#not completely original vibes of course - this used to be a horror show

[bardicious]

Really happy about this season (s11) so far, it's got everything I love:

Dean and Sam without a rift between them, having brotherly moments.

The writing is generally nice and paced well

Lucifer being a creepy stalker

Side characters that I like: Amara, Crowley (in his prime once more), more Rowena, Castiel watching Netflix

Amara as a villain I enjoy, and how she ties in with everything

Lots of really funny moments, and cute moments.

All around, just super pleased. Tomorrow I'll be watching s11e6 and onwards.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

hi ari!!!! hope you’re doing well!! 🐟🐟 these days the weather is so so nice and the sea is so tempting……………… i went ahead and took some days to swim like the fish i am! surprisingly the water wasn’t so cold and it seems i wasn’t the only one who thought of swimming because the beach was full of people 🙂‍↕️ it was really fun!

anyway!! i wanted to ask you, which films and/or cinematic universes you think your jjk favs would suit the most??? :33 if it is too restraining you can name tv series, of course!!

(p.s.: oh, i’m glad you liked my silly rant about statue!gojo TT 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 it has been rotting in my mind for months now but i’m a procrastinator and i have too many wips… i think it might be that summer is near and i’m super inspired but i don’t know where to begin lmaooo. my notebook is overflowing with half-finished prompts and chapters that are waiting to be completed……. 😭😭) — 🐟 anon

HIIIII MY LITTLE 🐟 ANON!!!! :33

i’m so happy that it’s getting warmer where you are!!!!! the weather is starting to take a turn for the better here too hehe….. but wahhh!!!! beach trips!!!!!!! i miss them i do…. you’ll have to have double the fun for both of us!!! <3333

AND . GULP. that’s a super fun question and also super tough bc i don’t watch …. a lot of movies……… 😔😔 i’ve been watching more recently!!!! but honestly i have a lot of trouble remembering series and movies that i’ve watched….. my brain doesn’t store a lot of them. HOWEVER . yk what i do watch??? and adore????

……. musicals >:33

so here are some musicals that i associate w my jjk favs!!! I HOPE THAT’S OKAY… i got a little too into it i think 😭

gojo - legally blonde

I JUST THINK HE WOULD LOVE IT SO MUCH……….. i know him personally . honestly i would’ve given him the movie if i had followed your original assignment bc it just screams gojo to me either way!!!! i think he loves chickflicks. :3 and this is definitely one of his comfort movies…… the musical is also just SUCH a bop i knowwwww this man is terrorizing his coworkers by singing ”gay or european” in broad daylight (specifically to nanami)……

sugu - the phantom of the opera

THE PHANTOMMMMMMM OF THE OPERA IS HEREEEEEEEE 🎶🎶🎶🎶 …. <- sugu doesn’t sing along to musicals + doesn’t rlly like them that much in general but i know in my heart and soul that he would hum this part quietly to himself . what can i say….. this is just a very classy musical that i think would appeal to him <3333 he’d read the book beforehand too. he’s a lil pretentious but it’s okay :3 he’s veryyyy picky abt what musical renditions he enjoys tho…….

shoko - the guy who didn’t like musicals

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE MUSICAL OF ALL TIMEEEEE <333333 i just know she’d adore it. the blend between horror and comedy is soooo shoko and i feel like she wouldn’t like musicals at ALL lmao so she’d appreciate the meta commentary!!!! it’s just. suchhhh a good musical….. i love starkid so much it hurts………… AND THE WHOLE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE THINGGG she would eat that up!!!! pls watch this one if you haven’t 🐟 anon you can find the full thing on yt and it’s INCREDIBLE i’ve watched it like 10 times!!!! it’s my most beloved!!!!

kenny - beetlejuice

BEETLEJUICE 👏 BEETLEJUICE 👏👏 BEETLEJUICE 👏👏👏 okay so i actually lied this one is ALSO my absolute favorite . and i’m giving it to kenny solely based on vibes :3 HE REMINDS ME OF BEETLEJUICE OK…. and i think he’d love it a lot. the songs are so fucking good and i know he’d appreciate them. the theme of life/death is also very kenny obv !!!!

toji - black friday

ANOTHER STARKID MUSICAL. this one is just…… soooo good and funny and also . tragic. one of the characters reminds me a lot of toji :’3 former veteran w a dead wife…. who struggles to show his son how much he cares…… and the theme of capitalism and money and how it corrupts ppl also feels in line w toji’s character!! but above all else this musical is abt. Family. and that’s more toji than anything!!! :((( this is another musical that i rlly recommend checking out, it’s set in the same universe as the guy who didn’t like musicals but like . an alternate timeline. it’s not my favorite in the series but the songs slap and it made me cry so <3333 yeah.

nobara - heathers

was lowkey considering six the musical for my beloved nobara (bc of the gorgeous women and catchy fun songs) but . i think heathers fits her more!!!! i just feel like she’d ADORE it…… i know she’s singing along at the top of her lungs too LMAO especially to dead girl walking <3333 it’s just such a fun badass musical and i think she’d be obsessed. she does NOT like jd tho god bless 🙏🙏

[sharonisthebettercarter]

Slipknot Vermillion Butchlander.

FUCK. YES.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH~<3<3<3 buckle in buckle in y'all cause this about to be a DOOZY<3!!

songs if ya hadn't heard them~<3 (def give them a listen, pt.2 is like an acoustic version, both lovely~<3, same general themes tho different vibes which-- ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

anywho~<3

FIRST OF ALL. YES. absolutable~<3

you beautiful beautiful little monster, this is PERFECT. okay, okay, yes, i'm getting too excited lmao. BUTT--

"I won't let this build up inside a me--"

this is an absolutely perfect opportunity for a deep dive into billy's psyche, psychosis, and an incredible exploration of psychological horror~<3

and it starts~?

with a *married* butchlander<3<3<3 OOH~<3!! (altho fair to use for for other ships with butcher, just doesn't get to the same level of psychological turmoil from the whole *husband is the villain* thing--;)))))))))) ANYWHO<3

basically butcher and homie are in a loving, *healthy* relationship. john is a good husband. maybe they even have ryan<3 or a little baby in billy's belly on the way<3<3<3 (or both~! lmao, always gotta throw that in-- ;))))))))))) a/b/o always an option, trans/intersex billy too, the world is the oyster~<3 any explanation like homie can just knock dudes up i guess lmfao--maybe that was the start-- :O ;)))))))) anyway, everything's perfect--except...

billy's having a bit of psychological... trouble. in which for some reason, his brain seems to be fabricating an entire reality with a loving and perfect wife, becca/becky--where his husband is the villain who tore them apart... and the situation in turn... starts to drive him and john apart...

and at first, of course, they'd be managing, between medications, care, brain scans, billy having nightmares and dreams, john trying to help, fighting and screaming, moments homie would have to hold billy down because he's having a meltdown, john having all the proof to keep billy from going nuclear/make it clear that he's... unwell, and that he's there for billy. maybe even a dna test to show that ryan is *theirs* and no one else's if a baby still in billy ain't enough--

but trust is wavering.

OOH, exploration into billy falling down that rabbit hole and believing it so much, he makes an effort to investigate and run away while homie always comes to get him/find him, drag him back home--and always *always*, refuse to hurt him even while billy is at his worst trying to force his hand, maybe even asking john to kill him so this doesn't continue--and again, his husband refusing.

now here's the kicker<3<3<3

this story could be done in two main ways (with expansive variations~<3, 3 if you count the middle road<3<3<3)

OOH! but before i dive into that, i should also mention that billy potentially being the *villain* in his own mind--in which he kidnaps and tortures and holds captive this *perfect* woman while john is none the wiser--ooooooohhhhhh... we'll come back to that one~<3 ;)

back on *john* being the villain in billy's mind.

"she isn't real. I can't make her real--"

and there in lies the *question*...

whether or not billy *is* experiencing psychosis and john is *actually* the villain, is it's own exploration~<3<3<3. depending on which version (regular or pt. 2), you channel the vibes of lmao

pt. 2 def feels like it could be more of a tragic rendition of this idea, where billy really *is* experiencing psychosis and john *is* a loving husband who *is* trying to help and care for billy<3

but the original...? mmm. let's just say there could be various... hints of a completely manipulated world around them--signs of a world *rewritten* or people silenced ,sides to john that he never *ever* shows to billy. certain... *things* that would certainly *imply* he is the *monster* billy's mind has made him--maybe it's billy's real memories trying to spill through whatever homelander did to him-- ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

mmmmmhmmmm~<3<3<3

BUTT, my personal fave?

*open. ended*

in which... there are... hints that might suggest one is true, and then the other, or even elements of both, but there's never truly an answer given... OOOH<3 FUCK YES. OOF, just the IDEA def gets me lol

i do feel the songs lean towards the 'she isn't real' factor (for obvious reasons lol) but for a fic~? ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

for variation in that exploration (and maybe an easy way to dig into the open ended vibes, but with a twisty lean~<3), maybe *most* of the 'hints' implicate one way with extremely *vague* BLINK AND YOU MISS IT hints for the *other* end, and one very *strong* hint/scene that ties together all the *vague* hints and makes them... impossible to ignore~<3

gawd i love psychological horror<3<3<3 lmao can you tell?

NOW. what about *billy* being the villain~<3?

OOOOHHHHHHH!!! now *that* one has some *real* hard potential for gut wrenching love from john<3<3<3 (i should also mention, *def* an option for psychosis with *john* there and OOF gotta stop giving myself expansions into this but it's just so FUCKING GOOD, LISTEN TO THE SONGS DAMMIT AND FEEL INSPIRED--)

similar enough deal, except with billy believing he's committed these horrible crimes to an innocent woman, a wonder of it might have been real or not and john trying to be by his side and settle his mind--and of course, the potential for a seriously covered up horrific crime because john's not about to lose his husband *for any reason*<3<3<3

maybe billy believes he committed the crime when it was really john and they covered it up together but billy--

this of course works just as lovely for the *canon compliant* show option with *john* feeling the full brunt of his psychosis--and billy trying to cover it up... *OR*... did it really happen at all? is billy right, is ryan really *their* son and there was no becky/becca?

;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

oh i know i am absolutely TERRIBLE I KNOW-- but listen. LISTEEEENNNN... I FUCKING LOVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR, OKAY!?!?!

anywho~<3

there's also an element of serious *danger* involved with homie being the one to experience psychosis (powers and all, def one with billy too but not nearly as savage--unless a course ya give him powers too<3), especially if homie *convinces* himself that he *is* this *monster*, and therefore *must* act as this monster.

ooh, def some dives into comics themes but it go a little somethin'... like this:

"i think, therefore i am" or cogito, ergo sum (heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy that's a title if i ever done seen one for this one lmfao only if 'vermillion' isn't used i guess, alternatively 'cinnabar'<3)

and

"i can, therefore i must"

but the comics actually have a perfect set up for this too--OOH! it kinda goes back to that 'detective husbands' prompt lmao (expect a little different obviously) where instead of being a 'convinced i'm right when i'm wrong' dickwad billy or even *homie knows he didn't do it* (he would have to be on that edge of sanity/not know for sure for this one to work<3) we have a billy who actually legit *explores* and *investigates* what happened to becky because he *sees* that things don't add up *before* he starts actively making it worse. instead doing his own *solo* detective work~<3

maybe even stalking, meeting, getting to know homelander (*john*) personally. possibly even with the motive of finding his weakness, etc. and then tripping and landing on his dick and falling in love along the way~<3<3<3

lmao could be that billy even *abandons* the boys to get to the bottom of what really happened-- but also cause he ends up knocked up after realizing homie *was not* in fact the culprit<3<3<3

do feel the homie versions (show or comics) would deal less with the 'vermillion' vibes or i guess less chance for *open ended* horror themes, and more of a cut clean *he did it/he didn't do it* and is losing his mind sorta feel. in a sense, *becky* def *wouldn't* be real for comics homie because they never actually interacted (while the show version could be actively trying to remember her/struggling with who he *used* to be--OOH!! jason blood is def a place to look for inspo there~<3), so the tie in could be *exquisite* for sure, but it def is a slightly different feel lol

honestly might consider writing the comics/vermillion themed one (at some point, i have promised myself to other shit), it would explore billy instead of using homie as an excuse to be his worst self, homie becoming billy's excuse to hold onto what becky actually wanted for him/turn homie good (which is cute and sad in it's own way but could be SO fucking precious<3) and that would be some GOOD shit<3<3<3

FUCK! this is probably gonna build up inside a me i--

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

APARTMENT 7A (2024)

Starring Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess, Kevin McNally, Marli Siu, Rosy McEwen, Amy Leeson, Scott Hume, Andrew Buchan, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Rosy McEwen, Nikkita Chadha, Julia Westcott-Hutton, James Swanton, Brooke Walter, Hannah Morley, Patrick Lyster, Dylan Baldwin , Mellanie Hubert, Anton Blake Horowitz and Eva-Marie Kung.

Screenplay by Natalie Erika James & Christian White and Skylar James.

Directed by Natalie Erika James.

Distributed by Paramount Pictures. 104 minutes. Rated R.

There have been a ton of horror films over the years that have ripped off Roman Polanski’s classic 1968 horror film Rosemary’s Baby (I’ve seen at least two which stole scenes from it in just the last few months), so it is kind of a surprise that it has taken so long for an official reboot of the movie.

Apartment 7A is not a remake of Rosemary’s Baby – it’s actually a prequel – but the film is based on Ira Levin’s classic novel (as was the 1968 film) and has a very similar storyline and old-fashioned style to the original. In fact, it seems that the movie was originally conceived as a remake as written by Skylar James, but when that project didn’t take off, writer/director Natalie Erika James reconceptualized the story to show the happenings in the Bramford, a mysterious old apartment building in New York. (As with Rosemary’s Baby, the Bramford is filmed in the famous Dakota on Central Park West in the Upper West Side.)

In fact, the makers of Apartment 7A are being a bit coy about the connection, not really pushing the fact that it is a part of the Rosemary’s Baby story, particularly not in its very generic sounding title.

However the lead character Terry Gionoffrio did appear, briefly, in the Rosemary’s Baby novel and film. This film is that woman’s backstory. (I won’t go into details as to how she fits into the original storyline, because that could be considered a bit of a spoiler for Apartment 7A.)

The basics of horror cinema have certainly changed a whole hell of a lot since Rosemary was released in 1968, and interestingly Apartment 7A sort of settles into the old-fashioned, more measured, spooky vibe of its predecessor. Which makes the film rather interesting, if occasionally a bit slow-paced for modern audiences.

We meet Terry (Julia Garner) as an aspiring Broadway dancer. During a performance, she badly injures her foot, leading her to have to stop her promising career for a period of months. (The accident becomes so well known that on Broadway she is broadly referred to as “the girl who fell.”) She tries to hurry herself back to work before she is ready by using painkillers, eventually becoming addicted to the pills.

After a particularly humiliating audition, Terry follows the producer Alan Marchand (Jim Sturgess) to his home at the Bramford. When she is unable to get through to him, she passes out due to her drug use. She is brought in the building by a sweet-seeming older couple named Roman and Minnie Castavet (Kevin McNally and Dianne Wiest), who quickly offer to put Terry up in an apartment that they own. Of course, if you have seen Rosemary’s Baby, you know that the Castavets have ulterior motives. (Wiest, in particular, does a stunning job of recreating the character as played by Ruth Gordon in the original. Close your eyes and you may think it was the same actress.)

In fact, their plans for Terry are very similar to their later plans with Rosemary. In fact, according to this storyline, the satanist residents of the Bramford have tried similar acts several times with multiple women.

None of it is completely surprising – if you are familiar with the original story, you have a pretty good idea how it will all end – but Apartment 7A is still an interesting chapter of the tale.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 19, 2024.

[superectojazzmage]

What was is that Cates was trying to do in his run, but failed at?

So basically, back during the whole Secret Empire period of Marvel, Donny Cates and Al Ewing both pitched ideas for big Hulk runs at the same time. Ewing’s pitch was a horror saga that eventually became Immortal Hulk. Cates’ run was his Smashtronaut story about “the Hulk’s Hulk”/an evil darkness entity and Bruce and Hulk having a super-adversarial relationship where they’re straight up enemies. Editorial basically made a compromise where Ewing could do his pitch first, and once he was done, Cates could do his if he still wanted to. So Ewing did Immortal Hulk, and Cates went off and did his Venom run (where he ended up using a number of ideas from his Hulk pitch; this is suspected to be where Knull originated from).

Immortal Hulk, of course, went on to be a massive hit and one of the greatest runs on Hulk ever, a series-defining run on the level of Peter David and Greg Pak’s work. It completely upended the status quo of Hulk and went in bold and insane new directions that really reinvigorated a series that had been badly stagnating. Ewing left the book hailed as one of the best Hulk writers ever.

So Cates had a pretty high bar to clear. And instead of reworking his old pitch to account for the changes brought on by Immortal… he just said “fuck it” and tried to do his pitch EXACTLY as he originally planned it, without regard for anything that happened in Immortal, and when he rarely did acknowledge Ewing’s work, is was in a very quick and dirty way that didn’t jive at all with how Immortal ended.

More than that, Cates’ run was SUPPOSED to be, apparently, a very dark and edgy sci-fi adventure kind of story that essentially raised questions about which personality was the real monster, Hulk or Banner, while also taking Hulk on a crazy cosmic journey. Cates seemed to really think he was breaking new ground. But he wasn’t. His run, particularly coming off the truly daring Immortal Hulk, was extremely derivative of better prior runs (an evil Hulk personality just like Paul Jenkins, going to space like Greg Pak, etc.) and showed a deep misunderstanding of the characters and prior lore, sometimes in deeply uncomfortable ways (Bruce’s especially vicious relationship with Savage Hulk in Cates’ run was clearly written without realizing that the previous runs REALLY drove home that Savage is LITERALLY a kid; turning Cates’ Bruce from a man at the end of his rope into a horrific abuser exploiting his power to torment an innocent child who — in the very previous run — had made peace with Bruce and risked his life to save him). It was an attempt to do something crazy and new that instead felt like a massive step backwards for the book. And that was before Cates’ crumbling personal life led to him struggling to keep writing and eventually having to step away early.

Philip Kennedy Johnson’s new run seems to be doing a vaguely similarish premise to Cates’ — Bruce and Hulk as enemies — but is doing it in a radically different and much more well-written way while being much more thematically and continuity-wise linked to Immortal Hulk, not only returning to the horror vibe of Immortal and picking up that run’s hanging threads and sequel hooks, but also all but ignoring Cates’ run. PKJ is essentially doing what Cates should’ve done and just picking up where Immortal Hulk left off while telling a genuinely new and unique story unlike anything Hulk has done before.

[feelingdeadandshitty]

So I did a thing (extra rare)

I ended up moving to the US for college, so I watched some fucking movies during my flights (so fun!!). I legit texted my friends the same things about these movies, but like, who tf cares actually, right???

First plane: Frankenstein theme apparently cause after watching the first movie, my brain went, "heY, how funny would it be to watch another movie with this specific aspects in commoN, but the vibes are COMPLETELY different?" 1. Poor Things: uH it was interesting, though there was a ton of sex lol, which I either skipped or spaced out during cause I wasn't interested in that, though I get why they put it. This specific movie left me sorta conflicted since it's interesting to see a character like Bella gain her independence through the course of the story due to her mental age rapidly changing from infant to adult woman and gaining experience through exploring the outside world. However, I also see how the "born-sexy yesterday" troupe can be used to describe her, even though the point of the movie was for her to find herself sexually and intellectually. Most of the men in the movie, even her father figure, who implanted the infant brain in her, has referred to wanting sexual relations (her father/creator does say it as a passing comment) or sexually takes advantage of her (Mark Ruffalo's character legit "touchs" her within a minute of meeting her cause of his rakeish nature) and the original person's whose body she's in's husband is one of the people of all time 🤠. However, that was probably part of the point to show her discovering herself. Maybe her father's assistant "Max" was the most chill outta them, but I feel like I'm missing something about him idk. Overall, it was a polarizing movie, but unless most ppl who either loved or hated this movie, I'm somewhere in the middle. 2. Lisa Frankenstein: Lisa Frankenstein was just a fun movie, like it didn't take itself seriously plus Cole Sprouse being the love interest working better since he has to keep his yap shut for most of the movie until the last scene is so funny to me. The main girl is really good at being the lead of campy horror, like her delivery is really good man - and I probably should watch more movies she's in- Second plane: pride month mF / Rachel Sennott IS the theme actually- 3. Bottoms: insane as fuck, like maN, I can't begin to explain it, like whoA- uH, comedy of the fucking century, the one liners and fucking HAZEL JESUS IM GAY 😭 4. Shiva Baby: anxiety the movie fr, like brUH?? Rachel's character kept making mistake after mistake but people always asking her to do stuff within the movie at random points and her using them them as ways to escape consequences temporary is jusT- not her sending her nudes to the guY when his WIFE and BABY were there and when his wife found out, OHHHHH BOYYYY, not her forcing Rachel's character to hold the baby when she was basically the side chick (which she didn't know about until that day, but still continued, but I support women's wrongs iG 🤷‍♀️) and the gAYS in the CAR, I will take that hand holding at the end as a happy ending fuck EVERYTHING-

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 18/07/2023

The expanse of meme in past was split, A fiendish trap has now been set; Behind a tree the villains sit, Terror of sport, the Robbie's Net.

Season 5 Featured on: The SiIvaGunner Spooktacular Halloween Horror Special: Curse of the Fallen Angel

Ripped by Blookerstein

In deciding what would be todays post, I had to make a REALLY hard choice between this rip and the equally as excellent When the Impnosktor is Void, both by the same ripper made under the same event. They're both absolute titans of Season 5 and rips that never leave my mind, but I have to play toward my We Are Number One bias just this once.

You may recall (or have just seen, thanks to the reposts) that I covered a We Are Number One post very early on into this blog's life, throwing bunches of praise onto Nape Mango's ability to wield it in Chillin' Like a Villain. While I did touch on just how cool its been for the YTPMV community to have the entire WANO stems and source files available for use, what I wish I'd sold home even more is what that has LED to: A bunch of WANO arrangements with moods and theming wholly different from the original's ska silliness. That's of course notable in Chillin' Like a Villain itself having a far happier, more holiday-cheerful vibe to it due to its original song's instrumentation, and on the complete opposite end of that you find...todays rip, that I won't be spelling out the name of for obvious reasons. This time, shit's SINISTER.

Through the mixing of WANO's instrumentals and the source track's organ backing, this insane boss theme manages to retain almost every aspect of its original oppressive mood despite being sung by Robbie Rotten from LazyTown. Its an absolute treat to the ears to try and decipher what parts of the original WANO are being used where in the song, so densely layered together specifically to create that same dark atmosphere. I think my favorite part althesame is the vocals - in a way, the goofiness of Robbie's original performance starts to fade out of focus thanks to this aforementioned atmosphere, leaving nothing but the overacted villain role performing with full sincerity. Near the middle of the song there's some really clever and well thought out spacing and added reverb to the vocals to specifically make them sync up with the hits of the original song, and it just hits so perfectly. Its not a mere mashup or an automated conversion, but filled with tons of these small little tweaks and layers of depth to ensure the song's full potential is realized.

I remember both this rip and its other potential candidate for the day having a sort of reverance upon being uploaded, due specifically to the sparceness of Hollow Knight rips on the channel before them. The SiIva team have a tendancy of responding to fan requests in a very tounge-and-cheek way, which they'd done previously in the season with Hollow Knight as well, but on this day - the Grimm Trouppe's 4th Anniversary, in the midst of the season's Halloween event - everyone was celebrating with genuine quality. Blookerstein is one hell of a guy to committing to this anniversary as hard as he did, and trust me, he WILL show up again in the future.

[brunosreviews]

In This Moment - Godmode Review

I've been an on and off listener to In This Moment. I've always enjoyed the edgy, dark, and sexual vibe they bring to the table. Yesterday night I decided to give their new (2023, but I'm late) Godmode album a listen. I hadn't heard any of the singles so it was a completely new experience. I noted down my first impressions and I will complement them here with the further listening to the album I've done since. And we are doing it track per track!

Track 1: Godmode

First contact. Wasn't convinced by the new synth voice and sound at first, and I still think this song is the worst off the album. It's quite different from what I expected from ITM sound wise. I noted, "I don't know if all this new noise is doing anything," which I will namely contradict as the album runs its course. Wasn't convinced by this one, and it's the only one off the album I didn't save.

Track 2: The Purge

Very interesting beat and groove. Really good singing and delivery from Maria Brink, which is not new but it is worth noting. She really sells the lyrics with her voice. This is not a song that went where I expected it to go, which is also a recurrent theme in the album for me personally. Love the riff and the long bridge scream is definitely worth listening to again. I think it has to grow on me, and I'm also convinced it will.

Track 3: Army Of Me

This is the point where In This Moment sold me with their "new" sound. Really bold choice of song to cover, and Brink shows again just how versatile her voice is. I'm not super familiar with Björk's original (sorry) but I loved this version, and I'll be listening to it a lot. Big fan of this one.

Track 4: Sacrifice

I found this track off-putting in a good way at first, sound-wise. The chorus really caught me off guard, but the more I listened to what they were going for, the more I found myself enjoying it. It's the kind of song I have to get used to. I don't have a ton of notes for this one. When I first listened to it, I was moderately high, and something about it fried my brain.

Track 5: Skyburner

Engaging. Ethereal in ways I never thought ITM would go for. Once again, really good singing. By this point, you can tell how much her voice is carrying a first listen. Not to say the music is bad, but it is very different from, say, 'Whore' or 'The In-Between', or to me it seems so. Also worth noting are the enunciation and at times phonetic choices in the vocals.

Track 6: Sanctify Me

Ear-catching introduction to one of the best songs in the album. I can't help myself from pointing out constantly how good Maria Brink's delivery of the lyrics is. I've always thought her singing had a lot of performative elements, and she's definitely acting out the song vocally. Lovely lyrics too. Not surprised at all this got a music video.

Track 7: Everything Starts And Ends With You

While I was not as into the lyrics of this one initially, the band really sells them well. I loved the pre chorus and the chorus with a passion, and on subsequent listens, it's become a favorite of mine. Feels monumental. Really cool choices on the vocal melody, which is another recurrent album theme. Surprised it got no video. I think it might be a favorite as well.

Track 8: Damaged (ft. Spencer Charnas)

When I saw Charnas was in the song, I immediately got excited. I love Ice Nine Kills as its own band, and Spencer Charnas is the very king of horror lyric delivery (just look at 'Funeral Derangements' and 'Hip To Be Scared'). Dream collab, both of them are amazing singers who really act out their lyrics, and I love it. It's lovely seeing how they influence each other in the song. The song itself is good, doesn't stand out to me except for the fact it's a collaboration, but it adds good vocal variety to the record. It's also very catchy. The second verse is possibly the best part of this.

Track 9: Fate Bringer

Their unpredictability shows again in the best way. Interesting lyrics, more than their other albums. Killer beat, and such a flowy chorus I'll get stuck in my head. Unsure of how to even classify this song, so I won't, but it has its place in the album and I support what they're doing with their sound fully even if I don't adore the song.

Track 10: I Would Die For You

Closing track. Her vocal performance is insane in this one. I noted in my high haze, "She could be singing the newspaper and I'd be rapt." It is definitely a surprise favorite. This chorus is so fucking good and different to older ITM. The way the song expands and grows in scale is monumental. With its progression and the way it simply opens up it feels like I'm inside a church having a religious epiphany, which is fitting. Another masterpiece song. Had no idea it was in John Wick til I checked the comments, and now I wanna see the movie.

-

All in all, it is a really interesting and engaging collection of songs that I greatly enjoy and will be listening to obsessively for a week minimum. I think the new 'noises' as I put them and the new sound fits them well, even if it's a big change. A fun album to go through and pay attention to! I'd recommend it if you like female-fronted metal, devotion, dramatic delivery and obsessions.

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

What I'm Watching: Speedrun Edition

*shrug* I kinda forgot. I was kinda overwhelmed. Here's everything I watched in August and September with my thoughts on it in three sentences or less.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

I was not disappointed. I fucked up by not seeing this in a theater setting. It will have its own post when I get around to watching it again.

House On Haunted Hill (the original)

Silly, goofy, completely unserious, and a total banger. I've been meaning to watch more classic movies in general, and you can't go wrong with Vincent Price.

Saved!

This aged a lot better than I would have assumed, based on the terse description on Prime, and thus proved the old adage.

The Birds

Ok, I know I just said I wanted to watch more classics and you don't get more classic than Hitchcock, but how did this manage to feel slower and more uneventful than movies that are longer and have less action?

Suck It Up

Quiet but emotional indie flick about grief and regret that felt like what a non-horror Mike Flanagan project might look like. So obviously, I liked it.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Garish, fluorescent, live-action cartoon acid trip of a movie. I love the vibe and the aesthetic, and I want to watch this with a group of friends. It seems like that type of movie.

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil

You know I love this one. Moving on.

House of 1000 Corpses

Easiest way to describe this is, if Texas Chain Saw Massacre was less serious and more horny. As I put it to my sister, I feel like if you put this movie under a black light, you might not like what you saw.

Overboard (the remake)

If you didn't even know there was a remake, that makes two of us. The gender swap threw me off and I don't know if it was meant to be different for the sake of it or to make the premise a little less :/ but if it's that last one, it didn't work. Regardless, it did what a rom com is supposed to do and gave all the fun and fluffy feels.

Over The Garden Wall

Mandatory seasonal viewing. It looks the way I wish fall still felt. How does a show that came out in 2014 and I've only seen twice feel so nostalgic?

And of course, hours upon hours upon h o u r s of Sailor Moon. Will I do better about keeping up with these posts next month? Who knows. We'll find out together.

[birdhousemp3]

hiiii ok this is a complete list of every horror movie that i’ve rated 4+ (out of 5) stars on letterboxd:

the love witch, seoul station, get out, us, jennifer’s body, train to busan, what we do in the shadows, aliens, the craft, teeth, nope, mother!, annihilation, a quiet place pt ii, the babadook, the fly (of course), videodrome, no one will save you, ginger snaps, his house, cobweb, cargo, la llorona (the guatemalan one not the u.s. one), the company of wolves, tale of tales, hungry wives, lyle

and honorable mention 3.5 star movies that i’d also recommend:

american psycho, scream, a quiet place, barbarian, talk to me, bodies bodies bodies, smile, ready or not, rocky horror picture show, cabin in the woods, raw, creep, when evil lurks, the host, vivarium, the invitation, gerald’s game, one cut of the dead, dead ringers, alien resurrection, triangle, hell house llc, day of the dead, society, piggy, the girl with all the gifts, anna and the apocalypse, tammy and the t. rex, blood red sky, sissy, the wretched, zombie for sale, here alone, the thing

based on the fact that u like the fly these movies will probably be most similar vibes-wise: aliens (would also recommend watching the original alien but i just don’t like it as much as the second movie), videodrome (obviously), the company of wolves, dead ringers (also obvious), society, tammy and the t. rex, and the thing. i also think u might enjoy the love witch, the craft, teeth, ginger snaps, hungry wives, and scream…if u want any more specific recommendations based on genre etc just lmk i love talking abt horror movies <3

ahh hehe thank u thank u thank u!!! all will be added to my watchlist <33

i will let u know my thoughts!! ily <3

[theneverendingmixtapecontinued]

Daily Update 366 (Ketchup)

Recent Times When I’ve Thought About Yousht

1.) HS Musicals --> I bought new copies of the cast albums for the 2 musicals we did with Lanno in HS... I already had all 3 versions of the musical from with MS with Fluffy... I actually really like the musical we did your senior year, the 1967 version; it’s not nearly as obnoxious as I remember it... I thoroughly enjoyed it... For once, the thought of it gave me positive vibes... I have to give a listen to the other one we did, but I bought it with the most recent London version, which I heard... The point is, yousht would think I had copies of those 2 musicals already... But mine were just old burned copies from HS... The first one barely even worked... I don’t know why I never thought to buy them until now... 

2.) Flat Tire --> Last night, I hit the curb, and got a flat tire on my way to Hadley to see Guardians Of The Galaxy 3... Don’t ask me how, but I managed to stop right at our local State Park... Where we’d go sometimes, when we first learned to drive... (I even lucked out that there was a port-a-potty!!!)... The point is, I thought of yousht immediately... And how there was one time yousht took me there at dusk, said “Don’t worry, we’re not gonna make-out” because it’s one of those classic spots, got out of the car, sat at the overlook, yousht told me your hopes and dreams, and I really did think yousht were going to kiss me... At least, I really wanted yousht to do so... Someday, I’m going to write a semi-autobiographical teen angst novel... I just don’t know if it’s going to be wish-fulfilment where we do hook-up, or the actual truth which was bittersweet...

3.) Perks Movie --> Speaking of us bonding in HS, I finally watched The Perks Of Being A Wallflower movie, which is of course, 11 years old already... WTF?!?... (As it were, it was still too soon after shit happened for me to watch it then...) I bought it, but I hadn’t even opened it... The point is, I laughed, I cried, I felt all sorts of things... It directly quoted the book... It filled me with nostalgia... It reminded me of why I read that book twice... Football games, mixtapes, diner food, Rocky Horror, parties... It was just weird, that before he turned evil, the drummer and I talked about how it should be a film... And then there it was a few years later... And I just could not bare to watch it.... And now that I have... I feel way more complete, and inspired, and probably infinite...

4.) Joyous Librarian --> My supervisor and I were chatting about prom, because her daughter (who also works with me) just went to hers... I told her about my actual prom, but not with much enthusiasm... And then I must have lit-up like a firecracker when I talked about yousht... And my semi-formal... And how that was my real prom... She started asking lots of questions... The point is, when I told her about how a coworker actually knows yousht, she could not believe it... She insisted I go see yousht... That you’re local... That I shouldn’t miss the opportunity... That who knows what could happen... She actually said, “Oh, I’m so happy for you, that’s so exciting...” Like, I told her you’re attached, and the first words out of her mouth were for me to ask our mutual what your status really is... I mean, yes, I said, “The guy I was in love with in HS”... So, I guess it implies I could still be in love with yousht, particularly since I’m still single... I don’t know... But I did also tell her child about the ridiculous connection to yousht that I found at work... 

5.) Your Name --> As per usual, or really more so, I’ve seen your goofy first name everywhere these days... Especially, in a ton of the credits for TLM (Live Action)... And the guy who played Charlie Brown originally (yousht might have said)... And of course, on books at the library... The point is, I think it’s more specific then that... Like, I didn’t write it down, but sometimes your name would just show up at pointed moments... Where I go... Huh, of course... There it is... And I don’t know what to think anymore... 

HONORABLE MENTION: HS Encounter --> A girl from Marching Band (who was my nurse last year), just walked into my job 10 minutes ago, looking for a private area to talk to somebody... She’s a big girl, 2/3 years older than me... Who has an identical twin... I gave her a tight hug, which I wasn’t able to do the last time I saw her... And then she just left, because we don’t have a quiet study room she can use... The point is, holy crap, I’m writing to yousht again, after 3 months have passed... Then, in walks someone who knew us when... Who first told me to go to more punk/ska shows, like I used to do, and either say “hi” to your or not... But to just go and have a good time... Who just told me I look so good, and am doing what I want to be doing... Like, I’m downstairs in Children’s, say what?!?

***DISCLAIMER***: You’re still so relevant to me... There’s some air of yousht surrounding me, still... I was gonna say that your presence is still felt... But I didn’t believe it completely... Until right this very second... I mean, I don’t get my life... My heart wants to change directions (and it has in some way), yet I find yousht everywhere... It’s not necessarily a direct clue... But there always ends up being something... Do I just miss yousht?!?... Is it more?!?... Yousht were everything to me and I was nothing without you, but yousht also strung me along and never made a legitimate move... Then, we’d only get each other after the fact... What does it all mean, seriously dude, please tell me?!?

BTW, I eat ketchup, now... Not all the time... But, it happens... <@@@

#Destiny #TwinFlame #FEELINGS #BeTheChange #Grow #Vent #GarfieldSays

[musical-shenanigans]

Show #2

Title: The Run Me Out of Green Guyville Edition

(Note: Show titles have and will always be a challenge.)

Show Release Date: April 28, 2021

Welcome aboard, Dave!!!

At the start of the show, I ask Dave if he likes music and if he plays music, which is a callback to an interview I did of Scott.  It was one of those little things I was trying out, and if I wanted to be an interviewer, I have a long way to go.

The show itself really has no name and at the time of recording, it did not have a home either.  You may likely notice that the first three shows all release on the same day.  There was not some long marathon weekend of recording, there was just a period when I needed to find a place to host these recordings.

For a short time, I was trying to create my own site for the shows through that whole WQRZ thing, but going into this show, I dropped that pretext completely.  This show was going to be its own thing, and it was going to have to do it without a name for the time being.  (Note: when the name of the show starts being used, I will share the big elaborate flowchart and brainstorming that went into the name.) 

Needless to say, with Dave on board, we immediately had a great vibe and dynamic going.  Of course, we were just discussing these albums, and it would not be until the seventh show when we started to pit the albums against one another - and there will be more on that paradigm shift when we get to that episode.  Otherwise, we found that we had a nice little rhythm going and the ability to discuss these albums with some semblance of musical intelligence.

There is one aspect of the Top 500 that irked us all, and that was the use of "greatest hits."  Each time we stumble upon one of these, or a compilation album (later episodes with Elvis, Little Richard, and The Beatles), we say that these albums were thrown together and are not part of one cohesive endeavor for an artist.  In this show, we have Al Green with his Greatest Hits, and yet, he has two other albums in the Top 500 - so the spot, we feel, was wasted.

But please walk away with this: we realized that we played well together and complimented each to a level that we believed we potentially had something.

The "Playlist Masters" commercial is a disaster.  I still say it is a good bit, but the execution was not very good.  Imagine if you will, K-Tel getting onto your computer, into your cassette and CD collection, and into your browser history to curate the best musical playlist for you.  (For those of you unfamiliar with K-Tel, I point you down to the new reference section below.)  As it happens, the victim in this commercial has three embarrassing songs played back that best befit what was gleaned from a deep dive search of all his media.  Where this bit epically fails is that the clips are entirely too short.  The clips are as follows:  Wilson Phillips  - "Hold On", Air Supply - "Making Love Out of Nothing at All", and the last clip is a song called "The Money Shot" from a compilation album called "Sex-O-Rama 2", with the subtitle of "Classic Adult Film Music" - obviously portraying that the victim of the commercial is surfing recreational procreation.   As I said, the bit has its merits, but I did not stick the landing.

Make note, that going forward, there will be a "references" section here with either relevant links or an explanation to a bit we made. If any music is used, I will site where it originated to the best of my ability.

References:

When discussing Sleater-Kinney, we mention that the drummer's name is Janet Weiss, which is also the name of the character Susan Sarandon plays in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and just about every time someone says Janet, or Janet Weiss, the audience shouts out "SLUT!"  Now, if you are unfamiliar with the audience experience that is "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", I am incredibly sad for you.  Here is a clip with what occurs in a screening of the movie with local actors portraying the film in front of the screen.  It truly is an experience you should have in this lifetime.

In our discussion on Al Green, Dave makes mention of his cover of "Take Me to the River" and we were all surprised that this song was not included on the greatest hits album.  Seriously, check it out here.

We mentioned two songs by Liz Phair in the show, and note, at this point in time I am not playing clips from the aritsts (there was some concerns about copyrights and such that we later discussed).  Flower is an odd song, kind of Liz's Revolution #9, and you can hear it here.  The other song we mention, that is not on the Exile in Guyville album is called Supernova, and you can check out the video for it here.

When we were all digging on RUN-DMC, we mentioned the omnipresence of the song My Addidas back at the time it was released.  It still stands the test of the time, so please give the video a view here.

K-Tel Records - folks, if you can remember what a "Mix Tape" was - and not a short album release (see Drake in a future show) - this was the industry putting most of Kasey Kasem's American Top 40 (more like the top 10 of that year) or created themes, and shoving all these popular songs onto one album or cassette for your listening pleasure.  So, if you were one of those that just liked the singles and did not want to own whole albums, this was the ideal medium for you.  Ergo, the curated playlist was directly influenced by K-Tel.  Oh yeah, and their commercials were ridiculous!! 

Straight From the Heart Collection

Songs of Joy Collection (the original Kidz Bop)

26 Sing Along Honky Tonk Greats Collection - and it comes with a songbook!!!

The albums as described by ChatGPT

Sleater-Kinney - "Dig Me Out" (1997):

"Dig Me Out" is the third studio album by the American rock band Sleater-Kinney. Released in 1997, the album is considered a landmark in feminist punk rock and indie rock. The band's signature sound of distorted guitars, intricate rhythms, and powerful vocals are showcased in songs such as "One More Hour," "Words and Guitar," and the title track "Dig Me Out." The album received critical acclaim upon its release and helped to establish Sleater-Kinney as one of the most important bands in the Pacific Northwest music scene.

Al Green - "Greatest Hits" (1975):

"Greatest Hits" is a compilation album by the legendary soul singer Al Green. Released in 1975, the album features some of his most well-known and beloved songs, including "Let's Stay Together," "Tired of Being Alone," and "Love and Happiness." Green's smooth, silky voice and emotive delivery make these songs timeless classics, and his influence can be heard in countless soul and R&B artists that have followed in his footsteps.

Liz Phair - "Exile in Guyville" (1993):

"Exile in Guyville" is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair. Released in 1993, the album is a raw and unapologetic exploration of sexuality, relationships, and the experience of being a woman in a male-dominated industry. The album's lo-fi sound, combined with Phair's candid and confessional lyrics, created a sensation in the indie rock scene and has since been regarded as a groundbreaking album for women in rock.

Run-DMC - "Raising Hell" (1986):

"Raising Hell" is the third studio album by the influential hip-hop group Run-DMC. Released in 1986, the album helped to popularize hip-hop in mainstream music and solidified Run-DMC's place in music history. The album features hits such as "Walk This Way," a collaboration with Aerosmith, "It's Tricky," and "My Adidas." The group's signature style of stripped-down beats, booming basslines, and aggressive rhymes paved the way for future generations of hip-hop artists.

[wildwren]

Okay, so I watched 1899 this week and,,,, I’m actually gonna drive myself insane if I don’t get some thoughts out about it — like I’m not even saying these thoughts are deep or mind-blowing or extra special analyze-y or anything, I just need to write ‘em down so my brain can get some space because they're are currently chewing holes in the ol’ lobes. Anyway!

Warning: Spoilers for 1899, mild Dark slander, spoilers for Severance 

I went into 1899 pretty excited. I love historical fiction, I love boat stories, especially boat disaster stories, I very much enjoyed Dark (although I would not call it a masterpiece or a perfect story or some of the other things people call it), I love watching shows that are not (entirely) in English. I love sinister mysteries/horror/surrealism, etc. Seemed like a pretty good vibe! 

For me, Dark was a very enjoyable ride and certainly a good use of viewing hours, but I personally wasn’t entirely moved by the scale of its sci-fi premise. I found the central time-loop conceit and all its twisty convolutions ultimately less interesting than the character work they were doing, the ways in which they were using the sci-fi premise to explore character by placing different versions of the same characters in relation to each other and seeing how they responded. However, the writing suffered imo from a sort of over-ponderousness — long philosophical monologues delivered by disembodied voices extrapolating on the nature of reality and time, full needle-drop montages at the end of every episode which were sometimes emotionally impactful and sometimes not. And while I appreciate their choice to end it at 3 seasons instead of continuing the story interminably, when it was all said and done, it felt rather long-winded to me, as if an even shorter form and a more condensed structure might have actually served the story better. 

Most of the critical reviews I’ve read of 1899 have been comparing it unfavorably with Dark, naming it as a failure to live up to the showrunner’s first big project, but I can’t say I agree. For starters, it’s hard to compare the two when Dark is complete and 1899 is not. But I’m pleasantly surprised by 1899’s attempts to correct the indulgences of Dark. There are essentially no ponderous monologues delivered by disembodied voices! Hallelujah! The needle-drop montages are still there and are still personally underwhelming for me, but they are quite punchy and short. The pacing feels much more spry (although some critics are calling it interminably slow? Disagree). The character work is still strong, but instead of focusing on a bunch of white middle-class teenagers and their parents in a comfortable suburb, it widens its scope to include a much greater range of experiences and stories. And it does so very effectively! 

It’s the character work that hits the hardest for me. I was particularly impressed by the secondary characters in 1899 (by that, I think I mean everyone other than Maura, Daniel, Elliott). Each one of them felt richly drawn and complex, and their backstories were revealed by means of the sort of slow-building, situational exposition which keeps me engaged. Not one of these characters felt stock or rote, but were allowed to be fully real and messy, driving the failed loop narrative forward by playing out their own pain and suffering and love in compelling ways. The strongest of these stories for me was probably Tove and Krester — two siblings bonded by a shared trauma event and their desire to escape it, who nevertheless continually fail each other over the course of the story with heartbreaking consequences. A very close second was Ángel and Ramiro, who I originally worried would be reduced to “scummy gays” but whose relationship held so much complexity — at turns toxic, at turns tender — that I ugly cried at Ángel’s death. Ling Yi and Yuk Je were another pair of heartbreakers, and even Olek, perhaps the most uncomplicatedly “good” character in the narrative, carried a darkness with him that haunts me. What was going on with his brother? What happened in that oil drum? As for the Frenchies: I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between Jérôme and Clémence, but they were both lovely characters and Lucien had an enjoyable meow meow quotient as well. And more importantly, they had an effective arc: starting at a place of tension or outright hostility along every axis of their weird little throuple and evolving into a makeshift care dynamic by the end. 

There was a special quality of tenderness to this writing which continues to effect me: the tone was neither grimdark disaster fic nor some cloying “saved by the power of love” message. There was a deep practicality to their attempts to band together and save each other as their numbers dwindled, which made their inevitable failures all the more heartbreaking. 

I guess I’m writing all this out because a lot of criticisms I’ve seen of this show argue that the central premise made these characters defunct. That as soon as the nature of the simulation was revealed, their deaths and their suffering failed to have impact or meaning. I’m struggling to grasp this argument. I do agree that the last episodes favored the drama of Maura, Daniel, and Elliott, who I found perfectly serviceable as the A story, but ultimately less compelling than the secondary characters. I don’t really care that much about the big sci-fi premise reveals, and would have preferred for the secondary characters to remain in greater roles of agency, but I understand why that had to shift to serve the story they were telling. The scope of the sci-fi premise is SO big, requiring the narrative to zoom out a LOT in order to give us the reveals that they did by the end of the season. So yea, we were left at a certain distance from some of our characters. 

But all of these characters are still very real — currently onboard the Prometheus spaceship (or in a B simulation, if you subscribe to that theory) — stuck in a world where they can only act out their trauma and never recover from it, where they can only hurt each other and then try, desperately, to save each other, and then FAIL. Where the love they have for each other is always just out of reach — unspoken or unconsummated or unrealized before its too late. I’m not sure how understanding that it’s a simulated loop makes that pain less impactful. But to each their own, I guess. 

It’s at this point in this rambling, long-winded rant where I have to make the inevitable comparison to Severance. Spoilers for Season One of Severance! There are um … a LOT of similarities between this show and Severance. Both stories involve characters who are trapped in a sort of half life, separated from the full versions of themselves and the full stories of their own memories. We haven’t got confirmation of this for 1899, but it’s my suspicion that similar to the folks in Severance, these characters made a consensual choice, a choice to perhaps avoid or passively delete their own pain, which has now imprisoned them in a different sort of hell. Their actual life experiences in 2099 or wherever they really are (analogous to the Severance ‘Outies’) might take a different shape than the memories and traumas we saw play out on the ship (their ‘Innies’), but they’re two sides of the same coin (or perhaps three sides of the same triangle, tell me to shut up now please). Moreover, there are massive similarities between Maura and Helly R., both in their actual roles within the story and in the ways in which those roles are revealed by the narrative. 

Given these similarities, I think, if anything, that 1899 accomplishes some things more effectively than Severance (someone’s probably going to fight me for this). My biggest gripe with Severance was how heavily it favored Mark’s narrative at the expense of everyone else and how much more interesting I found the other characters, particularly Helly, in contrast to him. 1899 essentially has the Helly character in the main role and in my opinion, draws its secondary characters in more satisfying ways than Severance was able to do given its framing choices. I’m not saying there aren’t some things Severance did better— I think Helly is a more fascinating character (so far) than Maura, and I find the subtlety of Severance’s premise more effecting than the grand cosmic gestures of 1899, but I think we need future seasons of both to determine how they pay off their character work.

Jesus fucking christ I’m going to stop talking now, if you read this, wow, I’d love to hear your thoughts, I’m literally bursting at the seams to talk about it so. Feel free to DM or drop me an ask. I will squeal. (unless you're an asshole)

(Also sorry I didn’t talk about Eyk like, at all, in this. I like him, he’s good, he’s interesting, I was deeply biased against him because the reuse of Andreas drove me crazy for some reason, so it was actually surprising to me how much I liked him. His character felt very different from Older Jonas. It worked!) 

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Dear Evan Hansen

You may have seen some ~online discourse~ about the film Dear Evan Hansen, an adaptation of the 2016 Broadway musical, and you might have wondered what all the hubbub is about. I mean, it’s a feel good story about a senior in high school, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), who has some pretty severe anxiety and depression. While trying to fulfill an assignment from his therapist to write a letter to himself, his letter gets picked up by another student, Connor (Colton Ryan) - and later that day, Connor kills himself. Connor’s grieving parents and sister Zoe (Amy Adams, Danny Pino, and Kaitlyn Dever) are desperate to learn more from the boy they think was Connor’s best friend - after all, Connor’s suicide note was a letter addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen.” And, as you can imagine, Evan tells them about the unfortunate mistake and sits with them in their grief as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives. 

Just kidding! He lies to them, repeatedly, elaborately, expansively for months, constructing an entire false friendship with Connor that never happened, and ingratiating himself into the wealthy nuclear family he never had, in large part because he wants to get into Zoe’s pants! THIS IS THE PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY. Oh, and it’s a musical so there is a lot of singing and crying and singing WHILE crying and sometimes crying and not singing at all. But the #inspiration, you guys. 

Things I liked:

Pretty much everything but the story and Ben Platt’s performance. The supporting cast is stacked, and all of them do a great job at elevating material scraped directly out of a diaper worn by someone who just chewed their way through a copy of the DSM-5. 

A couple of the songs are damn catchy - “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” are standouts for a reason - and here’s the thing, Platt sings them well. But as you’ll discover, there’s a lot more to a movie musical than just singing your part. 

Stephen Chbosky, the man behind every deep thought I and a lot of people in my generation had in 2006 after he wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is a pretty good director. I particularly enjoyed the fanvid-type cuts in “Waving Through a Window” in conjunction with the lyrics, and his use of interstitial shots to flashbacks (and sometimes flashforwards!) is a neat little bit of shorthand that I thought was used sparingly enough to be effective. 

Amy Fucking Adams. She’s holding on so hard, so desperately to the idea of who her son could have been, rather than the reality of who he was, and she is full of such deep pain that is masked by an almost endless supply of patience with Evan and relentless positivity. All this made me want was Enchanted 2 even worse than I already did. 

Super into everything Zoe wears - the costuming department did a great job, and now all I want to do is live in mom jeans and baggy sweaters.

Did I Cry? I teared up a couple of times because I’m not a completely heartless bastard and when Amy Adams offered Evan Connor’s college money, my heart broke for the lie Evan had thrust upon her, and Julianne Moore’s song got me good, because she’s just a single mom to Evan who is doing her goddamn best. 

Things I hated more than the time I dropped a frozen gallon container of fruit cocktail on my pinkie toe in my parents’ garage and it turned black and I thought it was gonna fall off:

Ben Platt is 28 years old. He originated the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway, so in many respects it makes sense that he plays the role in the movie, except for the one kinda sorta important thing where he looks like a wizened old crone standing amongst a sea of children doing his best twitching, cringing Hunchback of Notre Dame impression. If you want someone to convincingly play 20 years their junior, hire Paul Rudd. Otherwise, please don’t ask me to believe that this supposed 18-year-old has crow’s feet. 

And that twitching nervous energy is a huge part of the black hole at the center of this film - he’s playing to the cheap seats and walking through the halls of his high school like a wet chihuahua. It’s an excruciating acting choice to watch - he doesn’t just have anxiety, he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown seemingly every second of every day. Like honestly, where is only-mentioned-never-seen Dr. Sherman, because this young man’s meds are NOT WORKING DR. SHERMAN. 

There’s such a lack of self-awareness on behalf of the writing, directing, and performance by Platt. There’s one song, “Sincerely, Me,” that offers the only glimpse of commentary about what Evan is doing, by pointing out the malicious ridiculousness of him writing a series of fake emails as proof of his and Connor’s friendship. 

Also what high schoolers email this much?? I know this was written in probably 2014 or so, but has a bitch never heard of a text? Even a DM? This whole plot is constructed around the premise that high schoolers are just constantly, constantly emailing each other. 

Everything - and I mean EV-ER-Y-THING - about Evan’s relationship with Zoe is so creepy and disturbing that with a soundtrack change, this could easily be a horror movie. He attempts to get her to like him by describing to her all the things her brother noticed about her - oh wait, I’m sorry, all the things HE noticed about her while he was skulking in the shadows following her around for years, watching every move she made, and it ends with him singing repeatedly “I LOVE YOU” because following a girl around and never having a conversation with her or knowing her at all is love, right? This was clearly written by the same people who chose “Every Breath You Take” as their wedding song because Sting is hot and they never actually listened to the damn words. 

And it gets about 10 billion times worse when Zoe goes to Evan’s house alone, takes him up to his room, and sings “I don’t need reasons to want you” and that was the moment I was that person I hate in a movie theater and I pulled out my phone to Google who wrote the music and lyrics to the musical (we were in the back row of the theater no one was behind me THIS WAS AN OUTRAGE EMERGENCY) and of motherfucking course it was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, 2 men who heard about meeting an actual human woman from a friend one time but otherwise are unfamiliar with the concept. 

Lastly, enormous serial killer vibes from Evan sending unlabeled flash drives anonymously through the mail with no note in an attempt to right his wrongs. That’s not catharsis, that’s how the next installment in the Saw franchise starts, with Evan in a Billy the clown doll mask showing up on the screen and asking if you want to play a fucking game. 

Also, I know it’s not possible for the narrative to justify this in a way that could be satisfying based on Evan’s actions, but what is with this thing where single working-class mom Julianne Moore is turning down rich people’s money for Evan to go to college? Like, obviously we can’t have that happen in the movie but in real life, fuck your pride! Take those rich people’s money!

I also know how movies work but nothing annoys me more than a giant group of high schoolers all getting beeps and boops to indicate text notifications all at the same time because I don’t know a single person under the age of 55 who keeps their ringer on. That shit is on vibrate AT MOST, and I feel like that’s a millennial thing. 

The emotional climax of the film is obviously Evan’s WAY TOO LATE confession, but the idea that it’s prompted by Connor’s family suddenly getting a lot of internet hate is, frankly, laughable. If Sandy Hook taught me one thing, it is that no tragedy is immune from trolls who live only to cause other people devastating emotional pain on the internet. That shit starts day 1. Apparently no one involved in this production has ever been on Twitter?

Also it feels like there should have been a dog somewhere in this movie and there was no dog, so points off for that too. 

Perhaps Dear Evan Hansen isn’t nearly as deep as it aspires to be. Perhaps it’s a morality play, a simplistic message of “Don’t lie, kids, lying is bad!” Major studio movies wrap themselves up with a nice bow at the end so everyone can feel good about themselves and leave with a happy ending, but the moronic cruelty on display here makes that feat feel impossible. We’re left with Evan in an orchard, reading Connor’s favorite books and staring into the big blue sky with all the self-actualization he’s earned now as a lil treat. And if Evan Hansen looked like an actual 18-year-old, it would be a lot easier to extend more empathy to him and his not-fully-developed prefrontal cortex, but it’s a little harder with this fully-grown, weathered man who was old enough to remember seeing Liar Liar in theaters. 

Dear Evan Hansen, 

Get some actual help and a haircut and maybe you can grow up enough to have an actual healthy interaction with any other living person, ever.

Sincerely, 

Me

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[carriagelamp]

Art of Aardman

I found myself a cheap copy of the Shaun the Sheep movie, so I was rewatching a bunch of Aardman films earlier this month and decided to hunt down some books too. For anyone that doesn’t know, Aardman is a British stop-motion studio that does fantastic work like Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, Early Man… tons of cool stuff. They’re always quirky and funny and warm-hearted. This was just a very nice art book for anyone that’s a fan of Aardman stop motion and wants to see a bit extra; it shows some cool concept art and blows up the neat details in Aardman work, especially in their intricate stuff like The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!

Asterix and the Picts (Asterix and the Chariot Race, and How Obelix Fell Into The Magic Potion)

I decided to try a couple of the new Asterix comics that were done by the new team, just to see if they stand up to the old ones (that and How Obelix Fell Into The Magic Potion cause I’d never read that one before). They were pretty decent! Asterix and the Picts was my favourite of the two though I wouldn’t say either are going to contest for my favourite Asterix comic... but still! The art looks good and the stories felt like what I would expect, they made for a pleasant couple evenings of reading especially since it’s been so long since I’ve read a new Asterix comic. If you’ve never read Asterix it’s one of the biggest name French comic series in North America, as far as I know and very worth the read. It’s about a single Gaulish village that’s holding out against the invading Romans through sheer force of will, slapstick hijinks, and a magical super-strength potion brewed by their druid. Lots of fantastic visuals and cute wordplay, even in the English translations.

Bear

I found out about this bastion of Canadian literature via tumblr post that was losing its collective mind over the fact that some bizarre bear-based erotica novella somehow won the most prestigious literary prize available in Canada. Since I too found this hilarious and unspeakably bizarre I had to give it a read, obviously. And yes, the flat surface level summary is... a librarian moves out into rural Ontario and falls in love with a literal for-real not-supernatural-not-a-joke bear. And I have to say… it is actually worthy of an award, which I was not expecting given that I was there for a laugh. It has beautiful writing, and the subtextual story is pretty interesting… it kind of makes me think of The Haunting of Hill House actually in terms of themes. (Womanhood, personhood, independence, autonomy partially achieved through escaping the male gaze by claiming non-human lovers... listen if I were still in university I would right a paper comparing the two novels).

I dunno man, it’s fucking weird. Actually a well-written book, but sure is about a woman falling in love with a literal bear. Give it a read if you want something bonkers but like… high-brow bonkers.

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites

Best book I have read in like… a while. A long while. I am not a fast reader, and I consumed 90% of this book over a weekend. It’s not at all like Terry Pratchett, but at the same time it scratched an itch for me that I haven’t had satisfied since Pratchett’s death. A very clever, hilariously funny poly romance between a disabled werewolf, an anxious vampire lord, and an incredibly powerful woman, with heaps of social satire, political commentary, and sinister undertones. The whole thing reads a bit like fanfiction and I say that in the most flattering way possible -- it is so easy to jump right in and be immediately taken over by the characters and the world and the plot, you never feel like you’re fighting to engage even though the world-building is fascinating and expansive. It welcomes you in right away, it was the book equivalent of a quilt and a hug which is something I sorely needed with all this pandemic bullshit. If you read any of the books on this list, go read that one while I sit here in pain waiting for the sequel.

Kid Paddle

I watched the cartoon of Kid Paddle as a kid and was thinking about it recently, so I decided to hunt down some of the original comics online. They’re fun and weird, with a cute art style and fantastic monsters designs. (My favourites are always about Kid either daydreaming or playing games that involve Midam’s weird warty troll creatures. It’s like a cross between Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot with the fun sort of quirks that I love in Belgian comics. Unfortunately, unlike Asterix, I’ve only come across these ones in French, but if you can read French it’s totally worth popping over to The Internet Archive and reading the ones they have available.

The Last Firehawk: The Golden Temple

The lastest Firehawk book. Despite being written for quite young readers, I did enjoy the early books in this series quite a bit. They’re about a young owl and squirrel who found an egg for a magical species that was believed to be extinct. With the newly hatched firehawk, the three of them head off on a mission to find an ancient firehawk magic that could save the entire forest. Very basic adventure story but a good intro to the tropes for children. Unfortunately the quality really feels like it drops with each subsequent book; this will probably be the last one I bother reading.

Lumberjanes: The Moon Is Up

I honestly think I enjoy these Lumberjanes novels even more than the comics just because it really gives time to delve into each story and examine how the camper are really thinking and feeling about everything. (Also I’m always weak for novelizations of anything.) The Moon Is Up is a book that focuses more on Jo, and takes place during the camp’s much anticipated Galaxy Wars, a competition between cabins that goes over several days. While the campers prepare for these challenges though, they also run into a strange little creature with a penchant for cheese and theft. Roanoke cabin needs to keep ahead in Galaxy Wars and somehow deal with the fearsome Moon Pirates that a closing in...

Lumberjanes v4 (Out Of Time)

One of the Lumberjanes comics, a cool, girl-focused, queer comic series. Honestly, this is just a fun series that I never got as into as I should have. My advice is honestly to skip book one because it gets better as it continues, and I’ve really been enjoying the later books now that I’ve given it another go. It follows five campers at Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types (Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley) as they handle all sorts of challenges, from friendship to crushes, camp activities to supernatural horrors, getting badges to not being brutally killed. Great if you liked the vibe of Gravity Falls but want it to be queer-er.

Mooncakes

Another queer graphic novel, but unfortunately not a very good one. It really looked appealing and I had high hopes, but the book itself really didn’t hold up… I actually couldn’t even finish it, the plot was just too… non-existent. The art is fairly mediocre once you actually look at it, especially backgrounds, and it feels very… placid. Not much conflict or excitement or even a very compelling reason to keep reading. If you just want a soft queer supernatural you may get more mileage out of it than me, but it didn’t really do it for me. There’s better queer graphic novels out there.

New Boy In Town

One of the worst books I have ever read. My girlfriend had ordered a very different book online but through a frankly stupendous error was sent this 1980s pulp romance instead. Absolutely nauseating on levels I couldn’t even begin to enumerate here. Naturally we read the whole thing out loud. Probably took us 10 times longer to finish than it warranted because I had to stop every two sentences to lose my mind. If you like bad decisions, baffling hetero courting rituals, built-in cultural Christianity without actually calling it that, and gold panning then boy howdy is this the book for you.

(seriously, you better have patience for gold-panning if you attempt this one, because I sure learn that I don’t)

Piggies

This was a picture book I enjoyed as a kid and had a reason to reread recently. Honestly it’s just very cute and simple, and the art is completely mesmerizing. Wonderful if you know a young child that would enjoy a simple goofy boardbook.

Shaun the Sheep: Tales From Mossy Bottom

Related to my Aardman fascination earlier this month. I tried reading a varieties of Shaun the Sheep books — most of which are mediocre at best — but the Tales From Mossy Bottom Farm series is genuinely good. Just chapter books, of course, but the illustrations match the series’ concept art and each story feels like it could have jumped directly out of an episode. They’re just cute and feel-good! Kinda like Footrot Flats but more for kids, and from the sheep’s perspective moreso than the dog’s.

[amphibious-entity]

TMBS Book 1 Brain Dump

~An Embarrassingly Long Post~

I don’t know why I’m writing this or why I’m so determined to do it. Maybe to finally assume my true form and become a mega dork on main, or maybe just for fun!

This is basically a compilation of all the main points running through my head after reading The Mysterious Benedict Society (2007) for the first time. Rather than posting a ton and spamming the tag, everything’s here in one neat package! (hopefully this gets it all out of my system rip)

Contents:

The Book Itself

The Book Itself, for real this time

The Characters

A Funny Parallel

The S.Q. Section

Lines & Scenes I Liked

Spoilers abound!

The Book Itself

Upon acquiring the first three books (don’t judge me pls), I was surprised at just how long they are. Like, they’re still pretty light being paperbacks and all, but these books are hefty lads.

The first book has this Disney+ Original Series circle thing printed on it, which is kind of unfortunate. Regardless, I love the cover illustration and yellow is actually my favorite color :D It made me weirdly quite happy whenever I saw the book lying around in my room

Also, it’s really cute how there’s a letter from Mr. Benedict at the end! (It only reveals that you can find out his first name if you “know the code”, meaning the bit of Morse printed below the summary on the back.) Shock and horror, though, as I realized I’m starting to recognize some of the letters

The Book Itself, for real this time

It’s wonderful how the tone of the book really shone through to the show adaptation. Something about the deliberateness of the aesthetic, from the set designs to the fashion to scene compositions, that really sells that particular style— like it’s very clear that this story is being told to us, rather than one we’re seeing unfold, if that makes sense.

Where that narration style stood out to me the most was the first chapter. We are told (rather than shown) how Reynie gets himself to the point of the second test, and there’s this whole twisty time maneuver for that whole sequence of events that’s really interesting

A super secret fun fact about me is that I wanted to be a writer when I was younger! So this particular balance of show vs. tell is really neat, since it runs counter to my own tendencies. The sheer amount of commas in every sentence is also kind of comforting, since Ahah, I Do That in those few serious-ish attempts at writing lol

Overall this book’s style reminds me a lot of Roald Dahl’s books, which are very nostalgic for me :D The whole “kids are more competent than adults” angle helps a lot too haha

The Characters

Oh boy here’s where I get a little bit critical! Overall I did really like this book!! it’s just that that expresses itself in all this weird “”analysis”” lol

Reynie - much better in the books than in the show

It’s sort of a lukewarm take but I feel like show!Reynie is kind of boring? He doesn’t have a lot going on flaw-wise, and obviously since he’s the protagonist he can’t have too many weird traits or else the kids watching can’t project themselves onto him as easily

(I call it the difference between an aspirational protagonist and a vessel protagonist. Going off of the Roald Dahl vibes, think Matilda vs Charlie. show!Reynie is more of a Charlie)

Thus when we get to see him really struggle with the Whisperer and doubt himself it gives him a lot more dimension, at least in my opinion

It is a federal crime that the white knight scenes were not adapted into the show

Sticky - my son

I’ve long held to no one besides myself and my long suffering sister that Sticky is The Best Member of the Society

He happened to hit a lot of the Bingo squares of Stuff I Like In Characters: glasses, anxious, nice :), kind of a coward but ultimately is there for his friends, etc

For some reason I don’t talk about him nearly as much as you-know-who, but I love him just as dearly

Kate & Constance - I don’t have much to say

Kate is really interesting in this book! I like how we get to see more of her depths, in particular that one passage about her belief that she is invincible being the only thing that keeps her from falling apart? :c

Also her constant fidgeting is relatable lol

Constance is somehow a lot more tolerable in the book. I think I’m just one of those people with no patience for small children, unfortunately lol

(Some of) The Adults

It’s interesting that they had such an offscreen presence for most of the book. Giving them more time was probably one of the stronger changes of the show

However if that decision was made at the expense of the white knight scenes I think the choice should have been clear

I like the way Rhonda and Number Two are written

Milligan always on sad boy hours 😔✊

The “mill again” passage is touching but kind of messes up the pacing of the getaway, at least for me. Maybe I should read it again to make sure I didn’t miss something

Miss Perumal is much better in the show. We see so little of her in the book she doesn’t function well as an emotional anchor for Reynie, imo

The Institute Gang

Jackson and Jillson serve their purpose well, and Martina was surprising to say the least. I like the direction they took her in the show! I can’t imagine how funny it must have been to watch the tetherball subplot come out of nowhere lolol

These sections were written out of sequence, so random tidbit I couldn’t fit in The S.Q. Section: I like how he stumbles over his words. relatable

Mr. Curtain

While I think I know why they decided to not give Curtain the wheelchair in the show, we were totally robbed of Actor Tony Hale’s performance for the reveal during the final confrontation

Speaking of the wheelchair, it’s such a powerful symbol of his need for control or rather, his fear of losing it

The Contrast between him and Mr. Benedict. This point is expanded on in A Funny Parallel

Mr. Benedict

Oh boy, Mr. Benedict… How do I say this

I find it hard to trust Mr. Benedict, unfortunately

I mean to say, I do in the sense that I know he would never hurt the kids, thanks to knowing that a) this is a children’s book series and b) the meta (tumblr) states that he is really nice and lovable and stuff, but seriously. Why do the kids trust him at first?? I probably missed something somewhere

I like to think I’m an optimistic person, but unfortunately I’m also super paranoid. The premise of “a bunch of vulnerable orphans team up with a strange old man” is just so odd to me I don’t know how to explain it

I don’t know!!! I really want to trust Mr. Benedict

One of the strengths of the show is that we get to see him more often, and thus he gets to acknowledge more often that the plan is weird and that he feels really badly for putting the kids in danger and that he’s trustworthy and genuine

But his lack of presence for most of the book just makes him into something of a specter, invisible and unknowable, speaking only in riddles from across the bay

Which is why the white knight scene is so important!! I loved that scene ;-;

Because here’s an actual emotional connection! We can actually see it happening, rather than only being told that it exists

Reynie asking for advice and receiving encouragement, in words that demonstrate that Mr. Benedict actually cares about him and worries about him and agghh

It is a federal crime that the white knight scenes were not adapted into the show

But overall this whole issue didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all! It’s just ->

A Funny Parallel

Okay, ready for my biggest brain, hottest take ever??

Mr. Benedict and Mr. Curtain…. are… the same

I mean obviously not entirely, given that one is benevolent and kind and the other is… Mr. Curtain

But seriously. Genius old man seeks out children (mainly orphans) to enact a plan. Said children often end up incredibly devoted to his cause and deeply admire him this is a little flimsy

Undoubtedly that’s intentional and is supposed to show the difference between them, like some kind of cautionary tale? “Let yourself be vulnerable and let others help you, lest you turn eeeeviiillll”

I guess that’s where the aforementioned epic contrast comes in. You get Mr. Curtain, strapped into his wheelchair and hiding behind those mirrored sunglasses, terrified (but unwilling to admit it) of ever showing the tiniest hint of vulnerability, vs. Mr. Benedict, who can let himself fall knowing that someone will catch him :’)

Anyhow I have nothing against the parallels, I just think it’s funny

The S.Q. Section

The S.Q. Quarantine Thread so it doesn’t leak out everywhere else <3

I’d like to meet the emo angstlord genius who read this book and decided to make SQ into Dr. Curtain’s son. What in the world

Okay I should probably preface this by saying that I absolutely adore both book!S.Q. and show!SQ with all my heart. Somehow, despite being a completely different character in both mediums, he has managed to be one of the best characters in either and certainly one of my favorites (besides Sticky of course) in the entire franchise, despite the fact that I’ve only read the first book/watched the show so far. I am confident in this statement.

But seriously! How?? Why?? I could probably write a whole other essay about why show!SQ is such an interesting character, and the change works so incredibly well. I’m just. Baffled

Okay, focus. book!S.Q. is such a sweetheart, oh my goodness. Like, 100% one of the most endearing characters in the book. Poor guy. I don’t even know where to start!!

He just seems to be a genuinely good guy at heart, despite being technically one of the bad guys. He’s genuinely happy for Reynie and Sticky when they became Messengers and helped Kate when she “fell” and was concerned about Constance when she looked sick and how he was in that meeting with Mr. Curtain and Martina?!!? aaahhhhghgh ;-; he just wants people to be happy TT-TT

Comparing him against literally every character at the Institute is probably what makes him so endearing tbh. When everyone else is so awful to the kids, it really makes him stand out. Like a cheerful little nightlight in the worst, most humid and rank bathroom you’ve ever been in

It’s kind of pointless to theorize about a book series that’s already concluded (I think?) but. Is the implication of S.Q.’s forgetfulness supposed to be that Mr. Curtain used him in brainsweeping experiments somehow? The timeline probably definitely absolutely doesn’t line up but like. How did he get to being a Messenger being the way he is now, given how cutthroat the process is? And then of course Mr. Curtain keeps him around as an Executive because he’s fun to mess with and presumably his loyalty. I’m very curious as to how their relationship develops in the other books, if at all. Those are probably where the seeds of the “let’s make them family” logic were planted

But wouldn’t it be hilarious if the reason we don’t know what “S.Q.” stands for in the books is that he just. Forgot

Another thing that occurred to me. Given that he and the other Executives were Messengers at some point, what were their worst fears? What is S.Q.’s worst fear?? Inquiring minds need to know

One last horrible little anecdote: I was thinking about book!S.Q. while eating breakfast, as one does, and suddenly it hit me.

I want to believe The Author Trenton Lee Stewart had the name for a character, S.Q. Pedalian, and was like, “Hm! What sort of quirky trait should this young fellow have?” Because, of course, in this style of fiction every character has to have at least one cartoonish or otherwise distinguishing trait to stand out in the minds of children. (For instance, Kate has her bucket, Sticky has his glasses, Constance is angry, and Reynie is Emmett from the Lego Movie)

Anyhow, he looks around the room, searching for inspiration. Suddenly he comes across a jumbo box of plastic wrap. Completely innocuous in design, save for one line of text. 300 SQ FT.

“…large… S.Q. …feet? THAT’S IT!” i’m sorry

Lines & Scenes I Liked

In no particular order!

Sticky quotes Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Evil combination aerobics/square dancing in the gym with the Executives

Everyone being happy at the end :’)

Everyone partying after Sticky reunites with his parents, and later finding Mr. Benedict asleep at his desk from the moment they shook hands :’’)

Literally any scene with Sticky in it

Any time Kate says “you boys” or “gosh”

[“Um, sir?” S.Q. said timidly, raising his hand. “A thought just occurred to me.” / Mr. Curtain raised his eyebrows. “That’s remarkable, S.Q. What is it?”] clown prince of my heart </3

S.Q.’s determined monologue about searching for clues after he bungled up the first time

Literally any scene with S.Q. in it (please refer to The S.Q. Section)

Reynie trying to resist the Whisperer.

[Let us begin. / First let me polish my spectacles, Reynie thought. / Let us begin. / Not without my bucket, Reynie insisted. He heard Mr. Curtain muttering behind him. / Let us begin, let us begin, let us begin. / Rules and schools are tools for fools, Reynie thought.]

NO MORE HURTIN’ WITH CURTAIN

Milligan showing up on the island!!

Remember the white knight hhhhhh

“controle”

A Super Secret Bonus Section

I would be extremely surprised if anyone read through all the way down here lol. Regardless, here’s a little acknowledgements section :D not tagging anyone since I don’t want to bother all of these people

Special shoutout to tumblr blog stonetowns for unknowingly yet singlehandedly demolishing my reluctance to read the books by posting a ton of cute quotes. Thank you for your service o7

Thanks to the two OGs that liked the post I made right before this one, for being my unwitting enablers and for sticking around despite being a) technically an internet stranger (hello!) and b) someone I haven’t spoken to irl in literal years (hey!!)

Last but not least thankz 2 my sister for putting up with me ranting about the book when I first got it and for asking about “CQ” sometimes lol. (i desperately hope you’re not reading this orz)