#my little brother is obsessed with this movie its his favorite so ive seen it like a billion times and im just like.

[eosofspades]

actually shout out to the croods 1 for female character design im so serious. i can't speak on the sequel cause i haven't seen it but women with broad shoulders women with frizzy wild hair women with crooked teeth women covered in dirt women who can throw boulders and are loud and violence-prone and short-tempered. women who are feral and not in the quirky way but like actually allowed to be offputting. the scene where eep wolfs down a turkey leg bigger than her entire body in like 4 seconds was revolutionary to me idc

[rubyss]

i cant even find any gifsets worth reblogging about this movie and all the decent ones include the part i hated the absolute most. my notes i wroted as i watched below the cutttttt

ok city of the living dead. watching it on the tv so sadly i have to see ads this time

oh so this is from flat 1980? which means itll be more like a 70s movie

digging this intro music. simple but niceys

THE PRIESTTTTTT

is this some hp lovecraft shit ?

tubi runs like shit on a tv

this woman looks like the twink from fear and hunger

oh the priest is being hanged i thought he was flying

wow not even 3 minutes in and we have a zombie and a title drop

oh the twink girl died

cant place what accent this guy has

he sounds dubbed in? this is a special edition so maybe he is

why is the detective staring at this womans lack of eyelids so much

oh this is an italian movie. maybe it is dubbed?

okay looking it up the movie does hold some inspiration from lovecraft. yay i was right but boo lovecraft

FUCKING BLOWUP SEX DOLL IN THE ABANDONED SCARY HOUSE?????? AND YOURE GONNA FUCK IT???????????

jesus thats a lot of gore. oh my god.

theres a lot of closeups on peoples eyes in this movie. is that a director thing or a date thing

i aint never had a beer that made me see ghouls or demons

they dont make doors with little diamond windows in em anymore. why not.

ohhh cuted kitty. wait why are we talking about incest.

i dont think ive seen a woman that isnt blonde yet. i see enough of those at work

why are you interrupting this womans therapy session to complain about your personal problems.

i dont know if a kitten could claw you that badly

TALKING ABOUT PORN AND EATING LUNCH OVER AN OPEN COFFIN?

they put a mirror in the coffin? interesting

im all for fuck work but damn just leaving someone half buried? rough

oh fuckkkkkk shes alive. well they kept showing her so i figured

this dude is stupid as fuck. hears banging and screaming from the casket behind me well whatever. bye.

i dont know if your fingers would start bleeding this quickly

she is wasting ALL of her air

oh is he going to dome her with the pickaxe

you KNOW SOMEONE IS IN HERE. BE A LITTLE MORE CAREFUL??????

oh its the sex doll guy. i forgot about him.

okay this isnt even a zombie thing this guy is just nasty. youre not even rotting dude you found those worms and gore somewhere else.

writes BOB in all caps and circles it in the middle of a graph i was already writing on

women will not be interested in sex and their boyfriends will say what the devil is wrong ????

cars love to not start its their favorite thing

GETS SO SCARED I CRY BLOOD

okay this might be like a demonic thing not a scared thing. EW WHAT IS THAT

oh they were REALLY obsessed with gore in these movies huh. christ this is a bit over much

stopped paying attention for a minute bc that was nasty. why did they name that kid john-john

aw god dammit is it gonna happen again. ok thank god. well we arent outta the woods yet but still

well THIS girl doesnt get a coffin mirror. so wtf.

is this kid gonna get got. john-john look out!!!!

okay no he just got scared. i also cant tell what accent he has.

this guys beard and hair look like theyre made of plastic

oh shit sex doll guy is still alive? i get surprised every time

CASUAL MISOGYNY LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

aw fuck grandma died

im tryin to have a drink can we not have anyone else spill their guts PLEASE

they NEED to make the woman seem like a hysterical freak who needs A Man to lean on. brother theres a living corpse in here.

my EVIL zombies that make my WINDOW EXPLODE and my WALLS BLEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they built the cursed town on the…. ruins? of salem? so i guess in this world salem was destroyed

a new woman who ISNT blonde! and sex doll guy is here too!

she put a blunt in her pants?

is this dude gonna drill a guy to death just for being in his garage. what a freak. NEVER go to massachussetts

i think you go to jail for doing this even to an intruder. you dont get to impale someone's head on a drill even if they were in your car

know theres other arlingtons around the country but im taking this one as a TEXAS MENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i look away for ONE SECOND and theyre being pelted by. maggots ?

fuckkkkkk john-john look outttttttttt theres GHOULS

this is definitely the most interesting zombie theyve shown thus far. sorry about the third traumatic event in a row john-john

okay the music cut off was kinda funny

im getting bored i want hummus and crackers………………

ahhhhh we missed the TIME CONSTRAINTS and now the DEMONS APPEAR

fucked up how these things can kill you just by looking at you too long. they keep saying the people die from fright but fright doesnt do this shit to you.

everyone in this fuckin movie dies before their 50s

the wetted rat appears

this woman is so scared of fucking rats. people are dying in the streets.

people in this movie die and become half rotten INSTANTLY

oh the girl twink is dying again. this is like the third time this has happened for her. whatever.

nice stained glass tomb brother

theres not much dialogue in this end sequence. i think this entire movie could have had no dialogue and not suffered for it

STOP FUCKING CRYING BLOOD I SWEAR TO GOD

STABBED HIM THROUGH THE DICK WITH A CRUCIFIX???

cock destruction has eradicated ALL zombies. cbt is the anser

2nite we watching city of the living dead and this is already more interesting than slaughter high

[blorbosondeck]

fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts​

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!! 

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas​

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas​ 

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3 

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up. 

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones 

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten

[windsweptlassie]

On Love

So as you know I made this uquiz with an open-ended question at the end, tell me something about love, and I’ve gotten the most wonderful responses! They range from descriptions of wonderful partners: 

Lauren: oh, how long I went without being myself until I met him and he showed me who I truly was and that my worth was higher than I ever thought was possible

Levi: I love who we are with each other. I love who I am with you. In your company I am me. In your company I am the best of me. The best with the best, I've told you. I wouldn't give you up for anything

Daniel: i fell in love for the first time when i was 17... at the time, i didn’t realize it was the first time, i thought i’d been in love before, a couple times actually, but falling in love at 17 was such a fulfilling experience, it felt so forceful yet so right. it’s when i first truly understood what love was. never before had i felt so understood and so cared for as i did when i was in love with her, and she was in love with me. it’s been nearly 4 years since then, and nearly 3 years since we broke up and stopped talking, and still, i think about her almost every day. i’ve never known anyone like her; to me, she was love itself.

El: oh i’m in love with everyone that i know op!!! especially my girlfriend, of course ,but also my friends and my family and random people on the street and uh

Grace: i’ve met my soulmate and we plan on getting an apartment and marrying after college

A: I’m going to ask the woman I love to marry me and I just wanted to tell someone because I am so excited

Jeremy: you ever have that feeling where basically after years of denying that someone couldnt understand you in a way or love you and then the next thing you know you happen to find that person and its just great from then on out? idk how to explain it anyways I love my boyfriend so much he means the world to me

Lucy: i am so happy i have found the one i love

to descriptions of best friends and favorite people:

Nightbyrd: Love is a hug from an alzheimer's patient who hasn't the foggiest idea who you are, but they know you're worth hugging.

H: I have been doing so much yoga with my roommate recently!! It's a great way to center my mind for an hour

Riv: [platonic] i’ve literally never met anyone who understands me in the way that my best friends do. they’re literally the best people in the whole world and i genuinely don’t know what i’d do without them. i love them with my whole heart

Cillian: when i talk about how much i love my best friend i get so teary eyed because i cant believe that such a genuinely wonderful person wants to speak to me every day - i care for her more than anyone else on this planet

O: my two besties are my sources of happiness and they’re so pretty i would die for them :D

to beautiful quotes:

Kai: "you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on." DARCYYYY PLS MY HEART CANT HANDLW THIS PAIN

Dorian: When the plane went down in San Francisco, I thought of my friend M. He’s obsessed with plane crashes. He memorizes the wrecked metal details, ____the clear cool skies cut by black scars of smoke. Once, while driving, he told me about all the crashes: The one in blue Kentucky, in yellow Iowa. How people go on, and how people don’t. It was almost a year before I learned that his brother was a pilot. I can’t help it, I love the way men love. (accident report in the tall, tall weeds- ada limon, bright dead things)

Adam: every day I think about lemony snicket I will love you if I never see you again I will love you if I see you every Tuesday or however it goes. and it KILLS ME. love only fits in small things

Hero: “Your heart beats in my ribs and mine in yours, and both in God’s… The divine magnet is in you, and my magnet responds.” - Herman Melville to Nathaniel Hawthorne

Mary: "Love is watching someone die."

Alex: "meet me at blue diner, i'll take coffee and talk about nothing baby"

Sparrow: "How dare you love me like you've never known fear?" and "For you, the world," and "Darling, I was born to press my head between your shoulder blades," and "Will you start where I end?"

V: " You want to die for love. You always have. " and "someone will remember us, I say, even in another time" are living rent free in my mind 24/7 and I'm shaking. When will I finally be not the only one falling ?

Sahar K: To love another person is to see the face of god!!!

Miriam: all the love in the world is useless when there is total lack of understanding- kafka

Juls: Don’t you think they are maybe the same? Love and attention

to practices of love:

Leo; i love feeling happy bc somebody that i love is happy and comfortable....like its not about me i just love seeing you smile. we are safe together...idk i just feel it bro

A: I like to think love is leaning on each other during the light or dark days. Its a personal mission of mine to find out who I am and what I want. Yet I never seem to find my place in this world and as I look and look , I realise the only place I can be myself even with or without the efforts to find myself was done on that day or not, I am always tired so shall I lean on you? And you can lean on me as well. I shall be your fig tree and you shall be my favourite willow tree.

L: It's too late at night to be soul searching, but it's a journey we all seem to find ourselves on these days.

Anthi: feeling safe and at home, I guess (also I love frogs)

Julia: ive found that loving someone is like becoming your own thesaurus. you have to find or come up with infinite ways to say, you’re beautiful, or, i love you. it’s a gift

Galexies: ive been writing letters to the person i'd love one day since i was 14. i write them in a little journal usually, but i've been digitizing them into emails and sending them to one account that i'll give to them someday. i'd like to put pictures, but i haven't been outside much recently so theres that. i wonder if they'd like the sunsets i have on file, or if they'd find my cat cute in a bowtie.

Caeles: Love is sharing fruit slices and making someone tea at random

Dundy: Love is sending your friends cursed shit and watching them react in horror

to crushes and potential loves: 

Jess: I have a crush on my roommate. It sucks, but it's also wonderful. I get to be around him all the time when we're at school. we share a life together; it's rather domestic. I think a lot about marrying him and being domestic with him forever. It won't happen, and I'll move on eventually, but I'll be happy with him for as long as I can. I hope you feel loved tonight, because you are. Sleep well.

Aki: I so desperately want to believe that love is fake because I’ve seen what happens when loved ones leave but whenever I start to convince myself that I’ll never love anyone my best friend messages me telling me she loves me. She’s the only person I’ve ever pictured having a future with but love scares me and I don’t really know what to do but I think as long as she’s with me in some way, I’ll be fine

Hi: her her i keep thinking abt her.... gonna see her in 8 days or so i really miss her. its ok if shes never gonna love me like i want her to really being her friend spending time with her makes me the happiest girl on earth.... outsold antidepressants

Kit: this guy i have a crush on has hypnotically dark brown eyes and he's wonderful and shows me kindness like no one else

Juno: my crush has all the stars in his eyes

Mads: When I have the courage to meet my eyes with hers, the world stands still

Be Nice To Me: Look bro I never do these but I am yearning to hold them SO badly right now and someone needs to know it besides me

to the trials of love: 

Pppppp: I just wanna love like from the movies and what I read about.. but everyone tells me that that’s fictional and rare to find in the real world and it sucks bc it seems like all the guys I’ve met are terrible and the norms of society are all about not respecting women and uthdjdjdk

Manny: I have been in love before and I will be again but I’m not now and I miss it

Ok: I don't think I've ever been in love, though I love many people. I am waiting for the day I look at someone and can say, YES. IT'S YOU.

Chloe: idk rn i'm like okay with my love and i'm happy so we'll see i'm just a little cautious rn bc my last partner told me i didn't know how to love

L: love is so fucking complicated I don't even know where to start

Corrin: He’s not real and it worried me that I will never allow myself to live or be loved because I will always be waiting for him

Sean: Good luck it dont exist

Serena: i want 2 b in love :(( </3

13: I don’t know anymore

M: I just really don’t like dealing with it lol

to beloved characters: 

Janaya: I’m madly in love with my comfort and kin character and I hope maybe in the afterlife I can relive a life with him in some sort of dimension

Jhgjdf: when i was a kid i had a crush on ash ketchum from pokemon and id always daydream about being a female pkmn trainer and meeting him and we fall in love

to advice and prose: 

Mikolai: Love is earth, gentle and soft at first flight but upon being broken, drowns you in the dry choking wastes of its consequences...

Thex: Your hands will not go cold without someone to hold them. I am here. I will be here.

Kat: it is the nearest proof to god that i find myself surrounded by people who love in a way that complements so wonderfully the way i love

H: believe in love out of spite believe in love to prove everyone wrong believe in love because you were told not to and we will not do what we’re told anymore believe in love because it’s the strongest act of teenage rebellion we have left believe in love because it’s easier not to and when is easy worth doing? believe in love because everything says otherwise but you are untouchable, you are your own, you are not made by their design believe in love because, perhaps, you are love

Ali: I used to want a kind of love that feels like coming home and now I want nothing more than to be away from home on many different adventures

Em: you dont need to love yourself to accept it from others

to the small, the simple, and the sweet:

Ireal: Poems

O: Flowers

Fay: ah im sorry that i’m feeling unmotivated but you are very kind.

Ad: we love LOVE

A: <3

Isak: small things

H: intense

Hey: Listening to a clock ticking away

S: her

E: <3

Hania: Amorous, I adore that word ^^

Catboy: wholesome

J: i love love so much it hurts

Emmy: hi i love the song darkest of discos!! try and give it a listen!! <3

Nora: Love is painful, but most of the time love is great

Ariel: i like the comfort it can bring

M: i love love

to food!

Cool Whip: Matzoh ball soup!!

Woop: I love sausages.... I hope that's ok with you?

and animals too <3

Nee: hmm i have pet geckos and i love them very much!

96: raccoons ????

DJ Big Penis: cats

:3: I Love frogs,,, love is stored in the frog,,,

I hope that this serves as a sweet compilation of what love means! Love to all of you, it warms my heart so much to hear about your people and your geckos and your characters and soup and all the songs and quotes you love. <3 Strength to all of you who are figuring out to do about your feelings for your crush, and congratulations to you who are proposing or moving in with your person! Your words are a source of light to me, truly.

[sesamie]

i read your carrd and i saw that you like these two other bands, mates of state and guster, can you tell me a little more about them?

ANON THIS ASK MADE MY DAY THANK YOU SO MUCH LETS GO

okay so Mates of State. they're a band ive liked since i was maybe eight or nine years old? i was into this youtube comedy group called Studio C at the time (which has its own fun connection to Tally Hall but i’ll save that for another post ahah!!) and for a period of time the Studio C themesong was “I Want To Run” by Mates of State and they reference Mates in a few of their videos. Mates of State even recorded two songs for them (which i wont link here cause i don't rlly want to support Studio C cause looking back a lot of their videos are in really poor taste and being more knowledgeable these days i’d rather not spread their stuff anymore)!! anyways me being young & impressionable with regards to music (this was around the same time that i obsessively listened to Dinosaurchestra because i thought the album cover looked neat. i knew nothing of the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny, honest. my favorite song back then was Archaeopteryx) i immediately got really into Mates of State!

so they're a husband/wife duo that met in 1997 and were both playing guitar in a four-part band called Vosotros before splitting and forming their own band which we know today as Mates of State. Kori Gardner sings and plays organ, piano, synth (etc), and Jason Hammel sings and handles drums & percussion!

their albums are: My Solo Project (2000, re-released w a different label in 2003), Our Constant Concern (2002), Team Boo (2003), Bring It Back (2006), Re-Arrange Us (2008), Crushes (The Covers Mixtape) (2010), Mountaintops (2011) and their most recent release is the EP You’re Going To Make It (2015). there’s also an unreleased mates album called Greats that was supposed to be released in 2015! 

my favorite albums of their are Bring it Back and Mountaintops, and my favorite songs of theirs are: These Days, Hoarding It For Home, Think Long, Punchlines, Running Out, Get Better, You Are Free, Great Dane, Palomino, Change, Mistakes, These Days, Staring Contest, and Goods (which i found out recently is actually their most popular song!!)

some fun facts about them are: - they have two kids, Magnolia and June Elizabeth, who they actually toured with and and Kori kept a blog about touring with two kids (which i have yet to read!). - they opened for The Postal Service’s last ever show!! - they were in a movie, which they also made the soundtrack for! - there’s also a documentary about them from 2004 (around the recording of Team Boo) that you can watch on youtube!! -also, in this Tally Hall video, they make a cameo except they forgot to turn on the mic!! (i think about this everyday. why did it have to be Mates of State that they forgot the mic for!!) ----- okay so now for Guster! i’ll admit i don’t know a whole lot about Guster, but i have been listening to them my entire life. they’re my mom’s favorite band, but somehow i’ve managed to distance them from her enough to enjoy them!!

they’re from Boston and have been around since 1991. the members are Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner (no relation to Kori Gardner at least not that i’ve found!!), Brian Rosenworcel, and Luke Reynolds, and this guy named Joe Pisapia was in the band at one point as well. they met in college and were originally named “Gus” but when another artist called Gus signed with a major record company, they had to change the name to Guster!! 

their albums are: Parachute (1994), Goldfly (1997), Lost and Gone Forever (1999), Keep It Together (2003), Ganging Up On The Sun (2006), Easy Wonderful (2010), Evermotion (2015), and Look Alive (2019)!! they’ve also made a few things for fun like “The Meowstro Sings - Guster’s Keep It Together” which is all the tracks from Keep It Together but the vocals are replaced with cat meows. it’s pretty great.

my favorite album of theirs is Easy Wonderful (NO question on this one. actually i really love all of them except for the first two and the most recent one, but if i HAD to pick a favorite it would be Easy Wonderful) and a few of my favorite songs of theirs are: Two Points For Honesty, Come Downstairs and Say Hello (this one is a fan favorite!), Two At A Time, Days (a Keep It Together bonus track), Manifest Destiny, Empire State, Dear Valentine, Do You Love me, On the Ocean, What You Call Love, Well (a favorite favorite), Lost At Sea, and Simple Machine!!

they’re also pretty well known for humor in their live shows. (sidebar: in 2007, they toured with Tally Hall! this is where the possibility that i’ve seen Tally Hall live comes from, because i was born in 2006 and at that time my mom was still taking me and my brother to concerts which did include Guster soooooo!!!!) anyways, their live shows are almost always humorous, with a few highlights (lifted almost directly from the wikipedia page i’m looking at right now lol) being:

- originally, they opened their own shows as “The Peace Soldiers” a redneck-looking band. later, they opened for themselves in costume as a jam band called “Trippin’ Balls”. - the drummer Brian Rosenworcel (also known as the ~THUNDERGOD~), not known for his vocals, sometimes gets up to the microphone and sings silly covers!! (remind you of anyone?) - at the end of “Airport Song”, the audience throws ping pong balls at the stage because in the studio recording there’s audio of a table tennis game in the background!! (i’ve gotten to participate in this. not at an actual Guster show, but still it was really fun!) - during a show in 2001 (i think? it might have been 2002) they started the show with an empty stage and then played “The Price Is Right” music with a voiceover calling each of them down to the stage!! they had been hidden in the audience the whole time and walked down to the stage like game show contestants!!! - they also do these “dumpster shows” which is a reference to the time they got held up for a concert because of a blizzard and decided to improvise and play an acoustic set in front of a city dumpster instead! oh also, Guster has a spot in the Tally Hall Out Boy Cinematic Universe (THOBCU) because they toured with Tally Tall in 2007! another fun fact is that Adam Gardner went to the Pingry school, which you might recognize!! he graduated from the Pingry school ten years before Andrew Horowitz did, but it’s still cool!! -----

that’s about all i can think of for both these bands right now, but if you have any more questions feel free to ask!!

[ordinaryschmuck]

Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-1st Place!

And now. 

For real this time.

What is hands down.

The Best.

Animated series.

In the 2010s.

Is…

(Pause for dramatic affect)

#1-Adventure Time (2010-2018)

I mean...what else?

The Plot: The magical land of Ooo has many things: A kingdom made of candy, a sociopathic Ice King, and even a self-proclaimed Vampire Queen. Amongst all this chaos are two adventures: A human boy named Finn, the Human, and his magical dog/best friend/adopted brother (yes, really) named Jake, the Dog. These two then go on adventure after adventure, facing against the many oddities that the Land of Ooo offers. What type of dangers? Well...you’re just going to have to watch the show to find out.

Before I start praising the crap out of this show, there’s one thing I want to get off my chest. You see, I hate Top X lists that always end with “the one that started it all.” It comes across as lazy because there is no way the first story tops every other one after it. Case in point: when looking at the best episodes of your favorite shows, how often do you see the first episode making the top ten, hell, even the top five? Not often, I bet. And sure, you can make the argument that “Without X, there wouldn’t have been Y,” but is that even a fair comparison? Sure, Disney wouldn’t have been as big as it is now without Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs being a success, but does that make it right to ignore great movies like Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994)? Sure, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is the reason why fans love to hate Star Wars in the first place, but how often do you hear people saying Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the franchise. And sure, the Marvel Cinematic Universe wouldn’t have existed without Iron Man being a box office hit, but with movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, can you really say Iron Man is the best in the franchise anymore? To me personally, if you’re going to pick “the one that started it all,” then it better be something that can outshine “it all.” This is why I chose Adventure Time as the best-animated series of the 2010s. Not because it’s a show that practically sparked the existence of almost every show on this list, but because it really is that good of a series. Unfortunately, with a series that really is that good, there will be people who try to pick it apart. This is why I’m going to do my best to defend against some criticism that Adventure Time seems to face. 

The first criticism I want to talk about is one that hasn’t even occurred to me until I watched JelloApocalypse's video called, “So This is Basically Adventure Time.” In that video, I realized that Adventure Time doesn’t really have a proper storytelling structure. Hell, most episodes don’t even have a conclusion. They just stop almost randomly. But there’s a remedy to this problem, and it's one that I discovered somewhat effortlessly during my rewatch of the show. And that solution is to stop looking at Adventure Time as a series of episodes and more of a series of experiences. What do I mean by that? Well, while watching, you can either have a good experience or a bad experience. A fun experience, or a depressing experience. A philosophically brilliant experience or a randomly stupid experience. All of which can happen separately or conjoined in every episode. Personally, I like this style of storytelling because I’m more likely to remember the experience of watching something rather than the basics of what is being viewed. However, as JelloApocalypse has proven, not everyone is going to be ok with this style. This is fine, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just remember that if it doesn’t work for you, that doesn’t mean it won't work at all. Case in point: there’s a reason that this show got ten seasons.

However, with those ten seasons come the inevitable seasonal rot. Which, in this case, can easily be explained. Halfway through season five of Adventure Time, series creator Pendelton Ward left and made Adam Muto the head showrunner. And where Ward’s style relied on being random and hilarious, Muto took the series in a more philosophical direction. Several fans were turned away from this aspect, but I like to argue that this isn’t seasonal rot and more of a series’ development. Tons of shows on this list went through their own transitions, some subtle and some drastic. Whether or not you’ll be ok with those decisions is entirely dependent on who you are. And personally, I actually enjoyed the direction that Adventure Time took. While I was entertained by how hilarious the original seasons were in Ward’s run, Muto caused me to think more intensely than any other show I have seen in my life. This is why, once again, I would like to point out that just because it didn’t work for you doesn’t mean that it won’t work at all.

But one thing that didn’t work for me, and one criticism that I’m inclined to agree with, were how some characters got treated in later seasons. Now to be fair, most of the characters actually become more interesting as the series goes on (Ice King, Marceline, BMO, Susan Strong, etc.) There are just two characters that got a little iffier compared to others: Finn and Princess Bubblegum. The main reason why Finn’s character seemed to fail is that the writers focused more on Finn's love life (or lack thereof). I genuinely believe that Adventure Time has some fantastic romantic relationships, but that aspect of Finn’s character is easily the most uninteresting. It’s even worse when an episode focuses on his armorous hangups through past...mistakes. I even heard that this decision ruined Finn as a character for some people, which I can totally see why. Luckily the show course-corrected itself, and by season six, it started focussing on an aspect of Finn’s character that is actually interesting: His family. Not to give away any spoilers, but let’s just say that Finn gets significantly more fascinating through this decision. Unfortunately, one decision that never got better was how the show treated the one and only Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum. This character started off as a gentle/playful ruler who was as sweet as her kingdom. Only to evolve into a sociopathic control freak who is obsessed with science. What went wrong is that the show goes so far as to say that she’s always been that way, even since she was a kid. I guess she just was good at hiding it in early seasons. Once again, the writers try their best to course-correct Bubblegum, but all they did was make her bearable than despicable.

But while Bonnie doesn't work for me, do you want to know what does? Literally everything else about this show. One of the reasons why Adventure Time is the best series on this list is because it has elements of every other show that has already been mentioned before it. You see, Adventure Time can have: Hilarious comedy, intense action, superb animation, creative ideas, compelling drama, catchy music, thought-provoking stories, good romantic subplots, gay romantic subplots, great lore and backstory, intriguing mysteries, and, most important of all, bacon pancakes. All of which can be handled in ten to eleven minutes, where most shows struggle within twenty-two.

But one element that stands out among the rest is Adventure Time’s serialized storytelling. You see, there are two different types of storytelling: Plotting and pantsing. Plotting is how it sounds: You come up with ideas beforehand and work your way into making them come to life. Pantsing is where the goal is to basically make things up as you go along and try to make everything connected afterward. The ladder is the route Adventure Time takes. Every single amount of lore, character development, and even surprise twists were thought up almost on the spot. And one might think that this makes things more complicated, but when I rewatched the series in 2019, a solid 99.9% of what’s written lines up. Sure, there are small things that get confusing or downright forgotten. But that’s the keyword: small. It’s the big things that the writers try their best at explaining away, which can be much appreciated. And while I can love a show for creating a well-crafted story, I got to give Adventure Time respect for doing the same thing just by improvising. But do you want to know the real reason why I stuck with this show? And why do all the elements mentioned before manage to work so well? The same reason why any show can work so well: The characters.

And yes, I know I just complained about how certain characters were nearly ruined in this series, but that doesn’t change how good they are. Almost every character that the show focuses on has a level of intrigue to them, and characters that don’t still manage to be incredibly entertaining, to the point where a worm’s butt can carry an episode by itself (Yes. Really). But nothing beats the central duo, and I’m being honest when I say they make the series enjoyable. Finn and Jake not only have such an entertaining brotherly dynamic, but the two of them are just so much fun that I can’t help but smile whenever they’re on screen. They’re easily the best thing about the show, as well as the most entertaining characters in it. This is saying something because Adventure Time has a LOT of characters. One might say too many. In fact, one could argue that Adventure Time suffers from the too-many-characters syndrome, which I can absolutely see. However, every character is so unique and creative that to this day, I still remember the Tree Witch in the episode “To Cut a Woman’s Hair.” From her voice to her design to even Tree Witch's creative and hilarious way to convince Finn to get her some princess's hair.

This brings me to another great thing about the show: Its endless amount of creativity. Everything that Adventure Time does is something you will never see anywhere else. From all the unique ways the show has Jake use his stretchy powers, to also having a vampire drink the color red instead of blood, Adventure Time is always a show that leaves me scratching my head wondering, “Why hasn’t someone else done this before?” And the best part is, no other show can do the ideas that Adventure Time has had. Because there is no way of doing it without coming across as a carbon copy. Which I can appreciate. Believe it or not, I would rather see an idea done once and never again, rather than repeated to the point where it becomes stale. Letting Adventure Time keep its creativity helps the show stand out among the rest and prevents it from being forgotten through time.

Thus, we come to the real reason why Adventure Time is the best-animated series on this list: Memorability. When doing a rewatch of the series, I was surprised by how many episodes I somehow remember. In fact, out of over two hundred episodes, I only manage to forget one (which coincidentally managed to be an episode I hate). I honestly don’t know why so many episodes managed to stick with me. Maybe because the show is so creative that it’s hard to forget. It's probably because the characters are instant icons that their impact just won’t leave me. Hell, perhaps it’s because the show is so gosh dang weird that my brain refuses to forget a second of it. No matter what the reason is, it all still stuck. And I’m not going to lie, I feel as though there are going to be a lot of shows I'll forget over the years. But ten years from now, something tells me I’m never going to forget Adventure Time.

Now that I think about it, there really have been many great cartoons over the previous decade. And we owe it all to Adventure Time. The act of being unique and creative with one’s ideas came from Adventure Time. The idea of being more mature and deciding what should and shouldn’t be for kids came from Adventure Time. The fact that a show needs well-written characters to tell a great story came from Adventure Time. Even certain shows were made because creators worked on Adventure Time (looking at you, Steven Universe). Is the show perfect? No. Far from it, even. But when looking back at the many great series we’ve gotten in the 2010s and the many great shows we’ll get in years to come, I realize that the fun will never end WITH Adventure Time.

(Especially since we’re still getting it with four hour long specials on HBOmax)

[cosmonaughty]

I recently re-watched Season 1 of Fargo FX and, as is the case with every great show or movie, there were things I noticed that I had missed in earlier viewings. A few of these had to do with the portrayal of hospitals in film, which is another small obsession of mine, so I thought that I would take the time to combine these two interests and talk about the way that Fargo FX depicts hospitals. I will be mentioning the inaccuracies in this portrayal and the way that the liberties that are taken advance the plot and enhance the mood of certain scenes. By pointing out these inaccuracies, I am not trying to criticize the show or its writers, I’m just using my specific experiences to talk at length about something I love.

(Also, this post will contain big ol’ spoilers for Season 1 of Fargo FX, so go watch it if you haven’t yet and then come back.)

There are a few scenes that I wanted to discuss here, and I will bring them up chronologically. In episode 5, Lester is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with what appears to be sepsis resulting from a shotgun pellet lodged in his hand. In the following episode, he sneaks out of the hospital to frame his brother for his wife’s murder. He does this by switching beds with his roommate, whose face is bandaged. As far as accuracy goes, it pretty much goes without saying that this concept is pretty farfetched, but I’ll run down the issues here anyway.

It’s never really clear to me what injuries require intensive care in this show (more on that later), but I will say that Lester recovers from sepsis in what must be record time. When I had more or less the same thing, my body essentially held down its own power button and restarted everything. I was in the ICU for multiple days, though I’m not sure how many because I wasn’t lucid the entire time, and I was pumped full of fluids and antibiotics, as well as hooked up to multiple tubes and wires.

Lester, however, is in excellent condition pretty much as soon as the source of his infection is removed, despite having been delirious, vomiting, sweating, shivering, and all that other fun stuff only the night before. His room seems to be on the general ward and the only thing hooked up to him is an IV, which appears to be dispensing saline and nothing else.

He is also under the care of what may be the least competent nurse I’ve ever seen in any show. Nurse Farber comes in to transport Lester’s roommate to radiology, but if she had checked his bracelet, she would have realized she was transporting the wrong patient. She also moves the entire hospital bed, rather than moving the patient to a gurney or a wheelchair, as has been my experience in the past (those beds are portable, but they’re very heavy and unwieldy).

However, these aren’t “mistakes”. They are deliberate choices that serve to move the plot along. We can’t put the story on hold so that Lester has a couple of weeks to recover and gain his strength back, so that process needs to be hurried along for the sake of the plot. If the nurse had checked his bracelet, his plan would have been foiled and, again, the plot would not be able to progress. If she had moved him to a wheelchair or gurney, he wouldn’t have been able to smuggle a change of clothes with him. So, these choices don’t arise from the writers’ ignorance of hospital procedure, they just need to bend some aspects of reality to advance the plot.

I would also like to point out some things this scene gets right about the hospital (based on my experience).

This room layout is pretty accurate. I like the little details like the plastic cup + bendy straw that everyone always has on their bedside table (even if you can lift a cup to your mouth, a bendy straw is required. It’s like an unwritten rule). I like the detail that the windows don’t open and I really appreciate that they didn’t have Lester pull out his IV like every renegade tv character seems to do. Instead, he simply disconnects the port from the tube so that he can move around, which I’m sure is more difficult than he makes it look but it’s leaps and bounds better than the old rip-em-out technique that I seem to see all the time.

I also like that the nurse uses the pain scale, which is pretty standard but I get a kick out of it. And, believe it or not, I have actually been deposited in the hall and left alone by nurses while waiting for imaging, which is how Lester manages to escape in the first place. Personally, I’ve never made it out the front door, but I haven’t tried that hard.

 Now that we’ve talked about how the writers take liberties to advance the plot, let’s look at how similar inaccuracies can be used enhance the mood of a scene. If you want to see me get emotional (you sadist), get me talking about episode 7. In this episode, Molly, having been hospitalized after an emergency splenectomy, makes a trip from her room on the general ward to question Mr. Wrench, who is in custody in the ICU after having been shot twice by her (it’s not clear where he was shot, but he indicates his upper right chest, so somewhere in that area). He uses a white board to ask about his partner (Mr. Numbers) and Molly confirms that he is dead. She makes an attempt to connect with him and asks for his help in finding Lorne Malvo, but he shuts her out by refusing to look at her and she leaves. Later, in episode 8, Malvo shows up to taunt Wrench about having killed his partner, as well as to commend him for coming closer to killing him than anyone else had in the past. He gives Wrench the handcuff key and leaves.

Like I said earlier, it’s not clear what requires intensive care in this show, since Mr. Wrench doesn’t appear to be any worse off physically than Molly is (or than Lester was earlier). He does have more stuff attached to him, which is…good(?), but let’s talk about this ICU room:

This looks nothing like any ICU room I’ve ever stayed in. For one thing, in my experience the bed has always been facing the door, not inward to the rest of the room. I assume this is to make it easier to provide emergency care, which is the function of just about everything in the ICU. For this same reason, there’s very little privacy; the doors are usually clear glass and people come in and out all the time (nobody checks on patients in this show).

As I mentioned above, he has more “gear” (no, that’s not the correct term, but just be glad I didn’t call it “swag”) than either Molly or Lester, but far less than I would expect to see. There are maybe two bags on that IV pole, so probably saline and morphine (no blood/plasma/antibiotics/other medications). He’s got a heart monitor and a pulse oximeter, but no oxygen or bp monitor. Whether I like it or not, I’m always given oxygen in the ICU (which I tend to remove as soon as possible, apologies to my nurses) and if he was shot in the chest, he might actually need it. I’m also not convinced that heart monitor is working, since it doesn’t fluctuate at all when Malvo shows up in episode 8. ALSO: that bed rail should be up; I don’t care if he is handcuffed in place, that looks like a fall risk to me. Who is running this place?

(I’m also kinda jealous, because I’ve never been in an ICU room with this much natural light.)

 As I mentioned before, there is specific intent behind these omissions and changes.  For one thing, if there were several different machines and wires and lines and the like, the shot would be really busy and it would be distracting, both visually and auditorily, as hospital equipment tends to beep and beep and beep and beep.

Additionally, the shots are very clean, which effectively communicates a sterile environment to the audience; the natural light from the window compliments the Season 1 aesthetic really well and it also contributes somewhat to the coldness of the scenes in this room.

Speaking of which, this is as good a time as ever to bring up something I only consciously noticed very recently. Let’s go back to episode 7 and take a look at the difference between his room and Molly’s.

It’s very subtle, but the light above her bed is a warmer tone; her bedding is also comprised of warmer, lighter tones. Additionally, there’s some framed artwork on the wall, and most importantly she is surrounded by people (and flowers) in every shot.

Even in reverse shots of her, the frame contains color and warm tones. Contrast this with a similar OTS shot of Wrench in his hospital room. The temperature of the scene is a lot colder and the frame surrounding him is empty, which is excellent shorthand to communicate loneliness and alienation.

His room also has some kind of mesh over the window, the practical purpose of which (if there is one) eludes me. As I mentioned earlier, hospital windows don’t open, something the writers are obviously aware of, and I’ve personally never been in a hospital room that had a grate or bars over the windows. Regardless of its practical purpose, this is another detail that contributes to the theme of isolation that is present in the design of these scenes. Being in the hospital can be a lonely, alienating experience, which is something I feel is communicated really well here.

These are subtle decisions that make a huge impact on the mood of the scene. I’m gonna be real with you right now, Mr. Wrench is my favorite character and this scene breaks my heart every time I see it. A good deal of that is owed to the quality of the show’s writing and the amazing talent of Russell Harvard and Allison Tolman, but it is always fun to see how my emotions are being relentlessly manipulated by the cinematographer as well. Good job, you guys.

 I want to conclude with a proposed alternative to the staging of that last scene.

As you can see here, this scene is set during the day, with daylight clearly visible from the window. However, imagine how the emotional intensity might be different if the scene was set at night.

In my experience, nighttime in the hospital can be the most difficult, emotionally speaking, and it’s something I’ve even come to dread as a patient. For the most part, visitors have to go home, the room is dark but the lights are on in the hall and the nurses’ station. You can’t sleep because you’re uncomfortable and people keep coming in to take vitals and blood, and overall it’s very lonely.

So, imagine this scene exactly as it is played out in Season 1, but now instead of a closed off room with daylight coming through the window, the lights in the room are dimmed, it’s night outside (maybe street lights are visible through the window, but not too much). There is a soft glow coming from the heart monitor. Molly is sitting beside the bed with her back to the open door rather than the window. In the background the lights are on in the hall, you can see hospital staff going about their routine in the background. His life is falling apart in this scene, but it’s business as usual for everyone else. Even Molly, as sympathetic as she is, is just doing her job here.

I’m not saying that this staging would have been better, but it would have had a different emotional intensity. I like to see how the environment of the hospital could be used to enhance the mood of a scene, rather than simply act as a back drop because hospitals are deeply personal places, but can be so alienating at the same time. That said, I think that the way they used the environment to impart that sense of loneliness was excellent, and I support the decision to omit certain specifics that might compromise the mood or the flow of the plot.

Oh, and, if you still haven’t done it: go watch Fargo FX.

[chriscornhell]

thanks @rockerchick1330 for tagging me :)

Rules: List 20 facts about yourself and then tag 10 other blogs you’d like to get to know better!

1. ik ive posted this before but i have a twin brother, hes great and my bff (even though his music taste SUCKS)

2. i still don’t have my drivers license :P but ill probably get it soon!

3. my favorite movie is silence of the lambs, which ive seen like 6-7 times

4. i’m majoring in history and want to be a medieval history professor

5. my first band obsession was green day, in 3rd grade haha

6. i was born in tucson, az

7. i don’t like milk :P ill eat almost anything else though

8. the countries ive visited so far are mexico, canada, ireland, uk, the bahamas, spain, and morocco

9. i went to a performing arts high school (i played viola)

10. je ne peux pas le parler, mais je peux lire en français sans beaucoup de problème

11. my phone case is wooden with an octopus carved on it

12. i used to go to catholic school when i was really young

13. right now i have 957 songs on itunes (but im always adding more!)

14. im in my college’s tap dance group (next year i rly wanna choreograph a dance to misty mountain hop)

15. i used to live in sedona, az which youve probably seen pictures of cause its gorgeous

16. i listen to gregorian and byzantine chants to relax before i go to sleep cause im a nerd lmao

17. in elementary school i used to be obsessed with warriors, which was a book series about dramatic fighting cats

18. my harry potter hogwarts house was slytherin on the official test even though ppl always said ravenclaw for me

19. my first crush was han solo :)

20 . at some point in my life ive been able to play these instruments: viola, piano, electric bass, a little bit of guitar, and last christmas i got a mandolin that ive been learning some songs on

dang this was hard haha, ill tag @headbangervixen @maikmakridi @aplbite @jementic @fivehorizonss @spooky-danax @ilivemydaydreamsinmusik @bugbearsanonymous @maddest-0f-hatters and @wellwelldroogieboy (sorry if youve already been tagged)

[nodaudaboutitt]

for the get to know the blogger thing: even numbers in the 130 range

OH Boy, this is gunna be a long one

2. What is your favorite piece of clothing you own / owned?

I have a shirt of a lady wearing a panda mask, it looks really nice and im actually wearing it right now ahaha, also really like my star wars X-Wing hoodie :D4. What does your perfect room look like?

Im not really sure tbh, although it would be nice if there was a little more space and better lighting than my room has. Would love to get some small plants and stuff and some owl related cushions or something6. What fictional place would you like to visit?

Would be interesting to visit Dunwall from Dishonored or one of the many planets in Star Wars, would love to go see a Podrace or something!8. When was the last time you climbed a tree?

2014, its the same time i fell out of a tree and broke my collarbone ahaha10. What is the most annoying habit that you or other people have?

I check my phone way too much which is kinda annoying to me, although my dad gets really annoyed that i bounce my legs ahaha12. What skill would you like to master?

It would be rad to master a language (Although im on my way to that) or maybe my skating or art14. If you had unlimited funds to build a house to live on for the rest of your life, what would the finished house look like?

Honestly i would probably just buy a cozy apartment and get a cat or something, ive never really thought about such before16. What state or country do you never want to go back to?Havent actually got anywhere i would never want to go back to yet 18. What game or movie universe would you like to live in?

As cool as the Metro games are, not that one ahaha. maybe the world of Star Trek or something :D20. Are you usually early or late?

Im usually quite early tbh 22. When people come to you for help, what do they usually need help with?

Not really sure tbh, i cant remember, although people occasionally ask me about assignments or such so there that24. What do you wish you knew more about?

Well cos im finding programming a tad tricky at uni, i would say that, but tbh i would love to know more about astrophysics or anything related to rocketry and piloting !26. What are some small things that make your day better?

A cup of tea in my favourite mug, someone complimenting how i look, my dog saying hi when i get home 28. What’s the best way to start the day?

By slamming my face into the pillow and going back to sleep ahaha, nah i think a relaxed morning with some tea and a nice breakfast or something

30. What TV channel doesn’t exist but really should?

Would be cool to have a channel for all the space exploration stuff, lunno if it would be widely popular or not but i would love to see such 32. What age do you wish you could stay at permanently?

Im not really sure tbh 34. What’s your ideal way to spend a weekend?

My ideal weekend is to laze about at home and play videogames, bake some stuff or work on some art. I just feel really comfy at home so being able to relax at home all weekend sounds ideal to me36. What is your claim to fame?

Im not really sure if i have one?38. What’s your favorite book or movie genre?

I really dig science fiction, although with movies i also like the action genre :D40. What have you only recently formed an opinion about?42. What subject interests you that not many people have heard of?

I couldnt think of anything people havent really heard of but i really enjoy reading about early nasa, so stuff like the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs44. What’s the best book series or TV series you’ve ever read or watched?

I think at the moment, the best Tv series for me is Band of Brothers46. What’s the most heartwarming thing you’ve ever seen?

Those videos of people meeting family or friends in the airport that live really far away, everyone is so happy in those and its really nice :D48. What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with no preparation?

I could probably give a presentation on ww2 or the moon missions, not 100% accurate or super detailed but yeah, well that or the Lore of various games and movies i like50. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

Travel, just seeing somewhere new, the journey and exploration involved, its really cool :D52. What’s your dream car?absolutely no clue54. What is something a ton of people are obsessed with, but you just don’t get?

Game of Thrones, that new show on netflix56. Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?When i lived in England i went to the transport museum and also the various imperial war museums, those were absolutely fantastic. Over here in straya though? probably the top of sydney harbour bridge, that was pretty gnarly58. What is the best thing that happened to you last week?

Well i just got my grade back for my programming assignment and i got 70% :D60. If all jobs had the same pay rate and hours, what job would you want to have?

Im not sure, although at the moment im studying game design at uni so i would probably go for that anyway ahaAlthough if there was an opportunity it would be cool to become an astronaut or ww2 historian62. How different was your life 1 year ago?

Well i couldnt ice skate, i wasnt doing a degree, i think i was in  somewhat crappier state than i am now. But things have been improving over the last few years :)64. What would you rate 10/10?

Ahh im not good at rating or ranking anything, i guess the new star wars? (Rogue one)66. What is the most interesting piece of art you’ve seen?

Im not really sure, i dont think ive been to see art in ages, although i really like the art my friend @echey does! its super awesome stuff!68. What do you hope never changes?

My ability to find good in a bad situation70. What movie title best describes your life?I cant even think of one tbh72. What’s the best way a person can spend their time?Just do what you enjoy i guess74. Where is the most relaxing place you’ve ever been?

Botanical gardens in adelaide are really nice, dont go there too often but theyre relaxing as heck76. Where would you rather be from?

As much as i talk shit about england, i dont think id want to be from anywhere else78. What do you look forward to in the next 6 months?New alien movie, end of first semester, turn 20 next month, Dunkirk movie, lots of cool stuff :D80. What one thing do you really want but can’t afford?Either a trip overseas or all those games that i have on my wishlist rn82. Where would you spend all your time if you could?Im not sure tbh, i guess anywhere i feel comfortable?84. What age do you want to live to?ahh thats a tough one, i guess in my 20′s? 86. What are you absolutely determined to do?

Get through my degree and get a job in my chosen field88. What do you wish you knew more about?theres so much i wish i knew more about ;-;90. What question can you ask to find out the most about a person??? iunno dude92. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?iunno? any compliment is nice to me :D94. Who inspires you to be better?nothing comes to mind but im sure theres someone :/96. What haven’t you grown out of?my favourite tshirt ahaha 98. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out pretty well?no bloody clue but im sure it was absolutely stupid aha100. What’s something you will never do again?climb a tree and break my collarbone102. What keeps you up at night?my messed up sleep schedule mainly, although those weird night time depressed moods get ya too 104. What is the most illegal thing you’ve ever done?probably underage drinking106. What are you afraid people see when they look at you?a worthless shithead108. What do you look down on people for?being absolute wankers, although in my degree the thing i really look down on is those people that are like “How did you not get that? its easy!” or generally act like a know it all and give you shit over coding, like chill out lads and help each other110. What lie do you tell most often?im fine, im not tired, im used to it, ill be fine,  couldnt think of one so heres the top ones i can think off112. What is the best & worst thing about getting older?Can buy what you want, but worst thing is that the older you get, the more youre looked down on for being unemployed114. If you had a personal flag, what would be on it?probably a kickass dragon!!116. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

Don’t procrastinate/ set your deadline a day or two early and start early so if you do procrastinate, it would fuck you up as bad118. What are you famous for among your friends & family?I think with friends im mostly famous for random history (Mainly ww2) facts and at home im mostly known for my shitty humour i think ahaha120. What one responsibility do you wish you didn’t have?122. What do you want to tell your 10-year-old self?Don’t give a shit about what others might think, just do what makes you happy and be how you feel you should124. What’s the best thing about you?My terrible humour, my optimism 126. Have you ever saved someone’s life?Who knows?128. What would a mirror opposite of you look like?Like a reverse image of me? nah ahaha probably a massive asshole, but at the same time theyre probably putting them self first and their happiness so iunno130. Which of your scars has the best story behind it?Got a massive scar over my right collarbone, had to get surgery on it when i broke it and so now ive got a metal plate in my body aha

thank you for the ask!!

[spiffysixxsense]

NO THE ANON ASKED QUESTIONS BEFORE I DID THATS MY JOB :( DO ALL THE ONES YOU HAVENT DONE

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, what would you say?

Good morning...? 

2. What’s going on between you and the last person you kissed?

We are happily together.

3. If your boyfriend or girlfriend was into drugs, would you care?

hard drugs? yes. Pot, I’d live with.

4. Is your last name longer than six letters?

My last name is in fact 6 letters.

5. Was your last kiss drunk or sober?

sober (as were the rest of them)

6. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up?

I don’t think so, it never got to the point of me having an opportunity to mess it up. & last time, it worked. ♥

7. What does your last received text say?

“I have my moments” 

8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed?

Approximately 5.964. (I have no idea, but a lot).

9. Where was your last kiss at?

My front door when he left. 

10. When is the last time you saw your sister?

Well this implies that I have a sister. 

11. What do you drink in the morning?

Powerade? or nothing

12. Where did you sleep last night?

In my own bed.

13. Do you think relationships are hard?

They require work, which I guess could be seen as hard. With the right person, it is worth it though. 

14. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you?

 Less procrastinating maybe, but Id put off changing it...

15. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, any problems?

This sounds very ideal. (Yall are obsessed with the last person I kissed, huh?)

16. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy?

Depends on the day. More often than not, rainy though.

17. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you? 

Yes I do, a friend’s brother. Shane Dawson does too, if that counts. 

18. Are you wearing jeans,sweatpants,or pajama pants?

Sweatpants

19. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 years from now?

I surely hope so

20. Does anyone like you?

I surely hope so (Im looking at you Alex)

21. Have you ever kissed someone with a name that starts with an S?

I don’t believe so. 

22. Is the last person you kissed gay?

I hope not, I want him to like me. 

23. Is there a person you CANNOT stand?

Trump

24. Have you ever considered getting a tattoo?

Plethora of times.

25. In the past week have you cried?

I think so

26. What breed was the last dog you saw?

Husky, I wanted to steal him/her. 

27. Do you dry off in the shower or out of the shower?

I dry mostly In the shower because I don’t want to be cold, but then I lay in bed in a towel for hours before getting dressed...

28. Have you ever kissed a football player?

Sorta

29. Do you think you’re old?

In certain contexts, yes. 

30. Do you like text messaging?

With Alex, yes. other people, eh. 

31. What type of day are you having?

Filled with HECKS. 

32. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced?

No, I don’t need more attention brought to my huge nose. 

33. Do you prefer warm or cold weather?

Cold, but not to the point of painful air. 

34. Is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you?

yes. 

35. Would you prefer a relationship or a fling?

relationship.

36. Are you a simple or complicated person?

complicated af, sorry everyone who deals with me. 

37. What song are you listening to?

“Keep the Dogs at Bay” - Seether

38. When you say you’re sorry do you mean it?

Yes, I say it as a defense mechanism alot, but I still mean it.

39. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you?

@x-i-a-t40. What made you start liking the person you like now?

His ability to make me laugh, and my sense of comfort with him.41. When did you last receive a text message? 

Feb. 22nd, 4:19 pm42. What is wrong with you right now?

Is that a rhetorical question? Lots of things. 43. How well do you know the last female you texted?

Well, including Kik, its @x-i-a-t and I think I know her pretty well. SMS only, it is my Granny, and I know her a good amount, I don’t know much about her past.44. Does anyone disgust you?

Trump?45. Would you date someone right now if they asked?

No, unless Alex asked?46. Are you in a good mood right now?

Not really, but I’m not upset either. 47. Who was the last person you talked to in person?

My Developmental Psychology Professor, he is known as Mr. Nugget.48. What color shirt are you wearing?

Plum Purple? Dark Magenta kinda? colors are hard.49. Has someone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear?

Professors, yes, lol.50. Anyone you’re giving up on?

If myself counts then yeah kinda. 51. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for?

No? I love him

52. Have you ever thought about giving up on someone but couldn’t?

Yes. 53. Do you like rain?

Yes.  54. Do you care if your boyfriend/girlfriend drinks?

Yes. Boy, bye. 55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?

In high school.  56. Do you like to cuddle?

With him, yes. 57. Are you shy?

In certain situations. Most of the time, not really.  58. Do you get along with girls?

I get along with most people, so yes.59. Have you dated the person you texted last?

Currently 60. What do you carry with you at all times?

My phone 61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you?

Hell yeah, Id sleep the whole time... come at me ghosties.  62. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months?

yes? is that supposed to be hard? Currently at 7 months, but was previously in a relationship for 4 years.  63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship? 

Yes♥ 64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute?

Of course. Its real convenient given our height difference. 65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week?

He does cute things all the time. 

66. How old are the last three people you kissed?

20, 19, 23 (I think? maybe 22)

67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself?

Do them myself.     68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print?

Zebra.     69. Do you have any stickers on your car?  

Nope70. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne? 

LUKE BRYAN   71. Blackberry, Android, or iPhone?    

Android

72. When’s the last time you had pizza from Pizza Hut?   

Valentine’s Day ♥ 73. Do you like diet soda?    

Not particularly 74. What color are the walls in your room?    

Poster colored. (Okay white & one blue but I haven’t seen my walls in years)75. Are you 16 or older?    

Yes.76. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? 

No   77. Do you have a job?    

Yes  78. What are your initials?    

GLT79. Did you ever have braces?   

Yes :( 80. Are you from the south? 

 SOUTHern California count? no? Ill go 

81. What does your last status on facebook say?   

Ive never posted one 82. Do you still talk to the first person you ever kissed?   

Lol no 83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad?    

Mom84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics?    

LOL nope85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters?  

Passengers 86. Do you smoke?    

No

87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops?  

What am I doing? Probably heels, unless Im at work? lol  88. Is your phone touch screen?    

Yes89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly?  

Straight  90. Have you ever snuck out of your house?    

Once, Kinda? vague af I know91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake, or pool?   

Pool 92. Have you ever made out in a car?    

Yes93. …Had sex in a car?    

No94. Are you single or in a relationship?    

Wasnt this asked already? relationship. 95. What were you doing last night at midnight? 

Studying, also on the phone with Alex, I think.   96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks?    

Fourth of July I think.97. Do you like the camera on your phone?   

It’s fine 98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits?    

Nope99. Have you ever passed out from drinking?    

Nope100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate?   

Dislike sure, hates a little strong.  101. Have you ever had a pregnancy scare?    

Kinda102. Name your favorite Kesha song:    

Well Tik Tok is the only one I know, so I guess I am going with that one. 103. Do you have any tan lines right now?    

Kinda, very light though at this point. 104. Would you ever wear cowboy boots with shorts?

If I had cowboy boots, sure. 

[greenlightmusicreviews2]

LIFERS - Local H (2020) | Album Review - 9/10

 Now Playing: LIFERS by Chicago, Illinois rock duo Local H.

“When the re-release of the White Album came out a few years ago, I became re-obsessed all over again. One aspect that really hit me about it (this time) was how it’s not really a concept record — but it feels like a concept record. I wanted to do that with LIFERS. This might be a concept record about the end of the world. Or it might just be a party record with loud guitars and cowbells.”

- Scott Lucas (2020)

Local H has been kicking around now for 30 years, making the title of their record seem all the more appropriate, and in the run up to the release in various interviews or comments given, Scott Lucas doesn’t shy away from this.

"It's strange. But there's also a sense of pride, that this is work you can be proud of. The thing about it is I never really gave myself an out. It's not like I went to college or ever thought there was anything else I wanted to do. On one hand it's impossible to think you could still be doing this so many years later."

- Scott Lucas, Billboard, 2020

LIFERS is produced by the band alongside legendary producer Steve Albini of Shellac and Big Black fame, but perhaps most known for producing Nirvana’s last studio album In Utero. The band released “Innocents,” the last track on the album, as a single back in 2018, and the first track “Patrick Bateman” (along with a great Motorhead cover) the following year. I won’t make any bones about it - this band is probably my favorite band, and I think they’re among the most underrated artists still going today. In any case, I was very excited for a new record. I mostly enjoyed Hey, Killer, their 2015 release, and although “Innocents” didn’t totally light a fire beneath me, I enjoyed “Patrick Bateman” a bit better and still had high hopes for the album.

Local H wastes no time getting into the thick of things, opening up with - as mentioned before - “Patrick Bateman.” It’s fast with frenetic energy and elaborate production. To borrow a phrase Lucas uses often, LIFERS is definitely a headphones album. It also does not shy away from politics. The first track gets right into the swamp:

I got a brother in a cheap red hat Hazy days in a judge's frat You won't like what I have to say Something wicked is a-coming this way

...

They're pulling trains for the gain of the family brand I understand there's some fans in the Ku Klux Klan How did everything get so fucked up?

“Hold That Thought” rumbles onto the scene with an great bass groove and is probably the catchiest song on the entire album, continuing the themes of political disorientation and disillusionment:

Hold that thought and don't get caught Some are sold and some, some are bought Addicted to your state of delusion

In one sense it does sound like “a party record with loud guitars and cowbells” as band czar Scott Lucas states. The first half of the album just up and smacks the shit out of you with loud, noisy and abrasive guitars and big, booming, crash-crash-crash drum performances with Lucas’ aged roar piercing through the speakers like he was right there in your living room. In fact, the album doesn’t let go until track 6 with “Sunday Best,” which is just absolutely soul-touching and sounds like Scott had been listening to a bit of LZ IV. Of course, Scott had been listening to The White Album and Pink Floyd, but probably some Zeppelin also.

In another sense, though, beneath the veneer of raucous guitar chords and feedback-loops and gang vocals is album that’s obsessed with the decline of western civilization. “Winter Western,” “Beyond the Valley of Snakes,” “Demon Dreams” and “Defy and Surrender” all smack of lamentations about the state of society, the injustice of our institutions, the hopelessness of it all. The band has plunged into the political waters before, most notably with 2012′s red versus blue Hallelujah! I’m A Bum - an impressive concept record about the state of the union circa 2012, and more than a few songs prior to. With the world on fire with right-wing regimes taking control of governments, a pandemic ravaging people’s day-to-day, and protests over black lives and police brutality, it’s a timely record, and if you pay attention to the lyrical subject matter, it’s pretty depressing. “Demon Dreams” has some of the most brutal:

Planet in a stressful state Losing weight via suicide rates And I don't know what there is left to do The people with the best of luck Always seem to self destruct And I don't know what there is left to do

“Winter Western” is equally morose though a bit more cryptic:

Consume your weight in anger Be useful serfs and pawns The mood is winter western It's on and on and on and on

The guitar work is creative as ever, with Lucas producing some very meaty and tasty guitar riffs like on “Turn The Bow” and “Winter Western” - the latter of which features the vocal talents of Juliana Hatfield, who offers haunting vocal harmonies to the already evocative wails of Lucas himself. “Beyond the Valley of Snakes” feels like a thematic thrill ride with incredible drum work by Ryan Harding, who picked up the torch from former H drummer Brian St. Clair back in 2013. Local H has always had this theatrical way of producing records - no surprise since Lucas is a major movie buff - but the way this album is approached just feels as if it was orchestrated like a film score. It’s pretty great, and “Beyond the Valley of Snakes” followed by “Sunday Best” comes closes to evoking that cinematic feeling of just being lost in the art and being taken on a journey.

“Farrah” is the one song on the record that has not grown on me since first listen - the instrumentation is solid, interesting things going on, but it’s just not as impactful as the other 10 songs are. “Innocents,” no longer sequestered as a single two years out from the full release, now totally works and makes perfect sense in context coming after the epic “Defy and Surrender,” wherein Scott Lucas indulges in his own prog-rock leanings for a song that reaches just over 10 minutes in length but never wastes a second of space. Except, that is, for some awkward lyrical choices that, I mean, I understand in context, but still feel a little hamfisted (pun totally intended). The album is sequenced perfectly, and although it’s not a concept record the way that most Local H albums are, it flows seamlessly from one song to next, creating a sonic narrative of rage, despair, introspection, comic posturing and - at the end - a little bit of hope for things to come.

It is the band’s strongest record since their masterpiece Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?, boasting some truly touching moments and some incredibly catchy, crushing and gnarly guitar riffs and some very bombastic drumming highlights. It’s a record with an energy overall to match the chaos seen in the world writ large at the moment. At times it can be pretty overwhelmingly stark, in-your-face and plaintive, but it’s not without its moments of levity that bring you back to shore after wading too far into the dark and stormy waters.

LIFERS: 9/10

Favorite songs: “Beyond the Valley of Snakes” • “Turn The Bow” • “Sunday Best” • “Demon Dreams” • “Winter Western”

[thedungeonra]

My thoughts on THE LAST JEDI

It’s Christmas Eve-eve and I’m working 2nd shift.   It’s finally calmed down a bit so this seems a good time to talk about my difficult relationship with STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI.

I overall dislike the film, both as the 8th episode of the Star Wars Saga/9th film overall in the entire franchise and as a film on its own merit. But there was a lot I liked about the film.  A lot I LOVED about the film.  Which perhaps makes it more frustrating.  Were TLJ as categorically bad as say, HIGHLANDER 2: The one where they’re from the Planet Zeist, I would actually have a much easier time disliking it.

But first, what exactly is my history with Star Wars?

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was the first film I ever saw in a theater.   My older brother took me.  I was all of 4.   I saw STAR WARS on TV later on and it was not until RETURN OF THE JEDI that I connected the dots that it was the same film.  You gotta remember that for my generation, what you call, “Episode IV: A NEW HOPE,” was just STAR WARS to us.   I loved ESB.  And collected what little merchandise was available in early 80s rural Indiana.

I’ve seen EMPIRE STRIKES BACK more than any other film.   I have a son, college-age right now, who grew up with the prequels.    We had our various lightsaber battles, and played the video games together and bought the toys.  It was great!

I don’t hate the prequels in the en vogue way that GenXers seem to hate them.  Jar Jar doesn’t bother me all that much.  Nor does Jake Lloyd’s Anakin.  I still fire up the DVD from time to time for the Podrace and Darth Maul duels.  And Qui-Gon is one of my favorite SW characters.  

I really enjoyed ATTACK OF THE CLONES because it feels like Ewan really had fun playing Obi-Wan.  And SITH… well… it’s not great.    I think the last two minutes of ROGUE ONE makes up a lot for the last two minutes of SITH.  It’s the Darth Vader we’ve wanted to see for decades.

And I loved FORCE AWAKENS. I really dig all four new leads. I was bummed that Luke had nothing to do and I felt Han got a really bittersweet ending (as did Harrison Ford finally get the exit he wanted from the franchise).  I thought the structural similarities between IV and VII were a feature, not a bug.   And I’ve been all for VIII since.

 Until.  The trailers for VIII began.  Something felt… not quite right.  And yeah, feel free to insert your, “I feel a great disturbance in the Force) joke here.  I couldn’t get excited for anything I was seeing in the trailers.  

Even seeing Luke in the cockpit of the Falcon felt like the grapes of Han’s, “Chewie, we’re home” to prunes in my mouth.   I assumed Luke would die in this film.  And after we lost Carrie Fisher much too soon, it was hard accepting that IX would be without Luke, Han and Leia.  I waited for the crowds to thin a bit and saw TLJ on Tuesday after opening weekend. 70mm IMAX at the Indiana State Museum, if knowing that of trivia is fun for you.

Now, then.  I’m not a film critic and this is not a film review. I’m just a middle aged Star Wars lover and film nerd.  

 But before we get into what I disliked about it, let’s start off on a positive note!  Firstly, I do understand and respect that Rian Johnson had essentially 4 basic audiences for this film, none of whom view Star Wars the same way.  Baby Boomers what saw STAR WARS in college; we GenXers what grew up with the movies; Millennials who grew up with the Preqs; and kids today whose first Star Wars theater experience was THE FORCE AWAKENS.  That’s a heavy burden and if anything, I feel like they failed in trying to appease to these 4 quadrants of the fandom.

I loved the opening battle sequence.  It’s maybe the best star war in Star Wars.  It looks and sounds great.  There is great conflict and drama.  It has this amazing gut punch with the last bomber.  Just superb.

I still really just love the four new leads.  Those are all rich characters.

I’ve seen a lot of people grousing about Rose and specifically, the entire casino sub-plot.  Rose was great!  In a movie where people are all over the place on the emotional spectrum, Rose felt like really the only person whose emotional responses actually made sense in their given contexts.  And she delivers the theme of the film at the end, which I did enjoy.  

And the space casino heist? Are you kidding me?  James Bond in space.  Loved it.  I felt the animal cruelty and slavery beats a bit too on the nose, but that’s just a taste thing.  I think my very first reaction on the twitters was something to the effect of, “a great space casino heist film wrapped in a shitty Star Wars story.” Beneicio Del Toro was certainly memorable.  I thought they were teasing a new Han Solo-ish scoundrel but instead, he’s this great foil to Finn.  I DJ shows back up again either in IX or in Rian Johnson’s spinoff films.    

My only real quibble with the casino scene was that Justin Theroux’s high stakes gambler/slicers should have been Lando, right?  You can’t put Billy Dee Williams at a Sabacc table for 30 seconds?  Also seeing how the owner of the ship DJ stole sells to the Resistance and the 1st Order, having him still Lando’s ship would have been a nice touch.   In the absence of the Rebellion and Han, Lando is not the best version of his self. Anyway, I’m not here to write a different movie.

I also really liked Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo and I enjoyed how she shut down Poe’s mansplaining.   I don’t understand some of the choices made with Holdo, but  more on that in a bit.   Holdo crashing the Mon Cal cruiser into the 1st Order fleet while at lightspeed was insanely cool.  That’s the stuff we only ever imagined in the old Star Wars RPG; never thought I’d see something like that on screen.

Didn’t mind the Yoda cameo. Don’t understand people who say, “bro, that should have been Obi-Wan, bro.”  I don’t agree, but whatever.  Yoda seemed perfect to me.  

I don’t think it’s the best lightsaber fight in Star Wars, but seeing Kylo Ren and Rey fight together was really cool.  Was great to see the combat training the actors have done get a few minutes to shine.

BB-8.  Big fan.  I don’t understand why BB-8 didn’t get a moment to take out BB-9e while in that 1st Order Chicken Walker.  Would have been a quick scene and very satisfying.  Oh well.

The big ground assault on the rebel base at the end was great. That’s the ground battle I expected from the trailer of ROGUE ONE that didn’t seem to be in the movie.  I wonder if there’s a connection?

All of the performances were superb.  Carrie Fisher especially.  

The film was a series of several, often disconnected moments, that I thought were really good.

Now the bad stuff.  I find it insanely annoying and not a little condescending to allege that people who do not like THE LAST JEDI are obsessive fanboys who cannot let go of the past.   Or that we don’t understand the goals and themes of the film.  I get it.  Conceptually, I’m on board.  I’m VERY ready for the formula of STAR WARS to be reinvented.   I don’t need to see rehashes of Sith vs Jedi, Empire vs Rebellion, Skywalker vs Skywalker.  It’s tired. I know.   Dudes wanna fly off half-cocked into conflict when they should listen to the counsel of wiser women.  I KNOW.

Just… be good at doing those things.

So here’s what I hated:

The film doesn’t actually move the story forward.  The movie ends with the same status quo as the beginning:  

the 1st Order has the New Republic Resistance on the ropes and is assaulting their base.

Rey doesn’t have a teacher.

The 1st Order is exactly as effective with Snoke cut into pieces as it was when he was alive.

The Resistance is exactly as effective when a demoted Commander leads a mutiny against a Vice Admiral as it was with General Leia in charge.  

This film sets on fires many dangling plot points set-up by JJ in VII only to return the story to the same position.

And so on.  You get it.  It’s the illusion of change.  

I hated every scene with Luke Skywalker.    Man, just one huge bummer after another.   And again, conceptually, I can by that he’s at least a Grey Jedi now and believes both the Sith and Jedi are wrong in the possessive perspectives on the Force.  I can buy that he went off to Ach-To to cut himself off from the Force and die.  I can buy that he, in a moment of weakness, could not figure out how to save Ben Solo from the Dark Side and was tempted himself to take the quick and easy path.  He did, after all, cut Darth Vader’s hand off in the Death Star II Throne room.

But all of those things were executed in a clumsy way that seemed to have little regard for the character. It was a gigantic bummer.  Would have also been nice if someone had bothered to tell Luke that his best friend died at the hands of his own son.  Maybe that’s what Chewie told him?  Or Artoo?  But I dunno.  It’s not clear and they gave Mark Hamill nothing to work with in those moments.  

I absolutely hated his hero moment at the end.  Why set up Old Logan Luke who doesn’t want to face down the entire 1st Order with a laser sword in the 1st Act if he does it but not really in the 3rd Act?  There’s a wishy-washy desire to have things both ways in this film that drives me nuts.

Also, Luke on Denouement Planet was the clunkiest “misdirect” of the entire film.  I’ve only seen the film once and at my first viewing, it was obvious to me that this was not actually Luke.  

A) We’ve just seen three different flashbacks of Jedi Master Luke from his New Jedi Academy days after RotJ. And Denouement Luke looks exactly like Jedi Master Luke and not the Wild Man of Borneo from the first two Acts.

B)  the movie makes a big deal of showing us that the slightest disturbance to the surface crust of that salt pan will reveal the red dust underneath (which was a rad visual element).   And when Kylo Ren sets his foot in Sith Action Pose, we see the red underneath.  Whereas Luke is clearly NOT disrupting anything.  

C) How dumb is Kylo Ren that even though he just destroyed Anakin Skywalker’s blue lightsaber 10 minutes before landing, Luke is somehow wielding it?  I think there’s an argument to be made that Luke intentionally chooses a younger visage of himself (of the last time Ben Solo saw him) and is also using his own legacy against him (Anakin’s lightsaber) to put him off balance. But the film does not convey this.

All combined, these three elements rob all the underlying drama tension from that conflict because it’s obvious he isn’t there.

The dialogue was troublesome for me.  I legit sat there, stunned, at the end looking for a Diablo Cody writing credit. Remember how I loved the opening battle? Everything but that bit with Poe and Hux.  It was funny the first time.  The, “Holding for Hux” part after Hux did his nefarious monologue.  But they kept hitting that same beat.  Over and over.  I would have not batted an eye had Poe called Hux, “homeslice” in that moment. Thus, Diablo Cody.  

Also, Snoke’s “spunk.” line. Lolwut?  Though I had a chuckle and thought to myself, “… and wriggling” after Andy Serkis said, “raw.”

Why do they keep wasting Gwendoline Christie as Phasma?  Have they not seen GAME OF THRONES?  Are they unaware of the jewel in their crown?

The editing.  This film needs a good once-over to trim about 20 minutes out.  Do we need to see Luke milking a Watto-Cow or spearfishing?  Did we need to see Luke’s X-Wing parked underwater when it’s just an unnecessary head-fake?  As much as I did enjoy the casino bit, it felt over-stuffed.  

The wishy-washiness. Oh man.  This is the ultimate dealbreaker for me.  Look, I don’t mind Rey is the daughter of a couple Trump voters from Jakku with no connection to the Skywalkers.  The scene where Kylo Ren tells her, “You don’t even belong here. No one cares about you but me.” is fantastic.  I loved it. I love their relationship and I hope to all the cinema gods they stick to their guns and don’t reveal that Ben and Rey are just Jacen and Jaina Solo lite.  

Don’t waste our precious film time in VII making a huge mystery deal out of who Rey is and who her parents are in VII just to reveal in VIII that she’s nobody from nowhere one-hundredth of her name.  And don’t especially get pissy at me because I’m frustrated that you wasted my time on a non-mysterious mystery.  That’s false drama, breh.  And a really hacky way to “deconstruct” a story.

If you’re going to really deconstruct what we know about this story and these characters, then do it.  “Flip you. Flip you, for real.”  Don’t try to have your space cake and eat it too.    

Luke is done with this mess and isn’t going to show up and play the hero.  Until he does.  But not really.  

Kylo Ren has good in him, but not really.

Rey has darkness in her, but not really.

Now, this is not the same thing as a character arc.  I don’t lump this in with Poe being a brash self-centered pilot at the beginning but a real leader by the end.  I’m for that.  

I’m talking about if LAST JEDI were broken into numerical values, for every 1 there is a -1 and the story of the movie feels like a sum of 0.

Now, there are a lot of nitpicky things I’ve shared with the people in my life (most of whom are glad I’ve turned my focus to the internet).  Like, “what’s the deal with Snoke?  Who is he and what does he want?”  That’s just subjective, “season-to-taste” stuff that grates on me but I don’t feel objectively bad.   “Who is Snoke and what does he want?” was not a focal point of the previous film.  

Samey-same with Holdo not sharing her plan.  Finn’s plan actually not accomplishing anything.  If they knew they were being tracked and had two jumps left and a 6 minute window, why not prepare the transports, jump the old rebel base, unload the transport and jump again in 5 minutes?  That kind of thing.  You know, things people call, “plot holes” on the internet that are not actually plot holes.

Leia Force Flying through space after the bridge exploded.  Just looked dumb.  If there was any excuse for Leia to bust out a lightsaber, this was the moment.  That would have been choice.    Tangential to this: the unceremonious death of Admiral Ackbar.

But those are digressions.

I would probably like this story much more if it were the last half of FORCE AWAKENS rather than a movie all unto itself.

That said, I think this petition to remove TLJ from the canon of SW films is idiotic.  This film is going to make a billion dollars by New Years and Disney appears to be giving Rian Johnson his own spinoff franchise. So yeah, this movie isn’t going anywhere.  

I also think its real low class to jump on twitter and be a raging dickmunch to Rian Johnson.  I’ll never understand why people punish creators for being easily accessible.   Or to people who loved the movie.  I’m not here to convince you that you shouldn’t love THE LAST JEDI or tell you you’re a dumb-dumb if you did.  I simply find it difficult to like for Star Wars movie reasons and movie-movie reasons.

I actually look forward to Johnson’s spinoff film because he seems much more comfortable with new characters.  I think he’s a person like Zahn who will add a lot of new hated and loved characters. But unlike Zahn, I don’t think he has a steady hand with legacy characters.

So that’s it.  6 pages on a Word document later (assuming you stuck around).  Feel free to hit me back on the twitterbox to tell me how both right and wrong I am!

May the Force be something or other.  But probably not.  

[surveysbygracelynn]

Do you like meatball subs? I do. The meatball marinara used to be my favorite thing to get at subway. I just don’t get them because they’re high calorie. 

Are you severely sleep deprived? I think so, though last night was a pretty good night of sleep. 

What music are you listening to? nothing intently, and the radio is on commercial. 

What is your favorite smell on earth? idk what my top thing is. but i do like the smell of freshly baked cookies. 

What are you doing tomorrow morning? maybe helping recycle some bottles. 

What are you supposed to be doing right now? honestly? i dont think theres anything I should be doing. 

Have you ever killed your elbows on an inflatable obstacle course? no..

Ever gone a whole day without eating? no, though i think last year when I was working I came close to. 

Do you feel that you need to improve your spiritual life? I could always be better.

Can you curse fluently in Spanish? Nope.

If you go to school (HS or college) does your school have a rival? -

What’s your school’s mascot? -

Do the numbers 44 and 53 mean anything to you? no. 

Ever had banana pudding flavored ice cream? no. 

If you have a sib, do you call him/her “brother” or “sister” sometimes? no. 

Has the weather been odd lately where you live? For January, it is a bit warm. 

Remember “Kenan and Kel”? Yes.

Does the mere mention of that show make you crave orange soda? not really. 

Are you *this* close to falling asleep? yes, except if i laid down I wouldn’t be. 

Do you own a Wii? yeah

If not, do you want one? -

Did you ever collect stickers? yes, those 50 cent ones from the machines at the store. 

Isn’t Hello Kitty just the cutest thing ever? it’s cute but not the cutest thing ever. 

Are there any songs you could just listen to over and over and over? Yes.

Do you have a favorite basketball team (NBA or college?) no

Ever had chicken curry and basmati rice? i dont think so. 

Do you have a weird obsession with numbers? not really. 

Does your job (if you have one) involve sitting at a computer for hours? yes. 

Do you get major shoulder/upper back pain from that? Or think you would? no. 

Do you have someone who will give you a massage when you need one? Brandon except idon’t see him.

Ever seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Nope.

Do you own any diamond jewelry? no. 

Do you have an American-made car? nope.

Have you been baptized in any religious tradition? Yes.

Do you drink alcohol at all? yeah

If not, do you like the smell?  idk. jack daniels smells better than it tastes to me. that’s about it. i guess fireball because cinnamon .

Are you in a chair, on a couch, in bed, on the floor, what? chair. 

If your best male friend got a mohawk, would he look good or ridiculous? He wanted a fauxhawk and I told him no. lol Do you love the smell of sunblock? in a sense because it smells like summer.  Internet Explorer or Firefox: which do you prefer?

firefox

What are you going to do now? chill

Have you ever fallen asleep thinking about a boy/girl? Yes.

Do you have a favorite pair of jeans? yes.  Have you ever just felt like you could cry an ocean? sure. 

Have you ever woken up to wonder why you even bother? Yes.

How long do you spend on your hair each day? nope. 

Describe what you would call the perfect weather. sunny with a high of 75.. and a cool breeze.

Do you have Twitter? yeah

Do you eat cereal? nope. 

What is your favorite meal of the day? i guess dinner. 

Do you have bangs? yes

When was the last time you got your hair done? done?? wow. idk. lol danielles sweet 16?? 

Do you like the dentist? no

Would you rather study a foreign language or history? language.

Do you wear house shoes/slippers? no. 

Is there a person in your life that you know you’ll never forget? Yes.

Do you like to draw? Nope.

What is on your bedroom walls? nothing. 

What kind of cell phone do you have? galaxy s4.

Do you own a lot of hairbrushes? no

What’s the first line of the last song you listened to? i don’t remember the last song i listened to.

Who did you first talk to this morning? uh... my mom, i think. 

How many email accounts do you have? that i actively check? one for leisure. one at work. lol 

Do you still watch movies on a VCR? No.

Have you ever known someone online, then met them in real life? nope. 

Do you believe in a God? yeah

Do you like windy days? only when its warm. 

Do you have a deep, dark secret? dont we all

What’s in your pocket? nothing.

Have you ever wanted to be on TV? sure, who hasn’t. 

Have you ever been pushed into a pool? Yeah. 

Do you have birthday parties? I suppose.

Have you ever attended a costume party? Yes.

Do you still drink Mt. Dew even though it’s bad for you? Yes

Have you ever cried over another person? yeah

Are you listening to music right now? [If yes, what song?] Q1043 is on in the background. Refugee - by tom petty and the heartbreakers. 

Do you like classical music? ehhh

Do you believe in forever? eeeeeeeeeeeeh. I think things on earth are too volatile for that. 

When did you last eat Cheetos? i don’t remember :( 

Have you ever talked on the phone more than an hour? Yes.

Do you take a lot of pictures of yourself? I guess because of snapchat. I don’t save a lot though. 

Do you know anybody who is afraid of clowns? probably.

What time did you wake up this morning? I think I actually woke up at like 6:40. 

Were you ever afraid of the dark? when I was little.

Do you have a mirror in your bedroom? Yes.

What type of computer do you have? Dell. 

Do you put pepper on mostly everything you eat? no.

Have you ever seen a zebra? yeah

When was the last time you had hiccups? idk. 

Have you ever had toe cramps? yeah

What’s your middle name? Lynn

How tall are you? 5′

What grade are you in? -

Do you like the taste of burnt popcorn? Yes.

Are you a forgiving person? not as of late. When was the last time you brushed your teeth?

last night.

Have you ever touched a snake? yeah

Do you wear make-up? Not really. 

Have you ever had a rolling back pack? Yeah. 

Are you cold at the moment? yeah actually. 

What season were you born in? spring.

Do you have a person you could tell everything to? I suppose.

What colour is the soap in your bathroom? Does it have a specific scent? green. ehh.

Do you have a favourite towel? What colour is it? i like the fluffier ones. they’re all different colors. 

Have you seen any films with Judy Garland in them? wizard of oz! lol 

How did you feel when you woke up today? Why? tired. because i’m always tired

Do you have a friend named Nick? What’s his favourite food? yes. ugh. idk lol. i think ive seen him eat too many different things. 

Have you ever been to the cinema to watch a film, and found that you disliked it? AVATAR ! 

What do you plan to do tomorrow? recycle some bottles and thats about it lol