#media based on the circles of hell my beloved

[coconut530]

Bump in the Night Day 5: Blood

[gaytedlasso]

Oh absolutely not. No way in hell. Pride flag and camera set up in one corner of the press room equals nightmare fuel. Trent looks over at Keeley, glaring daggers at her — and she just giggles. Goddamnit. Apparently that 'pissed off journalist who will end you' expression of his has softened quite a bit over the past few years. Suppose that's what happens when you're married to a literal ray of sunshine.

"So Rebecca and I thought a pride campaign this year—"

"Flattered but no thank you." Trent's voice is clipped, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"But whyyyy?" Keeley pouts up at Trent. "It's not like this is breaking news any more!"

Trent is well aware. The media frenzy when the press caught wind of their fledgling relationship was nothing short of a firestorm. (Trent will kill Ernie. That is non-negotiable at this point.) They always knew it'd be front page headlines, but Trent grossly underestimated the vitriol thrown at them both. Colin's kiss on the pitch was barely a blip on the radar; the press saved all their ire for Ted-and-Trent.

But as with all things, it died down once Rupert had yet another scandal and the news shifted to that story like a flock of magpies gravitating to the next shiny thing. Sure they all circled the proverbial wagons (fucking hell Ted, Trent's tired of thinking like you.) the day Ted showed up on the pitch with a wedding band and Trent, in the press room at his new job as ~~lion tamer~~ press wrangler wore a matching one.

Neither of those were planned events. Ted and Trent had always tried to just keep their relationship quiet — never secret just... quiet. Never flaunting.

This... this is flaunting. This is a public display. This is in your face...

Trent isn't concerned about his own queerness, he's worried about Ted. He's worried about their children. He's worried —

"Don't overthink," Ted says, wrapping his arms around Trent from behind, moustache tickling Trent's ear. "I can smell just how hard those gears are turning. When Keeley asked I said you'd have more reservations than a sold-out Marriott on super bowl weekend."

Turning around in Ted's arms, Trent lifts a hand, threading through the soft tawny strands at the base of Ted's neck.

"You're not worried?"

Ted chuckles, the sound warm and slithers down Trent's spine like a warm hug. "Not a whit, Walt Whitman," Ted replies. "I look at it as an opportunity. Besides, some wise woman once told me to fuck the haters and—"

As always, the f-word spilling from Ted's lips incites some sort of pavlovian response in Trent.

Trent doesn't even hear the sound of the camera click.

- drabble written by my beloved @singaroundelay

~

Fuck the haters! Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈

inprnt / redbubble

[yaynotgaybutbi]

(Ok, I swear this will be my last post about the pjo show, I will shut the fuck up after this.)

Yes, adaptation is a process, in which some things must be lost and some things must be added. It's remaking a material from one media to another, so OF COURSE there will be changes.

BUT the media must be utilized! What use is it to me that they made a tv show if that tv show is SO FUCKING BLAND. Visually, sound-wise, director-wise.

The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off. The character growth, not even that, the learning moments the gang goes through are gone. They just know bc they are smart and read the myths.

The tension of making it till the deadline is gone AND the relization of it has no impact. The pacing is so fucking weird and fast. Both within the episodes (yes, the jokes are funny, BUT JESUS WHERE DID THE QUICK WIT GO??? SPEED IT UUUPP) and in the overall season.

The visual side of it is, like, nicely done, but this is Disney's attempt for their new flag show and it look like another shitty MCU movie. Wouldn't it be cool if the underworld scenes were high contrast black and white? If we got more lively colors, maybe make the BLUE pop way more? If we got more detail shots in that dead people line so it would feel crowded and uncomfy? More practical effects? If the dream sequences were so confusing to Percy AND TO VIEWERS by not being just straight up CGI landscape? THE COSTUMES, PLEASE SOMEONE SAVE THE COSTUME DEPARTMENT, GIVE THEM SOME MONEY AND FREEDOM, PLEEAAASSEEE!!

JESUS, like a little bit of spice, little bit of art direction, SET THIS SHOW APART, MAKE IT SPECIAL. The whole reason the books are ao special is bc of their first person narration, which you cannot do with the show, SO MAKE THE CINEMATIC NARRATION INTERESTING THEN.

I do not want to be the party pooper, I want this show to last, to go BEYOND the source material and EXPAND it. And they are doing a good job with some things! Like Sally being just... more. And Annabeth probably being a engineer instead of an architect. I LOVE the cast. Maybe I would circle out that writing room and directors, but they can get better, I believe. And hell, LIN DID A GREAT JOB BEING HARMES

Like I said, there must be changes. It does work like that, I know that, EVERYONE knows that. But the 'least objectable' route is just not the answer anymore. Big fan base will not save this show from losing money and getting canceled. I just hope season 1 will be one day viewed as a 'beloved but unfortunate start'. I really do.

[crazypossumman]

So I am writing a novel loosely inspired by Dante’s Inferno. I’ve been working on it since eighth grade when I first read Inferno and became utterly obsessed. Anyway, I was very fucked up the other night and then found this in my notes:

“Why My Atheist Ass Loves Dante’s Inferno:

My first point to this argument would be the fact that it is basically self insert fanfiction. My boy Dante really went, “but what if me and Virgil, my favorite poet uwu, had to travel through hell together on a long, sentimental journey in which I am able to learn from him as a pupil does from his master,” and everyone was like, “ok yeah let’s here him out.”

On a more serious note, this text (looking at it individually within the divine comedy) has such a powerful meaning behind it. Dante is traveling through the dark forest (life) and is trying to get to the top of a hill (enlightenment, paradise, nirvana, what have you), but he is stopped by three beasts (the three types of sin). But his end game is still to get to paradise and be with his beloved or whatever. So he still wants to go to the top of that metaphorical hill.

Ipso facto, when Virgil leads him through hell, he is leading him THROUGH the beasts. It’s not some round about way where he skirts these sins. He goes through sin after sin in Virgil’s company, and in beholding the punishments for said sins—which, being an ironic twist on the sin itself, reveal just how ugly the sin itself is—being enacted upon figures he associates with the sin, he is essentially traveling through life while learning from the mistakes of others. That’s as simple as the story is!

But instead it is taken and written in to prose, woven between Christianity and Greek mythos, stretched into a fascinating adventure that captivates and shocks the mind. It was heavily associated with political and religious figures of the time period, which caused it to stick in the minds of its readers (think: if you read that Pope whoever was seen burning in the whatever circle of hell, every time you hear about that pope from then on out, you’re like “oh yeah isn’t that the guy who—“). It integrates well known biblical figures, which created that same association but with something ancient and sacred. Not to mention that, being one of the few religious texts written in the common tongue in its time, it became super wide spread (I mean, their reading selection was limited).

And my third reason would have to do with the amount of classical art and literature it went on to expire. It’s a lot. There’s a painting or two for every critical scene of the inferno, and it is a widely referenced piece of literature in media day-to-day life (think phrases like “stuck in limbo” or “abandon all hope, ye who enter here”). There are also so many translations of the Inferno, originally written in Italian, and most of them contain footnotes, translation notes, interpretations, references, and research tidbits relating to that author’s specific translation. Meaning. Every time you get a different translation. There is whole knew stuff to learn. Base points are always the same, but I love a good fun fact or someone’s individual analysis on a certain piece of symbolism.

Point four: It’s so much extra Christianity-lore. Like sure it’s a headcannon but it reads like official content.”

Writing Tag ↓ | Pinned | Writing Masterlist | Kofi | Etsy

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Anyway with Origins Plus finally formally announced I would say I am leaning on the range of somewhat disappointed to still weirdly optimistic about it.

Having the entire Game Gear Sonic library added is I think a really good thing without a doubt - based on the trailer at least it is just emulation but honestly I’m fine with that knowing that it would’ve resulted in a way healthier work environment than trying to Taxmanify tons of Game Gear games. Do think it’s kind of sad that we’re not getting the Master System versions of Sonic 1 and 2 and the like since iirc they’re literally just the Game Gear titles with a bigger display? That one’s weird. But anyway the disappointment comes from the fact that if you’re just slapping ROMs in there to begin with, why not throw in the other Genesis titles? Real Spinball and 3D Blast and Mean Bean Machine, or you know how about a Knuckles Chaotix rerelease for the first time ever? I genuinely do not think this is too much to ask especially given that they‘re already using emulation for the Game Gear titles to begin with.

The other big thing is a new playable Amy! That’s actually sick as hell. She doesn’t even seem to be borrowing from her Advance moveset either but rather has a wholly new playstyle, that’s super sick. Given how much she’s all over the marketing for the game despite only appearing in CD otherwise, this was a really obvious move to make. Plus, yeah, it’s something new to add to Origins, which is just a really good selling point to have. Implementing new playable characters is a lot more effort than throwing some ROMs in an emulator, so I’m not quite as disappointed in this scenario, but I do wish we had some more characters. Mighty and Ray almost go without saying since hey they’re finished and playable classic characters with defined movesets that also already exist in the retro engine. And you know, Metal Sonic is also all over the marketing despite only being in CD. It would be cool if he were playable. But yeah no I’m not losing as much sleep on that front because again new characters are a lot more to ask for than ROMs.

And then what else are we doing to justify making an entire separate Plus purchase? Oh, nothing. Well I mean, same nice physical release box with an artbook and shit that I’ll buy because yes. But that seems to be it on new stuff. I guess I can’t complain that much - Mania Plus was just 2 new characters and Encore mode, the latter effectively just a palette swap with like some gameplay changes - but idk it still feels like more could be done to justify the “Plus” part of the title than 1 character and a Game Gear emulator.

But! This is where we circle back to optimism. Because Mania Plus wasn’t just that Plus content - it was also a free upgrade with some visual touchups, bug fixes, and most prominently, an entirely new Metal Sonic boss fight. Do I expect that much from Origins Plus? Not necessarily, but hey if new announcements aside Origins Plus is also just a big patch that irons out lots of the remaining issues Origins still has - maybe makes the in-game menus more consistent, fix some of the Retro engine things leading to like 3&K being too fast or that spring in Metropolis that launches you into spikes in Sonic 2 , or you know just fucking puts Knuckles in CD already - that’d be pretty sick. And if I really wanna dream then use actual fucking Genesis ROMs in classic mode instead of just cropping the screen and also restore 3&K soundtrack please and ty. yk I can take or leave those last 2 things but I do genuinely think just sorting those core issues Origins still has would be enough to make it the definitive way to legally experience these titles on modern hardware*.

But yeah. I’m gonna buy it because physical media my beloved, looking forward to playable Amy as well as actually experiencing the Game Gear titles for pretty much the first time. And hopefully they do clean up the core issues and turn Origins into something that can be easily recommended to new fans.

* okay like yeah the best ways to play these titles are on PC with the various ultimate versions fans have made that I’m blanking on the names for but like Sonic 3 A.I.R. and stuff, but iirc you can really only do that legally if you bought the Genesis titles before they were delisted on Steam, so you’re shit out of luck otherwise. That is unless you want to just illegally download the ROMs lol. Which to be clear, I’m totally okay with - I’ve done that plenty myself, duh. Origins is never going to be the definitive edition when stacked up against good old fashioned emulation and ROM hacks and like that’s fine. But hey having a good version on consoles and shit is nice too, you know?

[annathesillyfriend]

Anna's August Fic Recs

Welcome to my August fic recommendations masterpost!! This has been quite a busy month for me but I'm holding onto last weeks of freedom. I am trying to read as much before uni starts and I had a pleasure of reading some brilliant fics this month. I am so excited to share them with you all! I hope your summer is going amazing and to those, who have just started classes - good luck!

To all the writers - I love you and I appreciate you so much!

To all the readers - please, share the fics you read and love. The reblog really makes the change! It’s the least we can do to show our gratitude.

HOLLAND & Co.

✨ Tom Holland

revenges is sweet by @t-lostinworlds

series, social media au, college!au, football player!tom, fake dating, idiots to lovers, all of our fave tropes, i am invested in this series more than i am in my own life, it's just that good

sunkissed by @duskholland

one-shot, 18+, surfer!tom x lifeguard!tom, exes to lovers, h's great mind at its finest 👏

souvenirs of the heart by @veryholland

one-shot, brought me to tears no joke, such a beutiful story, mila did such an amazing job!!

heartbreak girl by @lauras-collection

one-shot, 18+, lead singer!tom, based on 5SOS song, this is so goooood 😫😫 this story lives in my heart rent free right nextdoor to laura!!

act 1: scene 5 and 6 by @youandtom

one-shot, best friends to lovers, helping tom with learning lines, i loved this very much!

happier than ever by @vendettaparker

one-shot, tom being the great lad he is comes to save an awful date and we stan

the trial of the eldest holland by @reawritesthings

one-shot, ex!tom, welcome to the angst town! this is so deeply heartbreaking but so beautifully written!

lucky to be in love by @hollandsvogue

one-shot, rose is going staright for my silly little heart :')

slide in by @uglypastels

one-shot, frat!tom, i fall in love with this story time and time again

white winged dove by @muhollands

one-shot, 18+, conuntry!tom, insert country boy i love you vine here (also, i'd like to take this moment to kindly invite you all to go through d's whole masterlist cause it's brilliant. this mj blurb has sent me straight to hell but it's so worth it)

abide by @hazofmyheart

one-shot, 18+, mob!au, tom x reader x harrison, this made me feel some type of way 👁👄👁

getting ahead of ourselves by @/hazofmyheart

one-shot, 18+, college! lacrosse player!tom holland x tutor!reader, this is soft, this is cute, this is hot, this is everything! 12/10 would recommend

✨ Harrison Osterfield

little lune by @dovenymph

one-shot, celebrating your birthday with haz, made me want a refund for my birthday cause it's so lovely 🥺🥺

it will come back by @greenorangevioletgrass

one-shot, part of the rich kid!au series, 18+, richkid!haz x richkid!reader x actor!tom, there are no words in any language that would let me express how much i love ava and this au

✨ Harry Holland

wild side by @softholand

one-shot, 18+, best friends to lovers, that trope was made to be written about mister harry holland, i swear

lost in your light by @spider-barnes

one-shot, 18+, best friends to lovers, bloody lovely 💛

falling in love at a coffee shop by @/spider-barnes

one-shot, college!au, oh to fall in love with harry holland at a coffee shop 😫

hope is frightening thing by @peterplanet

one-shot, writer!reader x first da!harry, her book gets a film adaptation and harry is being is wonderful self ��

my forever by @unsaidholland

blurb, talking about your future with him, it's just 🥰🥰

circles by @farfromharry

one-shot, rich kid!au, enemies to lovers, so wonderful!

MARVEL

🎂 Suz's birthday fics

this total babe @samwilsons-pillowpecs gave us four beautiful gift on her birthday! we adore you, lovely 🥰 these stories are all wonderful anddeserve their own category 💛

you're the glitter in the dark

one-shot, 18+, mob!bucky

if i could touch you...

one-shot, 18+, boxer!steve

love you in a thousand ways

one-shot, 18+, ceo!sam

miss your kiss

one-shot, 18+, biker!thor

🎂@rodrikstark ’s 1.5k follower celebration!

collecion of headcanons with our favourite marvel boys as well as some other characters, i bloody love them all but my numer one has got to be joaquin teaching you spanish 😌

✨ Sam Wilson

book smart by @indyluckycharlie

one-shot, librarian!sam x PhD student!reader, such a warm and comfy little story by my dearest cate who i love very much 😌

he we go again by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, idiots in love 🥰🥰

adventures in babysitting captain america and winter solider by @princessmisery666

one-shot, reader takes the boys to disneyland and it's just so amazing!

stay awhile by @lacapucharoja

one-shot, black!reader, a saturday morning with sam 😌😌

slow motion by @ambrosiase

one-shot, 18+, sam in baggy grey sweatpants and no underwear, need i say more?

✨ Steve Rogers

bullies, bullied by @anika-ann

one-shot, my main babe is blessing us with protective steve and i love her 🥰

there's a peace in dreaming by @babycap

one-shot, i don't have the words to tell you how stunning this story is, please go read it

✨ Bucky Barnes

timer by @xbuchananbarnes

series, soulmate!au based on the movie TiMER (2009). i could go on and on about how incredible that series is but with dani it's a given, sooo 🤷‍♀️

the kids will be alright by @imaginationintowords

series, social media au, lawyer!bucky x interior designer!reader, single dad!bucky, single mom!reader raising their kid together as friends, also reader x clark kent. honestly this is one of my fave social media aus of all time. and it's got a sequel is coming!!

quick fix by @ocean-bucky

one-shot, tfatws!bucky x ofc, vidra is the queen of ofc's, you simply can't not love her characters!

grant (part 2) by @coffeecatsandsarcasm

two-shot, bucky's in a relationship with a single mom with a little boy, it's so soft, i love this little family!

before sunset, i fell by @buckysbiota

one-shot, modern!au, when i get drunk i get myself cake, when reader got drunk, she got herself a husband. a very fine husband 😏

alcohol you later by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, is it the 4th of dani's fics on this list? yes, she's just that powerful

three flags up by @starbuckie

one-shot, 18+, campcounselor!bucky x campcounselor!reader, best friends to lovers, buck being a cute little puppy in love and i adore him very much

and he kissed me right there by @sunmoonandbucky

one-shot, veteran!bucky, age gap, this is so full of feelings and it's gonna steal your heart!

lost and found by @sunshinebuckybarnes

two-shot, neighbour!bucky, alpine being the matchmaker of the year and we love that for her

hazy dreams and good mornings by @angrythingstarlight

one-shot, 18+, firefighter!bucky, i think that's enough encouragement to read this gem 😏

✨ Joaquin Torres

red by @remmysbounty

one-shot, a truly exceptional story!!

hold my words, keep us together by @/xbuchananbarnes

one-shot, soulmate!au, just simply stunning!

✨Peter Parker

love lies by @rosyparkers

series, social media au, y/n is silk but peter doesn't know it, peter is spiderman but y/n doesn't know it, sarah is the brightest star in the universe and everyone knows it

sunset lovers by @duskholland

one-shot, college! au, soulmate!au where what your soulmate writes on their skin, appears on yours. i don't think i have to tell you that eveything written by h, my beloved is pure gold. the softest thing!

always waiting (for you to come home) by @peterbenjiparker

one-shot, reader comes to peter cause she needs him to patch her up after patrol, it's so funny and sweet and i just love it so much, m is the bestest!!

perfectly a little late by @/t-lostinworlds

one-shot, college!au, reader forgets about peter's birthday. or does she 👀 please, give a round of applause for this wonderful writer who's been feeding us so well this month 👏👏

this fic by @peeterparkr

one-shot, last kiss with peter :') nancy knows all the most beautiful ways to break someone's heart

the plan by @spideyyeet

series, aveneger!reader, reader likes peter, peter likes mj, mysterio shows up, lots of angsty things happen. it's so bloody good, my mates, go read it!!

burning red by @spideyspeaches

one-shot, avenger!reader who who describes people's personalities as colors, it's just a stunning story with wonderful writing and i love it!!

this fic by @mcumendes

blurb, peter brings y/n flowers and is very very adorable!!

kiss me more by @celestialholland

one-shot, first make out with peter and i'm just 😫😫 in love

the reveal by @cloudybarnes

one-shot, best friends!reader where she finds out about him being spiderman, so lovely!!

always by @ptersmj

one-shot, an absolutely adorable best friends to lovers moment

red-handed by @/vendettaparker

one-shot, stark!reader, morgan interrupts y/n and peter's alone time 😏😂

OTHERS

✨ Spencer Reid

as told by flowers by @reidingmelodies

one-shot, story about the progress of the relationship with spencer told by flowers (duh 😂), it's just wonderful!!

✨ Frank Adler

thnks fr th mmrs by @wiypt-writes

one-shot, 18+, reader goes to frank the night before his wedding, i love this with everything i have

will you hold on my love by @writerwrites

one-shot, don't come anywhere near this piece without tissues!!

✨ Ransom Drysdale

undercover boss by @chase-your-dreams-away

series, reader's working at drysdales' company and hooks up with ransom not knowing who he is. this series is so bloody good! i love the reader in here so much!!

a/n: if you catch some kind of mistake or if you see that i miscredited someone - please let me know so i can change that!

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

[missionlameturtle]

Feb 18 & 19 - Rarepair Hell Weekend

Got a beloved pairing that just doesn't get much attention? Got a small fandom you wish was more active? This is the event for you!

Rarepair Hell Weekend will run February 18 and 19, 2023, for rarepairs, uncommonly explored gen relationships, characters who don't get many works, and small fandoms in general. It isn't limited to transformative fanworks; you can also participate by commenting on someone's work, compiling a rec list, writing a ship manifesto, etc.

This event is loosely modeled after sdwolfpup’s More Joy Day - which means that it's a Dreamwidth-based event! Instead of contributing to an AO3 collection or using a certain tag on social media, you do what you like in a space of your choosing, and then come tell us about what you did on Dreamwidth.

I'll make a post on my dw for folks to comment on the evening of Friday the 17th, and will come back and reblog this post with that link when I do so. 

We'll be running mostly on the honor system, so it's up to you to judge if what you have in mind counts as a rarepair/small fandom/etc or not! If you want some help deciding, I'm happy to provide rough guidelines, but ultimately you probably have a better idea of what's rare in a given fannish circle than I do.

[souchanai]

IDOLiSH7 #NANAKAME TUTORIAL [ENG]

I made this Tutorial since IDOLiSH7 Game will make this kind of event every year to celebrate their anniversary. I think a lot of i7 players already know this but well, I made this not for the pro but for our beloved new i7 Manager or beginner of the game <;3 Welcome to Banri's Hell, folks!

Joke aside, let me explain what Nanakame is. Warn, I'm not a professional in Japanese yet and I'm a self-taught learner so please bear with me :D.

According to my last two brain cells (or maybe some of you guys notice), the word of Nanakame / "ナナカメ" was made from NANA ("七" or 7 in Japanese. Tho it's written in katana but still it means seven. Represent aiNANA or IDOLiSH7) + KAME (represent "カメラ" >> the katana of camera). In conclusion it's like IDOLiSH7 Camera... Yeah... Something like that (lol)

So, base on my experience as someone who wants to be pro in IDOLiSH7 Game, basically it's a place for you guys edit or insert objects related to the Anniv Theme (idols , texts, etc.) to some pics. You can also share those edits to your social media.

Tbh, tho it's really simple but it's really interesting and entertaining. You also can make memes from it. Believe me, I'm not lying.

Okay, because we're in a week of IDOLiSH7 7th Anniversary so I will show you the tutorial base on the Nanakame 7thAnniv version. As you can see from my lovely home (Sorry, I just love this card so much bc TennIo in one frame :v), there's a circle that I made at the not-so-top right corner. Yeah, just press that to open the Nanakame.

And once it pressed for the first time, it will be downloading the data of it. Just wait until the download done. When it's done, change the orientation of your phone to portrait and you will see this kind of view:

Let's start the tutorial~!

1. First, you will be asked to choose what kind of background that you want to use. You can choose it from your phone gallery, take a new picture or use a template. For this tutorial, I will choose background from the template.

2. Then, choose the background. Anyway, I choose Tenn's background here. Done with that, press the checklist at the right bottom corner.

3. Adjust and resize the background as you like. For me, I prefer choose the default size.

4. Add filter if you want. I didn't add any of it bc sometimes original is better :D

5. Just add stamp, logo, your charming idols, kind words as many as you like on the background. Oh, this process is kinda confusing actually (idk with you guys but I found out a lil bit confusing at first). So, you can add idols or anything only by clicking it. Then, you can start the process that everyone knows a.k.a resize and adjust as wild as your imagination (heh). If you want to erase an object, click the same object in... Idk what this is called so just see the pic below. And it'll disappear just like ZERO.

Bro, they look hot.

6. Lastly, you can save it (by click the down arrow button at right bottom corner), delete it (by click the trash can button) and share it to your social media (by click the share button. I know you guys know which button it is so I don't need to explain). Don't forget to add hashtag #ナナカメ on the caption so you guys popular :D

...What? Come on, guys. The last pic is Kujo Tenn not Nanase Riku >:)

Everyone knows that (heh).

Kidding. Just forgot to screenshot when I made the Tenn one :")

Okay, that's it from me. Hope you like kind-of-tutorial that I made so my Tumblr won't be so quiet. And I present my art that I made in Nanakame:

What? I'm a Nanase Twins simp and TennIo shipper. Oh, you see Ioriku? Nah, maybe it's just your imagination.

Thank you for visiting, love you guys, mwah<3 <3

[bluewinnerangel]

Hello! I’m a bit new so forgive me if you’ve already answered a similar question before but what do you think about H supposedly making fanfic references in his mv and one more I forgot about? Because the whole concept just seems idk (weird?) to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with reading fanfics and I’m sure they’ve read them because L says he’s did in one interview and H doesn’t say anything and there’s one more where L doesn’t say anything but probably Z or Li reacts in a way that gives it away.

Hi!

So this is just my opinion and I think the only people that can really answer this properly are those who have been here from the start and have read many fanfics (and that isn’t me). This because I think it's pretty easy to misinterpret some things he's done by lack of a grasp on how the fandom was build up (if that's the proper word for it) over time / when he started doing/wearing certain things and whatnot. Fanfics are based on some essense of the real person one way or another, and it's often going to have small details that fit what the person has already done or would fit their character, or at least how the writer perceived them. So naturally some writers are going to hit the sweet spot and just describe them pretty well, write them into things they would do or appreciate, or even an aesthetic they vibe with, etc. So I honestly can't tell you the order of events about some of these supposed referencing. With that I mean that even if Harry comes in with something highly specific that was already in a fanfic that's been around for a while, then still that specific thing in the fic was probably already based on something he would do or has done anyway, and we’re just running in circles. So basically I think a lot of small things people claim are fic references are bullshit. That said, I’m making a big exception for TTS because all the coincidoinks with that one are just a little bit too much for me. Like most you can just kinda shrug off but then long after the whole eroda = fair isle shit he goes on to do that vogue shoot in his little fair isle slipover on the TTS’s bnb shore like are you fking kidding me with this shit Harry. 

And to touch upon your comment about the concept seeming weird, you know that thing with Euphoria? They fking visualised and narrated a larry fanfic and then Harry was like lemme show im besties with this director and also follow zendaya (who narrated it)? He thrives in weirdness, he seems to enjoy some form of (sneaky) irony, self-mockery, sarcasm, just basking in the strangeness of it all, turning his life into satire, seeing how far he can take things, whatever the hell he's doing (that I’m all totally here for) really. So I don’t think that of all things reading and appreciating and even referencing fanfics would be a step too far for him. And you know what, I don’t even think it’s weird at all. I think the way the media and GP projects their ideas of him onto him / into the world is probably something weirder to deal with than some fics that are much closer to what he's really like, or at least written in a much more positive way, also just larry i mean, I imagine it might actually be refreshing to read that even, like people are writing/talking about him, actually him (im actually doing it now actually you're reading it now FOURTH WALL) constantly all the time, I really don't see why the idea of him reading fics (and enjoying it so much he wants to reference it / identifies with it / is inspired by it) is then the weird bit. If anything I'd say that's an escape from how he's normally perceived, if that makes sense. This is probably just me tho. My guess is the idea of the actual people a fic is based upon reading it makes some readers (or writers for that matter) uncomfortable, like it's written inside the fandom bubble for the people within that bubble only and should stay there. Maybe, maybe it depends on the fic hah. Anyway! TTS references my beloved always.

[claraxbarton]

Probably literally no one wants to read this, but on the off chance anyone wants to CHOOSE to read my thoughts on fanworks in relation to traditional western culture and not merely be subjected to them via DM during an innocent (though angsty as all hell) convo on the parallels between Stucky and Destiel well, here’s 1700 words on it:

—-

Actually. And here’s the thing that works so damn well with both bucky/Steve and Dean/Cas is that there is no clear “damsel/hero” dichotomy that we see in classic heteronormative relationships.

But like.

The thing about fan fiction, and AO3 specifically, is that it primarily features homoerotic and homoromatic relationships between two cisgender white men. Yes that is changing- mostly thanks to the rise of KPOP (the surprise lord and savior of 2020) and Hulu and Netflix optioning East Asian movies and television series to spread those narratives. Which is an entire thing on its own because so many of those like- is it Untamed? Feature homosocial environments and thus- the point is. The landscape is changing and yay.

But AO3s success is largely predicated on two main ships: Stucky and Destiel. Yes there are others that are huge and continue to grow, but these are the two that I feel (with no data or research to support my assertion) helped AO3 take precedence over ffnet as THE site for fan work hosting.

Now, the contradictory thing about fan work, the thing that is so often described as hypocritical and/or fetishizing is that the majority feature two cisgender white men engaged in homoerotic and/or homoromantic relationships when the majority of the readers and creators of fan works are neither.

Data supports the supposition that most fan work creators and consumers identify as non-male. And in that subset the majority identify as female.

Simply based on generic population data, the correlation can be made (again no effort put into googling this because I have sewing to do) that the majority of this group is likely cisgendered heterosexual (white) women.

However, fan works and fan engagement are a proven community for fans who do not ascribe to the heteronormative gender binary or heterosexual and/or heteroromantic relationship structure and are, in fact, not just white. Again- imagine numbers that are factual because sewing.

Fandom is not unique to entertainment media. We can trace it back to, well, as long as we can trace it back. What are the Venus of Willendorf statues of not fanart? The Parthenon? Egyptian funereal pyramids and their contents? Renaissance art in general? Is the King James Bible not a “fix it” for the previously canonical literature (that’s a hot take don’t come for me.) (you could also consider the King James Version an attempt at song fic).

In more contemporary culture, we have sports fandoms- primarily male dominated. Primarily cisgendered heterosexual white male dominated.

The fandom culture of sports fans has been described as that of collectors and curators- they want memorabilia and statistics and gatekeeping actions often require proof of knowledge or commitment via possessions.

Meanwhile, entertainment media fandoms- such as those experiences on AO3- are more creative than curatorial. Instead of efforts to organize, delineate and create hierarchies within fandoms (yes this happens but is not the overriding force), these sorts of fandoms seek to create fanWORKS and fanCOMMUNITIES. Yes, fantasy sports leagues exist and so do sports teams fan communities. But I ask you, where in sports fandoms is there a GISH?Or an AO3?

The reality of contemporary western dominated culture (entertainment,sports,economic,political, artistic and philosophical) is one that features white cisgendered heterosexual men at the apex-

Both as creators and consumers despite prevailing realities in population and cultural zeitgeist.

As such, most western dominated fandoms are homosocial: dominated by one group, that of white cisgendered heterosexual men.

All that is to say, most star athletes are straight white dudes. Most movie stars are straight white dudes. Most politicians. Most wealth holders and distributors. Most creators.

Why? Because patriarchy. But the WHY isn’t the point of this long ass word vomit.

It’s the So What?

Sports fandoms are the territory of these same homosocial networks.

But media fandoms are the territory of those NOT at the top of that hierarchy.

While the CONTENT and the original content creators remain part of that homosocial white cisgendered heterosexual group, the consumers of media are largely NOT OF THAT GROUP despite what the content creators may desire or believe (see: the creatives behind supernatural and their ridiculous ability to convince themselves that their core demographic are straight white dudes 15-40).

As such, content that features the patriarchy is primarily heterosexual, heteronormative, racist (acutely or passively), misogynistic, homophobic, homosocial and, well, lacking.

Take, for example, MCU and Supernatural as franchises. Our main characters are primarily white dudes. White dudes who mostly interact with other white dudes, whose “tribes” (brethren, compatriots, coworkers) are also white dudes. Yes, smurfs exist- the token woman or non-white person. Sometimes even a queer person (gender or sexual, though very, very rarely gender queer).

The fact that whenever our “heroes” interact with anyone outside their tribe or homosocial group they are almost inevitably evil, dead or about to die is telling. How many women die in supernatural? How many people of color? How many villains in the MCU (and while the X-MEN franchise isn’t necessarily within the MCU because Hollywood, the queer coding within X-MEN is encyclopedic) are queer coded?

Now, I’ve said repeatedly that heterosexual and heteronormative relationships are the mean within such media. Our white dudes bang white ladies, love white ladies, but act like manly white men and don’t put romantic feelings ahead of things like patriotism and pain unless they have “earned” the right to such (a trial that often involves a lot of deaths that are never addressed or given recourse. See:endgame)

Bros before hoes is more or less the rule of western mainstream media.

As such, relationships that demonstrate respect, trust, vulnerability, compassion and resiliency are almost always homosocial: or they are between two bros (no homo) and not between a man and a woman.

You trust the guy at your back, not the woman because you 1. Want to bang her 2. She’s probably going to die 3. She’s a damsel 4. Seriously she’s probably going to die.

Which all means: most of the well developed characters and relationships within mainstream western media are homosocial- they exist between two members of the same group. In our case, those straight white bros (which of course within supernatural can sometimes be taken literally in the case of Wincest).

Which means, the consumers of this media- mostly not white straight cisgendered dudes- are left with content that doesn’t represent who they are or what they want or even can aspire to.

So what’s the solution? Collect data and memorabilia? Sure why not.

OR: use your beloved media, those well developed characters and relationships, to create something new.

Fan work.

We circle back, at last, to the idea that fan work creators and consumers can be hypocritical or contradictory by creating works that feature that which they are not- these white dudes in love (romantic, sexual) with each other.

This supposition suggests that creators and consumers are using the characters and situations in fan work as replacements for what they lack in heterosocial relationships- either in media or in their own lives. Or, put another way, fans replace either Bucky or Steve with themselves and image the other to be their “love” interest.

To an extent, this may be true. That both parties are usually written to have male genitalia while most fans do not is where so many of the hypocritical and fetishization issues come into play.

But the reality is, fans are working with what they are given. Most fans don’t have dicks. A generous portion of fans don’t want to engage with dicks is sexual ways (or engage in sex at all) (and it must be emphasized that the majority of works on AO3 are rated T not E).

But the value in reimagining, subtextualizing, or deconstructing the mostly platonically presented homosocial relationships in western media as homosexual or homoerotic or homoromantic is not (for the most part) about fetish or about placeholders and substitutions for the fan.

It is about creating fanwork that reflects the society a fan lives in or wishes to live in.

Just as the sports fan will go to a bar and paint themselves blue and deride the Yankees because they want to envision a society that upholds a white cisgendered male patriarchy, media fanWORKS are created because we do NOT have a society that values romantic or erotic relationships between equals (for in traditional western society the only equal to a white cisgendered man is another white dude).

So, at last, a return to Stucky and Destiel.

The relationships created in fanWORKS between these two aren’t simply those where one is the “‘man” in the relationship and the other is the “woman”.

Yes those fanWORKS exist.

But most utilize the strong bonds of trust and respect and vulnerability and dare I say shared experience to create romantic and erotic relationships that are both more complex and more realistic than those actually portrayed in the same media.

In Stucky, we see Steve save Bucky and Bucky save Steve. We see Bucky hurt Steve and Steve hurt Bucky. We see their positions as EQUALS as a means by which to create a world where fulfilling relationships can exist that do not automatically restrict one (or more) parties to that of “chattel”.

The same is true of Destiel.

And both relationships feature key similarities within the original media that make for such rich possibilities.

Castiel saves Dean from hell. Castiel is brainwashed by the patriarchy to view Dean as lesser and even to kill him (this happens multiple times).

While Steve saves Bucky from Azzano, it is Bucky who saved Steve for almost their entire lives before that point. And after that point the two go back and forth to save each other. And let us not forget that Bucky was ordered to kill Steve but “he knew me”.

Dean and Castiel go through a similar ping pong match of saving each other.

This isn’t just about being equal in strength- it’s about being equal in vulnerability.

Which, to belabor the point, doesn’t exist in mainstream media’s romantic or erotic relationships nor is it widely taught or reinforced in western culture as a whole.

In conclusion.

Stucky and Destiel can save the world.

But probably KPOP would do it better and faster and cooler.

—-

Totally feel free to engage with your own opinions. Because I have to go sew now but later? Later we should talk friends and foes.

[k-s-morgan]

What would you tell someone who keeps hearing that shipping as a concept is stupid.. whether canon or not. That fan-fiction is dumb and romance is bad and fantasising unrealistic things is stupid.. I feel somehow media also wants to portray it that way, attaching negative connotations. Why do I have to love so many things in extreme privacy, like some shameful secret..

Hi! I’m very sorry to hear you’re going through this - the fact that anyone should feel ashamed of having a harmless hobby is outrageous as hell, my blood boils at the mere thought of it. Since I don’t know your specific circumstances, I’ll give a more general type of advice and I hope it’ll be able to help at least a little bit. I know it helped me in a similar situation.

Our society is shitty, there is no question there. Many people are hypocritical as hell, and whatever you say, they are unlikely to change their minds. So the most important thing is to understand that the hobbies/genres/types of fiction you love are valid and try to emanate this confidence when challenged. It can be displayed in different ways - you could provide objective facts to educate specific assholes, simply state your opinion in cold and condescending voice, or even stare someone down as if what they’ve said is so pathetic that you aren’t going to bother with replying. In RL, I used the second and the third methods, and they were always efficient. But let’s start with facts.

1) Fanfiction is a completely valid type of literature that existed for more than a hundred of years. Pastiche, for example, is treated seriously by the majority, yet it can be easily viewed as a type of fanfiction that’s being published officially. Writing is writing, skills are skills. World-famous writers like Neil Gaiman write fanfiction; more than that, fanfiction is a much more honest and lively kind of fiction. 

When you publish a book, unless you have editors, a stable base of readers, and money for marketing, you have no idea how you are doing as you’re writing. You don’t hear the readers’ opinion on each chapter, you don’t interact with them, you don’t see their theories. You are writing in void, and when you are done, chances are, you’ll be met with nit-picking, hostility, a few short generic reviews, or more silence. Many writers try to correspond to market standards: for many of them, a beloved creation turns into a business product that must have this and that element to have a better selling potential. With fanfiction, people are writing simply because they love writing. They care about the characters first and foremost, they write what feels right emotionally, and they receive feedback that encourages them and helps them grow. Fanfiction gives so many opportunities that its value just cannot be overestimated. 

2) Romance is a genre. A genre can’t be bad, you either are interested in it or you aren’t. Every genre has masterpieces and its group of fans, and shitting on it is the same as shitting on a chocolate ice-cream if you don’t like it and prefer a strawberry one instead. So really, if someone tries to say that romance is dumb or bad, this isn’t even worthy of a reply.

3) If someone told me that fantasizing about unrealistic things is stupid, I’d just snort and laugh out loud. Just direct such person to the closest bookshop or cinema. If someone isn’t aware of what fiction is and what it’s for, they lack some basic life education and you shouldn’t be the one to provide them with it.

4) If someone tells you that shipping is dumb, ask whether they think football, baseball, box, etc. are dumb. Like, it’s literally people watching other people play with the ball, punching each other, or trying to outrun each other. If that classifies as an acceptable hobby, why shouldn’t shipping be? Most people can relate to the idea of wanting to love and to be loved, to overcome all obstacles, and as such. Watching characters do it is fascinating. Rooting for a couple to get together is the same as rooting for a character to conquer the throne. Different plot elements, the same nature of interest. 

But in my case, I never bothered to explain all this to anyone. There were times when I felt ashamed of admitting I’m reading and writing fanfiction, so I lied when asked about it. I was one of those girls who loved Twilight even before the series got popular, and then I started to feel so ashamed that I pretended I hated it and began to ridicule it. Fortunately, my family helped me get back on track, which is when I got angry. My confidence returned, and I became fiercely protective of my hobbies - Twilight included, btw.

I just started using the ice-look on anyone promoting any kind of ignorant nonsense. Now, if anyone tells me how dumb fanfiction is, I just raise my eyebrow and drawl, “Right...” in the most condescending and derisive tone. Most people feel wrong-footed and try to offer some weak arguments. I may reply with a few mentioned facts, but usually, I just end the conversation by saying, “Maybe you should learn more about this before you embarrass yourself even more. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about and I’m not in the mood to educate you, so let’s finish this discussion.” It works every time.

I understand it might not apply to you - maybe you are surrounded by hostility that can get physical if you voice your real thoughts. If so, then I just hope that one day, you’ll move away from this toxic circle of people and surround yourself with someone worthier. Most importantly, remember that there is nothing to be ashamed of here. Love what you love, be proud of it, discuss it with like-minded people, and try to ignore the assholes. They are not worth your time. 

[beesmygod]

this is what riverdale is about (part 4)

part 1

part 2

part 3

i’m back, to continue from where we left off. obnoxiously, i’m going to take a minute to plug my patreon, which is primarily for my webcomic but i also do movie reviews and talk about bad books i find so if you like these posts, you’ll probably like those as well. all i ask....is one dollar a month.

anyway fuck that let’s get back into this.

images are from the riverdale wiki

SEASON ONE (PART 2):

the last picture show: immediately this show reveals that our beloved jughead has been living in a nearly abandoned drive-in that he also works at. too bad for him, because it’s closing down. hilariously, literally nobody in his circle of friends cares and call his make-shift house a crack den. owned. its revealed an anonymous buyer purchased it from the town and the mayor decided to sell it to whoever.

archie brings flowers to his teacher-girlfriend’s recital and when he and grundy (and his dad) head to pop’s for a good ol malt or whatever, betty confronts him about his relationship. betty is hurt when he says grundy believed in him when no one else did and goes home with renewed purpose: take grundy down.

veronica’s mom is caught having a heated argument with a member of the southside serpents gang next to a dumpster by cheryl who, as she delights in misery and disaster, captures it all on camera. she shows veronica, who confronts her mother who brushes her off.

betty lures grundy into a fake interview for her school paper instead of going to the police. betty seems to be determining all of this based on the fact that she didnt have any social media until a year ago, which really makes me question betty’s journalistic bonefides. its framed like this means she didn’t exist before she got a twitter or whatever. its really weird. more relevant is that the only record of a geraldine grundy.....WAS AN OLD WOMAN WHO DIED 7 YEARS AGO!!!!! she takes this information to archie as well, who doesn’t care at all. he’s way too horny to care.

betty breaks into grundy’s vw bug and finds a gun and her real i.d. with her real name. archie is still too horny to care, even though betty (again, really overstepping her journalistic bounds) says that grundy might have killed jason (BASED ON THE EXISTENCE OF A GUN BETTY!!! COME ON). archie finally asks grundy straight up what the fuck is going on and she cops to trying to escape from an abusive husband, hence the gun and fake names.

jughead finds out that archie’s dad’s construction company won the bid to destroy the drive-in. its a bad time to be jughead. he tries to ask archie’s dad not to tear down the drive-in. through this convo we learn that jughead’s dad was fired from andrews construction several years ago for theft. a scene after this reveals that veronica’s mom is facilitating the purchase of the drive-in with the mayor pn behalf of her incarcerated husband.

i’m so glad the wiki reminded me of this line, word for word: everyone (and i mean literally everyone in town) goes to the drive-in for one last hurrah, where the southside serpents are guffawing up a storm. veronica somehow silences them by saying “You know what happens to a snake when a Louboutin heel steps on it? Shut the hell up or you’ll find out.“ it sucks so bad. veronica then witnesses her mother having an encounter with the same gang member who she is revealed to be paying to drive down the value of the drive-in property so hiram lodge can buy it for cheap.

archie and grundy are caught in a passionate embrace after betty’s mom reads her diary and goes on the warpath, rightfully telling her to get the fuck out of town or she’ll reveal her to be a child molester. grundy agrees to leave and archie is heartbroken. the last show of geraldine this season is her ogling two teen boys. horrible. leave, woman.

jughead leaves his shitty home and on his way out is accosted by the same gang member who was talking to hermoine lodge and is revealed to be....JUGHEADS DAD!!!!!!!!!! whatever.

heart of darkness: the town is abuzz with jason’s upcoming funeral and the teens of riverdale are fighting over who gets to take the dead kids spot as captain of the football team in a really normal and not at all super ghoulish way. archie is working his heart out now that his favorite teacher/pedophile has fled town. he has his time wasted by a member of the pussycats, valerie, who nets him a meeting with a music songwriter who tells archie he doesn’t have time for his shit. its a weird and totally pointless scene in the long run. it doesnt matter because archie’s music thing never comes to anything. the guy tells archie later, when he returns with sheet music, that his songs suck shit and he hates his music and to get out of his office.

jason and polly’s (betty’s sister) relationship seems to be at the center of whatever happened to jason, so betty starts asking around town about her sister, by using dates as a cover to ask probing questions to members of the football team. she also tries asking her father, who explains that polly and jason had a fight, polly tried to kill herself and so was shipped off to a mental institution. learning about jason’s death fucked her up again so they shan’t be exposing her to more sordid info about the events. the only information they get is that jason was selling drugs to raise money to leave town.

betty and jughead trace this thread to find out why jason would want to leave town but veronica is already finding out firsthand after she is invited to the blossom mansion for the world’s worst sleepover before the memorial (cool timing): the blossoms are all insane. they make their money on maple syrup, using the funds to build riverdale as we know it. veronica and cheryl bond over their awful parents and versonic encourages cheryl to act out at jason’s memorial FOR SOME REASON. KNOWING FULL WELL WHO CHERYL IS.

demonstrating extremely normal judgement, betty and jughead plan to raid jason’s room during the memorial to find clues. cheryl goes full hamlet, throwing herself on the coffin and weeping during her eulogy. they use this as cover to sneak away and go commit the worst social faux-pax you truly can do. however, they are interrupted by cherly’s senile grandmother, nana rose, who mistakes her for polly and reveals polly and jason were engaged. 

betty takes this information to her father who reveals he already knows but forbid the arrangement because the blossoms and the coopers have been trying to kill each other for decades over the whole maple syrup empire thing. betty and jughead later suspect her dad broke into the sheriff's office to steal his files related to uhhh everything i guess; a hunch which turns out to be correct.

meanwhile veronica’s mom is sent a live snake by the serpent gang, calls big strong fred andrews to come save her and then asks him for a job.

faster pussycats! kill! kill!: first of all fuck, the name of this ep.

archie, for some reason because i guess he doesn’t know what embarrassment is, decides he’s going to play an original song he wrote for the school talent show. he immediately gets stage fright at the try-outs and wusses out. veronica goes behind his back to sign him up anyway. thanks, asshole!

valerie, from the last ep, quits the pussycats because josie is slightly more stressed than usual about uhhh the talent show. also because she has a crush on archie for some reason.

hermoine, while acting as fred andrews’ new secretary, realizes he’s fucking BROKE. why’d he hire her? who knows. too late now. she suggests firing some people (for example............her, maybe, fred) but fred cant bear it...and is hoping to be saved by the newest construction job he doesn’t know that hermoine is manipulating under the table. much like his son, fred is now too horny to care and they make out while veronica watches awkwardly.

the remaining pussycats try to figure out what to do about their missing member problem. josie’s mom helpfully lays out that they need a strong woman of color, but not one prettier or more talented than josie. enter...VERONICA!!! who is miffed because archie replaced her with valerie in the talent show duet. veronica is now scientifically less pretty and talented than josie by show standards, which just rules because i love thinking that there are teen power rankings in riverdale.

betty and jughead make their way to visit polly at The Sisters Of Quiet Mercy which is literally the best name for a goth cover band in the world. surprise! polly is pregnant with jason’s baby. polly reveals she and jason planned to run away together, but she was caught by her parents and sent away. she then awkwardly asks how jason is and someone has to break the news to her.

josie’s dad makes a brief appearance, which i absolutely do not remember at all. i thought he only showed up in season 3 which makes mayor mccoys character arc way more awkward. anyway, the mccoy family, the andrews and the lodges all have dinner together to discuss business and its awkward as all hell. no one at the table likes the andrews.

betty straight up asks her dad if he killed jason and her mom laughs her ass off at the idea of betty’s soft white suburban ham shank looking dad being able to kill a weed much less a human. keep that in mind.

veronica’s mom forges veronica signature on a form allowing andrews construction to move ahead with the job.

jughead and betty kiss after talking about how they arent their parents. keep that in mind. anyway, betty takes jughead to a car polly mentioned that full of EVIDENCE. they take picture of it and leave the car to go tell the sheriff because i guess suddenly no one has cellphones.  jughead and betty return with the sheriff later to find the car has been light up by an unknown person. almost immediately after, bughead tries to rescue polly at the institution only to find she’s already bailed. welp.

josie and valerie make up and all four pussycats perform. josie’s dad walks out on her performance? harsh. cool dad moves.

archie sings and the crowd loves it. who gives a shit.

a kid died, guys. come on.

[queenofthecommunistcannibals]

@yikes-trademarked

i mean yeah, the post has nothing to do with it just comes across as a bit of a slap in the face to people who are genuinely oppressed in a modern day society. how are asexuals ‘neglected’ and ‘isolated’? so most people experience sexual attraction and you don’t, whoop de doo. nobody actually cares if you do or don’t experience sexual attraction. if you could please give me an actual, real life, not someone-calling-you-a-plant-online example of asexual discrimination then i’ll take back my words

___

@yikes-trademarked I super love how instead of apologizing you are doubling down. Okay. I'll give you examples. Here are some general prejudices that affect aro and ace people. They aren't in any real order.

•Until the DSM V asexuality was considered a mental illness. Despite the fact that now we are "allowed" to "identify" as asexual HSDD (Hypoactive sexual desire disorder) is STILL considered a disorder. So instead of trying to help a person accept themselves as asexual allosexual (nonace) doctors will try to "fix" someone if they want to. Asexuality is still seen as something to be cured. It is still a dysfunction in their eyes, they just hide their prejudice a little better.

•Asexuals have been harrassed and raped in an attempt to fix them. Asexuals and aromantics are often seen as a "challenge" to be harassed into affection.

•Mainstream Christianity discriminates against asexuals as they do other queer identities. Here is one quote from a document called "Asexuality and Christianity" produced for Asexual Awareness Week (the fact that we get "awareness" rather than "pride" ain't great either)

"While celibacy is officially considered a good stance in religion, declaring oneself disinterested in sex is often met with disapproval. Asexuals have been told that they are rejecting God's gift of sexuality, that they are just as bad as homosexuals because they are not 'normal'...or people decide to pray to God for them to be fixed or for the Almighty to send the right person for them to fall in love with."

Or from the horse's mouth "Question: What do you call a person who is asexual? Answer: Not a person. Asexual people do not exist. Sexuality is a gift from God and thus a fundamental part of our human identity. Those who repress their sexuality are not living as God created them to be: fully alive and well." This was written by two Jesuit priests David Nantais and Scott Opperman. In other religions this is also often true. I know more about Christianity personally but I know similar doctrines exist in Islam and Orthodox Judaism. Not to mention the notion that marriage is the only acceptable option in these religions (unless you are Catholic clergy) and children are a necessity. Hell, according to the conservative traditional gender roles of these religions even an otherwise gender conforming aro/ace doesn't fit (not marrying, no kids, no family, all that).

•Dehumanization from all sides. We are told to be human is to love and that love is nearly always put in romantic or sexual context. Indeed NOT being capable of or experiencing romantic or sexual love is often used as shorthand for someone being a bad person (As Dexter [from Dexter], for example, becomes more sympathetic he develops the ability to feel sexual/romantic love. Robots in fiction can be asexual and aromantic but only if you want to show them as apart from humanity. Once you want to make it clear they have a soul they have to experience some kind of romantic urge or longing. Like Data from Star Trek) An article in Psychology Today by Dr. Gordon Hodson Ph.D. (who specializes in studying dehumanization) postulates (with a study to back it up) that asexuals are the most dehumanized sexual minority.

•On the specifically romantic asexual front in many places do not consider a marriage valid until it has been consumated.

•In media in which asexuality and aromanticism are not proof of evil they are judged to be not real. Here is one of if not our first actual representation in media. In the film Nymphomaniac the SELF-PROCLAIMED asexual character turns out to be a rapist who the protagonist murders in what is supposed to be a "woo! You go girl!" moment. AT BEST this says asexuals aren't real. We're just sexually repressed misanthropes. It might also imply that asexuals are base animals who are waiting to strike. THAT IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES THE WORD ASEXUAL IS EVEN USED IN MAINSTREAM FILM! I cannot think of a single other.

•We are erased constantly in real life and in media. Here are two examples of active erasure, Jughead Jones (canonly aro/ace in the comics and coded as such since day one) was straight-washed for Riverdale. You may say "oh maybe they didn't know" (which is bullshit) then consider example two: Sherlock Holmes. Holmes (who I adore) has long been one of the few characters that has been "allowed" to aro/aces, but when the creators of BBC's Sherlock were explicitly asked if he was aro/ace they said he absolutely wasn't.

This is part of what I am talking about. We are not allowed to exist. We are invisible.

•Asexuals and aromantics are somehow toxic in our mere existence. We make kids think it is okay to be like us and are poisoning their young minds. We hate sex and thus are against the sex positivity movement.

•"Virgin" is an insult and we are treated as constant children. Somehow we have failed to grow up and cannot be treated as adults.

•And here is what I was really talking about SOCIETY IS NOT MADE FOR US! CULTURE IS NOT CONDUSIVE TO OUR EXISTENCES! I didn't know asexuality was an option until I was about 24. And before that I, like many aro/ace people, put myself in a lot of situations and relationships to "fix" myself. To make myself normal. My first and only sexual encounter was one of the things that sent me spiralling into a serious depression. I didn't know that it was okay to not be interested and to say "no.". So I said "okay" because I thought it was what I had to do to be a normal teenager. I don't know if I ever shared that online before so congrats you got me so mad I revisited my personal trauma. From childhood we are told falling in love is the ultimate reward. As teens we are told we gotta get laaaaaid. As adults not being involved in a sexual/romantic (often indistinguishable) relationship is WEIRD and TROUBLING. I have been told by people who don't know I am asexual that asexual people are "too weird" or even "creepy." The idea that someone might not be capable of romantic love sets off people's red flags that said aromantic might be crazy.

•We are surrounded by sex and romance constantly. Constantly. It is inescapable. In your real life I want you to pay attention to romantic or sexual imagry and storylines around you. There is no break. No alternative. This is what I mean by "invisible at best."

•Also, we are denied a history. It is very hard to prove absence but often sexless figures are immediately dubbed to be gay/lesbian because of their lack of interest in "appropriate" gender. Forgetting entirely that asexuality and aromanticism are options. Then when the question is raised they maybe a figure WAS aro and/or ace we are told that we are """"stealing"""" history. There is like one person in history we are allowed: Nikola Tesla. I love him very much, but he also fits the bill as a weirdo asexual. Because anyone who was the least bit acceptable to society must be allosexual. An example in reverse, Queen Elizabeth I, Britain's most beloved monarch, who never married, never was romantically or sexually involved with anyone (aside from being assaulted as a teenager), and was in her era very famously THE VIRGIN QUEEN who used her virginity as part of her persona to great affect. She is not considered asexual or aromantic and never has been. I have seen a biographer bend over backwards to get away from that accusation including using an incident where an elderly Elizabeth flashed a dignitary to make him uncomfortable as proof that she was allo. We can't have this awesome historical figure be one of those creeps right?!

•i am not even going into the history of how "sexlessness" was historically treated, especially in women. Let me just say that "spinsterism" was considered a danger to children and young women.

•NOTICE I WENT THIS WHOLE POST WITHOUT MENTIONING ASSHOLES WHO USE THE DISK HORSE AND BAR US FROM QUEER CIRCLES EVEN THOUGH SOME STUDIES FIND ASEXUALS HAVE LOWER SELF ESTEEM THAN ANY OTHER QUEER GROUP AND WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM A COMMUNITY!! THIS POST IS ENTIRELY EXAMPLES OF NON ONLINE PEOPLE BECAUSE SOMEHOW YOUR CONSTANT ABUSE OR REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE ABUSE IS A-OKAY BECAUSE IT IS PART OF "THE DEBATE" BECAUSE SOMEHOW OUR EXISTENCE IS ACCEPTABLE DEBATE!

These are just some examples. People are free to add more but I am tired. If you want links I will dig them up.

Sincerely,

Fuck you.

I apologize for the "fuck you" but the exclusionist attitude is so disheartening. It is bad for not only aros and aces but also the queer community in general. We should be in this together! Fighting for one another side by side! We should be there for each other for hardships and for celebrations. I think it is vital that exclusionists really examine what and who they are actually fighting against.

[quillandlantern]

With Game of Thrones and the current Marvel movie line ending, and some other key series, I’ve been thinking a lot about Content, Content Creators and the Reality of Fiction. 

I think we can all agree that the late 2010′s have been an amazing renaissance for creators. Want to write a book? You can, and publish it. Want to be a game dev? Unity is free, all you need is the time and the passion. You can be a webcomic author, a visual novel creator, a youtuber, a podcaster. Hell, you can play D&D with your friends from theater and start a 10 million dollar kickstarter if enough people resonate with it. But here’s the the thing:

One of the big, long-running sentiments on most forms of social media and content websites is that fandoms are full of awful types, and creators can turn out to be terrible people. This is no surprise when anyone can make anything that can then be consumed by several billion people. And it’s set the stage for us to ask some real interesting questions about who owns fictions, and its effect in our lives. 

Now in my American experience, we’ve been having this conversation in small, isolated circles since George Lucas first released the prequal trilogy of Star Wars. People fell in love with his vision, incorporated it into their lives and experiences, and then felt it deeply when the movies turned out to be a disappointment (a widely-held sentiment at the time, things change as new fans enter the scene) But another running theme of the 2010′s is that the internet is the Great Disrupter. So of course now we have millions of people accessing content, and discussing it, and developing it separately from the main canon. And for those of you who are visualizers, you’re probably already connecting the dots of how we came to where we are in 2019.  

The most topical example of this, at the time of me writing this post, is Game of Thrones. People discovered it, experienced it, resonated and applied it to their own lives. And that’s a big part of fiction these days. It means something to us, something deep and intangible. There are millions of reasons we people loved Game of Thrones, and when the series disappointed them, they felt betrayed. 

And here is where we get into the real, interesting bits of this discourse. Content creators are largely being held to high standards. Control your audience, make it safe for everyone, and ensure you aren’t problematic. This is a…tricky and delicate situation, because again, anyone can be a content creator these days, even on some fairly big platforms. And although some worldviews can objectively be called wrong, in order to get there we usually have to have a lot of discussion first to get everyone on the same page, and it is a very painful process. But what happens when a content creator disappoints the audience with their treatment of characters and the story? What is the right or wrong way to treat a series?

Most people can agree that as long as you put thought into it, and don’t rush things, or make the audience feel like you’re flying by the seat of your pants, they’ll accept how you shape a story. Sure there will be disappointment. Some of it might be violent disappointment, because again, there are now billions of people accessing this stuff coming from billions of different experiences and mindsets.

But even then I have to backtrack to holding content creators to a high standard. This is a conversation that ties into a larger discussion about Cancel Culture and Nerd Culture, so it’s kind of difficult to to have without writing a dissertation. But it’s always been curious to me how when ordinary people become beloved for their creations, they are scrutinized and graded for purity. This is probably a good thing, as it’s on all of us to build a better world. But who’s vision are we building? Who’s morality did we choose to base things on? 

Luckily the big issues are pretty black and white. Or are they? Every time you see something problematic, someone else see’s it as a way to cope with what happened in their own lives. Again, 7 billion people, many different experiences, some of them very bad. I’m not excusing story elements that are used for shock value, but everything that happens in life is a valid human experience, and should at least be discussed somewhere, and fiction media is a great way to do that. There’s a whole other discussion to be had about what children should and shouldn’t be seeing, but I’m not a parent or a psychologist, and I can’t predict the future of someone’s life once they see something on TV, or the effect it will have. 

Which brings me to my last point I guess. I’m not going to talk about the responsibilities of a fan, because you guys should already know them. But even that’s hard, because we all care so much about the fiction that resonates with us, and we don’t often know how to express that. Fans can be overbearing, but it’s not because of nothing. 

Which again, brings me to the last point. 

What the fuck is fiction? 

It means so much to us, and affects us so differently. Is it because we’re a social species with a history of story-telling? Is it a complex combination of economic factors, rapidly changing technology and a loss of innocence? Is it a flaw?

This stuff keeps me up at night. Because I know you know what the future holds. You probably heard about that Marvel movie where some dude cut out all the parts he didn’t like. Pretty crazy right? 

Not really. There’s a not-so-distant future coming where if we don’t like how an animated series ended, we can download the character models and emulate the voices on a soundboard to make our own version of the show indistinguishable in quality from the original. Same goes for live-action.

“Holy Shit” You’re saying, “That sounds awesome, I could totally do a better job than the creators, my ship will become cannon then I’ll release my cut on Pornhub Tumblr and people will love the shit out of it!” 

And year, sure, maybe, but you if you think that’s going to be awesome you haven’t been paying attention to what I’ve been saying. Because we can’t handle the discourse from our favorite shows right now, and we haven’t really made any headway in our discourse of what kind of gods our Content Creators should be. But again, what I’m most curious about it, why does Fiction resonate so strongly with us, and what does it say about the human experience? 

What the fuck do we want? 2019 has been bringing all these issues to the forefront, and again, Cancel and Nerd culture tie into this, along with the big question of Who is (insert show) for? The original fans? The new ones? Everyone? What’s the point of my fan interpretation? What responsibility will my future fan-version of my favorite film have? This is what 2016-2019 has been about, and I’m eager to see what happens as we go forward.        

[markisan]

TOP 40 METAL ALBUMS of 2019 Part 2 of 2 (#1-20)

I’ve been making a Best Metal Albums of the Year list for nearly two decades, but 2019 is the 1st time I’ve done so as an official member of the METALHEADS Podcast. Last year the boys gave me a chance to share my top picks as a guest, and this year I was invited to be a permanent part of the show. It’s been an honor and a blast to discuss metal, interview musicians, and throw a few beers back every month with George, Jay, Will, John and Matt. 

2019 was an incredible year for metal. We all spent a lot of time listening to hundreds of albums, honing our lists and cursing the metal gods every time a great contender had to be cut. But when we finally put down our scalpel blades and wiped away the blood, some damn selections were revealed. 

My final choices for the top 20 metal albums are below. You can read my choices for #21-40 HERE.

Listen to me and the boys count down ALL 40 of our favorite LPs here:

METALHEADS Ep. 90 “Top 40 Metal Albums of 2019″

20. Wilderun “Veil of Imagination”

Self-Released

This album is musical imagination science. Intricate. Breathtaking. It truly feels like the next evolutionary step in progressive metal.

19. Cranial “Alternate Endings”

Moment of Collapse

An absolutely monstrous and aggressive sludge and post-metal album that occasionally dips its toe into sci-fi synth waters. One of the biggest sounding LPs I’ve heard this year.

18. The Great Old Ones "Cosmicism"

Season of Mist

I’ve enjoyed The Great Old Ones for a while now, but this album takes their sound to a grand cosmic level. As immersive and visceral as the H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos it’s based on.  

17. Obsequaie "The Palms of Sorrowed Kings"

20 Buck Spin

Brilliant, melodic black metal mixed with the sounds of the Renaissance Faire on a summer day. This is classic, medieval literature in musical form and it’s glorious.

16. Inculter "Fatal Visions"

Edged Circle Productions

I found this sinister thrash album a few weeks before the end of 2019 and it quickly left the other speed metal competitors in its blood-soaked wake. I didn’t hear this kind of malevolence in another trash band this year. And I very much dig malevolence.

15. Adrift "Pure"

Temple of Torturous

An absolutely thunderous, progressive metal album, propelled by a jet-fuel fired bass sound, vicious black metal vocals and colossal riffs. A street painter in Madrid told me about this band several years ago and I've been thankful ever since.

14. Vacivus “Annihilism”

Profound Lore

This is exemplary, modern death metal with merciless, unrelenting riffs, savage breakdowns and tremolo-picking tendrils that will wrap around your ear drums like a constrictor snake.

13. Immortal Bird “Thrive On Neglect”

20 Buck Spin

No other band sounds like Immortal Bird. “Thrive on Neglect” is a soaring statement of pummeling death, black and grind metal, mixed with complex hardcore and progressive elements. An amalgamate maelstrom not to be missed.

12. False “Portent”

Gilead Media

This album is pain and loss in musical form. Engrossing black metal with scope, skill, and gorgeously constructed songs that pour out aggression and emotion like blood from an open wound.

11. Gatecreeper “Deserted”

Relapse

In a recent issue of Decibel Magazine, Gatecreeper referred to their sound as “Stadium Death Metal” and that’s an apt characterization of the band’s sound. They focus on writing huge, catchy hooks that audiences will remember. Mission accomplished.

10. Falls of Rauros "Patterns in Mythology"

Gilead Media

This is amazing, black and post-metal alchemy with a big, cinematic feel. Gorgeous melodies, folk atmospherics and masterful riffs make "Patterns in Mythology” mesmerizing from start to finish.

9. Blood Incantation "Hidden History of the Human Race"

Dark Descent

"Hidden History of the Human Race” is a cosmic roar of destruction that takes death metal to places it hasn’t been before. You’ll feel like you’re seeking out new life and new civilizations with every spin.

8. Weeping Sores “False Confession”

I, Voidhanger

If you asked me to describe the kind of music Weeping Sores plays, I'd tell you progressive death-doom with violin. But that label falls way short of capturing the dynamic and colorfully devastating experiment of "False Confession." Surprising and phenomenal.

7.  Tomb Mold "Planetary Clairvoyance"

20 Buck Spin

The cover to “Planetary Clairvoyance” features a bio-engineered alien cyclops gestating in an otherworldly basement of sludge and stardust. The music sounds pretty much exactly like that description. This album also solidifies Tomb Mold as one of the best metal bands on our planet.

6. Arctic Sleep “Kindred Spirits”

Self Released

Dedicated to a beloved cat who passed away last year, “Kindred Spirits” is a stunning and emotional metal experience. In addition to the gorgeous, arresting music that deftly mixes doom, post-metal, ambient and a 90s rock sound that reminds me of Hum, Kieth D’s lyrics tug hard on my heart strings every time I listen. RIP Yoda. 

5. Vastum “Orificial Purge”

20 Buck Spin

“Orificial Purge” is brutal with some of the most memorable, galloping riffs of 2019 and a triumphal, modern aura to it that makes it stand apart in the thriving death metal field. I’ve plunged into this orifice often.

4. Crypt Sermon "The Ruins of Fading Light"

Dark Descent

“The Ruins of Fading Light” is an album that has one boot in traditional metal and the other in doom. And both of those boots kick you in the gut with super-heavy impact. This album is thick with hooks, grooves and bombastic lead guitar solos, and the dynamic vocals by Brooks Wilson fill “The Ruins of Fading Light” with iron and emotion.

3. Crowhurst "III"

Prophecy Productions

"III” is a sensory spice blend of sludgy black metal, noise, shoegaze and electronica that feels like it was mixed inside a dark and dangerous heart. A truly unique and special album.

2. Cattle Decapitation "Death Atlas"

Metal Blade

“Death Atlas” is an apocalyptic masterpiece, featuring some of the sharpest and most sophisticated songwriting in 2019. The tracks are remarkably varied, delivering brutal riffs, theatrical and infectious vocals, and a real progressive sense of adventure. It’s also catchy as hell. “Death Atlas” demands repeat spins until you sing along and smile as the world ends.

1. Atlantean Kodex "The Course of Empire"

Ván Records

A long while ago, my friend Garrett played the first Atlantean Kodex album, “The Golden Bough,” for me in his metal basement because he thought I'd like it. He was right, as G often is about the kind of metal that speaks to me. The band followed that album with “The White Goddess,” which was a critically-acclaimed, grand triumph. It took another six years for Atlantean Kodex to release their third LP because the band is so meticulous about the way they make music. To tell you it was was worth the long wait is an enormous understatement. “The Course of Empire” is one of the greatest, epic metal albums of all time. If Iron Maiden and Manowar were magically merged inside a medieval cauldron during the Battle of Helms Deep this would be the soundtrack. It’s an exceptionally crafted collection of songs, featuring mountainous guitar riffs, soaring choruses and some of the best vocals and lyrics in metal this year from Markus Becker. “The Course of Empire” has the kind of breadth and scope that make me feel like the ancient worlds of my dreams – worlds forged by blood and steel – are calling for me to pick up my sword and make them real once more.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 (#21-40)