#superb performance i can't get over it

[dduane]

Oh, just in passing: a couple of SPOCK'S WORLD notes

(from @magicalgirlcrazycatlady:

!!!!!!! AUDIOBOOK SPOCK'S WORLD!!!! EXISTS? READ BY THOSE TWO?????????

Yep. If you go over to, say, Ebay, you can usually find somebody selling the audiobook on cassette (and if you're very lucky, on CD).

It hasn't been reissued in decades, and I can't really be sure why. It may be that there are union-based (meaning SAG[-AFTRA]) issues with the way Nimoy and Takei were compensated for the original performances; so that if the audiobook was reissued in more modern media, the publisher would have to deal with the way union rules for such performances have changed. (Which might run into serious money.)

In any case, it's a shame it's not more readily available. Both of the gentlemen involved did a fabulous job. I've had the pleasure of telling George so, and I'm sad not to have been able to tell Nimoy the same. (sigh) Anyway, it was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in the endeavor.

...Also, per @rightspocko:

#oh my god you did that in 2 weeks#and you rewrote it so quickly and it’s still superb!#i never would’ve guessed because it’s so well structured and well written

The rewrite went as well as it did (and frankly as well as it could have done, under the circumstances) because before I ever started work on that book, I'd written a comprehensive outline.

It's not widely understood, I think, that when you're writing for a big IP owner / licensor, it is impossible to sell them a new project without first writing an outline that makes plain what it'll contain. Pantsing—however much some writers may enjoy that mode of novel writing, however much some may feel it to be the superior mode—has no place in the licensed-universe sales process. No licensor is going to even agree in principle with your agent that you're going to be brought in to do an original novel, let alone write the contract to back up their intent, until you've submitted an outline that tells Corporate in considerable detail what they (and their stockholders) are going to be getting for their money.

In the case of Spock's World, this rule went double, perhaps triple—regardless of the success of my previous work for Trek and Pocket. Spock's World was going to be their very first ever hardcover Star Trek novel. The whole project was a gamble... and the corporate Powers that Be therefore needed to know exactly what I was going to be giving them. So I did what I usually do for a book of the projected length—an outline somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 single-spaced pages. (ETA: For the hell of it, I just spent half an hour or so digging around for it, and [at the virtual "bottom" of a storage hard drive] found the ancient .arc file in which it'd been packed away. The outline is dated March 3rd, 1988, and comes to about 22 single-spaced pages. ...Call it 8K words and change.)

The outline, as always, was the "road map" I'd drawn for where I was going, to avoid wasting time in possibly getting lost along the way. All the structural work and serious plotting was already complete in the outline... ready to have the prose racked up in it, as a bookshelf's built ready to house its books.

And that's why the result, despite the near-disaster, still looks okay. All I had to do* was write again what "lost material" I'd already written, with the outline to guide me, or prompt me, where my memory failed. To this day I feel strongly that the book was significantly better because of that second write-through, however enforced. So this whole process turned into kind of a blessing in disguise (despite my poor lower back's more or less constant screams of protest).

That outline was what saved my butt... as others would, in years to come, further down the line. Those interested in having their own butts saved when necessary, and their writing life generally made less stressy, can look over here and see the outlining "blueprint" I use. C. J. Cherryh put me onto it; and what Carolyn doesn't know about writing a well- and tightly-plotted SF novel, seriously doesn't matter.

...And now I'm going to go make some spaghetti sauce. :)

*"All I had to do." CAN I EVEN HEAR MYSELF. (helpless laughter) It was like climbing hand over hand out of hell. But at least I could always see the light at the top of the tunnel...

[follows-the-bees]

Izzy taking the blame for Stede's painting being ruined is leading to some deep character study.

Let's look at the painting first.

Not only are the eyes crossed out, but the dark marks around the eyes and mouth are exactly the greasepaint makeup that Blackbeard and the whole crew use.

There is a bloody handprint over Stede's hand holding a sword and there is a knife stabbed into the left side of Stede's abdomen - the side without the important bits.

All three of these suggest that it was Blackbeard who mutilated the painting. He used the makeup to bring Stede down to his level of darkness, the bloody handprint to show the violence happening, and while the knife is violent, it is on the left side. It shows the warring emotions Ed is feeling about Stede right now, no matter how much he's drowning, trying to become a flightless bird, he ultimately can't truly stop loving Stede.

Now let's move on to Izzy.

Stede asks about the painting (oh, Stede I love your insecure yet vain ass) and Izzy responds right away.

He automatically steps in to say it's him with that smarmy smile he uses around Stede. Izzy choosing to say this can be due to two things. 1) He is taking the blame for/ covering up for Blackbeard, or 2) He is trying to protect the crew from getting caught from mutiny. Which still means that he is taking the blame off of Blackbeard, so there isn't any evidence of why they would mutiny. (There is the third option that Izzy DID do it, but I think that is highly unlikely and you can tell in Con's performance.)

Stede reacts to this response by rolling his eyes, sighing, and then walking away. Izzy looks surprised by this, he was clearly expecting to be yelled at. Or be called an asshole like Stede has done in the past. But instead he is met by quiet despondence, which happens once again this episode.

When the crew are jailed for mutiny and Stede comes to the jail, Izzy tries to provoke him once again. "Go on, Bonnet. Give me your worst."

But once again, Stede is quiet, shakes the bars, and walks away. We see Izzy make the same face as last time: he has tears in his eyes, visibly upset and slightly confused. He isn't getting yelled at, he is getting disappointment and silence.

Besides showing exactly how Stede responds when he is completely heartbroken, we see how Izzy responds when he expects violence and gets the opposite.

It is heartbreaking and Con's performance is superb.

Gif source!! Give them the love.

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Yet again, it’s time to indulge in one of my favorite new year traditions: my ten favorite new-to-me films of 2024!

Every one of these movies got under my skin in one way or another and made this difficult year that much brighter. If you like, consider this a strong endorsement for each of them.

Same rules as always: no movies from this past year (2024) or the year prior (2023). Every other year is fair game.

01. Close-Up (dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1990; Iran; 98 min.)

"Tell him The Cyclist is a part of me."

Every now and then, you watch a film for the first time that knocks you sideways, that reminds you of the power and beauty in cinema, that lives up to every expectation you had for it, that works its way into your bloodstream to take up permanent residence as a part of you.

That was my experience finally watching Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up. While retaining his empathetic gaze, Kiarostami uses a real-life incident to crack open the very ideas of performance, escapism, identity, truth, and storytelling. Is it a love letter to cinema or a condemnation of its ability to distance people from reality? Is it both?

That this film exists at all is a miracle. Hossain Sabzian's performance (as himself) is miraculous in itself, too. There is simply nothing like Close-Up, and I am so grateful to have experienced it. I can't wait to revisit it for years to come.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

02. Paris, Texas (dir. Wim Wenders, 1984; West Germany/France; 147 min.)

"I wanted to see him so bad I didn't even dare imagine him anymore."

I mean this in the best way possible: Paris, Texas was not what I expected it to be at all. For years, I've heard it spoken of with reverence, and I've seen shots from it, and I generally knew the premise, but I didn't expect a film that was as nakedly emotional as this. Paris, Texas ripped my heart out over and over and over again, and I was grateful for it every time.

Everything about it is superb: Robby Müller's cinematography, creating poetry out of the neon-soaked desert; Ry Cooder's haunting guitar; Sam Shepard's enormously moving screenplay; Wenders' patient and precise direction. And then there are the performances! I waxed poetic about Harry Dean Stanton's performance yesterday in this post, but in short: it's a landmark performance. Nearly equally impressive, and with less screentime, is Nastassja Kinski, the key to the film's mystery.

This is an exquisite piece of work. What begins as an almost unbearably lonely film grows into one of bittersweet reconciliation, of healing. I'll be thinking about Travis and Hunter walking together on opposite sides of the street for a long, long time.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

03. Barton Fink (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1991; USA; 116 mins.)

"I tried to show you something beautiful."

I know I'm late to the party here (isn't that what these lists are all about?), but my God, what a major work. Barton Fink is every bit as dense and as literate as No Country for Old Men and as gripping and darkly hilarious as Fargo. John Turturro's performance is the perfect anchor, a twitchy live-wire with dueling inferiority and superiority complexes falling headfirst into a nightmare. He's matched (haunted?) perfectly by John Goodman, giving one of his best performances, using his folksy charm and twinkling eyes to terrifying effect. 

Again, though, the film is primarily an incredible achievement because of the Coens. Between their writing and directing, Barton Fink pulls at so many threads and juggles a number of conflicting tones to create a singularly hellish vision of Hollywood and an entertainment industry caught between World War II and the rise of McCarthyism. It's a marvel. I can't wait to watch it again and again.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

04. Hoop Dreams (dir. Steve James, 1994; USA; 171 min.)

"That's why when somebody say, 'When you get to the NBA, don't forget about me,' and that stuff. Well, I should've said to them, 'If I don't make it, don't you forget about me.'"

Hoop Dreams is every bit as monumental as its reputation suggests, both a masterpiece of non-fiction filmmaking and the blueprint for the next thirty years of documentaries. The editing work alone here is unbelievable, with the film starting life as a 30-minute PBS short and growing into a three-hour-long epic.

The triumph of Hoop Dreams is a reminder that documentary filmmaking is an act of sculpture. Director Steve James collected 250 hours of footage over five years of shooting, which he and his Oscar-nominated team of editors, Frederick Marx and William Haugse, whittled down to a single, thrilling experience. The film is long, but not without reason. By the end, you feel like you've lived William Gates' and Arthur Agee's high school years with them.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

05. Out of Sight (dir. Steven Soderbergh, 1998; USA; 123 min.)

"It's like seeing someone for the first time, like you can be passing on the street, and you look at each other for a few seconds, and there's this kind of a recognition like you both know something. Next moment the person's gone, and it's too late to do anything about it. And you always remember it because it was there, and you let it go, and you think to yourself, 'What if I had stopped? What if I had said something?' What if, what if... it may only happen a few times in your life." "Or once." "Or once."

Call it a crime thriller, call it a neo-noir, call it a rom-com, call it whatever you like: Out of Sight is all of them, and it's extraordinarily good at being all of them at the same time. Every aspect of the film is perfectly realized: Steven Soderbergh's impeccable command over tone and genre; Scott Frank's charming, intelligent, complicated screenplay; the unstoppable movie star charisma of George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Everything that makes Clooney such a compelling actor is on full display here, and I'm not sure he's ever been better. Same goes for Lopez: she hasn't gotten nearly the respect she deserves for being such a remarkable screen presence, even in movies that don't deserve her, but she's luminous in this. 

And, my God, Anne V. Coates' editing -- the brilliant story structure feels like it might fall apart at the seams if she hadn't held it together. Between a legend in the editing room and a legend in the making in the director's chair, Out of Sight seems to come together effortlessly. It's as graceful and entertaining a film as you'll ever see. I loved everything about it.

Currently available to rent on demand.

06. Punch-Drunk Love (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002; USA; 95 min.)

"It really looks like Hawaii here."

This one really is magical, huh? Between the cinematography (Robert Elswit, a legend) and the music (Jon Brion, a legend) to the beautifully funny script by director Paul Thomas Anderson, just about every individual aspect of the film sings. This is true, too, for the performances -- Emily Watson is always so lovely, and Luis Guzmán should probably be in every PTA film ever made, but especially Adam Sandler (who, Uncut Gems be damned, has never, ever been better), and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who makes a three-course meal out of minimal screen time.

I feel like I've seen or catastrophized the worst possible version of a movie like this so many times -- an off-kilter indie love story between two #weirdos, the kind of thing that aimed to replicate this film or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- but the experience of actually seeing Punch-Drunk Love knocked me out. It's just so funny and romantic and sad and sweet and winning. It's a thing of real beauty.

Currently available to rent on demand.

07. Female Trouble (dir. John Waters, 1974; USA; 97 min.)

"This is so exciting! Just think of all the little horror stories that go on in other people's lives!"

What a terrific vehicle for Divine. What a brilliant continuation of the Dreamlanders' work. I certainly appreciated Pink Flamingos, even if it made me genuinely sick, and I understand why it's still seen as Waters' masterpiece, but to me, Female Trouble almost feels like a more complete, more precise, and more vicious variation of the earlier film. As a hit job on the sensibilities of good taste, its aim is deadly.

The film's look and sound is more polished and impressive than in Pink Flamingos, too, particularly Van Smith's astonishing costumes, Vincent Peranio's production design, and the horribly catchy theme song. The whole film feels like a fever dream, and it would be very easy to imagine this as a straight-up horror movie if there wasn't such a relentlessly funny rebellious spirit to it. Even still, the final act is genuinely disturbing. "Who wants to die for art?"

It's horrible. It's wonderful. It's kind of a masterpiece in its own sick way.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

08. Memories of Murder (dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2003; South Korea; 131 min.)

"What did he look like?" "Well... kind of plain." "In what way?" "Just... ordinary."

At the risk of saying something extremely obvious, Bong Joon-ho is a really great director, huh? Purely looking at how he manages to make Memories of Murder -- one bleak, bleak, bleak film -- both extremely funny and extremely upsetting and, in multiple sequences, genuinely frightening, it's clear that Bong is a generational talent. 

The cast is stacked (of course) -- Song Kang-ho holds the whole thing together beautifully, lending the final shot its gravitas, but he's flanked by the likes of Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha, Byun Hee-bong, and, most memorably, the chilling Park Hae-il.

It's just kind of a knockout on all levels, from that gorgeous golden hour cinematography at the beginning giving way to the muted grays of the procedural to the way Bong milks an overwhelming sense of dread out of something as mundane as a rainstorm.

Currently available to rent on demand.

09. The Long Goodbye (dir. Robert Altman, 1973; USA; 112 min.)

"It's okay with me."

A neo-noir crime thriller with the vibes of a 70s hangout movie, The Long Goodbye is everything you could ever want from a Robert Altman/Philip Marlowe movie: grimy, rambling, uncomfortable, and very funny in its own bone-dry way. The soundtrack consisting of just one song? Inspired.

Elliott Gould is the perfect center for the film, giving a wonderfully relaxed, effortlessly cool performance. Altman's naturalistic conversation style mixes beautifully with the genre's stylized dialogue (and every other character tells Gould how cute he is, and you know what? It's true!). Also, it's got one of the great movie cats.

I'm positive I missed some of the inner workings of it, but it washed over me like a wave at the beach, and I loved every bit of it.

Currently available to rent on demand.

10. Crooklyn (dir. Spike Lee, 1994; USA; 114 min.)

"Ladybug, you turned out pretty good considering you were raised in a house full of ashy, rusty-butt boys."

Maybe it's just how inundated we currently are with this subgenre -- Esteemed Filmmaker Reflects On Their Childhood, à la Belfast and The Fabelmans and Roma -- but I can't help but feel like Crooklyn would become something of an awards darling in 2024. Like the best of the subgenre's newer films, Spike Lee's look back isn't really about him. He's definitely there (or at least a spectacled Knicks-loving stand-in is), but Crooklyn is primarily about growing up from the perspective of his sister Joie -- or rather, her stand-in Troy.

It's also more generally about the dynamics of the family and, by extension, their neighborhood. In both regards -- as a portrait of Black girlhood in the early '70s and as a memory piece of a family on the precipice of a major turning point -- the film is a triumph. The cast is tremendous, from the parents played by Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo, to the miraculously well-cast group of kids. Their chemistry together is magical (and my God, they are all so cute -- the scene of them singing along to the Partridge Family is instantly iconic to me).

There are so many well-observed slice-of-life moments in the film: all of the scenes of the family spending time together, RuPaul(!) in the bodega, Aunt Song (a very good Frances Foster) singing Christian songs while Troy stares at her. And, because it's a Spike Lee joint, Crooklyn is a stylistic and technical achievement. It has one of the most audacious aspect ratio changes I've ever seen (and honestly, I'm not sure if it's successful, but I admire the swing!), plus one of the funniest uses of the floating dolly shot in any of Lee's movies.

A supremely lovely film.

Currently available to rent on demand.

Other films I loved (in alphabetical order): After Hours (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1985); Aguirre, the Wrath of God (dir. Werner Herzog, 1972); An Autumn Afternoon (dir. Yasujirō Ozu, 1962); The Bad News Bears (dir. Michael Ritchie, 1976); Baseball (dir. Ken Burns, 1994); Big Trouble in Little China (dir. John Carpenter, 1986); Blue Velvet (dir. David Lynch, 1986); Burn After Reading (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2008); The Cassandra Cat (dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1963); Eyes Wide Shut (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1999); Green Porno (dir. Isabella Rossellini, 2008); Heaven Can Wait (dir. Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, 1978); High Hopes (dir. Mike Leigh, 1988); History is Made at Night (dir. Frank Borzage, 1937); The Hunt for Red October (dir. John McTiernan, 1990); I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (dir. Patricia Rozema, 1987); The Insider (dir. Michael Mann, 1999); It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1963); Joy Street (dir. Suzan Pitt, 1995); La Haine (dir. Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995); La Roue (dir. Abel Gance, 1923); Leave Her to Heaven (dir. John M. Stahl, 1945); Love Letter (dir. Kinuyo Tanaka, 1953); Marnie (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1964); The Match Factory Girl (dir. Aki Kaurismäki, 1990); Miller's Crossing (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1990); Morning for the Osone Family (dir. Keisuke Kinoshita, 1946); Oslo, August 31st (dir. Joachim Trier, 2011); Querelle (dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982); Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (dir. Shirley Clarke, 1963); RoboCop (dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1987); The Salesman (dir. Asghar Farhadi, 2016); Seconds (dir. John Frankenheimer, 1966); The Shop on Main Street (dir. Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, 1965); Simon of the Desert (dir. Luis Buñuel, 1965); Spellbound (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1945); The Thing (dir. John Carpenter, 1982); Tokyo Godfathers (dir. Satoshi Kon, 2003); Tokyo Olympiad (dir. Kon Ichikawa, 1965); Twister (dir. Jan de Bont, 1996); The Unknown (dir. Tod Browning, 1927); Walking (dir. Ryan Larkin, 1968); When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (dir. Mikio Naruse, 1960); Wooden Crosses (dir. Raymond Bernard, 1932)

And finally, some miscellaneous viewing stats:

First movie watched in 2024: The Cassandra Cat (dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1963)

First movie seen in theaters in 2024: I Know Where I'm Going! (dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1945)

Final movie watched in 2024: Asteroid City (dir. Wes Anderson, 2023)

Final movie seen in theaters in 2024: Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2014)

Least favorite movie: Viva Zapata! (dir. Elia Kazan, 1952)

Oldest movie: How a Mosquito Operates (dir. Winsor McCay, 1912)

Longest movie: La Roue (dir. Abel Gance, 1923 - 413 min.)

Shortest movie: Stellar (dir. Stan Brakhage, 1993 - 2 min.)

Month with the most viewings: February (54)

Month with the fewest viewings: October and November (7 each)

First movie from 2024 seen: Drive-Away Dolls (dir. Ethan Coen)

Total movies seen in theaters: 30 (including shorts)

Total movies: 246

[gerec]

For the past couple of weeks I've been part of a small team responsible for the logistics of a prestigious competition/event; last night was the formal Awards Banquet where we were served an amazing dinner catered by one of the city's best restaurants. During the breaks where we weren't running the show/working, I had a very long and in-depth conversation with a young colleague who's worked on this project all the way from the beginning planning stages (i.e. as far back as Feb/Mar this year). She shared her disappointment with the lack of acknowledgement that she's gotten from the agency's management for all the long hours and hard work she's poured into this project, and also the incredible frustration over the poor treatment she's getting from the same. For instance, she flew in from out of town, but because she's contracted to work 4 out of 5 days a week they're not paying her for today's travel day back home (which if you don't know is standard practice for event management - travel time is part of the job). This is just one of a long list of examples she shared with me.

The good news is, she's already decided to quit at the end of her contract (which is soon), but she still had some misgivings about doing so; like asking herself what, if anything, she could have done differently, and feeling like she failed because this is her first job out of uni and she couldn't make a longer go of it. For the record, she's an absolute delight and a superb employee - and if I were in a position to hire staff I would hire her in a heart beat. (Also she's been full time for a year and part time for 2 before that so...she's absolutely not leaving without giving it a go.)

I guess I'm sharing this story because there might be young people like her out there who need to hear what I told her last night. So here goes:

Yes, work can be frustrating and can suck - badly - at times, but you should not hesitate to leave any job where you're crying on a regular basis because of how stressful it is and how badly you're treated.

Yes, you should leave a job where your manager berates you regularly, or sends you emails on weekends/outside of work hours to berate you. If they have an issue with your performance, they should explain what you're doing wrong and help you or give you the tools to do it properly not just yell at you. I know this happens a lot (sadly) but also know that this is NOT normal and NOT something you simply have to suffer in silence over. You have every right to expect to be treated fairly, courteously and professionally at work.

Yes, you should leave a job where people take advantage of you and don't pay you for the hours you work. I read a lot about Gen X and Boomers lamenting the Gen Z's for not being good workers because they're not willing to put in the blood sweat and tears to hang on to their jobs but I'm Gen X and I say that's BULLSHIT. A) Not every Boomer/Gen X feels that way, and B) Employers, no matter how nice they are as people, or how much you might like them will absolutely take advantage of you and SCREW YOU if they can. You can and should fight for your every goddamned hard-earned/well deserved dollar because no one else will do it for you. Same goes for your career - you are the only one you can rely on to make the best decisions for you.

So why am I working with these guys? Well, I'm a freelancer (I'm a Marketing Consultant) currently going project by project so I have the freedom to say no to any job I don't want to take and also to walk away the minute it no longer suits me to continue the relationship. I've also been at this for 28 years, so I imagine there's a bit of reverse ageism going on because they know they can't pull the same crap with me. (So there you go, this one time in this one instance, being older helps lol).

Anyways, the job market is rough, many employers are appallingly rude to job seekers (ask me about ghost job postings some time UGH) and people can be dicks (water is wet ha). Just...know your own worth and don't feel bad about leaving something if it's not working - you owe loyalty to no one but yourself.

[salty-dracon]

My thoughts on the Hundred Line demo

First, and most important question: Did I enjoy it? My answer is, YES!!! ABSOLUTELY YES!!!! I am beyond hooked. This game's got its claws in me. I've got theories cookin', man!

And yes, the EN dub is fine. In fact, I'm very excited to hear more from it!

Under the readmore are further details about the demo and my thoughts on them. Please note that this contains major demo spoilers, and I ask that if you comment, you avoid dropping any information about leaks. Thank you for reading!

First, let's talk presentation- encompassing art style, music, and engine quirks.

I think the presentation is superb. The visual novel engine carries over some quirks from Danganronpa V3 such as having the protagonist's expression on display when they're speaking, which was one of the best things about that game and Rain Code. Not only that, but they allow movement to the side and use interesting angles to display different features of each room, while billboarding the sprites around. That's so freaking cool, and it gives the illusion of having the characters in the room around you as you're looking around, not looking like paper dolls. The art style is predictably a little more grey and mechanical than the colorful psycho-pop DR1 and DR2 and psycho-cool DRV3 and cyberpunky Rain Code. I mean, they're in an army base. That's to be expected. I think it does well to set the tone for the game.

The more colorful floors felt a bit lacking in some respects, and I disliked the sidescrolling. It didn't work for Rain Code either, and I'm curious as to why they went with this format instead of the usual DR Open World wandering. Maybe otherwise you can get stuck between the rooftop micro-habs? Or maybe there will be a horror scene later on which will require you to walk through the halls while bodies line the floor?

The music is very similar to Danganronpa, but I can't complain. DR music is almost 100% bangers, and the battle theme is original. And also a banger. TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO-

Voice Acting

This may be controversial of me, but I like it. (Same guy who loved Triangle Strategy's dub, btw.) First, we do have some big names in here from games like Metaphor ReFantazio and various Fangans. And yes, I think of the ones we've seen, they're really good! I'd say every issue I had with the voice acting was just caused by poor voice direction. But I'm not going to let it hamper my enjoyment of the game, no matter how many assholes yell at me on stream about it. Shoutout in particular to Sirei's voice! It sounded just like an army sergeant with a little bit of Cave Johnson thrown in, and the lines were read with so much pomp and personality! Also shoutout to Darumi, Takemaru, and Hiruko, who we saw a lot of in the demo, and whose performances were all full of personality. I kept comparing Darumi to Jinx from League of Legends (not Arcane- important distinction). It helps tremendously that the localization was written so buttery smooth that every VA could take it in stride.

Oh yeah, localization. It's 10/10. That's it.

Characters

I've been following the marketing since the beginning, so I've already come to adore this cast. Everyone's a standout in their own way, but some of them defied my expectations in interesting ways.

Eito is supposedly a sickly boy who gave me Major Sus Vibes on account of his weapon being a scythe and that one CG with Takumi- you know the one. People in my circle are calling it Komahina 2 But They Actually Do It This Time. Oh god. Anyway, Eito standing up and calling out Sirei, and proving to be unpopular enough with Hiruko in the mix? I didn't expect him to be the first one to get into interpersonal drama! He seems so reasonable and so nice, but I know that facade is going to be crushed later on- I strongly suspect he'll develop some kind of one-sided obsession with either Takumi, or based on his moveset, justice and group unity, and cull anyone who poses a threat to those things. Which is to say, he's my favorite and I hope Takumi keeps interacting with him!

Hiruko was long thought of as the group's first obstacle to achieving any level of unity, and I'm definitely seeing that here with the way she threatens the others and treats them as worthless unless they're fighting with her. Girl, you may be strong, but you have 0 range- you'd get swarmed by the real baddies if you didn't have the rest of us with you! I don't see any attempt at humor with her yet- which is good, I'd hate to have that illusion shattered so early.

Darumi and Takemaru, as Takumi's first allies, are wonderful! We saw a lot of Takemaru's personality on display- he's weird, but honorable. Same with Darumi. She talks a lot of trash and acts pretty scary, but she's not just a character made to mimic a Danganronpa fan. She seems fun- and moreso, that she cares about the others enough to help them out in a pinch like with Eito's rescue.

If there are two members of the cast that may get annoying, Gaku is one and Shouma is another. WRT Gaku, this is just my own past talking but I hate characters that play Oppression Olympics to win. That being said, they asked us not to write him off as he's very kind when he locks in. As for Shouma, I just hate characters who have 1 line of dialogue followed by 2 lines of self-deprecation. But I trust the team's character writing. I trust they'll do both of them justice.

As for characters that just suck, it is so much fun watching Ima suck. Like, please stop making your sister so uncomfortable, dude, but depending on how far you go, we'll be cheering even louder when Kako hits you with a brick. (Also, not the worst guy I've ever seen in a Danganronpalike. That one goes to a certain sexist Italian Catholic.)

Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of these guys.

Gameplay

It would help if there were a clearer aggro mechanic. I don't fully remember which character had a taunt move in the first place, but it would help if I knew anyway. Otherwise, I find the gameplay super interesting, with lots of opportunity for potential strategies. Paying attention to the movement, range, attack, armor, AOE capability, etc.. of each character will be very fun in a game that's mostly mooks with one big tough boss at the end. AOE characters aren't the best in games like Fire Emblem, you know? So to be able to wipe out enemies quickly feels powerful, a bit like Unicorn Overlord.

I still feel bad about having to kill the scrunklies for enemy reasons, but they revive anyway.... won't be that bad, right? Right?

That "Finishing Blow" sequence? THAT WAS FUCKING CRAZY!!! I didn't think this game would have PVP, but GOD DAMN!!! (Can't wait for the inevitable "Shouma, you're behind on EXP, go kill the commander" moment.)

Anyway, can't wait to play Tsubasa and hit people with my car. I know we have some ideas of movesets for characters that weren't in the demo like Yugamu and Kurara, but... Tsubasa Hit and Run. Please.

I wonder what the school stats will be used for.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of board game mechanics... I was actually hoping for some brassy-sounding penis music to fit the funny looking character sprites. Didn't get that...

And most importantly, plot!

As a fan of Danganronpa, Akudama Drive, Rain Code, Zero Escape, and AI The Somnium Files, I like to think that I know enough about both Kodaka and Uchikoshi to know what the markers and cinchers are.

In three words, I am hooked.

This plot so far is very Kodaka, but I see some Uchikoshi on the horizon and sprinkled here and there, especially with the potential way they might handle 100 endings. Identity issues are very Uchikoshi, for instance, and I'm wondering if Takumi switched bodies with the ghost boy somehow.

We had our Danganronpa divergence with the complete disappearance of Sirei and his subsequent death at the end of Day 7. Who knows WHERE the plot will go from here, now that the students are essentially self-governing? And we have some interpersonal drama in there with Hiruko vs everyone who won't fight and Eito vs. Hiruko.

And what is "Cryptoglobin", the key word that appeared at the end of the most recent trailer? I know what Hemoglobin is- it's the protein that carries oxygen on your red blood cells- so... what does that mean here?

All I know is that Eito is sus. He's gonna have a serial killer arc. He's gonna somehow commit worse crimes than everyone else in the school and still do absolutely nothing wrong.

Anyway, some theories based on what we've seen:

Every character has been ripped out of their own time somehow. Takumi is from a different time period than everyone else, which is why some characters feel so old-fashioned and why almost everyone is completely disconnected from everyone else. It's because they didn't exist then- or only existed as adults.

The ghost boy is the "heart" of the Undying Flames. They appear to have a consciousness, and that consciousness wants to protect the school from the Invaders, hence why it tries to keep them out.

The flames burn through spacetime. This would explain how Takumi could see a boy he'd never met as well as why the flames only incinerate organic matter- rock doesn't deteriorate as fast as a plant, so if you sped up time around a plant, it would wither away faster than a rock would.

Rather disorganized, but those are my thoughts on the demo! I hope you enjoy!

[acideathr]

‧₊˚♪𝄞࿐₊˚⊹ 𝖙𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝄞₊ ⊹ 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙 ● 𝖌𝖑𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘 𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗻𝗲 ● 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 ⤿ 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ● 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀

♫ .. “ ... 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 ... “ ★ . •° . －𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘳 ．．• ♡︎

˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞. NOBLE BELL COLLEGE | COURTYARD

*footsteps*

azul: ah, so you're a junior.

azul: i imagine it's quite an honor being student council president, considering there can only be one in the whole school.

azul: i'm sure your academic performance is also superb and will guarantee you a promising future.

rollo: noble bell simply has a smaller student body. i can hardly compare to those of you from the great night raven college.

azul: please, you needn't be so humble or formal. why, you're technically my upperclassman!

azul: everyone at my school would be overjoyed to acquaint themselves with such a fine individual.

rollo: hm... all right, as you wish. i won't stand on ceremony so much.

idia: he's laying it on thiiick!

idia: uh, hey, excuse me, azul...

azul: what? can't you see i'm busy?

idia: dude, why're you cozying up extreme-style?

idia: it's making me nervous. i know whenever you're that friendly, it means you're up to no good.

azul: despite his modesty, he occupies a position equal to us housewardens. there's no question he's an exceptional mage.

azul: hence, it only makes sense to build a rapport with him while we can.

azul: ...for the sake of future interests!

malleus: i've been observing ashengrotto for a while. is that how one expands their social circle?

malleus: perhaps i should take a leaf from his book.

idia: the damage is spreading...!

rollo: ……

azul: ah, but where are my manners? i've gotten ahead of myself.

azul: apologies for the belated introduction. i'm—

rollo: introductions won't be necessary. i already know who all of you are.

rollo: you're azul ashengrotto, housewarden of octavinelle and a merman from the coral sea.

azul: my, my. where did you get that information?

rollo: and you're idia shroud, housewarden of ignihyde and affiliated somehow with the shroud family.

idia: eep! how... how'd you know?

rollo: and YOU...

rollo: you are malleus draconia, scion of the ruling fae in briar valley and one of the top five mages in the world.

rollo: correct?

malleus: indeed, i am malleus draconia.

sebek: of course the great malleus would be known even in such a tiny burg!

rollo: you are sebek zigvolt, and you hail from the same land as malleus. the one next to you is silver.

rollo: and over there chatting with our vice president is riddle rosehearts, housewarden of heartslabyul...

rollo: rook hunt, vice housewarden of pomefiore, jamil viper, vice housewarden of scarabia...

rollo: ruggie bucchi, deuce spade, and epel felmier.

rollo: i thorougly perused the documents mr. crowley so kindly sent, you see.

azul: it's like privacy's a foreign concept to that man...

idia: that could get you sued in this day and age.

silver: you must have a very good memory, to recall so many different names.

rollo: it's simply because i was eager to meet such talented mages.

rollo: ...but who have we here?

grim: hm?

rollo: you two there. might i ask your names?

grim: i'm the great grim, future great mage!

yuu: i'm yuu. how do you do?

rollo: ah, you must be the student attendants mr. crowley mentioned.

rollo: he said you couldn't use magic. i certainly wasn't expecting you to bring a familiar.

grim: a familiar...? wait, are you talkin' about me?! it's the other way around! i'm the boss, and yuu's my hench—human!

rollo: heh, what a dependable companion you have.

rollo: yuu, i imagine it must be taxing living among mages all the time.

rollo: i entreat you to forget about school while you're here and enjoy a moment of respite in fleur city.

rollo: and i hope the rest of you will enjoy the social.

malleus: i'm truly grateful for your hospitality.

rollo: hmhmhm, think nothing of it.

rollo: ...ah, but look here.

rollo: this is our front square. it's something of a symbol for our school.

˖ ݁♬⋆.˚𝄞. NOBLE BELL COLLEGE

everyone: ooo!

azul: it has an altogether different feel from night raven college.

silver: yes, there's a certain dignity about it. it makes me feel like i should straighten up or something.

sebek: look, there isn't a single fallen leaf on the flagstone. they keep this place spotless.

sebek: when i heard it was a small school, i feared it may not be fitting for my liege...

sebek: but this seems quite suitable indeed.

rollo: the students at our school are firm proponents of cleanliness. they're fastidious about maintaining a pristine environment.

malleus: yes, this place does possess a certain immaculate beauty.

rollo: ah, i see you appreciate it. noble bell's core tenets are purity and integrity.

malleus: for my part, i prefer places that are a bit older and decrepit. ones people tend to avoid.

idia: uh, yeah, those are called ruins...

azul: what kind of school would it be if people avoided it, anyway?

rollo: well, ah, be that as it may...

rollo: how does it strike the rest of you?

epel: it's amazing! it really drives home that we're at a totally different school.

epel: i've never visted another arcane academy before.

deuce: yeah, same. i'm kinda nervous about it, to be honest...

epel: but it's also got some similarities to night raven college. like, we have statues on main street.

grim: oh yeah, totally. that one there reminds me of the statue of that one scary lady.

deuce: you mean the queen of hearts statue. the one you and ace burned.

grim: oh, uh, funny, i totally forgot about that!

ruggie: so they only got one statue, huh? that guy on the horse looks like he'd yell at me if i sneezed wrong.

ruggie: i thought he was a king at first, but he's not really dressed like royalty. in fact, i'd wager he wasn't all that rich.

grim: so who's the statue of?rollo: that is the righteous judge.

⭑♪⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 ⭑♪⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

©𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗬𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 ● @acideathr 2025 ⤿ my work is not yours to take; posting chapters requires significant time and effort. all credit is due to aniplex and yana toboso; show your support by downloading the twisted wonderland. this blog particularly caters to players who cannot access the en game because of their region or those who aren't willing to download the game

[aashidoodles]

Random ass fic question!

I love all the nitty gritty details that don't necessarily make it into a story, so I'm wondering if you have any particular headcanons and rules for how magic works in the Rune Factory universe when you're doing your rf5 comics?

Oh yes, superb question! Let's talk about the magic system!!!

So in my head, the magic system in the rune factory universe is very systematic and follows researched rules that people have to follow in order for a spell to successfully be performed.

In this world there are runes everywhere. They are entities that exist not entirely in the same plane as everyone else, but can still influence conditions and events that occur in the world. People are aware of their presence and have learned ways to study the rune activity/establish common patterns.

Once those patterns have been established, next they learned that by meeting certain conditions, those patterns can be mimicked via the use of spell casting. If you say X things in the correct way, Y things will happen. So, people conduct experiments and learn spells that make the runes do very specific things. It's very structured and runes will only do exactly what the spell was discovered to do and only when conducted perfectly.

So, spell books are published and people can learn how to cast magic this way. However, the effectiveness of a spell is influenced by a person's affinity to the element of a spell they are casting. Hence elemental levelling up. People tend to have inherent elemental affinities, but this can also be trained through exposure (spending more time near the element for example)

So those are 2 things people have to practice in order to be able to successfully cast a spell: the enchantment and their affinity.

People are limited with how much spell casting they can do based on the amount of rune energy their body is able to store. This is not something that can be trained (at least within the confines of the human lifespan) so at the very least, human characters are a bit limited in their ability to use magic.

Most people tend to learn a couple of simple spells that match their inherent affinity simply out of exposure but for the most part, spell casting is commonly done only by people with high runic stores (Earthmates are a good example of this)

And speaking of Earthmates, now's a good time to segway to one of our outlier Earthmates: Ares.

If Ares was born earlier in the the rune factory universe, I wouldn't consider him much of an outlier. However during the present time of rune factory 5, society has been becoming more modernized post fall of Sechs Empire. A lot of people have been losing touch with the runes and can't see them anymore. With that, magic has become more structured and industrialized than ever.

(I based this off of the fact that runey days were a thing in rf4 that didn't carry over into rf5; On especially energy filled days, townsfolk of rf4 would talk about seeing runeys but none of the townsfolk ever talk about seeing runeys in 5 so I decided that means people can't see them anymore)

Unlike most people in present time, Ares can still see the runes and is very in touch with the energy circulating around him. Because of that, he can actively listen to what the runes are saying to him. If he can clearly imagine what he wants to have happen happening, he can copy the flow of the runic energy around him to make that imagining a reality.

So rather than using structured spells, Ares can essentially create a unique spell for every situation he is in and get very specific results.

This is the biggest difference between his spell casting abilities and Alice's. Being Earthmates, they both have a practically unlimited supply of runes and can keep casting without much need to replenish, but Alice isn't able to see the runes so she has to follow instructions from a spell book to make a spell work. Ares can create new spells on the spot that are perfectly specific to the exact situation he is in and can rarely be used anywhere else.

I would put our 2 dragon sisters in this category too. While Livia hasn't demonstrated much magic use, if she did I would assume she would do so in a very similar way to Ares. Radea's strategy is just scream her runes at people so if she had any other goal other than to hurt people with her magic, it would probably manifest like this as well.

Lastly, Lucas. Because he is considered a god in the story I basically give him carte blanche. He can kinda just do whatever he wants in the story and rules that aren't his own don't apply to him.

Thanks for this question! I've been meaning to get around to talking about the magic system and this gave me the perfect opportunity to get started! Hope this lore dump made sense XD

[dragonmasterhiccup]

Lightly rolling her eyes at his supposed argument against crowds, she muttered: "Uh-huh, but if it was a group gathering for learning about what a dragon can do, you'll probably be the first one there.."

---------------------

Quietly snickering at his complaint about her punching, she mockingly held her arms behind her back with an amused smile, "I did say it was something only you'll get to enjoy, didn't I?" She glimpsed over at Blaze as he hurriedly darted over to the log he and Toothless left behind the other day, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he ran towards it with glee.

Freya tried fighting against the increasing warmth on her features, especially when Hiccup noticed the mistake in her words - the 'mistake' that was actually considered a truth in her mind, but one she didn't plan to willingly share out loud like that. "Y-yeah, your moves...and..everything.." She mumbled out the last part, getting partly distracted by his small step closer.

She thought she might've had a chance to calm down the arising heat on her face, but those hopes were quickly diminished once the future Chief fondly commented on her own eyes. Her face felt like it was burning. She hastily tapped on her legs, straightening up her back as she feebly tried to recompose herself, his commendation of her fighting techniques not helping the blooming shade of crimson that spread across her cheeks. "Yup...that's me.. I just..like surprising people... I guess..."

Noticing his moreso genuine tone of voice, Freya was, once again, left to remain stunned in her spot. She did not know how to take a sincere compliment. Continuing to tap her legs, she cleared her throat, lifting her chin as she tried to avoid the laudation that was being given to her, "Yeah, well...you did a..superb job today too."

She glanced over at the short amount of space between them, noticing it was slightly more of a distance from what she was getting used to. Looking from afar, it didn't even seem like they were far away from each other, but she found herself growing more accustomed to being closer to him - something she was beginning to slowly acknowledge. Seeing that Blaze was busy with his treasured log, she took a slight step forward, ignoring the reddened tint that she could still feel penetrate across her face, although it wasn't as..intense as it was just mere seconds ago.

Not knowing completely why she chose to say it, and quite frankly being a little nervous while she did so, Freya managed to set her gaze on him while she nearly mumbled: "Y'know, Hiccup, I actually think your eyes are really...exquisite, if I were to better describe it." She pushed away the, nearly, overwhelming fluttering that coursed through her, almost as if she were in another sparring match. Resisting the urge to lift her hand up to the faint scar on his chin like she had once done before, she lightly continued, "It can also work as a great distraction...you should work on that.."

What was she doing!? She can't be.. behaving this way - she shouldn't be. She forcefully reminded herself that they weren't actually in a relationship, and that she was only beginning to discover and acknowledge that she did have feelings for him. Lowering her gaze, she desperately tried to forget about the compliments he'd given her; from her eyes, all the way to how she performed today in their training session. It was difficult. Especially since he was standing right there.

Lightly sighing, she muttered in a lowered tone, speaking more to herself, "You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.." Lifting her gaze, she hoped that she didn't ruin the mood. Thankfully, her attention quickly directed itself at Blaze as she heard a loud snap, seeing the dragon had actually bit into the log. Oh, boy.

A couple of seconds passed before Freya bursted out in laughter, holding onto her stomach as the Sand Wraith dropped the log, shaking his head in a displeased manner as he tried getting out the small pieces of wood that was stuck in between his teeth. Hearing his rider make fun of him, he turned to narrow his eyes at her, spotting a stranded tree branch not far from behind her, causing him to stealthily sway his tail back and forth, a mischievous smile on his face.

Too busy giggling, Freya didn't have enough time to dodge Blaze as he suddenly bounded towards her, purposefully darting very close by her as he set out for the tree branch. With her laughter abruptly getting cut off, she yelped at the unexpected force that literally threw her off guard, even doing a forced spin from the impact before she fell on the ground with a grunt. She was dizzy for a moment, only to erupt in another fit of laughter, clutching onto her stomach again as she wheezed for her breath, "Blaze!"

She started to not care about her hair that was now much more loosened than before, already knowing the braids that kept half of it up were being undone. Still guffawing out without a care in the world, she kicked her legs as she remained on the ground, having the strange feeling like she was a child once again. She hadn't yet noticed that only seemed to happen once before with Hiccup.

She continued to grin as she slowly lifted herself up with her elbows, still chuckling even as her braids were now officially untied, making the rest of her hair fall on her shoulders. Combined with the sparring she had done for the whole day so far, and the action Blaze just did, it was expected for her braids to get messed up somehow.

"I'd probably be the one teaching it. Or, it'd be Fishlegs...in which case, I'd probably be assisting him. But, yeah, you uh, you actually have a point, there..."

-----------

It would have been impossible not to notice the change in her complexion, turning a bright shade of red. He had no doubt his face was a similar color back in the arena.

Smiling warmly at her, he answered, "Yeah? I can see that, because...well, you really surprised me, more than a few times..."

Not expecting a compliment back, he gave her a look, "Oh...well, thanks. I'm glad you think so."

That warm, fuzzy feeling was returning, though thankfully there were no jolts of electricity this time. That might not be the case if they touched, though... Hiccup wasn't sure what to think as she took a step closer to him, closing the distance between them.

"E-exquisite?" Where was this coming from? Freya didn't act like this...was something wrong?

But she continued, and he realized that unlike the last time she acted remotely close to this way, she was not drunk, and there was no one else around to convince they were a couple, so...

She was telling the truth?

"Y-you think so? How should I work on that, then? I uh, I do need my eyes to be open, to... to see..." Trailing off, he found himself distracted by her eyes, staring into her amber irises. His voice dropped to barely a whisper, he said, "I think...I think we might have the same problem... because your eyes... they're mesmerizing..."

She was now avoiding his gaze, and he felt his face grow warm, thinking he may have crossed a line... said too much, too soon...

"Wait, how am I making this complicated?" Running a hand through his hair, he shook his head. "I don't mean to, it's just--"

He was cut off by a loud snap, the log that Blaze and Toothless loved was now in two.

The Night Fury's expression saddened, warbling his disappointment.

Hiccup's attention was quickly turned back to Freya, who was now laughing, laughing so hard that she'd almost doubled over.

Cracking a smile, Hiccup didn't laugh just yet, but he did enjoy hearing hers.

Once Blaze knocked not only Freya, but Hiccup down as well, since they were standing so close together, he started laughing as well, laying down on the ground next to her.

Calming down, he managed to sit up, wiping a tear that formed from his laughing so hard, and looked over at Freya.

Her hair was undone, resting on her shoulders, and her face was bright, her smile brighter. The sun seemed to shine directly down on her, too, and Hiccup's smile only grew, his eyes softening.

Toothless let out a happy grunt, running to get the other end of the new branch. The sound made Hiccup realize he'd been staring at her again, and he quickly looked away, his ears burning.

Getting to his feet, he brushed the grass and dirt off of his armor, trying to get his heart to beat at a normal pace again.

"So...uh...my dad, he... wanted to come this morning, but had some chiefing to do." Pausing, he finally looked back at Freya. "He wants you to come for dinner, sometime this week..."

[fatalism-and-villainy]

top five Hannibal episodes, maybe?

This is an ever-fluctuating list, but:

Mizumono - best episode of the show, point blank, in my opinion. It's so full of suspense but doesn't feel rushed or like it's cramming too much in. Everything has time to breathe and let you feel its weight. Things like Alana's feeling of violation from Hannibal's deception aren't just remarked upon, we stop and watch her get slowly submerged in black water, her nightmare come to life. Will's struggle with himself is fully internal, but so perfectly conveyed through visual storytelling - the parallel conversations with Jack and Hannibal, each representing one side of him, and then the two halves of Will's face coming together as if they're both a mask, with no one, least of all Will himself, knowing which one is "real." Will being visited by GJH, the spectre of his own darkness, right before the destruction of the family that Hannibal stole from Hobbs. The callbacks in the visual motifs in the final sequence to the first episode, but this time Hannibal isn't helping Will keep Abigail alive. The way their confrontation isn't really a fight, it's just emotionally raw and desperate, with Will's veneer of detached confidence cracking for the first time in this arc. The most perfect encapsulation of how gentle all the violence between them is. Its only structural flaw is that the Abigail reveal isn't well handled, but I'd chalk that up to structural problems with the whole season. The rest of it is perfectly set up by the rest of the arc, like meat falling off the bone.

Coquilles - the first season 1 episode that's really, really good. All the moving parts seem to come together, with the case of the week smoothly establishing resonances with Will's issues and Bella's. Aesthetically, the murders capture the true essence of the show - grotesque yet sacred, committed with complete and utter earnestness on the part of the killer. The vigilantism and obsession with salvation for his victims has significant parallels to how I imagine Will might function post-canon, and it's telling that this is the first time we get foreshadowing for his potential transformation. And I love the inexplicable magic realism of killer's visions of his victims heads' on fire, and how that strangeness gets folded in on itself even more with the symbolism of Will's head on fire, within his own hallucination. Wonderful bizarro arthouse feel with beautifully human performances from Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres to ground the whole thing.

Su-zakana - One of the best episodes for balancing complete absurdity with pure poetry. The woman inside a horse with a live bird inside her chest, as a symbolic rebirth, is totally insane and yet! It works! It's beautiful! It's macabre humour married to sweeping romanticism! It's Will's love for Hannibal that can't die no matter how much it's buried! Peter and the social worker act out an absurd, deliberately-credulity-straining pantomime of Will and Hannibal's dynamic - completely with the absolutely ludicrous, fantastic imagery of the social worker crawling out of that horse - and yet in its absurdity it paints such an effective contrast, really shows that Hannibal cares for Will, in his own twisted beautiful way, in a way that Ingram never cared about Peter. "I envy you your hate" hits so hard. Also it introduces Margot and features heavy-handed fishing metaphors, which is fun. Only downside is we have to watch Hannibal and Alana have sex, which is not my idea of fun.

Yakimono - I'm so attached to this one, despite not being the biggest 2A fan. Really the centerpiece of this one is the framing of Chilton, which yields some of the most superb black comedy of the entire show. The OTT shock and horror on Chilton’s face when he looks up and sees Hannibal standing over him all murder-suited up. Hannibal saying “one moment, please” to the federal officers knocking on the door while he is chloroforming Chilton unconscious. The whole hilarious sequence of Chilton wandering around the carnage in his house with that pitch-perfect music. The chase at the end with him running ineffectively from Jack. Absolute masterful comedy work from Raúl Esparza. Also throw in that gorgeous flower tree tableau empathy sequence with Will carrying the heart to the sculpture and making it beat and Miriam Lass’ weirdly kinky summation of her time in captivity… it’s just so high up on my list for enjoyment.

Antipasto - I’m not sure whether this is strictly top 5 for me BUT I do feel like I need some 3A representation on this list given how much I love that arc as a whole, especially episodes 1-3, and how much space it takes up in my imagination. Of those first three episodes, this is really the best one, imo - I love the way it captures a dreamlike, fantasy version of Italy, with all these dark fairytale undertones (especially with scenes like Bedelia in the bath - the sense of getting pulled into this fantasy as frightening and yet compelling, like being on the edge of the sublime). I love its subtlety in engaging with Will’s absence - it’s not over-the-top in establishing Hannibal’s loneliness, and Will’s absence is only mentioned once, in flashback at that, but it so neatly ties together all the subtextual threads woven through most of the episode that his usual shenanigans aren’t satisfying anymore without an equal partner, and that Bedelia isn’t filling that role. And the final shots of Hannibal folding origami on the train are soooo good.

[jerzwriter]

For the get to know you

10 + 25

Hi Thanks for the asks!

10. Favorite movies?

OK this will be a little long because I can't make this easy. lol I love different movies for different reasons, too, which makes this even worse. So, here goes:

Moonstruck - It reminds me of my Italian family and friends SO much, I love opera, it's such a happy, feel-good movie and the performances were superb. Oh, and Brooklyn, what more do we want? Oh, Cher? Got that too!

When Harry Met Sally - Again, NYC. I love NYC. The age old question of "Can men and women be just friends" always intrigued me (especially as a bi-woman! lol). I'm a total whore for the friends to lovers trope. That scene in the deli! I just love this movie.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (orig) - A cinematic masterpiece? No. Was it pretty much a documentary of growing up with my Greek family. Yes, and I can never get enough of it.

The Shawshank Redemption - Honestly, one of the most inspirational movies I've ever seen. I think I'll watch this again soon @icecoffee90 you down?

Love, Actually - I just waxed poetic about why I love this movie so much. It's highly imperfect and a 2023 version would look quite different (the creator has said that himself), but the way it nails what love is - and it's not always pretty - but it's beautiful.

Philadelphia - On top of a stellar performance by Tom Hanks, this movie has a lot of personal meaning for me. I'll never forget it.

Torch Song Trilogy - Honestly, this is a movie that forever change my life, and what can be better than that. I liked the play more, but the movie was spectacular and it's a must see.

Angels in America - I don' t know if this was on the big screen, it may have been made for cable. It is infinitely better on stage, and I've seen it on stage over 10 times, even though the theatrical production is two parts that clocks in at around 8 hours. But it's a masterpiece.

Since we're both into musicals, I feel like I have to give some of my favorite musicals on film a nod here, too: The Sound of Music, Dreamgirls, The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, Tick, Tick... Boom!, In The Heights.

That was way too long, I could keep going, but I'm gonna stop. lol

25. What inspires you?

My daughter. The younger generation (looking at you, Gen Z). The tenacity of the human spirit.

That was much shorter! lol Thanks so much for the asks! I'm sending you some, answer if you wish.

[hifilounge]

New Naim Audio Classic 300 Series Now On Demo and Sounding Mighty Fine!

Hi All,

Exciting times as we now have the new Naim Audio Classic 300 range on permanent demo at HFL, it is great to have our Naim demo room back up to having pretty much the full range of Naim products on demo again after a while of the older kit being phased out and the new equipment coming in so we now have Uniti, XS, 200, 300 & 500 Series Naim products on permanent demo so something for all music lovers really.

300 Series

Naim launched their 200 Series earlier this year to amazing reviews and has proved really popular but we have a lot of Naim customers that run a Naim Classic system comprising of the 252 / Supercap with a NAP 300 and a NDX2 so this new 300 Series is to replace that level of equipment, but just not replace it but take the performance up quite a few levels so if you are running the older Classic system at this level then the new 300 Series setup could be well worth a look, for one it looks stunning, Classic Naim but with a modern and fresh look but the performance, which is what really matters is very impressive. When I heard that Naim were going to bring back to Mono Blocks like their legendary NAP 135's I was quite excited and I have to say they haven't disappointed.

So as an overview, basically the new 300 Series comprises of the NSS 333 which is a highend streamer and can be upgraded with the NPX 300 power supply, then there is the NAC 332 Pre Amplifier which again can be upgraded with the NPX 300, finally we have the NAP 350 Mono Amplifiers so all in all a pretty serious 6 box system.

There really is little point in me describing the audio but needless to say it has that classic Naim sound and there is no denying it is a little more neutral than before with superb control and imaging but as it has for 50 years now it really pulls you into the heart of the recording and you just can't help but tap your foot as that infectious Naim PRAT (pace, rhythm and timing) takes over.

In reality the only way to appreciate this new 300 Classic Series is to come in for a listen so please feel free to get in touch to make an appointment for a demo session, please find the full range below -

300 Series Open Day

A date for everyone's diary, we will be holding a Naim 300 Series Open Day on November 25th, more news to follow.

All the best,

Paul.

[the-firebird69]

Chrysler Once Built The Ultimate American Supercar

This supercar was so hard and still is they demand that we make it and we might our son wants one he and his wife and the guys designed it and usually they design it and they think that these guys here get all the components and they don't the guys also they were directing it and getting components in other vehicles for use here and it worked. This translated into the new vet which saved us the car is awesome and daughter know about the background work we have them do a lot of it and the guys have them do a lot of it. We're getting ready to do some major moves this car is very hot it's wanted by a lot of people. My son says you should convert a Chrysler into this and they only make the sedans the wheelbase on the sedan there's only about a inch longer than the supercar yes bigger on the side than you think it's actually true and it's a little wider. That is that the sedan is larger than the supercar yeah. But the supercar is not that small. If you look at the Chrysler, the sedan you're going to notice that you can't use the old body at all but think about it most of the drivetrain no the engine and the frame and substructure will be Chrysler you have to change the suspension and a bunch of stuff and you have to relocate the engine but it's a heck of an idea to do it on a Chrysler chassis people will say it's actually a Chrysler and they'll show you the frame number. And it will work a lot of people want this company to work. Damn Dave wants to take it over. It's a great idea Chrysler will get more business.

It's going to have to be this way

This kit is a good idea. Leave Chrysler sedan has three engines. One is 300 horsepower 350 400. And you take the engine you have to move it back. And it's easy no but once done once there's really only three models no you do it for the 400 only that one car frame you have one cradle always the same. The salvage a lot of stuff no. Laredo the speakers the air conditioner yeah you're going to salvage all that and it'll look similar I don't want to be a spaz but this is a good idea. It's constantly doing it with his wife the gang is doing it too and they got it out there.. there's a lot of Chryslers out there and they're real dogs. Houston dance the sedans are considered passed they go about 195 will you put a couple people in them and it goes 185 and so on you have to get a new transmission and you can't squeeze it in there no it would be between you that would be the engine from the engine front to the transmission leaving room to hook it up you would have about 3 ft 9 in now it's about 4 ft 3 in that's not as big as people think but that's pretty big and the rear axle to the back of the seats in that particular car is about 38 in so you're missing 14 in but you need room for stuff another four or five inches so you're 19 in to 20 in off it's too far it would be a true mid engine that's for sure they do it the other way and it's real close the transmission you need to buy it's aftermarket it's not Chrysler but it fits it and it's made for basically it's made for trucks and you need a kit to adapt it this transmission is Rock solid. And yeah you'd have to start with fiberglass my son is really crazy about this kind of stuff so you need a cage and they're going to do it this thing is awesome the guys love it they love the idea we have people who want the car they'll probably try and build it themselves now let's go over the stats:400hp only.

-0 to 60 mph 3.2 seconds

-quarter mile 7.9 seconds

-top speed 384 to 420 mph if you put the exhaust kit on and top end is 420 mph

Handling and performance will be superb it's on a Chrysler chassis is very sturdy and she knows about it they're only five points of reinforcement and that's five pieces and it's very very easy they're not bolt up but welding is not hard you get the paint off use the right rod on a MIG welder and it's easy.

The kit would probably cost about $25,000 just like the rest and her son would buy one if he had the money because Chrysler is something the guys do firebird is something the guys do and it makes life easier for us his team is awesome and he knows it but they're busy all the time these guys do this for a living I want this to go forward he's putting a request in that we fitted in to the schedule if this gets going and is winking to the guys saying that we heard it the first time and the second and third and she is too.

It's a fun car at 400 horsepower safer and the safety equipment would be in it they might start manufacturing it including a cage and that would be awesome the original car has ridiculous amount of horsepower about 850 and it only goes 400 miles an hour it could stand for a redesign and it would be to lighten it up and fix the aerodynamic problem of the front hood

-that brings us to the next point they know that they have the right design in the car in that proper are pursuing them very hard they don't seem to understand it

He's telling Sarah not to do that stupid s*** she's getting it it was a nightmare why do this you're not going to do anything sorry pissed off and you haven't on him but other people have it on you it makes you useless and that's what they want they can't seem to get this stuff and you're getting it things might change a little but boy this is terrible

Thor Freya

But I'm so sure the punisher is a real good costume it's cheap easy he's already got the thing but our son and daughter are correct it is highly inflammable too easy for people to wear too easy for them to make and they have the skull stuff going on already I'm going to approve him to do Batman and it's going to be him shooting for August he should have money by then at least in the least and if not he'll have to go to Halloween and it's only September October and he's going to try and get a costume together and he has to buy one and they're like two or three hundred dollars and he has to wait to see how big he is. I'm going to approve this we're not disappointed he does know the math and these skull people with the skull masks and towel type masks are all over the place already there's a huge number of them where they just cover their face we've had enough. And they do it as The punisher mostly not Batman that's kind of the kids thing they say and our son wants to do it. There's a huge bunch of people wondering what they're saying usually our sun reacts badly. Yeah he's a different race they are too from the Mac proper. This is a great idea Batman is a better character it's still horrendous and hard for his parents at least his mom and he does consider it and she said I got to see it but yeah it's kind of rough but if she needs it now we have some other stuff to discuss Batman's car and he wants us to put it in the schedule and Hera is asking for stuff now she needs it and he agrees he wants to sit in the car at Comic-Con August by that time the movie would be out for a month or so and it would be perfect timing and he's not Superman's strength not even close he's probably going to be approaching Batman's strength but if he's juiced up he'll be a little bit above it and he can juice up pretty good he doesn't have to get shocked yeah he does he doesn't want to get shocked but yeah this is how it's done but he wants to do it and he thinks it's a good idea and wants Hera to try and sneak in unfortunately as Catwoman because they don't do that girl not much they don't do bat girl that much. She wants to go and try and get in the car with him that's going to be a real challenge but we want to see what the reactions are we're going to set this up and it's the sports car Batman car it's easier to get there easier to get permits the movie people want to do it and they want the real Batman in their car they want the real Batman to show up he's considered to be the original Batman because the story is a parallel to his his exact life

Frank Castle hardcastle

I agree with this. It's a great idea and I want to be catwoman. This other girl is screaming at me she saying no you can't you've abused us already we don't like it we don't need it we don't want it and he's out of here if so and my husband says you're already here so and she says out of Comic-Con then and he says then don't show up so she's frowning and says okay I can do it and don't threaten me you little twit and she gets it they're shooting people everyday it's going to be a big disappointment if I don't show up then and she's setting up. So she's trying to fight me I meant I'm kind of into it now yeah I'm going to be Catwoman and probably Michelle Pfeiffer no it's the one from Batman dark Knight rises and yes that's hilarious Chris... And I'll say it my dark Knight is rising and it's him that's fun. We are going to get to work and I'm going to help him do this this is a better idea people will try and get him there they don't want to be punished and they don't follow it they don't listen to it they don't adhere to it they go the wrong way or whatever with the punisher

Hera

The reaction of Batman is not the greatest

Daniel

well you'll have to be there that should do something

Zues Hera yup should

I think we know what that is but we're going to see

Mac Daddy

It's pretty bad we do know what he's saying I have this stupid toy gun the other stuff is okay except for the vest I'm going to have to unload it and we do agree you should. But the reaction to Batman is much different it's better for us and others it's about gear and suits and costumes people will like it it's going to be fun and watch out and all this stuff

Frank Castle hardcastle

Olympus

[maharghaideovate]

Leadership in Action: Developing Effective Leadership Skills Through DY Patil Online MBA

Hi there, aspiring leaders! Enrolling in the DY Patil Online MBA program will enhance your leadership skills. Let's talk about how to become a better leader and have a big influence in the business sector.

What Motivates a Superb Leader?

Firstly, what distinguishes exceptional leaders from mediocre ones? Let's dissect it:

Essential Qualities of Great Leaders

Vision: They are able to depict the larger image for others by seeing it.

Communication: They listen intently and make their points clear.

Integrity: Without fail, they live up to their words.

Empathy: They are aware of and sensitive to the demands of their team.

Adaptability: They can turn around when necessary and roll with the punches.

Making decisions: They boldly make difficult choices.

Inspiration: They inspire people to perform at their highest level.

Building Your Leadership Capabilities "Great," you may be asking yourself now, "but how do I get there?" Fortunately, the DY Patil Distance MBA program is created to enable you to use these leadership abilities. How to do it is as follows:

Working on group projects is a great approach to develop your collaboration and communication skills.

Case Studies: Apply practical scenarios to refine your decision-making abilities.

Presentations: Get comfortable sharing your vision and motivating the audience.

Networking Events: Make connections with business titans and gain knowledge from their insights.

Assignments for Self-Reflection: Recognize your areas of strength and improvement.

Recall that exceptional leaders are created, not born. It requires experience, criticism, and a readiness to absorb lessons from both achievements and setbacks.

Leadership Attributes: Discovering Your Voice

Now, let's discuss leadership philosophies. Although there isn't a one strategy that works for all circumstances, being aware of diverse styles might help you adjust to different ones.

Common Leadership Styles

Autocratic: The boss calls all the shots.

Democratic: Everyone gets a say in decisions.

Laissez-faire: Hands-off approach, lots of team autonomy.

Transformational: Inspires change and innovation.

Servant: Focuses on meeting the needs of the team.

Impact on Team Performance

Various approaches can either warm your squad up or cool it down. The lowdown is as follows:

Autocratic: May be effective, but may stifle motivation and inventiveness.

Democratic: Can delay down decision-making, but frequently increases morale and innovation.

Laissez-faire: Can cause chaos with less experienced organizations, but it works effectively with talented, self-motivated teams.

Transformational: Excellent for motivating groups and bringing about change, but over time, may be draining.

You can examine these approaches and discover when to apply each one with the aid of the DY Patil Online MBA program. Having the appropriate instrument for the job is crucial.

Avoiding Mistakes in Leadership: What Not to Do The greatest leaders are not perfect all the time. The following are some typical pitfalls to avoid:

Micromanage not: Have faith in your staff to complete tasks.

Preventing Conflict: Deal with problems as soon as they arise.

Playing Favorites: To keep the team cohesive, treat everyone equally.

Refusing to Change: Remain receptive to novel concepts and methods.

Ignoring Self-Care: Look after yourself; you can't pour from an empty cup.

Tech Tools for Modern Leaders

Leaders in the modern day must also be tech-savvy. With resources like these, the DY Patil Distance Learning MBA program keeps you current.

Project Management Software: For keeping teams organized.

Communication Platforms: For remote team collaboration.

Data Analytics Tools: For informed decision-making.

Learning Management Systems: For ongoing team development.

Concluding: Your Path to Leadership  The path to leadership is not a destination. You will get lots of opportunities to hone and hone your leadership abilities as you progress through the DY Patil Online MBA. You're well on your way to being the kind of leader who actually makes a difference if you apply the strong foundation the DY Patil Online MBA program is providing and remain dedicated to continuous improvement. Now get out there, show initiative, and begin leaving your imprint. Leaders such as yourselves are much needed in the business sector!

[ear-worthy]

Play On Podcasts Announces Play On Shakespeare Summer 2024 Season

Play On Podcasts, is simply genius. It reimagines Shakespeare's timeless tales, featuring original musical compositions and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists. It's remarkable that the podcast is superb in so many ways. The original music is delightful and enchanting. The acting bristles with emotive energy. The plays they re-enact are much more Laurence Olivier in Hamlet than Mel Gibson in Hamlet. The scripted plays facilitate Shakespearean humor, wit, and sarcasm to flow through them.

Most important of all, the plays are scripted in modern English verse for modern audiences. Therefore, the age-old excuse that you don't like Shakespeare because you can't understand the words has vanished. 

My first play on Play On was Othello, which began in September 2023. The play was broken up into seven episodes of about 35 minutes per episode. Then, Play On releases bonus content, typically with the playwright who reimagined the Shakespearean classic in modern verse or one of the actors.Then, Play On released the full play of Othello in one episode, which lasted over three hours. Their current series, The Taming Of The Shrew was just released during in late May. 

 The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Christopher Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself. As always, in episode one of every play, Play On recommends that listeners use headphones or earbuds for the best listening experience. It's a recommendation I urge you to follow. The plays are rich in sounds that can captivate your ears. There is the dialogue -- crisp and understandable. The background sounds -- horses, wagons, merchants, nature -- can layer you into the play like being an avatar in a video game. The show has a voice and text consultant, an equipment and recording engineer, a sound effects assistant, and a production assistant. That's a lot of resources and a lot of money. As a listener, you hear that excellence.

 The music strikes at your emotions, ratcheting up intensity, fervor, and excitement. In Macbeth, the show even has a bagpipes' musician.

Play On podcasts began in April 2021 with Shakespeare's masterpiece Macbeth. It's a great play to begin with, and Play On's treatment of the classic is masterful. In my one and only foray into acting, I played Macduff in a high school play. I thought I was a solid Macduff. In Play on, an actor named Chinaza Uche played Macduff. Mr. Uche was a superlative Macduff, and I doff my hat to him. Here are their own words about Play On: "Welcome to the Play On Podcasts from Next Chapter Podcasts. This is where theater meets podcasts, combining the modern-day audio phenomenon with the power of live performance. Play On Podcasts is an epic audio adventure reimagining timeless tales, featuring original music compositions and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists. Past seasons included Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Love Labor's Lost. 

Next Chapter is an independent podcast production house dedicated to original, authentic storytelling. Next Chapter proudly informs us: "We are a progressive organization looking to make the world a better place, and lift up marginalized communities through the spoken word. We are a team of producers and sound designers, engineers and artists with unique experience to excel in podcast production from concept to creation."

You can subscribe to Play On Premium to get exclusive access to ad-free episodes, full plays, merch, and hear full interviews with the artists, producers, and engineers who brought it all to life.

Check out Play On Podcasts. Play On Shakespeare, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to exploring the world of Shakespeare in performance through translation and adaptation, has announced its Summer 2024 Season.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Inferno Theatre July 20 - August 11 Translation: Jeff Whitty Direction: Giulio Cesare Perrone Location: John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre [Berkeley, CA]

More information here. Coriolanus Presented by Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Portland Center Stage Produced in association with upstart crow collective and Play On Shakespeare July 23 - October 13 Translation: Sean San José Adaption and Direction: Rosa Joshi Location: Thomas Theatre [Ashland, OR]

More information here.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Idaho Shakespeare Festival in partnership with Great Lakes Theater August 9 - 31 Translation: Jeff Whitty Direction: Sara Bruner Location: The Idaho Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater & Reserve [Boise, ID]

More information here.

A second leg of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will take place this fall in Cleveland, OH at Great Lakes Theater.

Richard II Co-production with Play On Shakespeare and the Magic Theatre August 21 - September 8 Translation: Naomi Iizuka Direction: Dr. Karina Gutierrez Location: Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture [San Francisco, CA]

More information here.

ACMRS Press [Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies] has released all of the Play On Shakespeare’s translations in print (39 titles).

[all-the-fun-of-the-cirkus]

had to prove i could listen to artists other than neil young, so tonight's first-time listen is let it bleed by the rolling stones. which is... alright

i must admit, i've never really liked the stones, and i'm not sure why. if you like sixties british rock, you're pretty much obliged to like the beatles, the who and the stones. the who aren't my favourite band of all time any more but i'm still a fan of them more than i am pretty much any band, i don't quite love the beatles but i respect them hugely and enjoy them a lot, but i've just never cracked the stones. and i think sticky fingers is one of the greatest albums of all time! and they have plenty of banger songs! i just... don't know what it is that bothers me! i'm even drunk as i write this bc i figured that was about the headspace you're supposed to be in to listen to them, and i still don't get it

part of it, i think, is mick jagger. he's decent enough. he's usually more-or-less in tune, he has decent power to his voice, but i just don't buy him. every time he tries to be sensitive it sounds like he's mocking the song, bar a few songs in the early 70s; i mean listen to lady jane and then borrowed tune by neil young, it's the same melody but neil sounds sincere as anything, while mick sounds like he's taking the piss. and i don't ask that a singer believe everything they sing, but if they want me to think they do they better convince me

the lyrics play into that too, i think. they're so... much. salacious is the word that always comes to mind. the overt misogyny is just ridiculous when it pops up, and a lot of the time it feels like he's just going for shock value. the comparison that comes to mind is lou reed; he also writes "shocking" lyrics about various taboo subjects, but he always feels honest. not sincere (i very much doubt he'd ever been privy to, say, a trans woman getting lobotomised for instance), but honest. reed is the weird guy who sits in the corner of the pub, has clearly Seen Some Shit and tells you stories with a straight face you aren't quite sure what to believe, whereas jagger is the town gossip who looks dramatically over his shoulder to see if anyone's listening before leaning forward and giving you the latest rumours in a stage whisper, and as such it always feels like he's trying so hard it comes off as silly. i can't even work up the investment to be offended

as such, stuff like midnight rambler is... okay. it's fine. the lyrics are just trying way too hard to scare me. the music sort of pulls it off? the last minute or so manages to be fairly spooky with the dramatic blasts, and bless charlie watts, a superb drummer with a subtlety and intelligence lacking in 99% or rock drummers; his shift to double time about three-ish minutes in gives the song a real boost. but it's just a blues song. it's so obviously trying to scare me it doesn't

the songs on here are all okay. you got the silver and the title track are blatant filler but they're still listenable. plus they're kind enough to start with one of the greatest songs of all time; gimme shelter is an absolute thunderstorm of a song, one of the few times the atmosphere matches the lyrics in an ominous maelstrom of guitar, crashing drums and that amazing performance from merry clayton. you can't always get what you want is also a great song, but it doesn't work in context. it's a joyous epilogue, not a finale, a party song for the end credits, and it feels unearned after the rest of the album. reshuffle sticky fingers and stick it after sister morphine and you've got something mindblowing, but as is it's just good

beyond that, the only standouts are monkey man (cool riff) and live with me, with slide guitar from richards that's so good i legit assumed it had to be mick taylor before looking it up just to be sure. the stones are capable of some gorgeous ballads, even if jagger sometimes undermines them, and this is a fine addition to that. otherwise, this is just a collection of songs i'd happily listen to if they came up on shuffle but i'm not sure how much i'll be seeking them out