#not even the official website has the eps

[tiangouaway]

rip to anyone trying to rewatch even just ONE episode of their childhood shows that don't have dedicated youtube channels

[alliumms]

I'm translating the entire TGCF audio drama!!

🌸 Hello everyone! ~ ♡

I'm pretty new to the community but completely fell into the TGCF hole. This is gonna be a pretty big ongoing project for me: 1) To share the wonderful work and story that is TGCF 2) To improve my Chinese along the way, so my TLs will have Chinese subs, as well as English 3) Contribute a lil something to the community 🦋

I've previously asked on Reddit to see if this would even be something people wanted, as it's been a while since the first EP uploaded, but I still can't find any comprehensive catalogue that has all the episodes available. And now that the production team has finished S2, I will have plenty of time to work on the EPs before S3 comes :>

Links !

So far I've only done the theme song, season 1 EP 1 and Mini Theatre 1. You don't need POP for now and I'll see how that goes. But please buy the drama if you enjoy it (´。• ◡ •。`) ♡

Bestow Me (Ci Wo) S1 theme song S1E1 Mini Theatre 1

I've worked quite hard on this so plsplspls DO NOT steal my work !!!! It's a solo ship for now so I'd appreciate any feedback that I can get ✨ When in doubt, I referenced the translation from the official TGCF novels from Seven Seas.

If S2 is in more popular demand than S1 I wouldn't mind starting there and working backwards either!

How to view !

Download the video for the best viewing experience 🎧 FYI I've used the 1.85:1 ratio for now

Mega app/Mega website on a desktop

Download VLC player (desktop or Android)

Infuse app (iOS)

TGCF Audio Drama

☆S1 ☆S2

Purchasing TGCF AD (@withhualian on X)

Support MissEvan 猫耳FM

The audio drama team worked really hard on this, they deserve all the support they can get, so we can also have S3! Please buy the AD on MissEvan if you can, it’s really cheap. I've linked below some resources that are helpful and easy to get started ☆

Guide to MissEvan (@dimsumplingg and co. on X)

Video Guide to MissEvan (Wei Su Jen on YT)

Completing daily tasks on MaoEr app (WBOY)

art from TGCF AD's official Weibo

[jakowskis]

torchwood resources

just some stuff i've accumulated during this fixation :) hope it proves handy :D

ianto's-desktop (livejournal) - archived most of the things found on the torchwood website during season 1 and season 2; the only thing missing is the videos. / note: click the headers of the posts to see the full thing, or some stuff with appear incomplete. took me a sec to figure out, lol

speaking of the website...

season 1 website (archive.org)

season 2 website (archive.org) - unlike the s1 website, the bulk of the s2 site's content is pretty inaccessible through the wayback machine (at least for me; maybe i'm doing something wrong), so thank g-d for ianto's desktop

there's also a good amount of rebloggable site content in this person's tumblr tag.

season 1 declassified (youtube)

season 2 declassified (youtube)

season 1 commentaries (mega.nz)

torchwood books (google drive) - gonna be honest, i haven't tried to download any of these myself

border princes audiobook (read by eve) + all of the radio plays (archive.org)

torchwood magazines (beta.reddit) - download links for all of them! p fuckin kewl

torchwood official yearbook (archive.org)

herecomesthedrums (youtube) - account that started posting before the show came out and is chock full of promos, trailers, interviews... some real fun goodies in there

torchwood: up close (youtube) - handful of bts videos with the cast + crew

season 1 unreleased tracks (soundcloud) - the end of days ones hrhghgh

out of time unreleased tracks (soundcloud) - i absolutely adore the music in this ep so i was so happy when i found these

the torchwood fanpop - this has sooooooo much content like i scrolled for a loooooong time and never reached the bottom. lotta stuff i hadn't seen before, too. there's fun hd promo pics, pics of the cast, and a lot of extremely early 2010s edits, graphics, and fanvids. / note: i also had this page bookmarked + it's got different content than the main page so i'll link it

aaand under the cut i'm gonna dump some silly stuff i've collected of the cast. but yeah, there ya go :-)

gally 2015: zip files of someone's pictures of eve, naoko, and burn (livejournal)

gally 2015: someone's account of the torchwood panels + meeting the cast (everyone was there but gareth!) - naoko & burn's solo panels / autograph table chats + barrowman photo-op + the naoko&burn&eve group panel / barrowman solo panel + burn&eve joint panel

dragon con 2013 (flickr) - i found two albums: this one, and this one, which has torchwood cast images on the first and second pages.

burn at chicago tardis 2012 (flickr) - ehehe 2012-2013 burn gorman w his classy little outfits my beloved. this is just hq pictures of that event. burn's in a bunch at the top and some at the end of the second page

the hub 2009 (flickr) - some kind of torchwood event. gareth, burn, eve, kai, and tom are all there. i dunno

hvff 2018: 'insights from the whole cast'

hvff 2018: video of everybody goofing off (twitter)

gareth endorsing owandy teehee (twitter) - this is getting dumped here bc im gay

sigh. (blogspot) - pics from that one fuckin 08 panel where gareth & john made out like 5 times + gareth took his jeans off for some reason. i don't even go here but i feel like this is unfortunately historically relevant. also the fujoshis in the comments are really funny

incomplete but sizable lists of cons gareth's been to and john's been to, in case anyone wants to dig around for photos/footage of any of these. the other cast members (excluding burn, for some reason) all have pages on this site as well, but theirs are super incomplete so i won't bother linking

[hrtbrkrz]

It's late 2017. BigHit hasn't had a girl group since Glam crashed and burned in 2014. Their biggest group, BTS, has just exploded in popularity, and TXT isn't even a concept yet. With BTS' meteoric rise and the fact that their label hasn't accepted female trainees in nearly half a decade, it's unlikely that BigHit would pour their time and resources into something they haven't done in years. However, just a year prior, they were subtly communicating a different story.

Two female trainees were sent onto Produce 101 in 2015 and took the show by storm for multiple reasons. For one, said trainees were under BigHit. Aside from their stellar talents and the fact that one of them was related to a Girls' Generation member, it was clear that something was going on behind the scenes.

A year goes by. BigHit is pretty much radio silent. Then, October 2017 rolls around, and KRUSH makes their (unexpected) debut. Surprise, surprise. They're a girl group.

And they're a damn good one.

KRUSH would make their explosive debut with the iconic "CLASSY," off the EP that started it all, CRUSHIN' IT. Their debut was huge, which was nothing short of impressive due to the fact that they had pretty much zero teasers, aside from the launch of their official website and social media. The album sold a staggering 420,000 copies within its first week—a feat that other girl groups have yet to achieve themselves. A couple days later, all 7,500 seats at their debut showcase (held at the Hanyang University Gymnasium) were completely sold out.

CRUSHIN' IT shot to #2 on every major Korean music chart, and since KRUSH debuted at just the right time, they broke into the Billboard 200 with a placement of sixty-six, proving how much international appeal they had already. The girls secured their first win within a week of their debut, and by the end of their promotional cycle a month later, they had won a total of four trophies. To commemorate their (more than) successful debut, the girls posted a picture of them all posing with their wins, with each girl holding her own individual trophy. Probably because of Kaleina, GGBs immediately took to comparing the picture to SNSD's ever-iconic "trophy photo" for "Gee," lauding how they managed to get their "SoShi moment" immediately after their debut. The fandom still talks about it, by the way.

"CLASSY" itself remains a staple part of KRUSH's discography and their overall identity. During its release, it was lauded as one of the best debuts of 2017, and it has gone down as one of the strongest the industry's ever seen. Iconic, indeed.

Some of the stage outfits seen during the CRUSHIN' IT era. When publications talk about KRUSH's impact and international appeal, they always talk about their fashion. The outfits were already so good, and they only had one EP under their belt. By November 2017, Vogue was already talking about them. Oh, they were gonna be so big.

Like mentioned earlier, promotions for CRUSHIN' IT lasted a month. During that time, the girls had critically acclaimed and instantly iconic performances at the American Music Awards and at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Both of their appearances were a surprise considering they were only a month-old group, but their appearance at the AMAs was definitely a surprise. Their new legion of fans were delighted to see them getting Western promotion so early on, using that as proof of their destined stardom, but... others decided to use that as an opportunity to become KRUSH's first antis. Ranging from nepotism baby allegations, to the whole "Glam clone" and BLACKPINK comparison thing, to netizens calling their concept "unoriginal," to a certain subset of ARMYs claiming that the girls were leeching off of BTS' success... the whole thing was quite the mess. But at least it didn't get any bigger than that. For now.

And then, just two months later, KRUSH released their second EP, Illusion. They were already on their first comeback, and it had barely been eight weeks. Here's the start of KRUSH's lore, and as a result, this comeback became one of their most iconic ones—and it was only their first one. The album itself sold over 500,000 copies within its first week, upping the girls' first week sales by 80,000 copies. Its lead single, "PLAY MY GAME," topped Korean charts and won five music show awards.

The Illusion era was defined by its cheeky, sinister playfulness and almost horror-esque vibe, with the girls playing different nightmares (or spirits), all haunting the boy who broke their hearts. Critics and fans alike ate this concept up, with GGBs in particular aching to see the girls take the horror route again. Illusion topped charts in Korea yet again, but it also broke into the Billboard 200, securing an impressive fifty on the chart.

By the end of 2017, KRUSH saw award after award at end of the year award shows. Winning Best New Artist — Female at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Best New Artist at the Melon Music Awards, and Rookie of the Year at the Golden Disc Awards, it was clear that this group of four girls wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. KRUSH's rise was definitely slow and steady, but they were still rising. And it would only get better from here.

Just a week following the New Year, KRUSH returned with their first and (so far) only repackage album, Re:Illusion. It's... largely been considered a "filler comeback," even by the girls themselves, only meant to act as a link between Illusion and their following comeback. Despite that, the music is good. With "Bewitched," KRUSH's concept became even more rooted in horror, becoming grittier and borderline haunting, which is exactly what GGBs wanted. The album did well commercially, selling over 400,000 copies and debuting at #4 on the charts. Regardless, Re:Illusion is still mostly forgotten by the general public and even by KRUSH themselves. No one thinks much of it nowadays (unfortunately).

Now, this is where things get good! In May, four months after the release of Re:Illusion, we got the album that changed everything, Through the Looking Glass. The girls' first full album, this era quickly cemented itself as one of the most iconic the industry has ever seen. With biblical references and references to films such as Black Swan (2010) sprinkled all throughout the MV for the lead single, this era was chocked full of lore, fully immersing GGBs into what was known from here on out as the "KRUSH-verse." To the surprise of everyone, this era was seemingly connected to the BTS Universe, and it gave KRUSH's fans a whole lot to speculate over.

One interesting thing about the album is that if you managed to pry throughout the physical copy enough, you could peek underneath the back end spot the numbers "18/20" written against a black background... although that would require you to basically force the back open. GGBs took to Twitter in droves once they found this out, with many guessing that it was a date or "2018" backwards. It was neither of those, of course, but they were hints to the girls' next two albums.

The TTLG era saw the highest commercial success of KRUSH's career at the time, garnering them the much needed international appeal that they had gotten a taste of the year prior. A massive jump from their previous album, TTLG peaked at a staggering #19 on the Billboard 200, their highest chart placement to date. What's more surprising, though, is that the album sold over a million copies within its first month. KRUSH were officially million sellers.

That wasn't all, though. The lead single, "Venus," was the girls' first entrance into the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at eighty-eight. It won a total of ten music show wins, garnering KRUSH their first ever triple crown, while its B-side, "Mirror Mirror," won a total of six wins. Not only were they million sellers, but they were no longer rookies, either. A truly iconic era.

Some of the stage outfits seen during the TTLG era. The styling was marked by the girls primarily being seen in matching costumes, which was different in comparison to their first three eras, sans Illusion. The only time they didn't match was during their performance on Good Morning America. Said performance also started the "Kaleina gets special treatment" rumors.

By the way, the butterflies seen throughout the era (such as on the album cover), despite the fact that the title of the album itself is a reference to Alice in Wonderland? Those are meant to represent "rebirth" and "new beginnings," and they were entirely intentional. They'll make a lot more sense later.

Finally, we get to the closing act of 2018. KRUSH's second full album and their most theatrical album to date, Festival. This comeback started KRUSH's trend of iconic fall comebacks and became an integral part of the girls' lore. The concept of Festival was more rooted in thriller rather than straight up horror, offering hauntingly charming music videos, music videos shot like movies, and the narrative-driven thriller concept that GGBs had been begging for. Of course, this comeback was a resounding success, albeit less than TTLG. Selling 970,000 copies within its first week and a staggering 1.4 million within its first month, Festival became KRUSH's fourth number one album. The girls saw an even higher placement on the BB200, securing a #14 upon debut.

The album's lead single, "Psycho," was yet another smash hit for the girls, topping every major Korean music chart (as always) and scoring a placement of seventy-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Winning eleven music show wins, it was the highest-awarded KRUSH single at that point. Its B-side, "Four Strikes to Midnight," won three.

Picking up where TTLG left off, the physical copies of Festival also had something hidden. On the back of a select photocard (which could be of any member) would be a QR code which, when scanned, would lead to a website. Said website would be nothing but a black screen though, with text reading "10/31/20." Now this was definitely a date. One two years into the future, though. GGBs had to take to social media again, constantly speculating on what it could mean. However, since the "QR code photocards" were so rare, only a handful of people caught it, and they now sell for extremely high prices online.

Some of the stage outfits seen during the Festival era. A lot of black and white was utilized in the girls' styling, which was meant to serve as some sort of symbolism. The rumors that Kaleina was getting better outfits than the rest of the girls were still going, but clearly, none of them were actually true. Compilation videos with so-called "evidence" got millions of views, though.

At the end of the year, KRUSH was even more popular than they were during their debut. They nearly swept awards by the end of 2018, winning Best Female Artist, Song of the Year for "Venus," and Best Dance Performance (also for "Venus") at that year's MAMAs. They also won the Digital Song Bonsang for "Psycho" and the Album Bonsang for TTLG at the Golden Disc Awards, the Best Dance Award (Female) at the Melon Music Awards, and were even nominated for Album of the Year at the GDAs. Like with "CLASSY," Billboard listed both "Venus" and "Psycho" as one of their best K-pop songs of 2018, and they were even mentioned by the Recording Academy. But, like always, it was only up from here.

[1way2mars]

Tokyo Revengers 4th Anniversary News!

They have announced a lot of new information during today's events and i thought it would be a nice idea to make a summary of all of them!

1. June 19th is officially Tokyo Revengers / Tokyo Manji Gang day!

It seems like the Japanese Anniversary Association has established June 19th as the official day to celebrate Tokyo Revengers and the formation of the Tokyo Manji Gang! There's even a diploma! Wakui Ken also left a message: “Thank you very much for the anniversary day recognition! Honestly, I don't really know what it means, but I'm overjoyed by everyone celebrating Toman anniversary! Please keep on supporting Tokrev!!”

2. Tenjiku Arc in YouTube!

From June 17th, the YouTube channel Full☆Anime TV (run by Kodansha) will be publishing Tenjiku Arc for free! They will be released weekly.

3. Fairy Tale Revengers!

This is a new animation project for Tokyo Revengers! They will be making shorts based on fairy tales. The first one will adapt the Japanese fairy tale Momotaro! There's still not more information about when or how they will be published, so let's all stay tuned!

4. New character songs, but this time duets!

They have announced a bunch of duets! The album is called “Duet EP 01” and it will be released October 23rd. There's still no cover, but there's going to be 14 songs in total (7 songs and their instrumental version, they haven't announced the title of the songs yet). The duets will be:

Takemichi and Mikey

Takemichi and Chifuyu

Mikey and Draken

Draken and Mitsuya

Mitsuya and Hakkai

Baji and Chifuyu

Baji and Kazutora

5. Concert!

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of the anime, they will be celebrating a concert February 2nd 2025! It will have live performances of the character songs and it a lot of the voice actors will attend! Tickets will be released October 23rd for those interested! More details will be announce later.

And last, but not least

6. A sequel is on produce!

You can watch the teaser by clicking here!

(All the info was released in the official Tokyo Revengers website and Twitter, so it can be found there).

[takahirokatoh]

Umineko no Naku Koro ni stageplay ep.4eve

It has been decided that Episode 4 Eve will be live-streamed for a fee.

There are no subtitles, but if you want to see the tea party and the secret tea party, please check it out.

We have an important request.

Please use official information when posting information about the "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" stageplay.

This stage is not an unauthorized fandom, but an official collaboration project between 07th Expansion and Shingidan Mumei Classics.

Visuals posted on X (Twitter) are prohibited from being reproduced.

Please use reposts (retweets) and embedded links.

We have confirmed that videos of past performances have been uploaded without permission. We are preparing to sue, so please stop it.

Screen captures (shots) of performance videos are also not permitted.

Currently, the opening videos of Episode 1 and Episode 2 are available for free.

So only the opening parts are available.

However, please assume that captures of other parts of the video will be subject to lawsuits even if they are paid for or free for a limited time.

Episode 4 will be performed in September of this year (2024).

If you want to see the upcoming stage productions from Episode 5 to 8, and if you want DVDs and Blu-ray media with official subtitles, please do not do anything that would put the official company at a disadvantage.

Shingidan Mumei Classics is a small theater company in Japan. Although we have become known to people all over the world through "Umineko no Naku Koro ni", we have little operating capital. That is why we need funds to stage "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" to the end. Yes, just like Beato's gold. This is revenue from performance tickets, DVDs, merchandise, distribution, etc. During performances, we may also use a support system called Treats.

This stage production is supported by fans of "Umineko no Naku Koro ni". I am happy to say that the stage productions have been well received. However, it is unlikely that we will be able to perform all the way to the final Episode 8. In order to make the "magic" a reality, we need more power from now on. The more power we have, the closer the "magic" will be to reality. As one of the performers, I would like to go to Episode 8 and El Dorado with all the fans. But that's not a decision. There is a possibility that I may step down. Even so, I want "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" to go all the way to El Dorado. There are still fans in Japan who don't know that it has been adapted into a stage play. I'm happy to see reactions to my posts, but please use Official X (Twitter) posts or the official website link to let as many "Umineko no Naku Koro ni" fans know about it.

Let's all aim for El Dorado.

[alaskanna]

Who else has noticed the similarities of Tyler Gaulpin to Tam Lin?

(I wrote this post last year, and decided to repost it because it’s Halloween week, and I’ve been thinking about it again. I also added more to it :)

Honestly, it does appear that the character of Tyler and some of Season 1 was inspired by Tam Lin. Even their names begin and end the same way, just the middle is different. I know at least one other Tumblr poster has, because I saw their comment on another post, and then I was like ‘oh yeah, how did miss this’.* 😆Because if we have a Tam Lin, then we need a Queen of Fairies to be controlling him, and then who is getting sacrificed as the fairy tithe to Hell on Halloween night?

For those of you who are not familiar, Tam Lin is a ballad from the Scottish Borders that predates the 18th century. In most versions, he is a young mortal man who was kidnapped by the Queen of Fairies and guards the Carterhaugh Woods at her command, and any young woman who is caught going that way must pay a toll of either a ring, a green mantle, or her maidenhead. (Good thing that one of the first things we learn about Tyler in Ep 1 is that he can’t be bought!) Tam Lin does get rescued by a woman, but you will have to read the ballad to find out what happens!

Here is Child’s 39A communicated by poet Robert Burns in 1792, one of the most famous versions from a really awesome website:

It is in Scots dialect, so here is the ‘meta’ version from the same site:

And here is my very favorite music version by English folk rock band Steeleye Span:

Here is a list of other coincidences that I noticed:

Tyler’s ex friend’s name is Carter, and while it’s a common name, the woods that Tam Lin guards is named Carterhaugh (this is a real wood in the Scottish Borders).

Cobham Woods sounds suspiciously similar Carterhaugh Woods (this doesn’t appear to be a real place in Vermont).

Rowan Laslow; Rowan is also a common name, and the rowan tree (or mountain ash) was widely considered to have magical properties. The last part of the ballad is the faerie queens lament, from the modern English meta version on the site:

“If I had know, Tam Lin," she says
"that you were up to no good
I'd have taken out your green eyes
and put in eyes of wood."

“If I had known, Tam Lin," she says
"you would have always been alone!
For I'd have taken out your mortal heart
And put in a heart of stone."

But in one of the most famous modern versions from Steeleye Span, the official lyric reads ‘put to a rowan tree’. I haven’t seen any traditional versions that use it, so this coincidence is definitely a reach.

[animenostalgia]

The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 125: 50 Years of Cutie Honey with Salvatore

This episode is sponsored in part by Tokyo Treat! To get $5 your first box of delicious snacks & treats delivered from Japan straight to your door, AND to help support my little podcast, use code "NOSTALGIA" at my link here!

This year, Go Nagai's magical super heroine turned 50 years old! So what better time to have an episode in her honor? And joining me to talk all about her is No. 1 English-speaking Cutie Honey Fan (who has worked on many official American Cutie Honey releases!), Salvatore (aka @retrosofa)! We discuss not only the history of the franchise, but how even though Honey is a pulpy, sexy, and sometimes goofy Magical Girl originally created for boys, she influenced the Magical Girl genre in all sorts of ways we're still seeing today! Also in this episode: the decades-long argument of if Honey even counts as a magical girl, the appeal of giant Go Nagai monster women, and answering all your questions in this extra-long episode!

Stream the episode above or [Direct Download] Subscribe on apple podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

Relevant links:

Buy the original Cutie Honey manga and Cutie Honey anime on DVD

Buy the 90s New Cutey Honey OVA on bluray

Buy Re:Cutie Honey on bluray

Buy the Cutey Honey A Go Go! manga

Watch Cutie Honey: The Live on Retrocrush & buy the official bluray

Watch a short preview version of the Japanese stage musical, Cutie Honey Climax (subtitled in English officially!)

Read a brief interview with Jessica Calvello (dub voice of Honey) from way back in 2000 on her thoughts about the role!

Find Salvatore online:

@retrosofa on Tumblr and Twitter!

@retrosofa.inc on instagram!

Read his comic No More Mermaids! (NSFW WARNING! Absolutely not for kids!)

My theme song music was done by Kerobit! You can find more about them on their website!

Support the work I do on this podcast by leaving me a tip on Ko-fi! Want to have your name read in the special thanks segment on the next episode? All you need to do is buy me 2 or more “coffees” on Ko-fi!As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts on this episode or ideas for future episodes here—or email me directly at AnimeNostalgiaPodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening!

[jenyifer]

Mew doesn’t deserve Boston as a friend

**Talking about Mew not Book. Book has done a wonderful job with his acting deserves big hugs I can’t imagine how difficult this role was for him. **

So last week I said Boston deserves Mew as a friend and the post was mainly about how Boston has been a good friend to Mew the reverse is not true. First let me get my own headcannon’ s out of the way no I haven’t read the book or read spoilers so don’t tell me. I believe Mew and Cheum have been friends for a longer amount of time and we found out from episode 10 Cheum met Boston their first year of university that’s why Mew and Cheum’s bond seems closer than the others.

Mew and Top were not dating when Boston and Top cheated. Mew and Top are official at the end of ep4 and Mew says infront of Boston 3 times he’s not dating Top. Yes it still shitty however not Murder Blackmail someone who is your “friend”. Also hypocrisy here with Mew kissing fucking Boeing back. So mew isn’t dating top now so it’s okay? Sure Jan.

All of the friends rely on Boston and he provides what the they ask of him. Mew tells Boston to help care for Ray. We KNOW he does. Boston wakes ray up in class. He drives him home. He stays with Ray when he asks. Cheum relies on Boston to talk to her brother when he won’t talk to any one else. Mew asks Boston to find them a designer. He does. Mew asks Boston for his opinion on Top and Boston tells him that Top dumps people after 3 months which we know from Boeing that’s true.

All of that is true but Boston is just a heartless slut for Mew to feel morally superior to when the only time I have seen Mew do something for another character was Ray’s attempt on his own life. What else? Nothing. But no Boston is the heartless one.

Mew knows how special Nick is. He’s well aware Boston doesn’t sleep with the same person regularly. That’s why Mew assumes Boston and Nick are seeing eachother at the pool. Something that I think ✨inspired✨ Mew to become official with Top then have his own pool date because Mew has to be better than Boston. Despite knowing how important Nick is Mew sure is quick to remind Nick of his place just hired help. Useful tool. Don’t get any ideas that you are more than that. Mean girl energy. Mew can’t even pretend to be civil to Boston’s person. Oh maybe it’s because they weren’t dating… Humm… double standard again….

Mew immediately manipulates Nick into telling Mew about Gap by playing on Nick’s insecurity. Nick was never important to Boston by Mew’s telling. Even though we know Mew is aware this is a fucking lie. Mew and Cheum have been gossiping about BostonNick developments for a while. Mew does this just to be fucking nasty. Boston doesn’t need a friend who can’t see the value he puts on Nick as a person. Not as a tool or sex toy.

Mew steals the vid from gaps computer doesn’t delete it from the computer. Then he tried to show Boston’s dad the video (so the vid is on the laptop too) and he shows Boston the clip on his phone. Mew has the audacity to think outing Boston and getting him sent to America would be proper punishment? Mew was going to do it. Murder his friend’s future. Seriously fantasize about Drowning his friend. Then to keep Boston in line he keeps the clip? Fucking sick and he has the audacity to call Boston filthy?

Boston after this event stays quiet he continued to help with the project mind you he’s already contributed Top who designed everything and Nick who installed security system and made the website. He is a tamed dog. And yet Mew didn’t invite him to the Halloween party. He fucking insults him though insisting that Boston and Top are still fucking. Yeah right Boston seems sooooo into that pathetic desperate sad rich boy.

Let’s get on to ep 10 my final fucking straw

But Mew has the audacity to storm into Bostons house see the wall of lock boxes where Boston keeps his photos (not digital) and has the balls to say oh of course Boston would black mail someone to sleep with him. Really? Mew is the one with blackmail on Boston. Mew is the one who manipulated Boston’s person into saying that Boston’s closest guarded secret was a guy had taken video of him having sex. Mew is the one with two copies of the video to dangle over his head so he plays the silent friend the butt of your jokes.

Boston had every right to look at Mew like he might slap him. But Boston just takes it because he did actually love his friends at one point and there is no use arguing with them. Boston believes he is the monster they claim him to be even with Nicks assurances that “Bostons friends love him for who he is”

Mew never loved Boston. Boston was just a person to make Mew look better. Mew doesn’t deserve to have someone like Boston in his life. Mew can’t appreciate anything beyond his nose and that’s always up in the air because he’s SOOOOOO much better than anyone else. Literally there is no reason Boston should ever forgive him or see him again.

Maybe Mew liked the idea of found family from his fantasy books that are in the shelves of his home. As a closeted queer child I think that’s what drew me to the genre lots of people from different walks of life and species coming together to go on an adventure. Often the found family aspect was more captivating than any romance the book had to offer. I longed to have a group of people to feel as close to me as my siblings who would accept me. Maybe that’s why Mew tried to assemble a found family of his own with a hunter, drunkard, table holder, and a dancer. But when Top came into the picture Mew let that fly out of the window. So he superficially held onto Boston hoping by blackmailing him Mew would eventually be able to play paddy cake with him again. But Mew should never be forgiven for what he’s did to Boston episode 10.

Can’t wait to see that smug smile slip from his face

[lunapaper]

Album Review: 'Country Curious' EP - Lola Kirke

Pop has never been more country, and country has never been more pop.   

Names like Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Wallen (controversies aside) have well and truly embedded themselves in the mainstream. And, of course, there’s Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, which, despite all the country imagery and distinct country twang, is not a country album, according to the singer.  

Country Curious, by singer/actress Lola Kirke, however, is a country album (or EP, to be specific). It’s right there in the title. Her cowgirl journey started long ago: Born in London, raised in New York and moving to Nashville in the middle of a pandemic, developing a love for Tanya Tucker, The Judds and Rosanne Cash's Seven Year Ache along the way. Her second album, Lady for Sale, was even released through Jack White's Third Man Records.  

She chronicles this full-on transformation on the EP's first single, 'He Says Y'all,' a feminist take on 'bro-country' delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. Like 2022's Lady for Sale, Kirke turns the campy goodness up to 11 with a rollicking honky tonk groove, ready to move down South and start teasing her hair for a dirty man with a cowboy drawl. I bet she thinks his tractor's sexy, too!  

The smoky slow burn of 'All My Exes Live in LA' (featuring Swedish sister duo and fellow lovers of Americana, First Aid Kit) is also fun, flirty and feminist, referencing George Strait as she leaves the freeway littered with broken hearts, heading 'For the mountains or the desert or my mama's or anywhere else.'  

‘My House,’ meanwhile, serves absolute cunt when it comes to the traditional country ballad. Instead of begging for her man to come back home, she’s kicking him out and reclaiming her space, singing ''Cause I never have to worry about if you'll come home/I'm not crying over you, now I'm better off alone' with a big damn smile on her faceas she dances around her house while chugging a beer at 10am.  

Ending the EP is the slow winding ‘Karma,’ featuring the aforementioned Rosanne Cash. Dedicated to a lying, cheating douche bro with the big important job, it's a perfect mix of contemporary country and rugged 70s nostalgia, featuring sublime harmonies that just beautifully melt into one another and lyrics that give Taylor's own 'Karma' a serious run for their money ('She never quits/Or forgets/I don't mess with karma/But I sure love that bitch').  

Lola Kirke is more than just a little curious about country music. Where Lady for Sale saw her give it a bright, kitschy 80s glow, this EP sees her lean all the way in, with a lot of its blues and roots influence able to be attributed to producer and lifelong friend, Elle King. 

It’s masterfully constructed and cleverly written, more so than Lady for Sale at times. It should earn Kirke some kind of acclaim as Musgraves or Ballerini or Morris, just like Lady for Sale should’ve had the singer/actress occupying the same space as Rina and Carly Rae: Cult pop girlies who deliver on the niche camp in spades. 

This imbalance hasn’t gone unnoticed by Kirke noting the ‘mediocre’ 6.4 review Lady for Sale received from Pitchfork (which, coming from those guys, is laughable) in a recent interview with the official Grammys website, along with her dissatisfaction with Hollywood and the lack of decent roles (While I’m at it, Mozart in the Jungle deserved so much better, fuck Amazon for cancelling it so they could fund their stupid Lord of the Rings spinoff series). 

Nonetheless, Country Curious proves that heartbreak can be rather empowering and even funny sometimes. Kirke manages to pull off the impossible, balancing humour and heart in a country song without sounding too cartoonish or cynical. She just sounds like she’s having a blast, at this point making way better country bops than the bros... 

[mayimkjs]

An Introduction to MILGRAM

I decided to do this because I had everything written out for FOOL's MATE. Send it to your friends lamo.

Introduction

MILGRAM (ミルグラム) is an ongoing interactive music project by DECO*27 and Takuya Yamanaka that was first established in April 2020. MILGRAM is a mysterious, magical prison that houses 10 prisoners who have all committed a murder and it’s the job the guard to determine if their crimes are forgivable.

MILGRAM also contains a runic code alphabet that can be translated into the latin alphabet. This is seen on all uniforms and the website.

How do you decide what they are? 

Each prisoner gets 3 trials. After each interrogation, they are put through the MILGRAM system that extracts songs and music videos from their mind that will slowly explain what they’ve done. When someone receives a guilty verdict, they get more restraints put on them. The prisoners perceive their judgements as voices in their minds telling them that they're guilty or innocent/forgiven or not forgiven.

What is the purpose of MILGRAM?

I think the manga best explains the purpose of MILGRAM. Even though the manga is set it a different MILGRAM, it still has the same purpose. As the manga puts it, MILGRAM exists to oversee cases were people can’t be judged based on existing laws and puts them in front of someone with the role of a guard. The job of this guard is to review the prisoners’ “sins” or crimes and deem them innocent/forgiven or guilty/unforgiven. 

So what exactly does the audience do?

You experience MILGRAM through the eyes of Es, guided by the talking rabbit, Jackalope. After each song is released, you are able to vote on whether you can forgive the prisoner for their crimes or not. Each prisoner is guilty of murder. You just have to decide if their actions are forgivable or not. The final verdict for each prisoner during each trial has side effects. For example, Kotoko was voted innocent during trial 1 and ended up beating the shit out of all the guilty prisoners except Amane because she didn't have time for her. The viewer is the one who is writing these prisoners stories and the one who decides how this story ends. You don’t have to do deep dives or even read or listen to the voice dramas. The only thing you really need to do, is watch the MV and listen to the song.

How are the trials structured? 

MV release and voting for that prisoner opens.

EP release later that day. The EPs consists of:

The song

The instrumental for that song

A cover and rearrangement of a DECO*27 song

Instrumental for the cover

A voice drama

Interrogation cards are released on the app and Twitter. 

The voice dramas present us with each prisoner’s surface emotions, while the music videos reveal their underlying ones.

What is the “MILGRAM Portal”?

MILGRAM Portal is the official mobile app for MILGRAM, published by CRAYON Inc. It is currently exclusive to Japan. This app includes news, MVs, interrogations, trial voting and timeline conversations. 

What are timeline conversations? 

These are conversations between prisoners. You can make comments on these posts, but the prisoners won't see or hear you. 

Background

Originally, Yamanaka wanted to make MILGRAM into a video game. But after the release of “Otome Dissection”, which was OTOIRO’s first work, he decided to go the route that MILGRAM has went. They wanted to make this accessible to everyone and not put anything as important as voting behind a paywall. Mikoto and Kotoko (or maybe Yuno instead) might have been added later after a suggestion from DECO to “include a character who would cause a stir in MILGRAM”. The characters DECO and Yamanaka where referring to in the interview I am referencing were not name dropped, but considering the context, it seems this is who they might have been referring to. MILGRAM is made with questions like “Can you forgive someone after knowing their crimes?” and “What would you do if you couldn’t forgive someone you loved?” in mind. 

How is it made?

OTOIRO is in charge of producing the project. Team OTO (DECO, Rockwell, sometimes TeddyLoid) works on the music and audio portion, where's Team IRO works on the videos, official art and other graphics such as the interrogation cards.

When making the songs, DECO records a demo of him singing the song, at least this was the case for Undercover. All of the covers are picked by DECO because he thinks they hit the character’s voice. The covers have no relevance to the plot. 

After each character is voted for, they start working on the music for the next season. During this time, DECO and Yamanaka are also brainstorming ideas for forgiven and unforgiven outcomes. 

Who are the people behind this?

Takuya Yamanaka (山中拓也)

Co-Producer, Story/Author

Takuya Yamanaka is a writer who has a degree in psychology. He couldn't go into a psychology based job because he was deemed "too sensitive" and got too involved in others emotions. Other from MILGRAM, h’s most well known for being the creator of the Caligula series.

He is also a cheeky bastard. 

DECO*27

Co-Producer, Composition/Music, Lyrics

Pronounced Deco Niina, he is a VOCALOID producer who has been active since 2008. He is currently one of the most popular producers and has over 100 vocaloid songs. 

Rockwell

Arrangement, Composition/Music

Rockwell (ロックウェル, 69ℓ), also known as Tomoki Uchiba (内場智樹), is a Japanese songwriter, arranger and guitarist.  He's a former member of the rock band "Silhouette from The Skylit". He left the band in August 2016, and in September 2016 he started his career as artist Rockwell. It is said that Rockwell and DECO*27 went to the same high school and both members of the judo club.

DMYM

Typography/Prop Designer, Art and Animation Director, Card Designer

No.734, also known as Doumae Yumi or DMYM, is a graphic designer and illustrator. After graduating from the Comprehensive Design Department of Kuwasawa Design School, she worked as a freelance designer and illustrator for BALCOLONY. In October 2018, she became one of the art directors and illustrators of OTOIRO.

akka

Original/Main Character/Color Designer, Composite, Animation Director, Key Animator

akka is an illustrator who has been creating PVs since 2009. akka's first involvement with VOCALOID PVs was a fanmade video for "Two Breaths Walking" that has since reached over 1,000,000 views, the PV is the starting association with DECO*27.

OTOIRO

Production Company, Sound and Visual Creation

OTOIRO Inc. is a Tokyo-based creative studio which is active in the production of music. It was established in October 2018 with DECO*27 as the CEO. OTOIRO operates on the basis of two divisions of 'creators':

OTO (sound): focuses on the production of sound.

IRO (color): focuses on the production of artworks and movies.

arma banca Co,. Ltd

Merchandising, Event Planning, Record Label 

arma bianca is a character goods merchandising company that runs Amnibus and many pop up shops. The also produce line stickers and help plan and organize digital content such as MILGRAM.

With the start of Trial 2, they opened their own record label, arma Records. The are also in charge of pop up shops and were heavily involved with the first live show, “hallucinations” and run the main merch shop with is hosted on Amnibus.

The arma bianca-associated producer working on MILGRAM is Sakai Tomonari (坂井智成).

[creepycute-puppy-gf]

(image via The official website)

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady is an ungoshly long name as they like to have now. Truly we are all here for the girls love part of this but I have to say I got strong Full Metal Alchemist vibes from the the way they put the plots (yes plural) together, it has multiple ends and ep 12 does feel like a succinct stopping point so no fear of feeling abandoned mid story.

The thing is,,,it feels a little all over the place especially with the romance between the main characters, it feels as if they gave one of them amnesia so they so forgot all the first half of the show at one point including their relationship. The stories were enjoyable enough, the characters were all great imo even side characters were compelling and interesting with reasonably memorable designs and impact. I love u Tilty

Ultimately it felt like it had a lot of weight that got totally gutted out of it leaving it vapid at times, that includes the romance and girls love aspects heavily as well as characters and their motivations being at times shifted violently and unclearly (I get not being spoonfed but when we have to use these changes as basis for new plot,,,,it's jarring to say the least) I would blame men for a lot of the changes,

8/10 bc it had glints of brilliance, but I wanted it to be 10/10.

Art was nice, music ok, and ultimately I appreciated that people felt meaningfully alive and in danger.

[elcomfortador]

Before Balki, Bronson Pinchot Played Gay on Sara

“You Can’t Win ’Em All” (February 27, 1985)

Sara is a one-season sitcom that first came to our attention via a gag on The Simpsons, the context being that it wasn’t a show worth remembering. The Simpsons was wrong, however, and this Geena Davis vehicle does a lot of what we think ’80s sitcoms don’t do. Namely, it has an out gay character who is allowed to have a sex drive. He’s also more than a set of stereotypical mannerisms but he still reads as gay. And Bronson Pinchot, who one year later would become a sitcom star as Balki on Perfect Strangers, does a great job bringing dimension to this character who should have been on TV for a lot longer.

Many thanks to Steven Capsuto for collecting historical context around Sara in his amazing book, Alternate Channels: Queer Images on Twentieth-Century TV, which is a great resource for anyone studying LGBTQ representation in media. Also listen to the episode Steve did with us about Love, Sidney.

Thanks to Zach Wilson for giving us access to the video of this ep! You can watch the entire episode on the GEE Vimeo here.

Watch the credits to the also short-lived sitcom DREAMS.

Read the LA Times piece about the production of Sara.

And also have a look at the Pop Trash Museum article about Sara.

Go shop at our TeePublic store!

Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter

Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn

And yes, we do have an official website! We even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode’s art was designed by Ian O’Phelan.

This is a TableCakes podcast.

Listen now!

[effygiraffetalks]

Effy Giraffe: 2024 Will Be MAJOR

Beginning of the End made its official release earlier this month and I couldn't be prouder. The album received a lot of mixed reviews. Some people thought it was rushed and just not enough, but let me tell you it was truly just the beginning. A real tease of what's to come!

End of Everything will of course be making its debut next year! I couldn't be excited. We've worked on quite a few songs already and we are already prepping the albums first single release. The single was prematurely announced via X, but I quickly deleted it as we're actually putting a different single out. So far we have quite a few songs shaping up the albums tracklist. The tracklist (in no particular order) will include:

I'm Alive

Better Off Alone

Be My Guy (Don't Want You To)

I've Moved On

Initially we were going to choose Be My Guy (Don't Want You To) as the first single. Though, after censoring it, it still remained too sexy. So much so DK Records shut that down as an option.

So what have we settled on? The albums first single will be I've Moved On. The single will release on New Years Day*! I couldn't be more excited! It's the perfect song to kick start such a great album. So far I love every song we've worked on. With three mastered and so many demos started, I truly believe this album will have A LOT of songs.

I know Beginning of the End was picked on for being too short, so this one certainly makes up for that! So much so I feel like I should make this a trilogy. Ha.

In a seriousness, so far the album has a real sexy tone. Some songs are much slower than you'd expect. I try something different with my voice in Be My Guy (Don't Want You To). It's been a lot of fun creating this one.

My goal for the album is for it to be fun. I want you to be able to dance to it. I know I initially said this would be raw, personal, and emotional compared to the first album -- and all of this remains true, but it's just SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

End of Everything is suppose to serve as my last full length album. So I want to go out with a bang. I want this release to show just how much I've grown as in artist since starting in 2009. So we are taking our time with it. I think we'll release three official singles, and a fourth promotional single after the album releases.

You might be wondering, what happens after the album? I may release some songs here and there throughout the years, or heck I may even throw out an EP. Though full length albums just aren't for me after this. Which is why I WANT this to be my BEST. I promise you it will be!

Keep an eye out later this week for the single cover. Can't wait for you all to hear the song! It's going to be an incredible year!!

*The single will release officially by January 5th, 2024 on all streaming sites. New Years Day will be an iTunes "First" and Youtube release. It will also be on my website for FREE!

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

IF FAST, FURIOUS, AND INTENSE DUTCH HARDCORE IS WHAT YOU CRAVE -- THE ONLY B.G.K. ALBUM ON CD YOU'LL EVER NEED.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on "A Dutch Feast... The Complete Works of Balthasar Gerards Kommando," a discography/compilation album by 'Amsterdam-based '80s hardcore punk band B.G.K., compiled and released by Alternative Tentacles in 1999. The album contains forty-six tracks and is considered the definitive collection of B.G.K.'s entire recorded output.

"The Alternative Tentacles website blurts:

"Dutch punk; the glory years! Their entire discography collected, the double LP is finally back in print! These Dutch punks offered one of the most furious and intense displays of hardcore the world has ever seen!"

Damn straight. I wrote all those furious and intense songs because I'm a furious and intense guy. See, that's me pictured on the cover. OK, I was still a handsome young lad in 1984, sporting stylish European headwear. Even though I did not posses all my Super Slug Powers yet, I still got more pussy than Joan Jett backstage, while you and your friends were getting clowned by the doorman.

I'm not too wild about the title the folks at Alternative Tentacles conjured up for this project, but nobody asked me, so what can ya do. What the hell is a "Dutch Feast" anyways?

Released in the year 2000 as double album and in CD format, it is, as the title suggests, a retrospective, and contains the third official re-release of "Jonestown Aloha" (1982), "Nothing Can go Wrong" (1986), the multi-bootlegged "White Male Dumbinance" EP from 1984, all in one handy package, with a few tracks taken from compilations like the (also multi-released) "Welcome to 1984", and "P.E.A.C.E" record thrown in."

-- TONY SLUG, a.k.a., Tony Tony Leeuwenburgh, former bassist/guitarist for Amsterdam-based hardcore punk band B.G.K. (BALTHASAR GERARDS KOMMANDO), published May 28, 2009

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/2428934056752180114 & http://tonyslug.blogspot.com/2009/05/bgk-dutch-feast.html.

[skyz8]

that's a nice theory, op! i want to believe in it too but it was announced before the show aired that ahsoka happens concurrently with mando season three so ahsoka HAS met luke before encountering baylan skoll. it's only that luke is far beneath her list of concern that she never thought of him 😔although the ahsoka show does recontextualize her refusal to train grogu and the motive behind her preventing mando to meet up with grogu in ossus. she convinced r2 to go to her instead of telling luke that mando came to visit. luke was never told and had to find out that mando visited when mando's ship was leaving. i'm sure her intentions were from a place of good but in the end she prevented mando to meet his foundling (something she would have known is important in mando culture because she spent time with bo-katan and sabine) and yet she didn't trust luke to handle it himself. she even mentioned how luke is like his father right after he confronted her about mando's visit. this is all very interesting because with the recent ahsoka episode, her actions in tbobf is recontextualized as something that's likely motivated by her trauma and issues that stem from her unresolved past. and luke was too polite to have his choice to confront mando and decide what to do with grogu alongside his student's parental figure basically robbed from him 😭

Hey anon, thanks for stopping by ♡

As far as I know there's no official confirmation from Dave Filoni or the official Star Wars website about the actual timeline of the Ahsoka series, there are some new articles still speculating about the timeline. But I think during SW celebration Natasha Liu Bordizzo was the only one who said that the show's events are happening along the same timeline as Mando S3. So, you could be right.

But what still makes me suspicious of the timeline is that a few days after the two-episode premiere, the official Star Wars website omitted TBOBF ep 6 from the list of essential episodes to watch before the Ahsoka show. Which is...weird.

The last recommendation in the list is her appearance in The Mandalorian s2. So why is that I wonder?

We start the Ahsoka show with Morgan Elsbeth being rescued by Baylan and Shin as she was being transported to Coruscant for her trial, the last time we saw Morgan is when she was defeated and captured by Ahsoka in Mando s2. I don't think it'll take the new republic 2+ years to transfer a prisoner to Coruscant for their trial, so it's safe to assume that this happens after a few months max from her capture by Ahsoka. So at this point I don't think we reached TBOBF timeline yet...

As for Ahsoka preventing Din from seeing Grogu in that episode, I didn't like it, and at the time I didn't get the concept of no-attachments with Jedi (I became a Star Wars fan after the Mandalorian S2 finale & haven't watched the animated shows yet at the time) but then I read some other fans' analysis of that scene and I understood why Ahsoka was adamant about it. The thing is Grogu has a BIG attachment issue to the point of not being able to concentrate on his training, as Luke said, his heart wasn't in it. That kind of attachment and conflict within his heart along with being very strong with the Force can be dangerous for him because he'd be susceptible to the dark side. I think @gffa explained Ahsoka's reasoning well here.

I know there are different views in the fandom about the Jedi Code of no attachments, canon vs legends...etc, and I personally think that this rule is not being examined or conveyed in a clear way or in a good way? in live action tv shows, but it seems Dave Filoni is continuing George Lucas's views about attachments with Jedi, that this rule is not wrong. So I think Ahsoka wasn't preventing Din from seeing Grogu out of her own trauma, her reasoning was solid.

Having said that, as much as I enjoyed Ahsoka being with Luke in TBOBF (it was beautiful ngl), I personally don't think she should've been there in the first place.

For two reasons:

A) As you said, it robbed Luke of an important moment in the story that would have added so much to his character and also Din's. Luke should've been the one to talk to Din about Grogu and have some interesting meaningful discussion with him about what it means to be a Jedi and what it means to be a Mandalorian (seriously how tf could filoni and favreau pass on this marvelous opportunity??!! PFFFT), and if they want to save the reunion with Grogu for later they could've let him nap deeply while Luke and Din have a chat.

B) How could they throw Ahsoka and Luke casually talking with each other at the audience WITHOUT SHOWING THEIR FIRST MEETING TOGETHER?!! It's a big thing! Like, it still boggles my mind! So I think Ahsoka meeting Luke for the first time should've been in her own show.

But anyways, back to our topic, there's a moment in TBOBF where Ahsoka tells Luke to trust his instincts, and if you remember one of the Ahsoka teasers a while ago had Anakin's voice talking to Ahsoka (A flashback? An old hologram?) telling her to trust her instincts (perhaps it's coming up in one of the remaining episods?)...So maybe that's where it stuck with her and then she told Luke the same thing later, you know 😭😭😭

Sorry for the long rambling answer anon.