My favorite character design has to be Kikaku Hanbee. You deserve your flowers for this character alone, Gaku Kuze. I see the outfits you draw these characters in.

I do want to call out that there is only one woman character in the main cast of this show, Tadano Utano. While I appreciate that she isn't being set up with any of the other introduced characters (ever, I hope), it would be nice to not see her as the only woman in this series, and also to have a character story that isn't centered around her love life.

I implore every millennial or older to watch this show, because it really does encapsulate the lived experience of someone who's been on this earth for a few decades and has gone through some shit. Dark humor doesn't take away the heaviness of emotions, but it's nice that each character perseveres through their hardship. In a time where we constantly experience misery, its important to recognize our negative feelings and not let them hold us back from living.

I'll end this with the best ending theme of 2021, "Dream On" by Mamoru Miyano. This song was a perfect ending to each episode because it felt like that breath of fresh air taken after it stops raining.

[hieronymus-botch]

My review of Dead End: Paranormal Park Season 1

(I’m probably gonna watch season 2, but I feel like I should compile my thoughts on season 1 now first.)

I went into this show hoping it would either be a hidden gem, or some sort of disastrous High Guardian Spice-level creative trainwreck, but what I got was, honestly, pretty mediocre. The characters were decently likeable, but not amazing. (Courtney and Pugsley were my favorites, mainly because I already love feral women and pugs.) The plot was pretty interesting, but not really groundbreaking. Some of the comedy was pretty funny. I think if I had to encapsulate this show in a sentence, it’s that it doesn’t know what it wants to be. It tries to be both a wacky fantasy adventure and a slice-of-life queer coming of age story, but the two feel very sectioned off and disconnected from each other. It tries to appeal to both kids and adults, but ends up being too simplified and sanitized for an adult audience (or at least, a me audience), while also having large chunks of it go over kids’s heads too. Barney’s arc is good in concept, having parents who are outwardly accepting of you but let your older relatives be explicitly bigoted to you without recourse is a common queer experience, and queer media rarely portrays experiences of family somewhere in between the extremes of complete, immediate, and unconditional acceptance on one end and being called slurs, beaten, and disowned on the other, but his story as a trans person dealing with transphobia is hampered by the fact that they’re only allowed to imply and hint at the transphobia because actually depicting it would compromise the cutesy G-rated tone, but on the flipside, it doesn’t work as a trans story for kids either because it assumes a level of familiarity with typical trans experiences on the part of the viewer that few if any ten-year-olds have. His romance with Logs (Is that his actual name or a nickname? Is it some kind of foreign name I’m misspelling or is he trans too?) felt pretty bland and generic but I don’t like most romances in mainstream fiction so that’s no surprise. I’m actually kinda curious to read the comics now, because I’ve heard there was an HIV plotline in them, which would seem to imply that they were originally a lot more mature, but Netflix bowdlerized the hell out of the animated adaptation so they could market it to kids. Weirdly, the show is kinda something of a bizarro Hazbin Hotel, what with how they’re both shows about queer people and wacky demon hijinx, but one is overly safe and sanitized while the other is aggressively edgy and vulgar. I am gonna watch season 2 though, because not knowing what they want to be is a problem tons of shows have in their first season, and the plot thread with heaven they set up at the end sounds promising. I will let the good people of the internet know my thoughts on it subsequently.

[devconceptsplaylist]

Come along with me and explore a playlist I made that's all about cruising through the stages of psychosocial theory like a road trip with your favorite tunes. Buckle up as we dive into stages five to eight, specifically, where life throws us into the whirlwind of finding ourselves, forming connections, making our mark, and finding peace.

From the anxiety riddled anthems of stage five, where we're all about figuring out who we are, the playlist opens with the song Top of My School where the singer dedicates her worth to her grades and believes that they are the only thing that people see in her and without them she is nothing. I believe it adequately encapsulates the role confusion we experience as we grow and seek to form more solid identities. The next two songs, Why Am I Like This? and Surface Pressure are also songs that lean more into the ideas and feelings an individual may relate to when it comes to the concept of role confusion, with the former being all about questioning why the singer is the way they are, while the latter is about holding on and fulfilling expectations that have been set for her as the singer feels that is their identity or who they have to be.

The love (albeit mostly hopeless love) ballads that capture the essence of the sixth stage of the theory, where a search for intimacy starts to develop more, each song for this section explores concepts of struggling to connect despite the desire for connection due to whatever circumstances. The playlist transitions from stage five to six with Taylor Swift's You're On Your Own Kid where the song's narrator reflects on her coming of age, on how she dealt with an unrequited love as well as her career ambitions. People Watching and Falling Behind then follows after, which are songs that both do a really great job exploring themes of that need for connection and the sadness or feeling of fear of missing out from not having the same (intimate) connections others have.

The playlist transitions into the seventh stage by hitting with tracks that are about contributing and bringing forth good change in the world, taking on responsibilities, and making a difference, and the conflicts one may experience during this phase in life. Mitski shifts the tone of the playlist with her song Working for the Knife which talks about working for something that's actively harming you, but barely keeps you alive, dare I call it: the trap of capitalism; a position one may find their self in. What comes next is Radiohead's No Surprises, and then The Smiths' Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want. These songs explore the themes of reaching a point of stagnation in life and being left just desperately wishing for a life seemingly unattainable.

And finally, for stage eight, it wraps up with a more peaceful tone, where reflecting on life's adventures and finding peace within ourselves is emphasized, showcased through the lyrics of Three by Sleeping at Last: For the first time I see an image of my brokenness / Utterly worthy of love / Maybe I've done enough.

Now we've got that out of the way, it's time to find a cozy spot, hit play, and let these tunes be the soundtrack as you navigate through the twists and turns of the psychosocial theory's stages. Let's chill out, reflect, and embrace the journey of self-discovery and growth!

[saramichielle]

Review of James Catchpole's What Happened to You?

Genre: Picture Book, Disabilities

Target Audience: PreK to 3rd Grade

Summary: While playing his favorite imaginary game at the park, Joe is questioned by a group of other kids about his missing leg. In the end, the kids learn to empathize with his experience.

Justification: I chose this picture book because it deals with the topic of disabilities in a way that children can understand. Instead of being given an explanation, the kids learn to respect Joe's boundaries.

Evaluation: Talking about disabilities with children can be a tricky conversation, but Catchpole highlights a new angle to teach your children.

The language used in this story perfectly encapsulates the blunt and straightforward way children ask questions. Unlike adults, kids don't tend to beat around the bush or sugar coat the things they're curious about. Catchpole portrays this in a way that is understanding instead of condescending. Kids are able to see themselves in the characters and relate to the questions that they ask.

The illustrations provided by Karen George help the young reader understand the emotions presented in the book. By seeing how Joe reacts the questions asked by the other kids, readers can see how these types of questions affect others. They add a level of depth the story would be missing without them.

The content within this story is really important in developing empathy for those we see as different from us. Books that showcase people with disabilities allow kids to ask questions about them without forcing people with those disabilities to be the educators. Catchpole presents a difficult topic in an easy to digest story. Stories highlighting different experiences are incredibly important in developing empathy in young kids and can help them deal with similar situations in real life.

Reference

Catchpole, J., & George, K. (2023). What Happened to You? Little, Brown and Company.

[willnicholson-french-new-wave]

Blog 5

The French new wave was truly a film movement that was before its time. In an era where the world just ended a global conflict and traditional Hollywood movies just weren't cutting it anymore, the French new wave paved the way for a new style of film to blossom. In a book by Richard Neupert, he discusses the main reasons that directors were inspired to create something new. "By the middle of the 1950s, angry young critics were using the term 'tradition of quality' to deride the mainstream output. The phrase now connoted old-fashioned costume epics out of touch with modern life." (Neupert 2007)

To me, one of the most impressive aspects of the French new wave was the way the directors had to make everything else work like the script and themes of their films as they did not have the funding that big-time studios had. In an article by Filmmaking Lifestyle, they talk about some of the experimental techniques that directors in the new wave used when they say "The films were often shot on location with non-professional actors...In addition, they often employed techniques like hand-held cameras and jump cuts – something that had not been regularly done before French New Wave."

The film that I wanted to discuss that encapsulates everything I have talked about so far is The 400 Blows. I know that it is the second time that I have talked about this film but there are so many sources out there to back up how good this film is that it is worth talking about again. It is also my favorite film of the French new wave.

In an abstract from a book by Frank McLaughlin, he discusses why the film is important to learn due to its uniqueness. "In the film, a powerful image of the terrifying isolation that the adolescent, Doinel, experiences is presented through repeated camera shots of symbolic barriers in his environment--his cramped and cluttered apartment-home, the drab decay and gloom of the inner city, the selfish preoccupation of his teacher and parents, and, finally, the immense and impersonal ocean." (1967)

I have already talked about what happens in the film so I will go more into why the film is considered to be a part of the French new wave. The first and obvious reason is that the film takes place in the time period declared the French new wave. Another example is the main character of the film Antonie. This is one of the first times where we saw a child be considered the main character instead of a side character as the story is all about his life and his journey. This was very uncommon at the time. We also see in this film how we are going through Antonie's everyday life and how there is really nothing that is outstandingly special about him. He is just a kid and we are viewing his story. We also see examples of abstract camera angles throughout the film that are a staple of the movement. Here is an example of one below where the actors are looking directly into the camera.

In the video below there is another example of the filming and camera work techniques from this film being non-traditional. In this scene we see Antonie being questioned about things he has done throughout the film. This is the same shot for 3 minutes with a couple of fade transitions. This is an example of the directors not having a budget for multiple cameras so instead they rely on the actor's ability to make this scene feel real.

Finally, I wanted to talk about one of the most discussed scenes in cinema, the final shot of this film. In this shot we see Antonie escaping and running where he eventually ends up on a beach. The shot is long and does not have many cuts. For most of it, it's just one continuous shot of him running. Then he finally reaches the beach and walks around for a little, he looks right into the camera and the film ends on a freeze frame. Here is said scene

In an article by Susannah Bragg McCullough and Julian Cornell, they discuss why the scene ends on a freeze frame and why it is important. "I love that The 400 Blows ends in a freeze frame...He’s escaped from juvie. He’s going to get caught and brought back — we’ve already seen what’s happened with the other kids, and that’s what’s happening to him eventually...Part of what’s going on in the French New Wave is reorienting the relationship between the artist and the audience – making it much more intimate, interpretive and collaborative in a way. Respecting the audience" (McCullough, Cornell)

I love this quote because it shows what the directors and the French new wave in general were trying to do. This isn't a happy Hollywood ending that audience members have been accustomed to seeing. There is no clear-cut ending to this film, just the actor looking into the camera. I also like that they made the point that this is probably not going to work out for Antonie. He is probably just going to get caught as he is on the beach and doesn't have a plan. That's what the directors of this film and other new-wave films want though. The point of these films is to be real and show that in life, some stories end with no true happy ending or one that is easy to comprehend.

Overall The 400 Blows is a great film and one of the best examples of what the French new wave was trying to do with their new and inventive films.

Sources:

The Take (Final Scene)

Princeton Film Society

The Teachers Guide to Media and Methods (book)

Filmmaking LifeStyle

A History of the French New Wave Cinema (book)