#just thought this was a funny idea for a post :PPP

[cloudysfluffs]

im a 'he would not fucking say that' person but specifically about tickling content. ill look at the fan content for a character and be like 'he would not fucking be a lee'

[brilliant-red-eternity]

Psycho-Pass Providence:

my attempt to write a movie review.

I finally went to the movies and watched Psycho-Pass Providence with a friend last Tuesday. I knew the film would be packed with plot and action so we decided to see the German dubbed version. We just wanted to have a good time, and some nachos with cheese dip and beer. The cinema was maybe a quarter full which I don’t think is too bad for a weekday. There even was a girl cosplaying as Akane. I was pretty nervous the whole day. After reading so many negative reviews on Tumblr over the past few months, I prepared myself for the worst. Will Providence ruin this series for me? Is Shinkane dead? My friend encouraged me by saying, “watch the movie and form your own opinion”, and that’s what I did!

Providence is a diffuse colossus of a story but I liked it much better than PP3. The story is very action-heavy and plot-driven. You can feel the absence of Urobuchi’s writing because relatively little emphasis is placed on the emotions of the characters or their development. The dialogues are rather short and the action scenes quite long. Explosions and battles largely replace social criticism. Precious moments are few and far between. I think Ubukata came up with a really cool and offbeat plot, it’s just way too big for one movie. He should have made Providence into a series with many episodes, but that’s just my opinion. I can’t shake the feeling that he simply placed the characters into his massive plot as if they were chess pieces. Everyone does their job. They rush from one action to the next. Saiga is dead. On it goes. Akira is dead. There are no breaks. The ending is also very rushed and if I hadn’t already known why Akane shoots chief Kasei, I probably would have left the cinema with a massive question mark.

The Shinkane content in Providence is quite nice. And to say it right away: yes, I saw their hands touch in that bridal carry scene. It was very clear and less rushed than I thought. I’m just not sure if their fingers were intertwined or if Kogami had his fingers around Akane’s hand squeezing it. The phone call was also funny. My friend just sighed in her seat next to me and said a little too loudly: “I can’t believe Akane is in love with this clumsy idiot! Why can’t he just apologize?” Yeah, why? Akane hung up the phone and her face was so adorable. The romantic comedy was only perfect when Saiga cheered Kogami on in the elevator afterwards (“Come on, make an effort!”) and Ko acted like a petulant child (“I don’t know what you mean!”). Really, Ko? You were playing dumb in front of sensei? Was Kogami embarrassed that his former teacher was interfering in their relationship? However, these two were in dire need of counselling that’s why I found the idea of Saiga acting as their therapist quite entertaining.

I still don’t know what to make of Shinkane in Providence. I have too many thoughts and feelings, that’s why I’d like to deal with this topic separately in another post. Shinkane is not dead at all, but it hasn’t evolved either. Each of them basically does their own thing when it comes to work and I can’t shake the impression that Akane would have found Kogami rather unsexy if she had met him for the first time in PPP. I love Kogami, but he doesn’t contribute much to the story except that he saves Akane’s life in the end.

Now that I’ve seen the film, it sounds more than absurd to claim that they have no other relationship than a collegial working relationship. I mean, it’s obviously not work or a shared conviction that ties them together and makes Akane answer the phone late at night, but their old acquaintance. They have an unresolved personal conflict between them, and a wide range of unexplored emotions. All the social awkwardness fits in with that. And the creators even went one step further with the romantic scenes:

I already knew about the scene in which Kogami jumps on top of Akane (and between her legs) to protect her from an explosion but I didn’t expect the whole thing to play out in slow motion. Holy shit! My heart leapt. I mean, what am I looking at here if not a romantic subplot? You can see every detail crisp and clear: how his hands are embracing and protecting her head from the impact, how their bodies stick together rather indecently. And Akane and Ko don’t immediately get up and run, no. They stay put for the time being looking at each other and then Ko states the obvious like a brain dead fool: “It’s a dangerous place, we should retreat.”

Yeah, well… who would have thought that explosions and shootings would be dangerous? Kogami’s blood must have gone from his brain to some other part of his body, there’s no other way to explain this level of silliness. We’ve already seen Kogami protecting Akane from an explosion before. He threw her like a sack of potatoes in the movie but THIS is something else entirely. THIS is screaming “You’re the most precious person on earth to me”. Same goes for the bridal carry. The scene isn’t as rushed as their encounter in the wheat field, no. The animators kind of savour their last scene in Providence and you have to be wilfully blind to not notice Kogami’s affection for Akane or their touching hands.

I can understand the widespread criticism of Kogami’s strange behaviour in PPP. It’s not quite what I expected either, but I didn’t expect anything else. Sounds crazy, huh? I know. I don’t know if Ubukata’s writing style is to blame for Ko’s derailment. I guess the writers deliberately wanted to create some tension in the form of personal conflict which is a common and cheap trick that can also be found in romantic YA literature.

It is nevertheless credible to a certain extend. Kogami has returned to a world with a wall between latent criminals and citizens with healthy Psycho-Passes. Social conventions are a corset. They make us act differently. The fact that he doesn’t hit on Akane actually says a lot of good things about his character. He knows nothing about her life, except that it hasn’t gone down the drain yet. What role does he still play in Akane’s life? Does she even need his help? When you look at Kogami’s issue with addressing Akane properly, it becomes clear that he’s uncertain: kanshikan, omae, anta, yo. Akane has already gathered a team around her and Kogami is standing outside the door. He’s the odd man out. He’s also an incorrigible idiot who doesn’t have it in him to apologize.

They give each other nothing at first. That’s why I like the scene in the hospital so much because it changes their relationship for good. Akane’s visit is proof to Kogami that he is important to her. She cares about his health and she even takes the cigarette from his mouth. Akane also invites him to join her team (“We’re a team, right?”) and you can see the relief on Kogami’s face. After that, their interactions become lighter and more honest. Team PSB and Team SAD no longer go separate ways.

I really like the camaraderie between Kogami and Frederika. I found them both very independent in their work, which led me to ask whether Frederika is his boss at all. I read somewhere that they both have the same rank of “special investigator” which also fits in well with the way they talk to each other. I remember Akane asking Kogami during their phone call what Yabuki thought of his past actions. I guess that makes Shogo Yabuki his boss and Frederika his senpai? There was one thing that annoyed me, though, and that was that Frederika did everything her boss Yabuki told her to do. She even kept it a secret from Kogami that they were using Saiga as bait. Why didn’t she say “no” for once?

Providence has a few highlights that I just can’t leave unmentioned. It isn’t the best film, but it’s also not as bad as many have made it out to be. The scene in which Gino grabs Kogami by the collar, calls him an asshole and pushes him roughly against the glass pane of the office was quite the cliché. It could have come straight from a fan fic. Kogami remains calm and I don’t find him arrogant. Sugo tries to intervene, but I had the impression that it’s primarily Akane’s staged indifference towards Kogami that keeps Gino from exploding with rage. Gino pulls himself together the moment he sees Akane entering the office. If there’s one thing I love about their dynamics, it’s how they always try to protect each other in the most subtle but effective way. Gino is like the big brother we all want to have. He is by Akane’s side after Saiga dies and he reminds Kogami of the duty to not let Akane become a latent criminal. I can’t say often enough how much I adore Ginoza and his loyalty to Akane.

But Gino does not only protect Akane, he also saves Frederika’s life twice. These two have a little scene in Providence that I find cute. Standing amidst the ruins of the building after the battle, Gino asks Frederika how she is. She says “not too bad” while stroking her hair almost sheepishly like a schoolgirl. Is it the first time that a colleague asks Frederika about her well-being? Is this how things are at the SAD? I never saw Kogami turn around to look at her, even though she always saves his stupid ass from getting kicked. And her boss Yabuki only ever entrusted her with the most dangerous missions (aka “dirty work in the name of justice”). It really sucks to be a strong woman sometimes. It sucks when performance is always expected without complaint. That’s why it’s all the more refreshing when a hot guy like Gino asks if you’re still alive, right Frederika?

Overall, it was very cool to see Frederika on the battlefield since she’s quite capable and knows how to handle weapons. I didn’t like her passive role in PP3, where she just sat in her neat little office and gave orders. PP is kind of understaffed in terms of female characters so it was good to see Frederika having a more active role this time. I hope that in the future they will give her a backstory. It’s more the personal things that make a character interesting for me. I mean, what was her relationship with Yabuki? She shed a tear after his death, or was this just an optical illusion?

There was nothing to complain about the quality of the animation in Providence. It was first class. The wedding was beautiful and I really liked the colours and fireworks of the Chinese New Year festival in the streets of Dejima. It made a nice contrast to the gloomy dark dystopian world of Sibyl. The Chinese New Year also brings me directly to the scene that, oddly enough, touched me the most: Akira’s death. Atsushi Shindou shoots him on the roof of the MoFA as the fireworks go off and with his last words Akira says, “Take care of Kei, I want him to have a different life than mine.” It was a beautiful but also very sad moment. There were many deaths in the film but the pace of the story was way too fast for me to mourn them properly. It’s a shame, especially since most of the time was spent on action scenes. I don’t know how many minutes I watched Sugo trying to shoot a satellite out of the sky with his drone.

Saiga’s death is tragic but it has great influence on Akane. In the end, his last words (“justice and truth are multifaceted”) encourage her to stand up for her convictions and turn against Sibyl in order to uphold the law. I noticed that Saiga is already very tired at the beginning of Providence, as if he no longer expects anything great from life and prefers to pass the baton to the younger generation. Perhaps that is also why he tries to persuade Kogami to bury the hatchet with Akane. “You should apologize to her. Take this advice from an old man like me.” It seems that he wanted to leave the world in peace, knowing that he has given his students all he could give. So from that point of view, his passing is dignified. His hands are even folded and placed on top of his chest after he dies. I couldn’t help but think that it is meant as a religious gesture: that he will be accepted by God if not by Sibyl.

Sibyl is as disgusting as ever and that’s all there is to say. Their hypocrisy is simply unbearable. And then no one has the courage to stand up for the preservation of the rule of law – least of all the Ministry of Justice. What a joke! We also learn that it’s totally fine for Sibyl to give absolution and sovereignty to a group of criminals (the Peacebreakers) as long as they come from their own criminal ranks. Well, one crow does not peck out another crow’s eye, right? I don’t know whether Atsushi Shindou could be trusted or not, although he has pulled some important strings in the background. The old man seemed weary just like Saiga, but he thought very highly of Akane and campaigned for her in front of Sibyl which made him likeable in my eyes. He was also a good mentor.

I must not forget to mention the true antagonists of the story, first and foremost Tonami the White. He is the leader of the Peacebreakers, a group of former soldiers and mercenaries of Sibyl who see themselves in the tradition of a cult. They worship a similar AI like Sibyl that also has wired brains in boxes and they see it as their God and commander. The cult did seem rather bizarre and fantastic sometimes, but I got the impression that this is exactly Ubukata’s style.

Tonami is a despicable man. He tells Akane that despite his old age, he can still take on a young girl like her, then he draws a gun and starts to shoot her. Congratulations, man! She’s unarmed, and pulling a trigger is really not much of a feat. Asshole! He was clearly afraid that Akane would be superior in a fistfight.

I remember a heated debate on social media about whether Kogami should have killed Tonami or not. Well, I would argue that he had no choice but to shoot this man if he wanted to make sure Akane got out of there alive (“Protect Tsunemori!”). Akane looks relieved when she sees Kogami. She smiles at him as if she knows that her life is safe from now on. But then she continues to provoke Tonami with her words. The man points a damn gun to her head and she has already been shot twice and lies bleeding on the floor in handcuffs. Should Kogami twiddle his thumbs and wait to see what happens? Well, he does. But only for a moment.

Kogami’s face is empty while Akane is being tortured. It’s devoid of emotion, not even anger shows on his face. I was like: huh? I first thought it was bad animation or some artificial intervention to evade romance and keep the Kouakas from losing their minds, but in retrospect, it occurred to me that perhaps… Kogami is simply listening to the conversation in front of him? Akane and Tonami are talking about the Sibyl System and it’s true nature. They are talking about AI vs. humanity. They are talking about integrating this other AI into Sibyl and the boxes with the brains are standing just a few meters away from them. Snippets and fragments, but Kogami isn’t stupid. It was him who found a decapitated professor Stronskaya on the ship. Her head was taken away by the Peacebreakers and we later learn that her brain was put into a box for their AI. Kogami has been wondering for a while what kind of influence Akane has on the system. And even Tonami (who calls her “a witch that disturbs the social order”) is kind of astounded at what Akane knows and what she is capable of.

Kogami agrees with Tonami and then shoots him in the head. I really don’t know which part he agrees with. I can only explain it by saying that, unlike Akane, Kogami has lost faith in humanity. Kogami knows what humans are capable of and that they are easily corrupted. But he believes in Akane, so there’s that. It’s only natural that he would save her at any cost.

I didn’t perceive Akane as angry though. She knows Kogami well enough and wanted him to come with her on the mission. Kogami “breaking the law again” certainly saddens and disappoints her, but I don’t think she necessarily wants to enforce him. Atsushi Shindou shot Akira in front of Akane and she didn’t arrest him. If she were now to arrest Kogami, she would have double standards. I remember director Shiotani saying in an interview that Kogami voluntarily let Akane arrest him. Well, that actually sounds quite logical to me because I honestly don’t see Akane taking the initiative. But Kogami acting like a repentant little puppy in front of Akane, the “goddess and bodhisattva” he expects to make the world a better place? Yes, I can very well imagine that – only that at this point she is just a bleeding human being in his arms.

Akane’s incident was… wow. I knew what she was up to beforehand, but I still found the whole thing quite mind-boggling. Where did Akane get the gun she shot chief Kasei with? Everyone was looking forward to her inauguration. Gino, Sugo, Shion and Yayoi… they were watching it on TV. What has my girl done?

I wouldn’t go so far as to blame Kogami. There is a trend right now to make him the scapegoat for everything that happens to Akane, but somehow that is not right and would completely undermine Akane’s independence. There is no guarantee that the arrest and prosecution of Tonami would have worked. Sibyl is not a reliable negotiating partner. I think Akane chose a more effective way by immediately involving the public and getting them to discuss the preservation of the law. At least, it worked. But why the letter to Kogami? It wasn’t a tit-for-tat response. I think Akane wanted to say goodbye. She didn’t know what would happen to her or whether they would see each other again. These two threw their lives away and stood up for their beliefs in justice. Was it brave or was it foolish? Who knows. But the closing of a circle was pretty well executed by the creators of the series in my opinion.

I still have no clue why Kogami was released from confinement. I can only speculate that MoFA has negotiated a deal. I also remember that his Psycho-Pass was encrypted in PP3 and no longer accessible via Sibyl’s dominator. There is a strong competition between the ministries and certainly no help can be expected from Sibyl. Mika had to literally beg chief Kasei to allow her to send out a rescue mission for Akane who was already classified as a traitor because she went to take on the Peacebreakers on her own. Why would they let Kogami go, the traitor who killed a criminal pardoned by Sibyl in order to rescue the traitor Akane? No. He was released at the behest of MoFA. It is therefore not surprising that Akane has arranged the transfer of Gino and Sugo to MoFA. Nothing bothers Sibyl more than loyal dogs and I’m certain that these two would have been thrown into the isolation facility the moment Akane lost her position as inspector.

Okay, I’ll stop rambling now. I’d like to end this post with a quote from the friend who went with me to the movies. We saw Psycho-Pass together five years ago and I was very curious to hear her opinion. We both agreed that Akane's performance in Providence is once again superb. She’s a queen. One of the best female characters of all time. What she said about Kogami may irritate some but I can only agree: “It wasn’t his most mature performance, but in the end he could be relied upon!”

Providence was fun. It was okay. It wasn’t Psycho-Pass at its best but at least, it answered the question that has been on my mind for almost four years: what did Akane do that landed her in prison?

[herotome]

What is each LI's PPP (Partner Period Protocol)? Ngl Warden reminds me of this post I saw where a woman said her ex bf frantically ran to the store to buy her chocolate whenever she was on her period because he thought it was like an actual necessity and she just didn't correct him because she got free chocolate 💀💀💀

PPP isn't an actual thing but it popped into my brain while typing and I was too proud of the alliteration not to use it lmao

Thank you for the elaboration bc I was about to say

Anyhow. Ahh, I’ve been at a crossroads with this thought experiment for a while – I wanted to do their reactions for the “Babe buy me pads” meme, but a lot of the meme responses were… hmm, funny, but not to my liking. So maybe I’ll just talk about it more generally?

Warden: … You’re right and I hate it. Every single day on tumblr dot com he falls away from heaven and further into himbo. Warden would buy into the idea that the chocolate is medicinal somehow – he’d probably buy some DARK chocolate too, assuming it’s healthier?

More generally, he’d try to understand what MC is going through, but he’d struggle. He really hasn’t been close to a lot of women *like that* you know? (Cut to MC throwing a pillow at him when he suggests MC work out to feel better)

Griffin: No protocol, just lovesss winging it... Very pointedly asks what the MC would like, knowing everybody has different needs/preferences – but might end up annoying MC by talking too much and not doing enough lol.

Mia: Mom friend is prepared, she GOTCHU MC. She doesn’t even need to go out to buy anything, she probably has all the supplies MC needs squirreled away in her purse. Treats MC like a princess.

Dart: Has an older sister and had a long-term fiancé, plus he’s very patient – 10/10 PPP for a cis dude he’s quite used to it all. Knows which menstruation products are good, slightly more willing to snuggle than usual.

Jade: “Fff, ahhh, mmm, I think we have a heating pad somewhere around here…” Drifts off to find the heat pack, probably doesn’t find it, probably runs a hot bath for MC instead? Asks how bad it is and will get meds if she needs to; encourages MC to sleep it off. She does care but she has a hard time taking care of other people…

Most attentive: Dart

Most prepared: Mia

Eh…: Jade

Keep them away from me or I will kill them: Griffin, Warden

[twdmusicboxmystery]

9x01: Details

Good morning! So today, I'm going over details.

***Once again, spoilers abound for TWD 9x01. I think most people have watched by now, but if you haven’t, don’t click the READ MORE. You’ve been warned!***

Of course we saw a lot of motorcycles at the beginning. We could call that part of the Bike Theory. 

We also naturally saw a lot of horses. I notice the ones between behind and Jesus were both dark and light. Of course, with lots of horses that the characters were writing all throughout.

I want to say a word about the crucifixion walker on the X. First of all, it's on X. (X theory). As I said yesterday, it's one of three Daryl shoots in the head, and because premieres set up for the rest of the season, I think this points to us seeing a crucifixion this year. Maybe not a literal one, but maybe seeing the truth of what happened with Beth.

We also discussed in my group that there are major parallels between this walker and the one outside the moonshine shack that Daryl did target practice on. 

We felt like this was a Beth moment because in Still, she got after him for being flippant about killing walkers. She thought it was more respectful to “just kill it,” than to use it in a way that might be disrespectful to the person the walker once was. We think that's why Daryl shot this walker. In truth, using a walker to keep the crows away from the crops is actually a good idea. But obviously Daryl had an emotional response to that and shot it.

I mentioned this in my analysis of the trailer, but there's also a walker in the city, sitting next to the car, just like Rick and Daryl during their “you’re my brother” convo. Not sure why they put this in here, except perhaps to be a little ironic because Daryl and Rick are at odds right now.

I couldn't help but notice a "flip" theme. When Jerry passes Daryl on the bridge, he says, "Clearing the rally point, dude. See you on the flip.” Later Rick and Michonne pass walkers in the city and then flip around and come back to kill them. The writers talked a lot about a literal “flip the script” kind of thing for this season, which we’re hoping means we’ll see Beth. But I feel like they were incorporating this into the episode as the theme.

 (The walker Michonne kills when she “flips” back around is the one that was sitting by the car, reminiscent of the “you’re my brother” convo. So maybe symbolic of them returning to stuff that happened in S4?)

When they ride into the city, there are some signs behind Daryl. Before I got a chance to look at them very closely, @wdway identified three different signs with Ps on them. 

That mirrors the PPP card Tara found when Heath disappeared in 7x06. 

Because we know the Whisperers are coming this season, I still think this probably points to them. Which would mean that Heath is with the Whisperers. Either way, this foreshadows something. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Inside the Capitol building, I was reminded a lot of the compound Rick and Daryl found Gracie in in S8. Mostly because there was so much white and wood interior. Because it was darker inside than out, it also had the Grady lighting going on. It also reminded me a bit of father Gabriel's church and the Big Spot, mostly because TF sneaked around and explored quietly with guns. It just gave me S4/S5 vibes.

Ways in which this episode parallels 4x01:

1.Them entering the Capitol felt a bit like the Big Spot.

2.When Ezekiel fell through the glass floor, it looked exactly like the walker who came through the roof of the Big Spot. (And combine that with Breaking Glass Theory).

3.The “B” painted over a 30 mile-per-hour side. It felt like Beth and 30 Days Without an Accident.

4.Similar but opposite. In 4x01, there was a herd of walkers overtop of the group (at the Big Spot). In this case, there was a herd of rockers underneath the group. In that case, a walker fell through the roof. In this case the human person fell through the floor. You can see the parallels, but it's also sort of opposite. Which adds to the flip the script theme.

5.What happened with Siddiq felt like an echo of what happened to Zach, just with spiders added. (Another opposite: Siddiq didn’t actually die but Zach did.)

6.We saw wooden barriers with spikes around the communities, just like the prison.

7. In 4x01, Zach saves Bob. Here, Ken saves horse.

8. Villain mentioned but absent. In 4x01, it’s the Gov. Here, it’s Negan. Sort of backs up the theory about how they’ll replay the sequence from 4x08, but this time Negan will take the Gov’s place, Rick may take Hershel’s place, and Beth will take Rick’s place.

9. The Daryl/Carol scene. These have been mentioned by others previous when this scene was released as a sneak peek, but to recap: A) Daryl and Carol hanging out and talking casually. 2) She says “stop.” I think in 4x01 it was him that said it. Either way, the line was said. 3) She calls him Pookie. I don’t think we’ve heard that at all since 4x01.

When they find the seeds, the packet says Rattlesnake Snap Bean. 

It’s a real thing. As far as I can tell, they’re kinda like green beats but longer and thinner with dark streaks that make them look like a rattle snake. (Source) Hence the name. But this is an example of them specifically using that brand. I mean, they could have shown tomato seeds or something, right?  And when was the only time you saw a rattlesnake? In Still.

Michonne looks at a “More Perfect Union” poster, but it’s specifically about the conflicts that led up to the formation of the country. This is obviously a foreshadow of conflicts coming this season, and it probably foreshadows Michonne's leadership.

During the scene where Ezekiel falls through the floor, there's lots of emphasis on people's shoes and boots. It's probably at least in part because they’re showing that the floor is rickety, but we saw a lot of boots in this scene. It jumped out at me.

I said yesterday that I was nervous about Ezekiel maybe dying. After reading spoilers for next week, I'm already less worried. It occurred to me that Zeke falling through the floor COULD foreshadow his death. But the he didn’t actually die here, and I didn’t see any specific death omens. Rather, it was just a close call. If this does foreshadow something, I would say it foreshadows him almost dying, but in the end he’ll survive to make out with Carol for another day. ;D At least, that’s the hope.

Ken said, “Shoeing these horses is a full-time job.” This reminded me of @frangipanilove’s theory about hoofed animals, especially horses, and shoes.

I thought it was really funny when Carol refused the ring. She was being such a girl. At that point. "If you’re gonna propose, do it right! Not on back of a horse!” 😆😆😆

Rosita said something interesting when they discovered the broken bridge. She said, "two other herds merged into Sylvia, so now it's even bigger.” She also said that they took out the walkie repeater on the bridge went out.

It's interesting to me that they're naming herds now. There obviously tracking them and trying to manipulate their pathways. Sylvia means “forest” or “spirit of the wood.”

A repeater for the walkers helps widen the area that can pick up the walkie talkie signal. And that’s been taken out. So their communications have been somewhat compromised. This definitely qualifies as part of the Communications Theme.

After Ken dies, we once again seen a 8:20 clock. Remember that last season, we saw one, particularly in Rick's Old Man Coda. I was originally just going to say that this is still in play, and while we were wrong about it pointing to episode 8x04, obviously this symbolism is still important.

Then I sat and thought about it for a minute, trying to make connections. Remember, Rick's Old Man Coda was actually Carl's vision of the future. In that vision, he saw Negan being a part of the community and making nice with Rick and teen family. I do think they will eventually move toward realizing that vision. The clock could be to show that they will be moving toward Carl's vision as a way of honoring him this season.

But. Remember THIS POST in which M-Nonny discovered that the opposite time (10:10) represents famous people who were shot and killed. So doing 8:20 may represent someone who was shot and lived. And y’all know I think Carl’s death and Beth’s return will be related. And then there was the Phoenix behind Carl. So, I know this isn’t at all definitive, but it's a symbol I'm definitely keeping an eye on.

I thought it was funny during Rick and Daryl’s convo that Daryl said, "We can't make enough corn fuel to run the cars or the trucks." Notice that there was no mention of not being able to run the RVs or his motorcycle. LOL. I get that smaller vehicles take a lot less gas, but it's just a convenient way for the writers to allow him to keep riding his motorcycle, even though there out of fuel. LOL.

The whole charter vs constitution thing was interesting. For the record, a charter is something issued by a sovereign (king or queen, which kind of reinforces the whole 4 Queens theory, btw) while a constitution is written by the people. So for right now, Michonne and Rick are just telling the people how it will be, rather than having them come together and agree on their own rules. Not exactly sure why this was included, but it’s interesting.

With Gregory's death, they might have been specifically doing an antiparallel to Randall in S2. Remember in my Opening Credits Analysis, I noted there was a noose in the barn, and it reminded me of F almost hanging Randall. It also obviously foreshadowed Gregory's death.

I don't disagree with Maggie’s actions (let's face it, the dude really had to go). I do think they’re trying to show that Maggie is becoming a little too dark and brutal for it to be a good thing. So, in S2, TF almost hung Randall, but didn't. Here, Rick and Michonne didn't think Maggie would really hang Gregory, but she did. Maggie is taking a dark stance on things, not unlike Daryl, and it's not entirely healthy.

A few more small details and I’ll shut up for today:

There were tents set up in the Capitol building, which reminded me of the ones on the sky bridge in 5x06.

Oh, and this walker is wearing a sweater that looks just like the one Beth wore in the Bethyl hug scene in 4x01.

There were red umbrellas in the background when the spider walker grabbed Siddiq. Kinda like the red umbrella we saw in 7x16? It’s a Red Object which, once again, probably represent red easter eggs/resurrection.

Right in front of that is a sheet that reminds us of Daryl and Beth putting the tarp over the Rick Bitch walker in 4x12. And it’s yellow! Just so many callbacks.

I haven’t mentioned Xs, but they’re all over: the crucified walker at the beginning. The boat Daryl and Cindy get is resting on wooden Xs. The glass floor has grids, so either boxes or Xs, depending on how you look at them. A vent under one of the Natural History tarp that’s full of Xs. If you just look for them in the episode, you’ll find them everywhere! (X Theory).

I think it's all the details I have for right now. Tomorrow I'll analyze the lyrics of Eldon’s song. Anybody see anything I missed?

[thebigcitynightsband]

Bus King/Busking/Night Moves

That’s a photo of me and my ex-gf. I just found it last week in my bag that Jamie brought to me from Burlington, thanks Jamie bro. Happier times, man. We’re still friends but we don’t see each other much. That’s a repeating pattern with me. Me and a gal will break up, declare an intention to stay friends, and then I be their friend while they work hard at vanishing from my life and into the arms of some dude who hates me cuz I’m still her friend. Happened with Jessica, happened with Courtney. Next time I’ll just do the sudden severance. Seems to work for other people.

Well, fuck. I’ve been struggling a little bit lately. Still sober, still pissing in a cup every day. My hours got cut at work for a few weeks but they’re back up to full-time next week, where they’ll remain until mid-December. I’m trying to save my apartment, need to find a roommate to take over the lease, which requires first and last, which I don’t have but I’m trying to acquire somehow.

A few days ago I went busking for the first time in about a year. Queen and University is my corner, northwest side. I like it there because you get a lot of 905ers coming out of Osgoode Station to go explore Queen West, people who don’t ordinarily see buskers, so they’re generous. I can only play for about three hours on an acoustic before my fingers start to hurt too much to play chords, and you average about six bucks an hour. I write a lot of songs that way. “Make It Mine” off the new album was written while busking last year and I came up with a few new ones the other day. It was a good day, actually. I woke up broke and without food and ended the day with a full belly and a pack of cigarettes and an Arizona Iced Tea. I felt content. So I’m gonna go back out there tomorrow. And probably the next day too.

My laptop died and I almost lost the record, but I was able to extract the files after a few days of feeling numb and worried. I really like our upcoming album, the songs have kept me good company over the past year, and the thought of losing the whole damn thing, save for “Fighting Ways” which is finished, and a handful of others, was a little scary. It’s not gone though. Sweet relief. BCN songs are like cockroaches. They find a way. Cue “Long Distance King” in your head as you read that last line...”we’ll find a waaaaay, we’ll fiiind a waaaaay.” Glory days. Before everything went to shit.

Hey, know what’s a great record? Break Up Break Down by Reigning Sound. Listen to the quavering, breathless delivery from Greg Cartwright on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fWcZKZR3jg

Another great one off that record is called “Want You,” a really sad, pretty ballad. I’d like to make an album of Memphis ballads some day, in the vein of Break Up Break Down. We’ll call it Fuck Up Fuck Off or something.

I set up my keyboard tonight with a mind to do some overdubs tomorrow. I’ve been avoiding doing keyboard overdubs on the album forever because I’m a terrible keyboard player and it takes a really long time to get a single coherent take and I don’t have the patience that I used to. I finished “Night Needles” from A Steamroller Named Desire in a single evening, and that song has probably the most piano of any BCN song. I doubt I could do the same thing now. I’m older now and runnin against the wind, as Bob Seger would sing. Has sung, whatever. Running Against the Wind. I love that song. “Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then” is a great line eh? Legend has it Seger wanted to cut that line but the producer told him how great it was, which it is. Oftentimes artists can’t recognize their own greatness. Years ago, when I was sixteen or so, I was trying to put together a set of acoustic covers in my bedroom. I remember doing “Leave It Alone” by Moist, which is pretty embarrassing now, but also “Against the Wind” and an acoustic version of the Smashing Pumpkin’s “Ava Adore,” which I was surprised to find has a very similar chord progression as “Against the Wind.” I mean, those two songs sound nothing alike, yet they’re very alike, chord-wise.

ANYWAY I’m rambling. Just finished an assignment for a client (I do people’s homework for them as a side hustle. Forty bucks here, sixty bucks there, it all goes into the giant hole I dug for myself the past few years.) I owe money to one guy who actually chased me this past January, up near Dovercourt and Hallam. I had to jump a couple fences but I got away. He’ll get paid soon enough. They all do.

I’m working on it man. Pushing against the tide. Runnin against the wind.

One last thing about that Bob Seger song: I’ve always thought that part where he yells “let the cowboys ride!” at the end of the song was stupid. Why couldn’t he have taken that part out? It’s so obvious that he was out of ideas and just mustered up the best open field imagery he could in the moment. Let the cowboys ride? Given the greatness that comes before that line, I can’t dismiss the song, even if it’s not as good as the immortal “Night Moves.”

A quick word about “Night Moves” before I go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c I honestly think it’s one of the greatest all-time vocal performances. There are three distinct parts in the song that always give me shivers. The first is that irresistible “summertime summertime” part @ 2:19. The second comes in that great breakdown, when the title changes from a sexual innuendo to a somber, forlorn musing on the passage of time and how time can move slower when you’re bored, faster when you’re absorbed and excited. Ain’t it funny how the night moves...when you just don’t seem to haaaaaaaave as much to lo-o-se. It’s that “have” that always gets me...just the way Seger gives it the perfect amount of witsfulness and gravelly gravity. Fuckin killer. Singing is always a fine balance between technical proficiency and emotional delivery, but on that line Seger’s 99% heart, 1% technique, and it still sounds incredible. To me, at least.

The last part is in the final minor descending refrain @ 5:04, even though it’s just Bob doing a bunch of “ooooohooohoohhhs.” It wouldn’t be as good if that vocal came over the main riff, but it doesn’t. It comes over the same chord progression as the chorus, that sad lilting minor key descent. Every time, man. Every time.

I’ve been trying to cover “Night Moves” since 2007. I don’t think I’ve ever got past the first chorus. I just can’t sell it. Those aren’t my memories, they’re Bob Seger’s. I never existed in the 1950s America he’s singing about in the song, the America of taking your sweetheart to the drive-in, cruising the strip, going to diners and pushing coins into jukeboxes. That wasn’t my adolescence. So it’s a tough one to sing. You have to know when you’re beaten. That’s part of growing up.

I don’t talk to my Dad anymore. He hates my guts and so does his girlfriend. It doesn’t bother me except for when I hear certain songs...songs like “Night Moves” or “Walking On The Moon” by The Police...first time I ever heard my father sing on the way to Owen Sound for a hockey tournament I was playing...it was the chorus, that “no way, chasing your cares away” part, and we had sunflower seeds and that was the night I fell in love with highways and movement and travel and all that Kerouac stuff I’d get obsessed with later, all those fuckin notebooks I filled with eager scrawling about road trips I hadn’t yet taken. I lost all those notebooks somehow, can’t remember maybe I tossed them all on purpose, kind of a year zero event. Too much in those notebooks was lines from existing songs. I remember one time going through an old notebook and seeing “the sea is foaming like a bottle of beer” and thinking I’d written it...nope...it was a Weezer song. I’d just scrawled out that one line hammered one night, drunk at 17, back when it was actually exciting to get drunk and not a sad chore like it later became.

I’m going busking tomorrow. I might not be able to do “Night Moves” but I can bust out “Against the Wind.” I ain’t licked yet. It ain’t over. I’m older now and still runnin against the wind. Let the cowboys ride or whatever.

Edit, PS: That was a really dramatic fuckin post. I’m sorry. For some much-needed levity, here’s a picture of me from last week. Some friends visited while I was in bed, and I came out to say hello still holding my book.  PPS: Hey, know another great Bob Seger song? “Still the Same,” especially those ghostly backing vocals in the second verse. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjDpKeiYxOU PPPS: Hey, know another song that has cool ghostly additional instrumental in the second verse? Bruce Springsteen’s “Downbound Train.” It’s not his greatest song and I don’t like Bruce’s overdone “blue collar accent,” the dumb slurring he likes to do in order to sound more like a mechanic making $20 000 a year, but that beautiful synth organ that comes in on the second verse is just heartwrenching, listen for it @ 0:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_mv46NwT4 The organ has a pretty sweet solo for one-bar starting at 1:21. If I could get that organ tone, I wouldn’t put off doing keyboard overdubs, lemme tell ya son, I tell ya what.