#the glitches i have seen . . . the performance issues . . . boy

[sage-nebula]

I've now finished all available story content for Pokémon Scarlet in my replay, and with everything fresh in my mind again, I want to share some Thoughts™. Note that these are only thoughts on the storytelling, and not on any other elements (gameplay etc).

First, on the original scenario:

While I don't think that this is the greatest story in a Pokémon game yet like some others do (I still think that honor goes to BW), I can definitely see why SV's story appeals to those that it does appeal to. Arven's story is heartwrenching, and Penny's / Team Star's is relatable to anyone who has had to suffer bullying, only to be labeled the bully themselves when they try to do something about it. Nemona's story unfortunately suffers the most; you don't really get any insight into who she is or what her struggles are until post-game, and even then you have to seek her out to discover any of that. It makes sense, in a way; Nemona is mostly just there to give the player incentive to tackle the Gym challenge. Still, it's unfortunate because I think that her character (an Ace in every way who is therefore isolated from her peers as a result) is one that would have been really interesting to explore in more depth.

Having said all that, I think the biggest detriment to SV's storytelling is that it keeps the three rivals completely separate until the trip into Area Zero, with the exception of a bit of bickering between Nemona and Arven in the beginning (and a tiny bit of Penny's added in when you're about to leave on the Treasure Hunt). I think most in the fandom agree that the trip into Area Zero is SV's strongest point; unfortunately, none of the Area Zero stuff is truly relevant until that point, and the rivals don't get to talk to (and therefore befriend) each other before that point, either. As a result, it makes their friendship in the end feel forced / weak. They have a few conversations in Area Zero and now they're besties? I don't really buy it. Especially since they spent the first few conversations antagonizing each other.

Instead, I think it would have made everything a lot more cohesive to have the three of them interact with each other at different points throughout the main story. Either they could happenstance cross paths whenever one of them is talking to the player, or the game could have taken a truly original track and have the school send players out on the Treasure Hunt in groups of four, grouping Arven, Penny, Nemona, and the player together in one group to travel across Paldea together. Of course, it would seem a bit busy to have all three rivals constantly running alongside you, but there could have been a base camp that all four would return to at the end of the day, and we could have had interactions between them there. Showing the three rivals befriending each other over the course of the entire Treasure Hunt would have made them cementing their friendship in Area Zero (and things like Penny calling Nemona and Arven treasured friends on par with the Team Star bosses) make a whole lot more sense.

A quick aside on Team Star — I think Game Freak fumbled this storyline pretty badly. Penny's Not Reveal aside (who didn't know she was Cassiopeia, like . . . really), it seems that what Game Freak wanted with Team Star was to make the whole team, grunts included, victims of rumor mongering. This is made apparent at the end of the Caph Squad segment, when Clavell brings up that there are rumors of Team Star bullying other students, and Carmen is like, "After hearing what we all have to say, do you really think that's the case?" And that's fine, except . . .

We are shown that Team Star grunts bully students at the start of the game.

Granted, it is only one scene. But our introduction to Penny is her being harassed by Team Star grunts to join up, and then them turning that aggression onto the player. It's contradictory to show us that some Team Star grunts do bully other students, only to then backpedal completely and say they don't. And I think that this could have been used as Penny's motivation; that, instead of being worried about her friends being expelled, Penny realized that the organization was way too big and that bullies were using it as a shield to bully other students, and that that's why it had to be brought down. Bringing this to the attention of the other bosses could have also been used as their motivation to step down, which would have made a lot more sense than the "well the rules say so." It would have further cemented the fact that they were victims of bullying themselves who would never want to see anyone else bullied again, either.

But back to the main story — aside from thinking that it is a waste that we don't get to see the rivals interact with each other and build their friendship up over the main story, I also think it is a waste that the absolute coolest part of SV's story (the Area Zero lore) is completely packed into the final segment of the game, bearing almost no relevance otherwise. I mean, true, Arven is searching for the Herba Mystica to heal Mabosstiff, and that comes from Area Zero. But we don't learn why he has that book, what relevance that book has, or what the professor was up to until the final segment of the game. We're told Area Zero is off-limits because it's dangerous, but aside from the fourth Titan battle (or was it the third?) we don't see any paradox pokémon on the surface or learn anything about the professor other than that they are Arven's parent and they invented the Tera Orb. And I think that is a waste; there is so much cool lore in SV, and the professors themselves are fascinating characters because they're not exactly good but they also aren't evil, but we just don't really get to engage with that until the very end of the story (and now the DLC). I'm not entirely sure how this could be fixed without completely reworking the story (though I'm sure I could come up with ideas if I found the time to think on it), but it's just disappointing that the best part of the story is at the very end.

All in all, I don't think SV has the worst story in the series. That dishonor still goes to XY. But I think that it's a shame that its strongest points (the rivals + the lore) are things that just didn't have the right amount of investment into them. I think that having the rivals at bare minimum get to interact in scenes throughout the three campaigns would have helped their characters and relationships and would have better sold the "they are besties now" ending to the Area Zero segment. An even better solution, imo, would be to have them all accompanying the player on the journey even if they aren't always on-screen together, with designated camping scenes at different points in the game, more little micro conversations (albeit ones better worked in; something like skits in the Tales series would work better than what we got in Area Zero), and perhaps continued arguing over which way the player should go next, since they all have their own agendas, too. And as for the lore, just being able to see more of an effect Area Zero had on Paldea would have helped with that a great deal. Have more paradox pokémon escaping and people freaking out about it, have the A.I. professor guiding an unwitting player into making the situation worse somehow. Something, so that we're given reason to really want to go into Area Zero at the end, versus just "well the professor said to, so I gotta."

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the storytelling in SV. There are a lot of weaknesses, but those weaknesses mostly stem from the potential that is there that was not realized. I will say that so far the story DLC has been a step in the right direction, especially where the Mossui siblings are concerned; the two of them knowing each other so well and having a pre-existing relationship does a lot of their characters, both individually and together. Now we just have to wait and see if the Indigo Disk DLC sticks the landing. I really hope it does.

But for now, I sleep.

[gotyvideogames2022]

Best Single-Player Action-Adventure Games

Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart continues the events of 2013's Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus and features series stalwarts Ratchet and Clank, as well as the addition of a new playable character in Rivet. payable in While Rift aside does t ethnically fit the events of inside it can completely end up being played out standalone play without knowing about it within the Nexus. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the first game truly designed for next-generation consoles, is very intended to show off all the expression that makes PlayStation 5 such an enticing purchase. While patches for other small games on the setup have seen improved graphics and decreased loading times, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart stands out… ahem… from the crowd as the first leading recreation designed entirely to be played on the PlayStation 5. The presence of both Performance and Performance Ray Tracking modes is one of the most obvious examples of this, with the latter providing an incredible design and look for next-gen video games at 60 frames per second, which can essentially be achieved on the most modern of game consoles.

The story alternates between two characters at the user's whim, with Rivet investigating one area of the universe while Ratchet investigates another. Both are on a mission to repair the interdimensional messes caused by Dr. Dubious, the fan-favorite antagonist who dragged the heroes into a universe where he is already triumphant and the Emperor of the Universe. How they depict two heroes working differently towards the same goal feels like a practice run in preparation for the unavoidable Spider-Man sequel with more than one web-slinger. "Rift Apart" and "Rift Apart" both exhibit and instill self-esteem in the balance of this game. It is also important to realize that being Rivet is truly no different from controlling Ratchet; this makes perfect sense considering the idea that alternate realities exist.

The fantastic 2016 PS4 remake of the original Ratchet & Clank made for a fun retread of the original, but it was iterative—it walked so Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart could run. And, boy, does it run. Ratchet & Clank reveals the PS5's impressive training capabilities. It has stunning graphics, character versions, and lighting effects that don't start looking outside of the area in the form of a 3D animated feature film, and together with its smooth combat system, it can effortlessly display a plethora of enemies and missiles simultaneously without a glitch. To get issues removed in the beginning, there are only a few bugs that are present throughout Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, but they are pretty minor. At most, I found myself on my own regularly jumping onto a ledge and getting snagged in some geometry, which led to a rapid end. But, because there is almost no penalty for dying, quicksaves are very well-placed, and the minor issues didn't bother me at all. My sexy mind was glued to the images, the narrative, and the fighting, and all of them seamlessly connect and are so engrossing that it's hard to become annoyed when something doesn't go as planned.

At its heart, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is truthfully a contemporary third-person shooter that combines the elements of a platformer, and while it's not an open-world game title, The level design of the stages makes it look like you're going to be a component of something larger, which is truly why the illusion is surely right there, including quests and sub-quests to assist you in exploring these brand new universes. Similar to earlier little games, you'll have the mechanic's wrench you have been using to smash crates like Batman to get bolts that can be utilized to purchase the latest elements and improve your present ones. The process of leveling up can help you complete your quest in the end, especially with the enemies you will encounter. When you ride on animals and play like Tony Hawk, float around and jump, smash battles, discover new places, and meet new friends, one new feature is the ability to connect to portal sites. Tethering to gateways, allows you to be teleported to another location, which is truly ideal when fighting adversaries as well as trying to complete a puzzle. But be aware that you do need to be able to reorient yourself from time to time. Another brand new feature was the phantom rush, which helps you phase through reality to reach another tip in your time faster, which again works for double jumps. While Ratchet and Rivet play similarly, Clank fans should be pleased to learn that you can now play this robot with mini-missions and mysteries as a completely new "alternate" universe spider named Glitch (Sara Amini) who hacks. Oh, and there's also KT or KIT, who is an alternate-world version of Clank and another interesting character in this game series.

The fight is handled well in the game, and you can choose from a wide range of unique weapons, ranging from traditional blasters to some extremely clever concepts that I won't go into here, such as the bolt-collecting power-ups. However, the game isn't without its challenges sometimes, especially whenever enemies begin to multiply while you try to shoot with aplomb to save your entire life. Fortunately, the developers have included several difficulty levels, and if people only want to play the game with minimal stress, that is also an option. On the more difficult levels, ammunition may be limited, and the boss battles are certainly challenging but not quite on the same level as Demon Souls.

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In terms of the specific weapons, Ratchet and Rivet can use, the arsenal is generally as entertaining as we've come to expect from the franchise. I'm not sure I can declare this, but Rift Apart shows my favorite arsenal of guns among the entire franchise; however, the inventiveness that is displayed in Insomniac is more impressive than anything else. Some of my current favorites include the Ricochet (which allows for multiple shots on opponents with a single sequence), the Enforcer, and the Topiary Sprinkler. The Buzz Blades and Warmonger making a return is also a big surprise. What makes Ratchet & Clank's weapons so enjoyable to use: Rift aside, each title in the game series is accompanied by exactly how it affects your DualSense controller. Much more than its ability to operate with Marvel's Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Rift seriously provides you with the most bang for your buck when it comes to precisely what the DualSense can provide. Rift, like Return of the Jedi, allows all of the weapons you can use in the game to have different effects depending on how you press each trigger. For instance, in the aforementioned Enforcer, pressing the right trigger halfway down will allow you to fire one shot from the weapon. However, if you push it down, it will fire all active barrels in quick succession. These innovative ideas, when combined with the tactile feedback that is utilized in Rift Apart, proceed to show why the DualSense is the best game controller currently available.

The story of "Rift Apart" is a direct attack on deep insecurities that are not spoken about. It can prick at all of them before reassuring you. This may remind people of your growing friendships. In a time when sneering and ironic detachment is fashionable, Insomniac Games has created a one-of-a-kind contemporary masterpiece with no complicated agenda and no subtext – just so many good reasons to laugh and smile. This pureness is evident in every single pixel as well as in every line of text and every word. We're fortunate to have this present in "Ratchet and Clank: Rift Away," the first truly great game from this new generation of consoles.

Returnal

The game starts by hitting the ground on the planet of an unknown species. You exit your damaged ship, get yourself armed, and straight away begin looking for a weird-ass planet. The beings are certainly not friendly. The ambiance is jam-packed with broken pieces of masonry and mysteries. The tangled maze of locations tend to have elements that can assist you, harm people, or facilitate harming you. Doesn't that sound exciting? In addition, if you pass away, the bulk of what you acquire will be lost after your life is reset, but there are some things that you can retain. They are a challenge to acquire, but they are good for "difficult as hell."

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Returnal bears some obvious inspirations from quite a few of sci-fi's most excellent moments, films, and locations, but this never appears as if it's simply mimicking those features. Every step of the method firmly establishes its individual, unique identity while paying a respectful homage to the past. It wouldn't be too difficult to list the numerous characteristics that appeared to have an impact on them, whether it's sci-fi films or significant video games—everything from Aliens to Journey to Hades. But the gentle reverence for these properties is only a tidbit of the strong identity of the play. The game is Housemarque. It is Housemarque unlike anything you've seen before, but it is unmistakably a Housemarque recreation, with no exceptions.

The stunning images can be a little overwhelming at first, especially if you haven't trained your big eyes to recognize the strange surroundings and keep the mini-map in focus all the time, but the more familiar you become with Atropos, the more likely you are to become lost in the world. Worship is a common refrain in "Return," even (or predominantly) during by far the most stressful wars; however, the overall storytelling is a whole lot more meaningful in the details than display. That applies to the backdrops and lighting effects as well as the way that the animals of the world react to your presence; however, it is also applicable to how Housemarque makes use of the PS5's technological innovation to blur the lines between where you end and the controller will start.

Roguelike games tend to test participants who have a lot of experience. Death resets every little thing, and the sole specialty you take with you into the brand new journey is the knowledge of your previous one, forming methods to defeat the insurmountable. You'll find many different tiers of what carries across between cycles. You can get certain long-lasting upgrades that make the new cycle an entirely different experience. Can't entirely reach that platform or witness an item that looks hard to achieve at the moment? You will likely gain an ability at some point that will let you eventually gain this. You may not be able to achieve it right now, but having that ability and experience makes returning to the early areas of Returnal a whole new overall discovery experience with the incorporated skills. Being one of the very first PS5 games to be released since Demon's Souls at launch, it is honest to expect Returnal to take advantage of PS5's capabilities. Plus, it does, in both performance and graphics, and makes the most of the DualSense controller, which was introduced in Astro's Playroom. Both big and small motions, from gunfire to the sound of rain, are felt and heard via the control. The haptic suggestions it stimulates are also put to good use. Holding the L2 key aspires, but clicking it down activates the weapon's auxiliary feature. Shooting and reloading are limited to the R2 key, and while there is no opposition, getting a reload at the best time and beginning to feel the gentle click of your gun never gets old. Sound design

The audio design is additionally powerful and adds much to the overall ambiance around the globe. You will want to get a great set of headphones or the PlayStation Pulse 3D wireless headset to enjoy the 3-D audio in all its splendor. The combination of these features allows for an immersive experience that could simply happen with the PS5. The game runs at a consistent 60 frames per second in 4K Ultra HD and features a ray tracing system that adapts to the moving area of Atropos. The stunning particle effects are well delivered, and every influence, such as the weather within the gunk that is affixed to Selene's spacesuit, is striking and step-by-step. The loading times are lightning rapid, taking advantage of the PS5's massive solid-state drive. It is a spectacle in many techniques, and it's the category of display the PS5 needs at the moment.

You'll find some intriguing online components for returning participants to take part in. A leaderboard system designed for special, single-run obstacles will reveal exactly how players compare with their peers in single-run, score-attack challenges—something that Housemarque has previously included in previous games, but it's been modified and refined to work with Returnal. Participants will additionally happen upon the bodies of fallen users from time to time and can either get revenge or trade them in for other things. Avenging a victim can cause a grueling fight, but it is a wonderfully gripping task to overcome. Returnal is a great game that is just a tad bit perfect. It has by far the most gratifying experience of playing loops Housemarque has created to date, which claims a tonne given the facility's reputation. If other PlayStation 5 exclusives are even half as enjoyable as Return of the King, players are in for a treat.

[accio-victuuri]

2017 BJYX Timeline : At First Sight.

Everything starts with a blank canvass. Oh we painted each others lives inch by inch. from black, gray and blue to colors we never thought existed. Two photos from different places, longing to be one. 

Let’s start from the beginning of this whirlwind timeline. There will be very minimal interaction between our boys, but this will also be a good time to see how they were before working together. I wanted to paint a picture of  XNINE’s Xiao Zhan and Idol Wang Yibo. Before their names got tied to the Untamed and each other.

They were doing their own thing, working hard with their careers, no clue that one chance meeting will be so important. Warning, this post is video links, image and information heavy. I am missing some stuff because this hell site refuses to save things and continues to glitch.

🡆 MARCH 2017

03242017 : The story starts when XNINE was a guest in Day Day Up. When asked, they always say that this is the first time they met. However, they did not interact at all.

But there are definitely times on this episode where they pay attention to each other and it’s so cute. You can find different videos that will highlight these moments better than any screencaps can.

1. Web Stealing a glance at GG

2. First meeting

3. Gun heart - This is the gesture GG used when he introduced himself. The hosts all imitated him and teased, that included Web who smiled too. The same love gesture will be seen in the following years as “their thing”.

4. Doing the same steps for the dance.

5. Web allowing GG to pass and did not lift up the bamboo to trap him when it’s his turn.

6. Red string of Fate

7. Love at first sight-ology

When asked about this shooting, especially the segment when they were in the fields— GG said it was too cold. There is also CPN that the bag Web was using was GG’s.

03252017:  Yin Yue V-Chart Interview with XNINE. GG talking about being scolded for not updating his video diaries and updating his fans. 😂   On the same day that this interview came out, he posted a selfie. 

🡆 APRIL 2017

04022017 : XNINE shanghai concert - BE A MAN.  blessing us with this dance from GG. The next one is the one that the Untamed Cast were watching. He also posted a selfie for this night. 

Full video of the concert 

04082017 : The Wolf starts filming. According to GG, this is the drama that made him decide to really be an actor.

04092017 : Web attends the 17th Top Chinese Music Awards and wins Best New Idol. This also blessed us with the blindfold dance. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW9gM7tfyFM

04132017: Southern Metropolis Entertainment Interview - XNINE. GG sings Jay Chou’s Love confession on this one ( I died ). We also see his very shy side when people say that he is the Visual of the group. Also, LOL at Peng Chuyue’s face when GG says this.

 https://youtu.be/X8Xoax8dIHM

04162017: Posts a selfie on set of The Wolf in the blistering cold.

04242017: XNINE “Say No” BTS is released.

https://youtu.be/wU_tKzK64Ns

04252017: GG posts a selfie. 

04282017 : Release of Single “Say No” - XNINE 

04292017 :  Wang Yibo X Guan Xiaoton release of the song Once Again for the Once Again OST.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0TT8y7VXNk

🡆 MAY 2017

05072017: GG posts himself with that stubble. 

05292017: Another selfie in specs. 

🡆 JUNE 2017

060172017 : Both GG and Web posted selfies for Children’s Day. 

06082017: Zhelife

06222017: Another selfie. I’m side eyeing the date this was posted wtf. 622. 

06232017 : Posted alot of selfies this time. This is one of those. 

🡆 JULY 2017

072017 - Filming for GG’s “Battle through the Heavens” has ended where played the role of Lin Xiuya.

07032017 : GG posted a bare face selfie, wearing Stussy! 

07032017: Adidas NEO CF for Web

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNYqVa58mgg

07102017 : Web CF for Estee Lauder. Our boi in shorts and white shorts, using estee lauder in the morning. 

https://youtu.be/xeTT0QR_iKs

07192017: Idol Interview - XNINE @ Asian Music Gala. They won the Most Popular Group award. This is Where you can see a very quiet GG who does not speak at all. https://youtu.be/7dwA6WwD-5c

07202017: Cute selfie. 

07272017: Posted a selfie photoset which includes the photo he sent to Web, apparently, in 2018. I’m a love at first sight believer, so I don’t buy the story that this was only sent in 2018. hahahah! don’t believe me. 

🡆 AUGUST 2017

08042017: GG posted a Happy Birthday message to DDU for their anniversary. DDU weibo account responded with :

“Thank you handsome and attractive little zhan zhan! ( btw little Day Day won’t tell you that a colleague of us already became your fan. )”

08082017 : XNINE Metersbonwe photoshoot.

https://youtu.be/jM9lla6aF08

08152017: Episode 1 of Love Actually Drama aired with Web acting alongside Joe Chen. He played the role of Zhai Zhiwei who is an IT genius.

08162017 : First episode of the TV program "When we were young" airing. Web guest starred on this, for episodes 16-17 and played the role of Lin Jiayi.

08242017 : Web shoot for Once Again MV the making released.

https://youtu.be/-yn_st5vOO0

08252017: XNINE “be strong girl” campaign message. Have some encouraging words from GG.

08272017 : XNINE performs at Fresh Asia Awards.

https://youtu.be/PzGlTQ3Fga0

08302017 : “Unsurpassed Conference” ; Where we got this absolute gem of him not wanting to talk but ended up being a host on DDU.

Web : I don’t really like talking 

Host : so you went to DDU 

Web : I don’t know why I went too.. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjO5vIfD_PQ

🡆 SEPTEMBER 2017.

09052017 : Wang Yibo and Joe Chen video in an Amusement Park shooting the drama “Love Actually”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__gIWih39Is

09162017 :  Wang Yibo attended the “2017 Asian Influence Awards Ceremony.” and won Best New actor.

09222017: Web interview and photo shoot for Hey idol. This shoot is responsible for that photo where Web eats an orange like an Apple. 

https://youtu.be/wCqVxog9i18

09232017: Selfie time again 

09262017: Web and Wenhan represent UNIQ as they perform in TV Online Video Influence Ceremony

https://youtu.be/lc_cvlLtSaA

09272017: Web AD for KFC. Please watch this. He looks good in Yellow- dancing and eating chicken. I STAN THIS BOI! 

https://youtu.be/ABH3BfZf4dg

🡆 OCTOBER 2017

10102017: Posted cute selfies with him as a cat and a Pig. hmmm. pig? 

🡆 NOVEMBER 2017

11072017: Web’s Just Dance single is announced. This is the Theme song of 4th Xuan Wu Festival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvsyOxC6cs4

11092017 : Filming of Oh My Emperor has finished. GG plays the role of Bei Tang Moran in this drama that will be broadcast in 2018.

11092017 : Web attends the Ifeng Fashion show event where he won   Most Popular New Actor. 

11162017 : Web recording the song “just Dance”. does the clothes he’s wearing remind you of another recording session? 

11212017 : Web x Fashionable Photoshoot

11262017 : Attending and performing in Star Night of Mister Inke. His style in this one is really Joker-like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75wtl-JAjis

🡆 DECEMBER 2017

2020 : Web is cast in the science fiction drama Super Talent/ My strange friend.

12032027: XNINE performs “ We want what we want”.

https://youtu.be/IJNIgPl8ImI

12032017: Web performs JUST DANCE in Tencent Games Carnival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbIzvMut2CY

12092017: Photoshoot with Rayli 

12122017: Photoshoot with Cheese Fashion 

12132017:  Photoshoot with NTSnap 

12142017 : BEST TASTE releases one of it’s short films that include Wang Yibo. We see two personas in this feature and it’s really interesting.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP83-bEOEv0

This one called “耳” Ear; about sounds. [What we heard can’t take away by time 🕙 ]all the good memories when we were a child, some one them we might not be able to remember what happened, but when you hear the sound/voice of them, they trigger our memories

12152017: Volunteer Union photoshoot / campaign 

12172017 :  Attending Tencent Star Charity Night 

12202017 : Photoshoot feature with our street style AKA everyone's favorite Web flower boi spread. 

12222017: "Just Dance" single MV release

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asb8I3oqG00

12222017 : Winter solstice post from both of them. Talking about eating tangyuan. It’s of those mirroring posts, but again, could just be coincidence that they posted something similar.

12312017 : Web Participates in Hunan TV’s new year countdown as a Host. 

*** Note 01 : In 2017, XNINE was transferred from EE media to Long Danni’s Wajijiwa Ent. Company. Some initial problems that they had was that their company was more interested in promoting them as actors and not as an idol group. They were also not kept safe in public venues which will be a recurring issue to GG as we go along other timelines.

*** Note 02 : I wanted to add Web’s Rossi posts and more pictures but it won’t save (will try again at a later date, but I think Web’s awards and projects are more important to highlight here). LOL. Thankfully, GG’s selfies worked. I mainly added stuff that they did in 2017 to give a sense of where they were career-wise. 

*** Note 03 : Looking at how this timeline turned into a monster, I will probably split the 2018 timeline into two parts. Forever Summer Part I & Forever Summer Part 2. Seeing the amount of Activity these two did in 2018 alone is STAGGERING. Plus, this site is glitching with all the content when I save it so splitting it might be better. if you have suggestions, let me know. 

[hamueltobin]

behold! i didn't see any otgw icebergs, so i made my own :)

if you think i should add something, lmk!!

Explanations under cut :)

First layer:

▪︎Beast!Wirt au - very popular au in which Wirt stays in the Unknown, possessed by the Beast to some extent.

▪︎Bad End Friends - Crossover AU of Beast!Wirt teaming up with Ice Finn from Adventure Time and Bipper from Gravity Falls; sometimes other 'bad end' au characters are thrown in such as a glitched Gumball from TAWOG

▪︎Irl Copies of the For Sara tape - Limited copies of the For Sara tape were sold at two points. They have yet to sell for a third time. (🤞🤞🤞)

▪︎Tome of the Unknown (pilot) - The Pilot of the series. Can be watched on YouTube.

▪︎Wirt Staying in the Unknown - In a scrapped ending, Wirt was to stay in the Unknown, saying that facing your real problems was scarier than staying there.

▪︎Mystery Kids - Crossover AU with other child-late teens aged characters from sources based on mysterious and supernatural themes such as Gravity Falls and Psychonauts.

▪︎Quincy Endicott's grave - Quincy's grave can be seen in the graveyard that Sara and the others are hanging out in.

▪︎Original Beatrice Voice Actress - Beatrice had a different VA in the pilot, Natasha Leggero. Melanie Lynskey voices her in the actual series.

▪︎The Woodsman's Daughter is Named Anna - The comics have several issues focused on his daughter, in which her name is revealed to be Anna.

▪︎Jason Funderburker's Ax Murderer Story - At the gathering in the graveyard, Funderburker is telling a story about a man with an ax; this story is believed to have influenced the existence of the Woodsman.

▪︎Full Versions of Songs in the OST - A handful of the songs are cut down for their appearances in the series and can only be heard in full on the OST. The most notable example is Old Black Train , which is actually 2 minutes and 15 seconds long, but is only in the series for about 15-20 seconds.

Second Layer:

▪︎Sara is named after the Fleetwood Mac song - Listen to it here :) it is notable that it includes lyrics about "drowning in a sea of love" and that Sara is "the poet of [the singer's] heart."

▪︎OTGW Reanimated - a reanimated project for the first episode. Got taken off of YouTube, but can be viewed on Dailymotion.

▪︎Baby Wirt Audio - In the For Sara cassette, there is a small section of audio that can be heard in about the middle of the recording of Wirt's father talking to him as a baby.

▪︎Funderburker/Funderberker - The two Jasons's surnames are spelled slightly differently to avoid confusion.

▪︎The Brothers Never Ate or Needed to Rest - Although Greg expressed being hungry, neither of the boys actually ate anything (outside of one spoonful of bland potatoes and inedible items such as dirt and leaves) and never laid down to rest, only sleeping when night came.

▪︎Book on Interior Design in Wirt's Room - In Wirt's from, a book on interior design can be seen laying on the floor, backing up the knowledge he displayed when analyzing the interconnected mansions.

▪︎Mad Love was Based on a Dream - The plot of Mad Love came from a dream that Pat McHale had about house hunting. In the dream, while exploring one of the houses being shown, he ended up wandering into someone else's home.

▪︎Beatriceoftheday - A blog dedicated to our lord and savior Beatrice, known for its strange shitposts and intense praise of the titular bird girl.

▪︎Wirt is Jealous of Greg's Popularity - Shown in the Circus Friends issue of the comics, Wirt is jealous of Greg's ability to make everyone laugh and have fun. This may factor into his dislike of his brother.

▪︎Greg was Feeding Fred at the Tavern - At first watching, one may be confused as to where all the food Greg was gathering went, why Fred was wearing lipstick and why he was refusing to talk to Beatrice. Shown in a deleted scene, this all explained, as Fred tells Beatrice that he didn't talk to her because Greg was feeding him.

▪︎Elijah Wood Voiced the Crazy Driver - Exactly what is says on the tin, the nutty driver was voiced by Wood.

▪︎Cloud City is Heaven - A popular theory that Cloud City actually represents Heaven.

▪︎Greg is Greg Universe - A headcanon/theory that has mostly died out that Greg is the same Greg in Steven Universe.

▪︎Bee Beatrice - Beatrice was originally cursed to become a bee, but was changed into a bluebird to match better with the seasonal autumn theme.

▪︎Pat McHale Voiced Wirt's Voice Crack - Wirt's voice crack when asking the Beast Are You? was actually done by McHale, not Wood.

▪︎The Other Actors Harassing Elijah Wood When Singing Wirt's Song - In order to make the performance as awkward as possible, the other actors were asked to yell and demand Wirt to sing. This can be heard in the episode.

▪︎Come Wayward Souls Has the Same Melody as O Holy Night - The song shares a cadence with "O Holy Night", and can be sung to its tune.

▪︎Black Turtles Origin/Purpose - No one knows why the black turtles exist, and McHale has said that they're just one of the unexplainable things of the Unknown.

▪︎Anna Never Left the House - In the aforementioned comics, it is shown that Anna had never left the house, living on her own until the Woodsman's return.

▪︎Sailor Suit Greg - Greg originally wore a sailor suit, but was changed later on to his current, Johnny Appleseed inspired outfit .

▪︎Beatrice Missing Being Able to Flip People Off - In the Art Book, Beatrice's introduction states that one of the reasons she hates being a bird is because she no longer has hands to flip people off with.

Third Layer

▪︎Jason Funderberker is Visually Based on a Teen Pat McHale - As seen here, Funderberker was designed after McHale.

▪︎Babes in the Wood is Based on an Old Alice in Wonderland Cartoon - You can view the original 1923 cartoon here! Starts at 4:25.

▪︎Wirt and Sara are Dipper and Mabel's Parents - A popular AU/hc where Dipper and Mabel of Gravity Falls are the future kids of Wirt and Sara.

▪︎The Tune of Wirt's Song is Improvised - In addition to the aforementioned harassment, in a further attempt to make the performance as awkward as possible, Elijah Wood was not given a tune to sing, only the lyrics.

▪︎Wirt's Costume Origin - As said in the art book and on his tumblr, Wirt's cone and cape come from an attempted rock and roll persona from McHale's teen years.

▪︎Greg is Based on Pat McHale's Son - It has been claimed that Greg is based on McHale's son, but Greg existed before him. The similarities are simply coincidental.

▪︎Old Scratch - The original name of the Beast.

▪︎The Beast Killed the Woodsman's Wife - Shown in the comics, The Woodsman's wife was mortally injured, with her attacker implied to be the Beast.

▪︎Wirt and Greg Staying in the Unknown Until Christmas - Another scrapped ending, in which the brothers stay in The Unknown until Christmas, with their absence unexplained.

▪︎Tome of the Unknown (original plot) - Early concepts had the Beast ( then known as Old Scratch as mentioned earlier ) scattering the pages of the titular book for the brothers to collect. Each page would come to life and the brothers would explore each story.

▪︎Dante's Inferno Comparisons - Check out these videos for full analysis!

▪︎Wirt Panty Shots - In the aforementioned Circus Friend comics, Wirt dons a dress as part of a disguise. Later on, he rips off the bottom half off, revealing that he is wearing bloomers.

▪︎The Beast's True Form was Inspired by Trypophobia - As stated in the art book, The Beast's hole-filled appearance was inspired by Trypophobia, the fear of many small holes.

▪︎The Fight is Over is About Drowning - Give the lyrics another read.

▪︎The Beast Last Minute Design Change - The Beast had a very different design, and it was changed into the current one at the last minute.

▪︎Gnome in Cloud City Representing Wirt - Many people believed that the Gnome with the lantern in cloud city was a parallel to Wirt, or a glimpse into his future. However, this was debunked.

▪︎Send Me a Peach - This song is included in the ost, but isn't in the actual series.

▪︎Fred and the Highwayman's Backstory - The comics expand upon the story of Fred the Horse and his involvement with the Highwayman.

Fourth Layer

▪︎Babes in the Wood Title Origin - The name of this episode comes from an old story of a pair of children getting lost in the woods, dying, and being buried in leaves by robins.

▪︎poorlydrawnotgw - This was a blog created during the poorly drawn series meme period. It consisted of poorly drawn and very strange shitposts and has since been deactivated. I was a part of it as mod Goopy Wirt and only have a handful of images saved from it.

▪︎Read and Listen Book Lost Audio - A read and listen book was created, with the book being read by Greg's Frog, who would stop every now and again to talk about being a frog. The pages can be found online, but the audio is currently lost.

▪︎Skinless Witch - A scrapped episode concept involved a skinless witch that kidnapped Greg and rode him like a horse.

▪︎Gentleman Burglar Wirt - A scrapped concept in which Wirt breaks into a woman's home, who is charmed by this young man who has come to visit her.

▪︎Animal Transformation - It was originally planned for Wirt and Greg to be turned into a bear/dog and a duck and remain that way for several episodes. This was later used in the comics.

▪︎The Unknown is influenced by Wirt's mind/interests - The Unknown is influenced by those who walk in it, in this case, Wirt. This includes the old timey mystical nature of it, as Wirt has been stated to have an interest in old folk tales.

▪︎Good Guy Beast/Black Train Scrapped Concept - In an earlier draft, the brothers were on a train, heading to what they assumed was death. They jump off, ending up in the Unknown. The Beast tries to get them back on the train, which turns out to be heading back to life.

▪︎Evil Woodsman - At one point, the Woodsman was intended to be under the influence of the Beast and tried to sabotage the brothers's attempts to return home.

▪︎Lorna Reading the Tome of the Unknown in the Epilogue - In the epilogue, Lorna can be seen reading the titular book from the aforementioned scrapped plot.

▪︎The Beast was Originally the Devil Himself - The Beast was first designed as a devil-like character, the aforementioned Old Scratch.

▪︎The Brothers Never Went Home/The Hospital is Part of The Unknown - a theory based on the fact that the edges of the screen are still blurred at the end of chapter 10, the rushed narration, and the lack of consequences of nearly drowning.

▪︎Beatrice Seeing Wirt Nude - In one of the comics, Beatrice accidentally sees Wirt while he is washing his clothes in the river.

▪︎Sara is a Descendant of Lorna - A theory that Sara is a distant relative of Lorna.

▪︎Exists in the Same Universe as Clarence and Home Movies - The most well known piece of evidence is the overhead shot of the town matching the town that Clarence is set in. Wirt and Greg also have a cameo in another episode, and one of the final episodes shows Brendon Small of Home Movies runs a movie rental store in the town, connecting all three series together.

Final Layer

▪︎Beast x Wirt - Also known as Poetree.

▪︎Candycone - Greg x Wirt.

[novantinuum]

that fantasy au concept is so interesting! it has such a cool emotional core with neat worldbuilding while still staying true to the spirit of the show, and just seems to... idk how to put it but it Works?

a aaa thank you ;w;

i have a metric butt load of ideas for it, some of them being:

-Lots of typical fantasy creatures like elves, dwarves, dragonborn, gnomes, orcs, etc etc etc alongside humans

-The visual aesthetic of the larger cities is strongly victorian steampunk. This is a world right on the edge of technological revolution, and as a result, oftentimes magic and those who perform it are kinda left behind and ignored in lieu of new inventions and ideas.

-Magic is something all denizens of this fantasy world can learn if they put their minds to it enough- but there are definitely some people who have an innate closer connection to the magical aspect of this world and have an easier time with it. This often runs through family lines- i.e. if a parent is a powerful witch, for example, their child will also have an innate inclination towards performing powerful magic.

-All the magic in this world is really personalized. Each individual will have an inclination towards a few types of magic that speak towards their personality and heart. It’s kinda... soul magic? So when I said the eldritch beings Rose was once a part of consume people’s souls, they’re basically feeding on pure magic. 

-Rose is, of course, secretly an eldritch horror disguised as an elf. She’s like... super long-lived? She’s been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years in this world, far beyond the normal lifespan of elven folk. However, she flies under the radar and is never really questioned because everyone just assumes the immense power of her magic is what’s keeping her alive. She deals very deeply in eldritch magic, and also boasts considerable healing/restorative powers. She’s still alive when Steven is born, and is loving as a mother, but... she tends to be very reclusive, and starts to keep him at arm’s length the older he becomes. (see: she’s super stressed and distracted about trying to find a way to save this realm when her ward fails in a few years.) This may be an AU, but Steven still gotta have mommy issues. 

-Pearl is her first love, the elven woman she fell for when she first came to protect this world. Rose has granted her long life, afraid to see the people she loves die. Pearl is a skilled fighter and mage, able to show others impeccably accurate visions of her memory in a cloud of smoke, conjure an illusionary version of any item she’s seen, and even summon light soldiers to cover her.

-Garnet is another early friend she made, during that initial fight against the eldritch beings trying to consume this plane of existence. Garnet has also been granted the power of long life. She is a clairvoyant seer who can see potential paths of the future, but while she uses this power she temporarily goes blind as she accesses her “third eye,” so to speak. As a result, this is a magic she must use wisely, outside immediate dangers. Haven’t decided what fantasy people she’s of.

-Amethyst is a young human girl these three came into care of much later, someone without a home to call her own. She’s scrappy, and is adept with forming illusions and shapeshifting. Her magic is very handy in conflict with distracting and disorienting others, and is also fun for cheap tricks to get a laugh. These days, it’s a rare day she’s NOT in some shapeshifted form.

-Greg is a human, and he’s absolutely a bard :D Most of his magic he actually learned from Rose, as his parents didn’t allow him to seek out magic training when he was a kid under their thumb. 

-Connie is a human who lives in one of the larger cities of this world with her parents, and she quite literally ran into Steven in the streets one day... which eventually lead to them striking up a close friendship and their stories intertwining. She’s always wanted to study magic, but as of late, with all the technological revolutions, texts on it are becoming harder and harder to find. Magic is becoming something that is more often only passed down within families... something unfairly insular. Neither her mother or father are innate magic users, so she has no one to teach her. No one, that is... until she met Steven and his family. Steven... who is the son of the literal most AMAZING sorceress who ever walked this world.

She is a quick learner, and over time picks up some mid-level telepathic abilities- which allow her to poke into people’s inner thoughts at will. She also becomes adept at scouring information- magically soaking up words in a book like a sponge, and at sensing hidden sources of magic many others cannot. She trains with Pearl as a swordfighter, as well. 

-Steven... genuinely believes he is a half-elf for most of his childhood. His mother is an elf, of course, and his father a human. He’s got pointed ears like his mom, and shares her natural magical aptitude. However, since he is actually half-eldritch instead, there’s a lot of very, very subtle, unusual physical quirks about him he doesn’t know to mask, some of which are:

His eyes shimmer with little pinpricks of light occasionally, almost as if an entire galaxy were encapsulated within them. This only happens when he’s feeling very strong emotions. It’s not something anyone would notice unless they were looking for it.

Sometimes... rarely... when you look at him close, it’s as if for a brief glimmer of a moment his form feels off. Like something’s missing, or your sight is somehow glitching. Like there’s something about him you can’t quite see.

He doesn’t feel warm to the touch, nor does he feel cold. The closest description of sensation I could make for what someone feels when making contact with him is like... TV static.

If you know him long enough, eventually you’ll grow to recognize a slight dissonant harmony within his voice. It’s very subtle, but always there.

These quirks are things Rose shares, but knowingly masks. Every single day she doesn’t tell him the truth about her origins is a day she fears these quirks will grow so strong it’ll put him in danger, but what’s even more dangerous is the thought of having to burden him with her secret, and... likely have to deal with the fallout of everyone discovering that she’s lied about what she is for all this time.

Steven’s magic is heavy on abjuration. He’s very adept at summoning barriers and shields and at casting all sorts of defensive spells. He can also bring plants to life, but this is incredibly draining for him earlier on in his magic training. He’s got a bit of healing ability, although nowhere near his mother’s, and he’s also a strong empath. As his power grows, so too does the strength and longevity of his shields and creations. However, along with that, his empathic abilities become so powerful that he often finds himself overwhelmed by the emotions of people around him. He’s largely unable to just “turn it off,” and thus prefers to stick to peaceful, secluded areas rather than trundle through highly populated areas all the time. Music is a really good diversion for him when he feels too overwhelmed by everyone’s emotions.

-At some point, Steven and Connie come to question Rose’s secrecy, and pry into what she’s doing a bit... Connie attempts to use her telepathy to peek into her surface thoughts, and... hoo boy, that’s not a super wise move on Connie’s part, because Rose can feel this girl picking around in her mind. The two of them get into big trouble, as Rose is terrified at people discovering her true identity at this point, at people learning about the truth and then pressing into her dangerous world. While she doesn’t intend to be, Rose gets kinda... scary when she’s upset. Don’t upset her.

[hyperfocus-museum]

Tori Vega

As someone who is very new to Victorious, having just watched it for the first time at the end of February and nearing the end of a third re-watch now, I have a lot of thoughts about Tori. 

When I watched the show for the first time, I’ll be honest. I hated Tori. I went into the show as a Jade stan, having watched plenty of compilations and listened to others’ opinions on her which, as a very suggestible person, definitely influenced the way I saw her. Then I read a lot of stuff on both sides of the debate and decided to re-watch the show objectively. 

Y’all.

Y’all. 

Tori Vega doesn’t deserve all of the hate she gets. She doesn’t deserve hate at all, as a matter of fact. This is going to focus in mainly on Jade and Tori since most of the hatred for Tori seems to stem from her treatment of Jade which, as I’ll show, has its’ reasons.

To start from the beginning: the stage kiss with Beck in the pilot. 

The first thing one has to remember is that Tori literally did nothing to Jade. She accidentally bumped into Beck and was trying to make up for her mistake by attempting to get the coffee stain out. Sure, she had a brain glitch at the cute boy smiling at her, who wouldn’t, especially when you’re touching their chest? 

Jade completely overreacted, as she often does; making Tori play a dog should have been punishment enough, but pouring coffee over the head of a new girl in her first minutes at a new school is just cruel and unnecessary. 

The stage kiss? Not Tori’s finest moment but it was her standing up to a bully. It was her way of telling Jade that she wouldn’t be pushed around and, if we want to point fingers, what about Beck? Tori owed Jade nothing at that point; nothing. She didn’t even know anything about her but her name and the fact that she was overly possessive of Beck. 

Beck, however, has been dating Jade for almost two years. He should know her insecurities, how jealous she gets, and he could have easily refused the kiss because he should have known that it would hurt Jade.

But instead, Jade and most of the fandom seem to lay all of the blame at Tori’s feet. I’ve only ever seen one person (publicly, at least) point out that Beck is really the one at fault in this instance and that’s really sad, honestly. And it’s a recurring problem throughout the series, people blaming Tori for things that either aren’t her fault or that she tries to make amends over as soon as she realizes what she’s done. 

In fact, there’s only one instance I can remember where she was in the wrong but didn’t apologize, and honestly, even it’s understandable. Let’s skip ahead and talk about Prome Wrecker, shall we?

Prome Wrecker is a really misjudged episode, in my opinion. People act as though Tori deliberately set out to ruin Jade’s performance, but she didn’t. Honestly, Jade sabotaged herself. Imagine being a playwright and gathering tons of supplies and putting loads of preparation into a performance, including printing out flyers, but not booking the space. 

Now, I’m not saying that Tori was in the right to insist on having her prome, but I’m sure we can all agree that the experience taught Jade something about responsibility. 

And, the truth of the matter is, sometimes Tori fights back and it’s usually when Jade comes in, guns blazing, demanding that Tori do something. Just off the top of my head, I can give you this episode and Brain Squeezers as an example. Tori has anger problems, this is canon. She hulks out sometimes and does things she’ll later regret, this is also canon. This episode is one of those times. 

Jade comes in, even more antagonistic than usual, and orders Tori to cancel her prome. Tori gets pissed and refuses and then Jade does everything she can to sabotage the actual prome.

Where am I going with this? Simple: the reason that Tori never apologizes to Jade about this is because Jade never gives her a chance to feel bad about it. Rather, Jade is constantly pushing the issue and stoking the flames of her anger without giving her a chance to settle down and think about it rationally. 

They’re both at fault here. 

Honestly, I could go on and on but this is probably long enough. 

But I do wanna say one more thing. 

Tori Vega coming to Hollywood Arts is the best thing that could have happened to Jade West.

“No one talks to me like that!” 

“Obviously someone should.”

The truth about Jade West is that, as much as she hates it, she needs someone to challenge her, to call her out on her bullshit and to fight back. 

She is surrounded by yes men; even her own boyfriend is frustratingly patronizing and lets her get away with murder. Everyone is too scared of her to fight back and so she stays bitter and cruel and mean and with no one she can really count on... until Tori comes along. 

Tori isn’t afraid to fight back; she doesn’t just sit there and take Jade’s abuse, but she doesn’t try to change her either. She accepts Jade the way she is but still believes she can be a better person. 

And that, my friends, is why it’s Tori that Jade chooses to go to in Jade Dumps Beck. She’s hurting and in desperate need of help and she chose Tori. Ever wonder why? Well. 

Tori is the only person Jade’s ever pushed who didn’t go. She’s the only person who fought back against her cruelty with kindness, who dared to tell Jade West that she could be nice to her sometimes. She’s the only person who hasn’t met Jade’s intimidation tactics with fear but with kindness and understanding instead, even when she has every reason in the world to hate her. 

Jade knows that she can go to Tori and be herself in a way that she can’t with anyone else because Tori’s proven that she can be trusted, whether Jade likes it or not. She can take off her mask with her and still feel safe. 

And, by the end of the series, the better person we see Jade becoming? 

That’s all Tori’s influence and encouragement and the way that she believes in her. 

Tori Vega is absolutely, 110% the influence Jade West needed in her life and the entire show really is about their journey. I’m just forever sad that it was cut short. 

In conclusion, now that this has turned into my usual ADHD mess of a ramble, Tori Vega is no angel but she doesn’t deserve 99% of the hate she gets for being the protagonist of a kid’s show. She makes mistakes, sure, but she almost always apologizes and tries to fix them. So much of what she gets blamed for is misplaced blame at its’ worst and it feels like Jade blaming her for them getting locked behind the lasers in Wanko’s Warehouse to me. 

Try watching Victorious through objective eyes next time, paying extra attention to Tori. She just might surprise you. 

And, all of this being said, if you just don’t like her because you think she’s boring or any other reason, that’s fair. This post isn’t directed at you.This post is for the people who will see Beck kiss a girl in front of his overly jealous and possessive girlfriend and blame the girl. This is for the people who think Jade West can do no wrong even though she almost (and should have, realistically speaking) killed Tori over a stupid lead in a play. 

I love Jade, I really do; she’s my favorite character but she’s a terrible human being. I’m just sick of her getting away with all the shit she does to Tori and the second Tori fights back, she’s getting hated on. It’s not fair. 

Victorious isn’t made up of perfect characters, far from it. Tori has her faults as much as the rest of them, but somehow she gets all of the hate and I just had to say something. 

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, please help yourself to cookies and Wahoo Punch on your way out.

[aspiestvmusings]

ZEP S1 END SPOILERS

SPOILERS FOR UPCOMING EPISODES/END OF SEASON

for ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (NBC) 

EPISODE TITLES & SUMMARIES

1x10 Zoey’s Extraordinary Outburst 

Air date: Sunday, April 19th 

Summary: Zoey surprisingly finds herself getting into major conflict with Simon, Max, Mo and even Howie. Tensions arise at SPRQ Point when the 4h and 6th floors compete over an important piece of code. Mitch and Maggie try to celebrate their anniversary. 

#Drkpoint #4thFloorVS6thFloor #SingOff #MaxToTheMax 

Songs: “The Boy is Mine” by Monica & Brandy [Team 4th Floor/Joan VS Team 6th Floor/Ava] & “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake [Max] & TBA [choreo!] + songs by: Al Green, Ed Sheeran, “Icona Pop” & "Tears for Fears” (reprise)

1x11 Zoey’s Extraordinary Mother

Air date: Sunday, April 26th, 2020 

Summary: Zoey has to figure out a clever way to help her mother with an impossible decision. Max unexpectedly bonds with Leif. Mo hits a rough-patch with Eddie.

#ZoeysDad #MaxAndLeif (wait..what?) #famousgueststars #ZoeyAndJoanGirlsNightOut #KaraokeNight #surprisingsongchoices

Songs: "Bye Bye Bye” by N’Sync [Max +]; “All Out of Love” by “Air Supply” [Leif]; “Felling Good” by Nina Simone [the widow AKA Bernadette Peters’ character], “We’ve Gotta get Out of This Place” by “The Animals [by Maggie], “Issues” by  Julia Michaels [Mo #whatavoice]  + Songs by: Billy Ray Cyrus, Montell Jordan, The Young Bloods. #canyouguessthesongnow

1x12  Zoey’s Extraordinary Dad (S1 Finale) 

Air date: Sunday, May 3rd

Summary: After hearing an ominous song (”BMR”) Zoey does everything in her power to stop something bad from happening.

#ZoeysDad #ZoeyAndMitchDance #TeamSong #LoveTriangleCOMEDY #howdidtheyfitsomuchintoonesingleepisodeagain #wewillseesomefamiliarfacesagain Yes, some of the guest character we’ve seen earlier this season, are back. And yes, there is quite a bit of Max (and Max/Clarkeman’s) in this episode...for those of us, who are fans of Z/M. 

Songs: "Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Zoey), “I Will Follow Him” by Little Peggy March (by Mo....about Eddie), "All of Me” by John Legend [Max], "Jealous” by Nick Jonas [Simon], “Goodbye My Angel/Lullaby” by Billy Joel [Mitch & David] & "American Pie” [Team Song/Cast of ZEP] #reprisetime “True Colours” + a few more surprises (by Max, by Maggie]  PS. NO OTHER SONGS WILL BE REVEALED BEFPRE THE EPSIODE HAS AIRED....AS THEY WOULD REVEAL TOO MUCH ABOUT THE PLOT. 

SPOILER QUOTES: 

NEW! 

“Well, Simon is back from Vegas in ep 12/S1 Finale. He comes back to see Max and Zoey in a way that he’s a little bit surprised about, where they’re doing something that he thought was very much their own thing. So that takes Simon by surprise. And then Zoey starts to see Max in a new light in this episode, and by seeing Max in this new light, it ends up taking their relationship into a surprise direction. Zoey’s relationships with both Max and Simon actually get to a new point over the course of Episode 12.” - Austin Winsberg #cheesequake #whosawthatcoming

                          **********************************************

NEW! 

S1 finale of ZEP features a 7-minute scene that was captured in a single shot (aka “a oner”). “We rehearsed it for two weeks leading up to the shooting of it. It required massive coordination amongst many different departments in order to get it right, and it’s probably the number — or certainly one of the numbers — that I’m most proud of all season.” -  teases showrunner Austin Winsberg.

                          **********************************************

NEW! 

“I don’t know how Zoey would end up singing again...anymore” [In S2...after that one time in 1x08 during her glitch] - Jane [”Oh, right...” - Skylar] Skylar & Jane IG Live 

hmmm... what does this mean? Why “can’t” she sing anymore after S1? Is it cause there’s no “dad’s declining health” reason? Is it cause she has no voice/ability to speak anymore? Is it cause...

                          **********************************************

NEW! 

Question: What is the scoop on Zoey and Max from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist? I’m dying to know if these two have chance of being together by the Season 1 finale. What is in store for them? –Ashley Answer: I delivered your Q to Austin Winsberg, creator of the NBC freshman, and he wrote back, “Zoey and Max’s relationship will continue to evolve and change in surprising ways for the rest of this season and beyond. By the end of Episode 12 (airing in early May), I believe Zoey and Max fans will feel like these two have been on a real journey together — and also that their journey is, in fact, just beginning.” 

                          **********************************************

“On top of the health issues with her father, Zoey's also got two other men in her life who were already making her life complicated even before she finds herself uncontrollably singing her emotions. Some particular musical numbers in ep 1x08 result in some awkward conversations with engaged coworker Simon and BFF Max, continuing this rocky romantic journey Jane's been on all season, though Levy thinks they're both being a little unfair. "She will continue to go down both roads, and you know, they are different roads, and one I think is messier than the other," she says. "In my opinion, I'm kind of like, give Zoey a break. Why does she have to choose anything? She never promised anything to these people, she hasn't broken any promises. She's like dealing with extremely stressful and painful moments in her life and like these men need to give her a goddamn break." It doesn't sound like they will be giving her a break anytime soon, but Levy did tease a finale number between Zoey and Max that is "sweet, funny, sexy" and the audience is going to lose their minds over it.” - Jane 

                           **********************************************

“Zoey is someone who is not in touch with her feelings or is constantly running away from her feelings or burying her true feelings so she can be good at her job or not make things fall apart with her awkward personality. So for me, with each of these songs, the “Zoe-ality” had to be a deep desire [but] then when you cut back to reality, you’re back to Zoey covering up her feelings, being the Type A coder girl who’s just trying to solve problems and doesn’t want to really admit what’s going on inside of her, whether it’s her crush on her best friend or wanting to have sex with a coworker or knowing her boss did something unethical.” - Jane 

                           **********************************************

“You’ll get a lot more from both relationships (Z/M & Z/S..after 1x08). There will be a lot more intimacy between Zoey & Simon, and Zoey & Max. And there is a number in our finale that was one of my favorite things we did and it involves one of them. It is a love scene with two musical numbers and it’s funny and sexy and really cute all at the same time.” - Jane   

                           **********************************************

“We never wanting to make it (Simon vs Max) feel like a competition or a choice. Because that doesn't only preserve our characters, but it really protects Zoey. Zoey is nobody's prize and she's nobody's to claim or win over. So we do love the idea that there's a Team Max and Team Simon thing. But we tend to, when in performance, really take care of each other. There are scenes that Simon and Max have down the line and they have some difficult conversations. There's an obvious way to play all those scenes; they can be sizing each other up, looking at each other up and down, a game-on type of mentality. John and I have never seen it that way.” - Skylar 

                          **********************************************

“What I love about Max and Zoey is that even though she's pressured in that moment, she still does feel like she can tell Max. I think that that says a lot about their friendship and about their relationship. There's only very few people that know about this superpower that she has. It's very brave and daring of her to do that. The cards are out on the table now; she can't ever make any excuses for why she's acting a certain way towards him. It's really bold.” - Skylar 

                          **********************************************

“There's two ways of seeing it [Z telling M about her powers]. There's, "Oh my God, thank you so much for telling me. Now everybody knows and everybody can live happily ever after." Or there's the feeling of, "Wow, there's been a betrayal. You're telling me you knew all this stuff?" As Zoey begins to let people in on her powers throughout the season, it's going to be interesting to see what people are really there for her and are understanding, and what people can't handle this new information.” - Skylar    

                          **********************************************

“While Levy won't reveal how Zoey's heart songs change things for her moving forward, she does tease that this episode [1x08] is going to have far-reaching ramifications, but not in the way you might expect.  "It turns out to be positive," she says. "A lot of our show’s message is that we are all the same, the human condition is complex but we’re all going through it together. You don’t know what the person beside you is going through but you might actually relate to their pain or desires. Zoey admitting these things that are so horrific to her actually makes people understand her in this way that she doesn’t allow when she’s being her emotionally awkward, neurotic self. And Zoey going through this will make her even more empathetic and compassionate to other people’s experiences, especially when she hears their heart songs moving forward." - Jane

                         **********************************************

“One thing that we can tease is that we have two big Broadway Tony-winners coming in, in the next few episodes. Renée Elise Goldsberry from Hamilton plays Joan’s work rival, and Bernadette Peters comes in, in Episode 11, as an unexpected help to the family. The love triangle between Zoey, Max and Simon continues to evolve, in unexpected ways. And we have one number, at the end of Episode 12, that’s a six and a half or seven minute long one-take oner that is the thing I’m probably most proud of, all season.”- Austin  

                         **********************************************

“There is one number in which I sing one verse and that’s it after this. [read: after ep 1x08, where Zoey sings all the songs]” - Jane

                        **********************************************

"You will see her go down both roads and there are some fun intimate numbers, musical numbers between Zoey and Simon. And there’s some between Zoey and Max as well. I really like how Austin has crafted this “love triangle.” Can’t give away much more than that.” - Jane

                         **********************************************

IN SHORT: 

More people are gonna find out about the power...MAYBE in S1...maybe...LATER ;) 

The next/last weeks of Zoey’s dad’s life, and all that goes with it

Max/Zoey finale moments...and moments leading to that... (but also Z/S scenes...) 

SOURCES: 

2: The Futon Critic 

2: IMDB 

3: E! Online -  ‘ZEP’ Finally Puts Jane Levy In the Musical Hot Seat

4: Variety - Jane Levy on ‘Panic’ & Jim Carrey as Inspiration for Special ‘ZEP’ Episode

5. ET - Skylar Astin Dishes on the Magic of 'ZEP' and a Realistic Love Triangle 

6.  EW - Jane Levy on filming 'most raw, vulnerable, honest' ZEP episode yet

7. Collider - ‘ZEP’ Showrunner Previews Zoey-Centric Episode

8.  The Playlist - Jane Levy discusses the difficulty of ainging  6 different songs in 1 ‘ZEP’ episode

9. TV Line: Matts Inside Line - TV scoop [April 17th] 

10. TV Line: As Ausiello - 4 Bonus Scoops [May 1st] 

11. TV Line: ‘ZEP’ EP Previews Emotional Finale, Surprising Love Triangle Twists [May 1st] 

12. Extra TV: Jane Levy & Skylar Astin Tease ‘ZEP’ S1 Finale  [May 1st] VIDEO 

ALSO: The previous epsiodes, and some things in episode 1x11 (some lines/scenes), and some things in 1x12 promo reveal quite a bit. Same goes to inetrviews (written articles, video “interviews” with cast. They have actually revealed quite a bit...if you paid attention. Or...if you didn’t, then after watching the finale, as you look back... you might realize they showed/told you quite a bit already... though I think it won’t be as big of a surprise... (applies to some things in the finale)

[jenni42085]

Made in the AM <Three>

Ch. 3

Niall's POV

Wow! I quite impressed by Alex, she only left the group for thirty maybe forty-five minutes and was able to get a chorus and a verse written. At the rate she is going she will have an entire album written with in a  few days. Not really sure as to why Harry was treating her so poorly she seems like a sweet girl just really quiet.As we are walking to the dressing room I have a better chance to examine her. She isn't that fit but she is still pretty. I think if she toned up she would be the whole package.

"Thanks Niall. You didn't have to". She mumbles as we are about to enter the dressing room.

"I know I didn't have to but I wanted to. You didn't deserve that comment." I reply as I set the guitar she borrowed down on the couch. "Come here you need to meet Lou and Lux."

"Ok, I guess who are they?" She asks with a curious expression.

"Lou is our hair stylist and Lux is her daughter. They are quite awesome."

"Oi! Niall is this our little songwriter?" Lou says as she walks over to us.

"Yes, that would be me. Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you." She extends her hand and Lou pulls her in for a hug.

"No need to be formal if we will be traveling together for a few weeks my dear. And that little angel passed out on the couch is Lux."

"Well ladies, I'll let you two get better acquainted I've got a show to do." I give them both a quick hug and sprint to the stage and take my mic. I know leaving her with Lou is a good idea, she'll be a great girl friend for her on tour, maybe someone who will help her open up to us.

*****************************************************************************************************

Alex's POV

Niall leaves me with Lou who seems like a pretty awesome lady. Little Lux is adorable, can't wait until she is awake and actually playing. I'm a great baby sitter.  "So what do you think of the guys so far?" Lou asks nonchalantly.

"They seem really nice minus one small glitch. But I can ignore it for this job."

"I assume you mean our young Harold?" I nod at her question. She pulls me into the make up chair and starts pulling out brushes. "Relax, I usually only do makeup and hair to do for the boys. Let me do a smoky eye and some other fun things."

"Ummm ok. Sure. I'll be your Barbie to play with for a bit." I state with giggle then relax myself into the chair. Never had anyone to do my makeup so this should be fun.

"Great! So anyways, Harry is just young and quite dumb at times. He is a great guy who gets a bad rap from the media but, he is a nice boy. Granted what he said was a douche bag move, he is really great with Lux."

"I understand but my greatest fear was coming here and someone saying that to me. Yes, Tori brought me on with her as a package deal to help but that was because my song writing skills are actually good sometimes stronger than hers." I state as she applies eyeliner to my eyes.

"You have flawless skin I swear. I'm so use to applying concealer to the boys and for you I'm just getting to dive into eyeliner and the fun stuff.  You were picked for a reason.....Talent don't let anyone take that away from you."

"Thanks. Atleast something is flawless about me. Still working at getting everything else together." I reply sighing.

Lou's finishes adding eye liner and steps back. "You don't give yourself much credit do you? You are beautiful."

I cut her off with out thinking "I'm just struggling with my weight. I want to be beautiful inside and out."

"I understand but honestly it just looks like you need to tone and lift weights. What have you been doing?"

"Zumba and yoga."

She goes back to applying lipstick to me, "That is your problem you need to tone. I can help out if you want me to." Already I like her, she reminds me of Tori with always being positive.

"That would be great. Thanks."

"Now, let's have a look at you. What do you think?"

I focus my attention to the large mirror. "Wow." Was all I managed to get out. She really did an amazing job. My eyes are really popping and the bronzer she put on me gave me a J.Lo glow making my skin looks like brown silk, she did this all with out putting a truck load of make up on.

"You like?" She asks.

"I love!" I jump out of the chair and give her a hug feeling more confident. "Thanks. Let's see how they rock this out."

As much as I hate to admit it their show was pretty awesome. They don't sound half bad live. But they are slightly corny granted they are trying to appeal to teenie boppers so I guess I understand. When I heard their version of "Teenage Dirtbag", I couldn't help but sing along to it. Periodically all the guys except Harry would either wink, smile, or flash me thumbs up while performing.

After the show the guys were busy with the meet and greet while I gathered my stuff and headed towards the van. I've had enough screaming/crying girls for the day. One of arenas security guards open the door and a cold breeze comes in. I walk back into the dressing room while the guys were changing.

"What's wrong love?" Liam asks with a worried expression.

"Nothing is wrong, just kind of chilly outside. Can I borrow a thicker hoodie or a blanket?" I ask shyly.

Liam looks around and pulls a hoodie off the rack. "Here you go, this should keep you warmer than that thin one you have on."

"Thanks". I start back out the door.

"Hey are you not going to wait for us?" Louis asks while putting his shoes on.

"Ummm I guess I can."

He walks back over to me putting his arm around my shoulder. "That's a good girl." I shoot him a dirty look as he chuckles at me.

"Real funny. Bossy." I shoot back him rolling my eyes.

"Nah, not bossy just trying to be helpful, plus you did steal my hoodie."

"How so?"

"Well, we don't anyone kidnapping our songwriter." Niall says with a smile.

Again I roll my eyes then sit Indian style in the large plush chair. I'm feeling ready for a nap I just want to go back to the room. I pull out my notepad and look over my lyrics and keep thinking about what else I'm missing this will eat at me until it is done.

"Alexandria, we are about to leave. Come on." Liam holds his hand to me and pulls me up effortlessly.  How strong is he?

"I'm coming. And again it is just Alex." He nods his head in understanding.

We start to head down the hallway to the outside and I can already hear the fans screaming. I feel anxiety wash over me, I've already had one person be mean to me I don't need their fans going nuts on me either. I've seen how their fans act.  "You ok?" Liam asks me again. He is definitely a caring person.

"I don't know, I'll let you know once we make it through the crowd."

Without further conversation he grabs my hand tightly then looks at me with an intense stare, "Don't let go because you might get lost."

I can feel my eyes getting larger with concern. "Ok." I say so low that is comes out as a whisper.

As the door opens the cool night air hits us. The girls and the paparazzi are screaming and asking questions. "Liam are you dating her?" "Who is she?" And so forth and so on. I was expecting the grip Liam had on my hand to weaken but he held on tight to it.

We finally get into the van and I breathing calms down a bit. "That was intense. Your fans are just wow."

"Aye! It happens but that wasn't too bad. By the way did Lou get ahold of you? I don't remember you wearing any makeup when you got here. You look beautiful either way."  Niall says.

I blush at his comment "Yeah, Lou got to me. She did a great job."

Niall places his head on my shoulder. "I knew you would love her!  She is great with makeup and hair, plus she is an awesome person to hang out with."

"Agreed" we state in unison. The rest of the ride was pretty quiet until. "So Alex has already come up with a song." Three sets of eyes are focused on me even though the car is dark.

"Seriously?" Louis asks as he turns around in his seat.

"Yeah, but I only have a chorus and a verse nothing really special."

"Nothing special? Mates, she sounds great!" Niall says. I honestly wished he would shut up.

"When can we hear it?" Harry states so low that you almost didn't hear it.

"Not tonight maybe tomorrow, after I have more or it is atleast finished." I state in a flat tone.

We pile out of the van with out any issue. I really want to finish this song and maybe work out. I need to get rid of this gut. I decide to change into my work out clothes then listen to more music to get some more inspiration.  I know it is kind of late but listening to more music might help me finish this song.  

"Are you going to bed already?  The night is still young love."  Niall states when he sees me almost sprinting to my room.

"Not exactly, I just have some work I'd like to finish up."  I really want to finish this song on my own and without anymore distractions.  

"Ohhh, well if you change your mind you can come to my room and hang out."  Niall replies as he pulls my phone from my hands, "Here's my number."

"Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind dear."  I take my phone back then go into my room.  It takes no time for me to change into my work out gear.  I grab my phone, headphones, and room key then head to the hotel's gym.  I figure since it was so late at night no one would be in there.  After thirty minutes of being on the elliptical I have more to the song.....almost.  I take a break so I start stretching.  

I have an odd feeling that someone is in here with me, so I turn around towards the door and see Liam only a few feet from me.  He walks closer to me with a towel over his shoulder dressed in a  plain white tank top and black basketball shorts.  "Hey what are you doing down here?" he asks casually as he walks over to the bench press.  

"Sorry Liam, I didn't hear you come in.  I guess my music is a little too loud."  I reply pulling the earbuds from my ears then pause the music. "I'm trying to work out and such."

"Ohhh ok.  But why?"  

Was this guy serious?  I cock my head to the side and give him a confused look.  "Liam, have you even looked at me?  I'm fat.  I'm . . ."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa.  You aren't fat.  I'd say you are thick which isn't a bad thing.  What are you trying to achieve?"

"I want to be sexy.  I want to feel completely beautiful.  Nothing fancy."

"You do realize beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I think you are beautiful, I mean if you want to do anything and please don't take offense but, you can always tone up."  Liam starts his stretching.  "How about I work out with you.  I always need an outlet so I work out sometimes after a shower then before we leave I usually box with my trainer."

"Are you sure I won't hold you back?  I'm not really in advanced in any work out routine."  

"That's ok we can modify it to where you are comfortable."  he puts his hand up for a high five, "Plus what is the worst that can happen?"

"Well ok then, you have a work out buddy."  I meet his hand for a high five.  This might actually be good for me.  We start by doing some stretches with some music playing.  The conversations is at a minimal aside from him showing me what work out we are doing next until he gets to the bench press.  He is piling on atleast 200lbs.  "Umm dear heart, I know you know your limits but, are you sure you can lift that?  That is more than what I weigh."

He stops putting the weights on then looks at me with his hand on his hip. Without saying a word he picks me up like he is going to carry me over the threshold, "Alex, I've got this.  You aren't heavy at all".  My body is slightly tense in his arms because I have a HUGE fear he is going to drop me. "Quit tensing, I won't drop you.  If I do I'll buy you what ever you want."  He chuckles as he moves around the gym with me in his arms to prove he is more than capable of handling my weight and the bench press.

"Ok.  You have proved a point.  You can put me down now."  I say giggling at him even though I didn't want to put me down.  His arms feel like a safe space.  <sigh> Don't fall for him, you know he is a celebrity and will only hurt you. Oh well, a girl can dream.

*****************************************************************************************************

Liam's POV

I didn't plan on working out tonight, but really glad I did.  Having this time alone with Alex is really nice, I knew when we first met she was a person with low self esteem, but I didn't think it was this bad.  I wonder who told her she was fat.  She isn't skinny by any means, but who wants a bean pole?  Her body type is just thick, I wouldn't kick her out of bed by any means.  My goal is to build her up so that she knows she is beautiful.  

It has been a while since I've seen a girl who is comfortable enough to walk around in public without any make up on.  I think that is she lost too much weight she wouldn't look right.  Her ass in the yoga pants is mind blowing since they hug her ass like a glove.  The tank top she has on has a low scoop neck and shows off a great amount of cleavage.  I already know what I'll be doing after working out with her.  Rosy Palmer and her five friends have been my best friend lately, and frankly Alex is adding images to my mind.  

"Liam are you listening to me?"  Alex snaps her fingers in my face.  Right now, I need to focus on her emotions not on little Liam.

"Yeah, sorry.  I was zoned out.  What were you saying?"  

"I asked if you play any instruments."  she looks at me with a funny expression then shakes her head.

"I play the piano and have been learning the guitar but nothing crazy yet.  Speaking of music....  when can I hear the song you wrote today?"  I haven't forgotten that Niall said she wrote something so quick but, I think she is still nervous about displaying her talents even though that is what she is here for.  Hesitation washing over her face. "Don't be shy love, it's just me."  I flash her a bright sweaty smile.

She nibbles on her lip ring as she is thinking things through, she inhales a deep breath, "I guess after we work out I can play it for you.  It isn't finished yet though."

"Maybe I can help you finish it.  Ok?  Three more and we are done for the night."  After we finished working out, I walk her to her room and agree to meet back in thirty minutes giving her plenty of time to shower and work her nerves out.  I'm really excited to hear what she has so far I feel like her songs might help make this album be great since Zayn has left. I really do miss my best mate.  <sigh>  Ohh well.

I knock on her door and wait for her to let me in.  Her freshly washed face is glowing with red cheeks, guessing she didn't have to take a cold shower like yours truly.  She is in oversized sweatpants that are rolled down with a cami.  I have a feeling that all her clothes make her look sexy even though she doesn't realize it.  "Are you sure you want to listen to it?"  

"Yes Alex, let's hear what you have so far."  I sit on the edge of the bed while she has her back against the headboard with a fascinating acoustic guitar in her lap.  I can tell she is a focused song writer because she has papers scattered across the bed along with her MacBook and various other pieces of  recording equipment.  She takes a deep breathe and starts singing, her voice is really quite beautiful, I wonder why she didn't ask for a recording contract.  "Wow!  Niall said the lyrics were great but wow.  You are quite talented.  What prompted the song?"

"Harry hurting my feelings then calling Tori to remind me to never let anyone drag me down."  She states simple with a half smile on her face.  "Plus listening to Maroon 5 gave me inspiration regarding the melody and etc.  My mind is a musical playground at times."

"Well what all do you have in mind for instruments?" Her mind is a musical playground that I want to play on.  I wonder what else we can do.  "So you need a hook to build up to the chorus?"  

"Yeah, I've been working on it but I'm not sure how it should go.  So far I've been thinking about if I didn't have them I wouldn't be something."

I inhale deeply and think on her ideas, then it hits, "How about:

If I didn't have you there would be nothing left

The shell of a man who could never be his best

If I didn't have you, I'd never see the sun

You taught me how to be someone, yeah"

"I like it!  It would be great after the first part of the verse.  I was thinking instead of a different verse make it repeat itself to reenforce the feelings of the song.  Saying you are strong and never leaving."  She looks so passionate about this, I can look at her and see all the wheels turning.  This union of her working with us might be great.  "I'm thinking that after the chorus it should be:

Nobody, nobody

Nobody can drag me down

Nobody, nobody

Nobody can drag me.

I want it to feel like a slight rock anthem, you know?"  she simply states.

"I think we already have a song, you are a genius!  Simon was right about you."

"Thanks, so do you want to help me figure out some instruments while you sing the demo version?"  

"Since it is your song, how about a duet."  I want the guys to not only see her talent in the lyrics, but I want them to hear her voice.  She bites her lip ring again, indicating she is nervous.  "Come on don't be shy, it'll be ok."

"Fine, I'll do it.  I swear you and Niall keep suckering me into doing things that are totally out of my element."

"Is it such a bad thing?"

"No, it just gives me slight anxiety.  I've been working on breaking out of my shell and just being more happy but most importantly, not worrying about what everyone else thinks."

"Anytime you feel like you are going to freak out just tell me, I'm a great listener."  I rub her leg in a comforting manner she returns a small smile, "Now that we are done with the sappy moment lets see if we can figure this out."

We start putting the instruments together in a crude band set up, it would be better if we had all the actual instruments here but, it works for now.  Maybe we can get time with a proper recording studio or at the very least get the band to play it.  Last time I look at the clock is 2 am and even though her eyes are getting heavy she is still trying to arrange the music like she hears it. This is what I call a true musician/songwriter/producer.  I'm impressed.  

[chiseler]

“You think I’m the only one in this town who doesn’t like people?”

Following the JFK assassination, and especially after Charles Whitman climbed the Texas Tower in August of 1966, shooting and killing 14 strangers over the course of a lazy afternoon, lone mad snipers became an easy thriller standby. Targets, The Day of the Jackal, Two Minute Warning and dozens of other films since the late ‘60s have focused on a man, a rifle, and a perch. While snipers weren’t unknown to Hollywood prior to 1963 (Suddenly, Murder by Contract—even The Manchurian Candidate was in production before the assassination), they focused almost exclusively on gunmen with a purpose, paid assassins who were after a single, specific target, a politician or a mob hit. 1952’s The Sniper was not only one of the earliest films centered around an urban sniper, but remained an exception, really until the moment Whitman began pulling the trigger.

While on the surface The Sniper is a standard, straightforward police procedural about the hunt for a killer, what made it different was that the killer in question was a presumably unbalanced presumed vet who was killing random brunettes around San Francisco with a high-powered Army-issue carbine rifle. What also made the film different for the era was its focus on the psychology (some boilerplate Freudian hoo-hah) driving the killing spree. But beyond even all that, deep down it’s a profoundly strange picture disguised, for all its groundbreaking elements, as any other B thriller.

But let me back up here a second and come at this from a different angle.

In 1945, like so many intellectuals and Hollywood types (and when was the last time those two appeared in the same sentence?), director Edward Dmytryk began his little flirtation with the Communist Party. A few years later, like so many others, he found himself dragged in front of HUAC where he was  asked to name names. When he refused, he was thrown in stir along with the rest of the Hollywood Ten on charges of contempt of Congress.

After a few months in prison, though, Dmytryk had a change of heart and called his lawyer. In 1951 he was released from prison, appeared before HUAC again, but this time in a far more cooperative mood, providing interrogators not only with 26 names, but also detailing how he’d been pressured to slip subliminal Commie messages into pictures like Crossfire. After this, having lost his martyrdom and no longer beloved of Hollywood’s Communist community, Dmytryk found himself  just as effectively blacklisted as he had been before. So he moved to England and teamed up with producer Stanley Kramer, who would put him back to work for the next several years.  

This is not the place to discuss Dmytryk’s politics, his justification or damnation, to pass self-righteous judgments long after the fact. But it is interesting to consider the first film made by a man fresh out of prison would be a message film about a rogue gunman picking off Californian brunettes, and one has to wonder if his time behind bars in any way influenced the film’s opening crawl.

Written by a powerhouse trio at the time (script by Harry Brown from a story by Edna and Edward Anhalt), The Sniper opens by informing us that present-day laws and law enforcement were useless when it came to dealing with sex crimes, and that the story we were about to see concerned a man “whose enemy was womankind.”  

In the film’s first few seconds we meet the man in question, Eddie Miller, and it’s clear he’s teetering on the edge of something bad. Arthur Franz hadn’t yet established himself as a genre stalwart, playing rational, low-key, friendly sorts in the likes of Invaders from Mars and Monster on the Campus, and here turns in a remarkable performance as a believable psychopath. He never goes over the top and bug-eyed, instead playing Eddie as a tightly wound but always self controlled young man who may get occasionally twitchy and sweaty but always remains nearly emotionless.    

A former mental patient who is well aware that things are going wrong in his head again, Eddie does what he can to get himself committed, but no one’s cooperating. In fact seen through Eddie’s eyes, the entire world is simply one slap, one humiliation after another. To some of us anyway, he’s an extremely sympathetic character.  

Marie Windsor

Although later in the film the police come to the conclusion that he must be an ex-soldier, we are never given any proof of this apart from his weapon of choice. It doesn’t matter—now he drives a delivery truck for a laundry service. One of the regular customers along his route  is attractive young  nightclub pianist Jean Darr (Marie Windsor), who appears to be one of the few people, and certainly the only woman, who’s nice to him. So when what he believes to be a seduction turns out to be, well, not only not a seduction but  ends with Jean treating him like any other errand boy, he snaps. It’s the only scene in the film in which his face reveals any emotion at all apart from confusion or cold boredom. That night he waits on a rooftop across from the bar where she works and shoots her as she heads home.

Enter the police, which adds another layer onto the external story behind the film. As Det. Kafka (if there is any significance to that name it’s never made clear), Adolphe Menjou, is also playing against future type as a gruff, less than suave, and mostly hapless cop. A few years prior to the film, Menjou was known as one of the fiercest defenders of HUAC in the business, which of course made his pairing with Dmytryk here a potentially disastrous one. By all accounts, however, it was a perfectly amicable working relationship, so much so that Dmytryk would use him again in a few of his subsequent films . But that’s irrelevant, too.

As more seemingly random dark haired young women are being picked off around the city (which in spite of all the location shooting is never identified as San Francisco), the police bring in criminal psychologist Dr. Kent (Richard Kiley) to work out a profile. With precious little evidence, the doctor jumps to the remarkable conclusion that these are in fact sexually motivated shootings. And that leads to the first head-scratching scene of the film.

Taking Dr. Kent’s very broad conclusion at face value, the cops round up every pervert in town for a line-up. Now, given that there have been no witnesses who saw the shooter, a line-up is pointless. Perhaps the cops realize this, which explains why the chief interrogator (sitting at a table in front of an auditorium full of officers) runs the line-up like a routine from an old Bob Hope special, introducing and dismissing the peeping toms, gropers, and rapists with well-prepared one-liners.  To a schlub who writes obscene mash notes to strangers he begins, “So, Bob, they say the pen is mightier than the sword...”

It’s an oddball comic scene completely out of step with the rest of the film, and a scene that makes no sense within the context of a serious police drama. It’s darkly  funny, yes (especially considering that we’re dealing with convicted sex offenders as the butt of bad jokes), and had the rest of the film been handled in this tone, well, it would have been a very different picture. As it stands it’s merely jarring and leaves viewers wondering what the hell it’s doing there. Personally I can’t recall another cutaway even remotely close to this in  any other Dmytryk picture. Logically enough, though, the scene ends with dr. Kent muttering “this is pointless” before leaving the room.

He then goes on to deliver the film’s heavy handed message to the mayor, the press, and the other investigators—namely (and here’s where I wonder if Dmytryk’s prison experience is being reflected)  that anyone arrested for a sex crime of any kind should be locked in a psych ward until they’re cured of their personal glitch. And if they aren’t cured, they should be left there locked away for good.    

That leads to another delightfully baffling line of dialogue as Kafka orders a teenager with a broken antique rifle be sent to a nearby bughouse. “I don’t wanna be looking for this kid again in a couple years,” Kafka explains, “when he’s got a real gun...or maybe an axe.”  

(An axe?)

In spite of a few weirdnesses along the way The Sniper still played like most any boilerplate thriller while at the same time being years ahead of the game both in terms of subject and solution. Extrapolating a bit on Dr. Kent’s recommendation, the kid being sent to the psych ward had not been convicted of a sex crime—he was just acting weird. Likewise, following the latest school shooting the do gooders are once again calling for the  psychological incarceration of anyone who thinks differently, acts differently, isn’t like everyone else, as they represent a very tangible future threat. But the answer to this hamfisted solution can also be found in the very same scene. Before being sent to the local Bin, the above-mentioned teen with the broken gun tells Kafka, “You think I’m the only one in town who doesn’t like people? There’s millions of ‘em!” And we’ve been proving him right since 1966. So maybe it’s time we stop talking about locking these people up pre-emptively, and finally come around to accepting the simple fact that mass shootings might well be nothing more than  a rational response to an insane world. by Jim Knipfel

[marshmarrowsans]

Time Heals All Wounds: An Ending

Sooo I posted this fic without its epilogue because I didn’t want the anon who requested it to have to wait forever, and now the epilogue is here!  Whoever sent in the original request, I hope you stuck around.

It was the best night of Sans' life.  He'd never seen you so happy.

 It was no big life event, no major milestone.  All that had happened was you gave a stellar performance at a presentation you'd been dreading for weeks.  He had been there in the audience to support you, of course.  He was the only one who could tell how nervous you were. But then you fixed your eyes on him, and he flashed you that relaxed smile of his, and...  it all went away.  You knocked it out of the park.  And you were ecstatic about it.  Now he was walking you home from the event, you dressed to the nines and him looking pretty lack-luster in comparison with his same old hoodie and shorts, in the chilly evening air with crickets chirping a symphony all around you.

 "Articulate, Sans!  They called me exceptionally articulate!"  You laughed, hopping up on a wooden ledge enclosing some flowers and walking along it like a tightrope.  "When have I ever been described as articulate, let alone EXCEPTIONALLY so?"  You seemed to have boundless energy, seemed to be itching to put it into something. He almost envied you, but more than anything, he just felt happy for you.  He could practically feel the strong, healthy hum of your soul inside your chest.  What he wouldn't give to see it, that beautiful soul of yours that made his own soul throb and sing...

 He stood at your side, but down on the sidewalk, and offered you his hand. For balance, of course.  You didn't hesitate to accept his quiet offer.

 "i think you're exceptionally articulate," he offered, softly and matter-of-factly.  You just scoffed at him. "Oh yeah?  Bitch, where?  When I was trying to say either 'fooey' or 'shucks' in front of Frisk and ended up screaming 'FUCKS!' and Toriel scolded me?"

 He grinned so wide at the memory.  "that's a certain kinda articulate.  but nah.  i was actually thinkin' about that letter you gave me.  uh, a few months ago."

 You blushed and seemed to falter a little.  He held on to your hand tighter.

 "don't fall."

 "Don't tell me what to do."  You recovered, and slowly began to smile again, but in a bit more of a bashful way.  "... Anyways, that letter.  I feel like we never really talked about it.  Or the other thing I gave you.  Have you needed to use it?"

 Sans paused for a long, long moment.  He didn't want to worry you. "...  Hey, it's alright.  If you have, then I'm glad that my gift is being put to good use, and if you haven't, I'll still love you."

God, he loved and hated it when you did that.  His soul was too stupid to remember that you only meant it as a best friend kind of thing, so it never failed to skip a beat when he heard that from you.  But at the same time, he knew how lucky he was to be hearing that from you at all. So he loved it more than anything, and hated it just a little bit, but he hated himself for hating it at all. He confused the hell out of himself sometimes, so much he almost forgot to speak.  In the end, he decided honesty was better than secrecy.

 "yeah.  sometimes when i'm really sad, and it's like i can't trust in anything.  and also sometimes when i'm really happy and i can't believe that things are going my way.  it's crazy how much it helps.  thanks a bunch." he chuckled softly.  "see? i'm the inarticulate one here. you give me this amazing thing that... seriously helps me through some issues that nobody else has even tried to address.  and all i can think to say is thanks.  i dunno what else to say.  but i hope you know i mean a lot more than just thanks.  i don't know how to repay you."

 You got the biggest, dumbest smile on your face, and he knew right away that you were up to something.  You had a face like that meme cat with the knife pointed at it.  He almost dreaded whatever fresh hell you had in store for him. "uh oh.  not sure i like that impish look right after i offered to repay you for something big.  what's up?"

 You brought him to a halt by jumping down from your perch to the spot right in front of him on the sidewalk.  "I know how you can repay me."

 Oh, stars.  You were so close to him and you were holding his hands in yours and your whole face looked even more beautiful than usual when you smiled like that.

 "okayyy...?" While you were wondering if you were weirding him out a little, he was busy being completely and utterly distracted by your eyes and your lips.

 "How 'bout a kiss, bone boy?"

 ...

 "...  huh?!" Sans was legitimately unsure if he heard you correctly, or if this was some kind of dream, or even a glitch in time.  A glimpse into an alternate universe where you actually wanted him to...?

 You held your hands behind your back, pursed your lips a little, and bounced on your heels, but you repeated yourself loud and clear.  "Dude, I know you don't have lips, but come on. I've shown you Disney movies."

 "no, i, i know what a kiss is, i just..." He clutched his chest, willing his soul not to just spring out and bare itself to you, not to prove beyond a doubt the strength and resilience of his feelings for you like it wanted to. "help me out here.  are you being serious right now?"

 You quirked an eyebrow at him.  "Are you?"

 Great.  Now he was blushing like the idiot he was.  He let go of your hands to pull his hood over his head in quiet embarrassment... but you just smirked at him and carefully, lovingly removed it again.

 "Alright.  Fine. I'm serious," you confessed. "What about you?"

 He couldn't contain his soul anymore.  It glowed in a distinct heart shape in the center of his chest, cast shadows of his ribs through his shirt, gave everything away without him having to say a single word.  But he said it anyways, breathless with anticipation.  "yeah..."

 You moved in a little, then stopped, cracking a doofy smile.  He knew just how you felt.  He was feeling it, too, that simultaneous anticipation of something so new and so incredible just on the horizon, mixed with his love for you, the love that had been there for as long as he could remember, the love that made you his best friend, made you feel like home, made him smile when he thought about spending the rest of his life with you.  It was that love for you that made him stand up on the tips of his toes and tilt his head back to offer his teeth to you.  It was no glamorous Hollywood kiss, that was for sure, considering one party was lipless.  But he didn't give a damn right now, and you gave negative damns.  You cupped his cheeks in your hands, moved the rest of the way in, and began to kiss him.

 Whether he ever admitted it to you or not, Sans had spent a lot of time over the past few months thinking about what it might be like to kiss you.  Some days, when you had a bit of an attitude, he pegged you as a bit of a hard kisser, one who would dig your fingers into his skull and kiss him like your life depended on it, like you were stealing the breath from his non-existent lungs and leaving him gasping.  Some days, when you were sad, he imagined that you kissed slowly and longingly, that you might pull him into your arms as your lips danced against his teeth and hold him in a silent plea to never leave you alone. Other days, when you were happy, and especially when you had some special moment together as best friends, he just imagined you kissing him with a smile on your lips, a smile to match his. Those theories were all a little right, but all a little wrong.  It was no chaste kiss whatsoever.  You pressed your lips to his mouth straight on at first, but then tilted your head and kissed him like you meant it.  It was a firm and confident kiss, one that betrayed no hesitation, and you stroked your thumb over his right cheek, and you were smiling, he could feel it every time you tilted your head.  He knew it was bad kissing etiquette, but he couldn't stop himself from opening his eyes a little to look at you.  He couldn't see anything but your softly shut eyes, but god, you were the most fucking beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It took him a moment to realize that he was just standing there like an asshole with his hands hovering over your waist.  He gently rested his hands there, the warmth of your body just reaching his fingers, just enough to bring him total clarity.

 Holy shit.

 He was experiencing his first kiss.

 He was kissing his best friend.

 He was kissing you.

 He found himself kissing you harder at that realization-- pulling you closer to him, leaning eagerly into your touch, letting one hand roam up almost to your shoulder while the other roamed down to your hip.  It felt like all those months of friendship unraveling all at once, or maybe blossoming was a better word-- yes, blossoming into something entirely new and beautiful, and that best friendship was still there, it always would be, nothing could ever make him stop thinking of you as his best pal. But it gave way to something else, too: the kind of love that set his soul ablaze.  You were everything at once to him.

 When you pulled away, neither of you could tell, but you both had the same expression.  Wide-eyed and smiling, in disbelief, in awe.  In love.

 "Holy shit," you spoke first, in a low whisper.

 "the holiest of shits."  Sans grinned up at you, a familiar smile with a rare blue blush. And then he stretched up to give you another kiss.  This one was much shorter, because after a couple of seconds, you both got a case of hysterical giggles and had to pull away from each other.

 "Hehehe!  Damn it, Sans."  You hugged him and rested your chin on top of his head.  He nuzzled gratefully into your chest, feeling like he could just purr like a cat when you rubbed between his shoulder blades.  "Alright.  Fess up. How long?"

 "oh geez.  i mean, i realized it when you gave me the pocket watch.  but, at that point, i was already..." he trailed off.  He didn't want to come on too strong.  He didn't want you to freak out if he dropped the L-bomb that was on the tip of his tongue.  But he looked up and saw the hope in your eyes and knew that it would be alright.  "... i was already in love with you. and i was too far gone to remember when i must've actually, uh, fallen for ya'.  but if i can make an educated guess?  considering you're you, 'mpretty sure i must've started falling for you the day i met you."

 You laughed and gently pushed him away from you by the shoulders at that.  "Sans... sweetheart.  You are SUCH a sap.  But what's important is that I love you, too.  In case you couldn't tell by the passionate makeout we just had."

 He huffed out a soft chuckle that produced a single cloud of mist in the night air.  "we did just make out."

 "Yep." "that's a thing that happened."

 "I hope I can count on it happening again."

 "you bet your sweet ass you can."  

 One moment, Sans was smiling up at you, happier than you'd ever seen him, wrapped up in your embrace.  Then he took a step away from you, then turned his back to you and shoved his hands into his pockets.

 "...  Hey, is everything alright?"

 Tick, tick, tick, tick...

 He could feel the steady rhythm of the pocket watch in his hand without even taking it out of his pocket to look at it.  He shut his eyes, he focused on it.

 Tick, tick, tick, tick...

 It was strong.  It was constant. It was certain.  You were strong.  You were constant.  You were certain.  This was reality, and nothing could take it away from him.  But in the end, it was your voice, not the watch, that brought him back into the present.

 "What's the matter?  Talk to me."

 "it's just...  the happier i get, the more scared i feel.  the more i have to lose, if..."  he sighed, shaking his head.

 "...  The higher you are, the further you have to fall," you agreed quietly. "...  yeah."  He turned back around to face you.  "but it's stupid.  i can't live my whole life in fear of that."  He reached out and held your hands, just like earlier.  "...  i'm ready to start...  moving..." "...  Forward in time?" you completed his phrase.

 You smiled at him.  He smiled back at you, reached up and tucked some of your hair behind your ear.

 "yeah.  forward in time.  with you."

[mermaidsirennikita]

September 2017 Book Roundup

Undoubtedly, I read two standout books this September: Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust, a sometimes-macabre retelling of Snow White (with a feminist spin) and Mari Lu’s Warcross, the story of a girl, a tech mogul, and a virtual reality game that can make or break your future.  On to October--I’m going to try to read as much spooky stuff as possible.

This Is Not The End by Chandler Baker.  3/5.  In the near future, a substance called “lifeblood” has made it possible for people to be resurrected even years after death, revitalized and fully healed.  Laws restrict how many “resurrections” people are allowed and when they can resurrect someone--you can only resurrect one person, and you can only perform the resurrection on your eighteenth birthday.  Following a terrible car accident, Lake has lost her best friend Penny and her beloved boyfriend Will.  Not only is she--mere weeks from her eighteenth birthday--torn between which to resurrect; she also has already promised her resurrection to another person.  This was a very quick read for me, and I found it compelling and at times moving.  So many different issues are tackled--are resurrections ethical?  Should people be held to promises they made--and in Lake’s case were pressured into--years ago?  Hell, Baker even goes after the ethical arguments surrounding assisted suicide and the disabled.  The problem is that while I understood the logic of why only one resurrection is allowed per person (population control) I couldn’t understand why someone could only have a resurrection done on their eighteenth birthday.  Sure, I see why only legal adults can request resurrections, but why is the request time such a short window?  More concerning was the fact that there is a romance in this.  Yes, a romance between Lake--a girl who just lost the boyfriend who’d been her best friend before they dated, a guy she fantasized about marrying someday--and some other guy... weeks after said boyfriend died.  I can understand having sex with someone while grieving, but this felt more like we were supposed to see Lake beginning to fall for someone else.  I’m not saying that can’t happen, but it distracted from Lake’s story and the themes surrounding it.

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens.  2/5.  Billie is a preacher’s daughter in a small Kentucky town.  She and her best friends--collectively known as the Hexagon--have been tightly-knit for years.  But everything changes when Billie finds that Janie Lee and Woods, two of those friends, have feelings for each other.  And Billie might just have feelings for both of them.  “Dress Codes” is about figuring out gender and sexuality in a John Hughes sort of lens.  Stevens does have a really distinct voice, and some turns of phrase were beautiful--while others were, in my opinion, a bit overwrought.  A bit too forced.  Billie and her friends just didn’t think or speak in a way that seemed recognizable to me as teenager-y.  And while I was touched by the story, in a sense--it was also quite boring.  I wish I’d loved this, but I just didn’t.  I think many people would, it’s just not my cup of tea.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust.  5/5.  This retelling of Snow White takes on the dual perspectives of Nina, the “wicked stepmother” and Lynet, the cossetted princess.  Nina’s side of the story takes place from past to present, telling the story of a girl with a heart of glass--assured by her father, the alchemist that replaced Nina’s rotting heart to save her life, that she is incapable of love and being loved.  Lynet is her stepdaughter, the spitting image of her mother, protected by her father, and made of literal snow.  Fate has pitted these two women against one another, despite their love for each other.  Time will tell if they will fulfill their destinies.  Pitched as a feminist fairy tale retelling, this book will disappoint you if you’re looking for knife-wielding assassins and monologues about how women are meant to rule.  I love that it didn’t have any of that.  This story is made of subtler stuff, its beautiful, sad prose focusing on the relationship between Nina and Lynet, and how they’ve not only been forced into roles they don’t want to play by men--they’ve been turned into the antagonists in each other’s stories... by men.  Poetic and beautiful and not without a dash of romance--one of them featuring wlw at that--this is a must-read if you love gently dark fairy tales that will hurt your heart.  (Even if it’s made of glass.)

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart.  2/5.  I’ll be honest, I skimmed this for the most part.  As someone who hasn’t seen or read The Talented Mr. Ripley, I’m told that this is basically a gender-flipped version of that, following teen criminal Jule... or is she???  The thing is that this is a story told in reverse-chronological order, and even though I figured out the twist very early on, how we got there was so confusing that I didn’t even want to figure it out.

Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh.  4/5.  In the near future, beautiful women who’ve died young are cryogenically frozen and temporarily “awoken” for five minute sessions for men who want to talk to them--typically, men who can afford the $9,000/5 minutes fee that comes with these “dates”.  If chosen to be the brides of these men, these “bridecicles” are revived permanently--making them desperate to do whatever they can to be chosen.  This story focuses on three people: Mira, a bridecicle who’s been frozen for decades and longs for her lover, Jeanette; Rob, a young man who falls in love with bridecicle Winter after accidentally killing her; and Veronika, a dating coach who can’t seem to find love in this connected world.  This is a sad, occasionally funny story about the perils of a world in which we’re so connected through technology that actual human technology is difficult to find.  It’s not super unique in that respect, but the bridecicle concept is both fascinating and grotesque.  I couldn’t put it down.  With that being said, the romances in the book were a bit lackluster for me, and I at times wasn’t sure about how Veronika’s perspective connected into things.  Still a really good, thought-provoking read.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera.  2/5.  Thanks to a service called Death-Cast, everyone is given 24 hours (or so) notice on the day of their death.  Teenagers Mateo and Rufus have just found out that they are going to die, and though strangers, meet up through and app called Last Friend and decide to live out their last day together.  Just... I don’t think Adam Silvera and I are going to be friends, y’all.  First off, this world is pretty much ours aside from the weird death service, and there was really no explanation as to why everyone just took this service at face value.  Sorry, I really feel like we’d fight that.  Also, Rufus’s dialogue in particular was cringe as fuck.  It was so uneven--he’d use slang and I got the impression that Silvera was going for “impoverished gang kid talk” with him but then he’d have a whole paragraph of dialogue in a manner totally inconsistent with “I’m in mad love with this dude” or whatever.  And there were so many other points of view when Rufus and Mateo’s were the only ones that really mattered.  Like, points for diversity, but nah on everything else.

Warcross by Marie Lu.  5/5.  Hacker and bounty hunter Emika Chen is, like everyone else on Earth, a fan of the virtual reality game Warcross.  As poor as she is, she hacks into the game--and in a desperate moment, steals an item that would fetch the money she needs on resale, using a glitch to do so.  This catches the attention of Hideo Tanaka, Warcross’s billionaire creator, who flies her to Tokyo and offers her a job (that pays 10 mill, by the way): she needs to enter the Warcross Tournament--a major event--as a player and secretly act as his bounty hunter, searching for the unknown--and dangerous--Zero, a mystery to even Hideo.  So this is hard to describe but damn is it good.  Emi is a character who has an unlikely resume but it actually seems plausible in the context of her life and her world.  Same goes for Hideo, who is probably one of my favorite characters to come out of YA this year.  The stakes build as the novel does--and as Emi grows close to Hideo, which, like, obviously she was but fuckyeahI’mintoit.  It’s super fast-paced, entertaining YA and I honestly enjoyed it more than Lu’s Young Elites series, which I loved in the beginning but was ultimately disappointed in.  So.  Hoping the rest of the series lives up to this book!

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake.  4/5.  The second in what is now a four-book series, One Dark Throne continues the story of triplet queens Mirabella, Katharine, and Arsinoe.  Where Mirabella was once the clear frontrunner to be the next crowned queen, recent events have revealed that it could be anyone’s game--though the fact remains that the winner must kill her sisters.  Arsinoe hides her true gift from almost everyone, pretending to be a naturalist still; Mirabella deals with having her world rocked, and questions her relationships with her sisters; and Katharine, called the “Undead Queen” grows increasingly unstable--and powerful--after her near-death experience.  I can’t say that One Dark Throne was quite as compelling as Three Dark Crowns, as it was a very talky book.  Furthermore, Mirabella, one of my favorites of the first book, was a shadow of her former self.  Arsinoe is clearly poised as the protagonist of the sisters, but... I don’t dislike her, but I don’t find her compelling either, and I don’t care much for her friends Jules and Joseph either.  They’re so typically good.  Katharine is worth reading the whole book for--you never know if she’s mad or aware of some truth nobody else has caught onto.  Furthermore, she has the best romance in the book--taking the form of her fraught relationship with Pietyr, a boy she loves and hates.  While I still love the concept and the world and Katharine and all the poisoners really, and this was a good book, I think everyone else needs to get on my girl’s level.

There Is Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins.  3/5.  New to the tiny town of Osborne, Nebraska--and hiding from a dark past--Makani lives with her grandmother, is trying to ingratiate herself her new friends, and pines for school outsider Ollie.  Then kids start getting murdered, in shocking ways.  As Makani struggles to avoid being next, she grows increasingly afraid of her secret being revealed.  This book has been compared to Scream, and while there’s sex and blood, Scream it is not.  I mean, it’s basically one of Perkins’s romance with some murder thrown in, and it disappointed me because I wanted so badly to be impressed with the genre shift.  It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but like... just that.  It wasn’t the genre.  Shit--I thought that at least the mystery of the killer would be good, but it wasn’t.  It kind of shocked me to read the author’s note about Perkins spending six years researching this and workshopping the book, and--not to be mean, but while it was entertaining, that effort did not show.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega.  1/5.  Girl goes to new school.  Girl makes new friends.  New friends suggest performing an exorcism on another friend.  And so on.  I thought this would be fun gore, and while it was gory, it was... not good.  So bad, really.  The book was incredibly basic and boring, and took the least interesting turn regarding the exorcism possible.  I hated it.

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

- I(tm)

- AM(tm)

- S T R E S S E D (tm)

- So like first let me say: The kids were FANTASTIC. Best performances of their lives!!!!

- everything that could have possibly gone wrong went the fuck wrong

- A DISASTER

- You know in horror movies were like one person gets infected or some shit but you think everything is fine until suddenly everyone is dying? Literally.

- May I remind you that mics have been perfectly fine all week,

- Opening number, Vanessa is doing her little bit and there’s just a tiny. Glitch.

- Like her mic dropped for half a second. It was hardly noticible. Tom and I literally double checked like “you heard that right?” But it was completely fine so we were like “It’s probably nothing”

- WELL GUESS THE FUCK WHAT

- IT SPREAD LIKE A PLAGUE. IT STARTED SLOW BUT IT SOON CONSUMED THE ENTIRE CAST. THE MICS WOULD GLITCH OUT LIKE EVERY FIVE GOD DAMN SECONDS. JUST IN AND OUT AND IN AND OUT IT WAS T E R R I F Y I N G

- I’m fucking. Borderline screaming. Tom looks like he’s going to punch something and is running around checking for what the problem was. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE PROBLEM. THIS SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN HAPPENING.

- And then it just???? Fucking stopped on it’s own???? What the FUCK. Sometime right before 96,000 it all just went back to normal holy shit

- BUT THEN THE MUSIC WAS LIKE “Is it chill if we just...stop working at random intervals? Gucci.” SO SOMETIMES WE’D HAVE FULL ORCHESTRA AND OTHER TIMES IT WOULD JUST DROP TO ONLY KEYBOARD

- AND something was up with the fucking keyboard’s speaker??? Because of course.

- Guys seriously we literally STILL DON’T KNOW what happened! At intermission Tom and I were just dying and finally he’s like “I don’t care anymore I’m just gonna see what the hell is wrong with the keyboard” and returned 3 minutes later, still no answers, and was like “You know what? ‘Blackout’ sounded fucking amazing and that’s what matters to me” like we honestly just quit oh my God

- However the kids really powered through all the issues and didn’t let it trip them up so that was good

- Meanwhile, though, the audience was FUCKING HILARIOUS I LOVED THEM

- I’m...fully convinced half this audience had never been to a musical before in their entire lives, and even if they had they had never seen or listened to In The Heights so their reactions were great.

- Lot of gasping holy shit it was so funny. “I got more hoes than a phone book in Tokyo” *GASP* “What do I do with this winning ticket?” *G A S P*

- The opening of act 2 when Benny and Nina are on the fire escape and clearly had sex the night before? G A S P

- Guys it was so funny. And they were clearly loving the music and laughing at all the jokes- every scene got deafening applause omfg

- They were all clearly very much sucked into the story so that was just so fun to see

- They tried to cornrow Benny’s hair

- That was quit half way through thank God omfg

- Also mildly off topic but when I was getting his mic on him he hadn’t done his bun yet and that boy has a fantastic head of hair holy shit

- “OH MY GOD THAT HAT CANNOT HAPPEN YOU LOOK LIKE THE PERSON FROM THE LORAX”

- There was a moment before they opened the doors and the entire theater was quiet but suddenly all (like...8 or 9) boys could be heard singing “Baby” by Justin Bieber at the top of their lungs in their dressing room. No explanation as to why

- They announced that the fall show was Pippin and Steven got a fucking baseball bat and starting balancing it on his fingers yelling “JUST IN TIME” (he had apparently ‘just discovered’ this talent on Sunday and has been talking about it like non-stop since)

- The girl playing Graffiti Pete had a bunch of school friends come to the show. They all shrieked every time she opened her mouth holy shit

- Before the show the director was giving notes and she said something like “This is right after Claudia’s death-” and half the cast was like “Tag you’re fucking spoilers” omfg

- And then when mic checks were happening Steven sang “atencion” and Tom cut him off yelling “SPOILERS, SPOILERS” instead of “good” lmao

- Okay so like...is there a little kids show character that I resemble or something????

- There were a lot of kids in the audience (probably like actor’s siblings or something) and like...during intermission an alarming amount of them were staring or waving at me with shy smiles or pointing me out to their parents who seemed to know what they were thinking and I was just like....Who do you think I am?????? Oh my God

- No one actually tried to talk to me but a few looked like they wanted to??? A few even got some of that gentle parental shove thing??? What is happening I’m so confused over this????

- Oh my God you know how in Boy Meets World, Rider Strong hated his fucking hair and as a result we were blessed with Shawn constantly aggressively raking his hair back with his hands???? There was a boy sitting directly in front of me who did that literally the entire show to the point where I was like....You need to stop I gotta see what’s happening on stage omfg

- Also lol I guess he was there for his ensemble sisters(tm) or something bc he cheered for everyone who came out for bows except he booed for one specific group of girls lol

- I was on my phone before the show and the directors husband made Tom get my attention just so he could silently give me a thumbs up before walking away so we were laughing at that

- He did give me free skittles at intermission tho which was rad (he tried to give me like the entire table for free lmao)

- The choreographer was working the spotlight (which she admitted she was confused by) and she was super tired and lowkey joked about falling asleep and falling over on the job before the show started but somewhere during act 2 I fucking saw the sliding spotlight and panicked lmao

- Her and Drew were bonding over being bad at spotlight and everyone in the back area said “you guys are better than Jimmy” in perfect unison lmao

- Usnavi was borderline sobbing by his last line in the finale omg

- We couldn’t fucking get a sound effect for the fireworks so for the final part of ‘blackout’ when you’re supposed to hear them the pianist deadass just whistled the noise omfg

- Nina and Abuela Claudia were the fan favorites, as I predicted

- Benny was a little off his game but I still support him

- Lowkey there’s a couple guys in this show who have never done any shows before and I’m not sure if he’s one of them??? He seems like he is so I think he was probably just nervous or something

- Everyone was sneezing and coughing bc why not

- Before the show the Piragua Guy was berating himself as per usual and the only cheer-me-up anyone could think to give him was “It sounds great! It’s just like, the words that you’re having trouble with!” lmao but he KILLED IT I was v proud the audience loved him

- Like 20 minutes before we let people in we had the directors daughter, in heels, on a fucking ladder painting over parts of the shop signs bc we realized that even though they had professional looking signs made they all had Philadelphia area codes on them lmao

- Oh God. So remember the not-screwed-in door I was complaining about???

- Well. They screwed it in. Backwards.

- And it makes an obnoxious noise when it opens and closes, and also doesn’t close all the way l m a o

- The programs all went missing lmao

- I found one box hidden away thank God but??? Apparently there’s supposed to be more. So we might just run out of programs during the second show

- LMAO DURING HER OPENING SPEECH THE DIRECTOR DEADASS PRONOUNCED LIN MANUEL MIRANDA’S NAME WRONG COULD YOU GET ANY MORE #ICONIC(tm)

- Tom fist pumped multiple times in pride and excitement when the show finally ended lmao

- THE GOT THE GRATE WITH ABUELA CLAUDIA’S FACE ON IT HOOKED UP (another audience gasp moment) AND HONESTLY???? I TEARED UP

- Lmao I’m pretty sure Tom was also lowkey crying at the end I didn’t say anything tho

- There’s more but it’s almost 2 in the morning lmao so anyway!!! Hopefully tomorrow runs a little more smoothly!!! And hopefully we get another great audience!! Overall it was great so I’m all pumped

[scraplette]

Lost Light #6 Thoughts&Feels

Time for a thoughts&feel post.

With this issue we finally rap up the opening arc of Lost Light. So, let’s get started!

MASSIVE SPOILERS beneath the read more.

=Recap of issue #5: NOT ACTUALLY THAT MANY FUNCTIONISTS.

=Rodimus punched FU!Rung!

HOW DARE

=”What the hell are you doing?!”

“I… I… What the hell am I doing?”

I love Rodimus here. I’ll talk about it more in-depth later, but this is something to pay attention to.

=Luna 2 continues to look awesome. Fair play to Lawrence and Lafuante.

Oh now this is interesting. I twas hinted that there might’ve been a little something between Skids and Nautica, but I think this is the first vocal confirmation of it, or at least of something.  

Because, even if there was something, Nautica chose to keep it platonic. She went to Rewind for advice regarding Cybertronian Amica/Conjunx rites and he revealed that the Amica rite was only performed after one or both bots involved felt they weren’t romantically suited.

Did Nautica choose Amica because she honestly saw Skids as a friend only? Or did the looming thread of the DJD effect her decision?

=I’m loving Kaput’s design!

I-Is that Prowl?!

=Still loving Drift and Ratchet’s new looks and more supportive outlook.

=Also loving how upbeat Drift is in the face of moon-related death.

=Ratchet desperately trying to stop Rung is heart breaking :( he knows it isn’t his Rung, but it must be hard seeing one of your friends sacrifice themselves right in front of you. This comes not even a day after Skids’ similar death.

=”The pain… It’ll be like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.”

ACK! MY FEELINGS!

=Lug’s full name is Lug of the Celestica Tetracorna Caprica. Lug, I love you dearly, but that is a looooooooong name.

=Nuuuuu :( poor Lug.

=Have we ever seen the rites of transition before?

=I like that Anode is annoyed on Lug’s behalf, but I also find it funny that Lug gave up on religion after a day.

=OMG! Kaput has to do a splits to kneel down!

So, we’re on a planet with an abundance of spark energy, and a Cybertronian who can create crystals that store spark energy. Hmm…

=Methinks Anode has a plan.

= [Glares at Terminus] Oh, so you were aiming for the tractor beam, were you? You KNEW Rod and company were on that cog.

I got my eye on you…

It must have pyshically hurt Minimus to say all that.

=GASP!

OMG

YAAAAAAAAS

BEST. TITLE. PAGE. EVER!

This is so ridiculous and I unabashedly love it. The sight of a Titan-sized Rung punching the Functionist controlled Luna 2, accompanied by the tagline “This machines kills fascists” is the best thing ever and totally makes up for this arcs failings.

=Seriously. Love it. It’s my new lockscreen image.

=And the sentio metalico is brought back into play. Anode is going to bond it to the flickering remains of Lug’s spark, hopefully resurrecting her.

=”Bloody Hell, he just punched the moon!”

[Sobbing tears of joy] This is so good.

=You know things are serious when Brainstorm tells you to focus.

=Rodimus, that isn’t how you use quid pro quo- Ah, no worries. Minimus corrected him.

=I feel like the finger of silence is an actual things Rodimus uses often.

=”I liked him better when he was useless.”

I really feel for Clicker. Know that the person you looked up to, and was the figurehead for your rebellions, disproves everything you fought for must be beyond demoralising. Thank goodness, Megatron is there with some inspirational words.

I crush your little head.

=Rodimus. For the last time. That is not how you use quid pro quo!

=”I’ve staying behind.” No one cares, Terminus.

Oh Rodimus :( I’m so sorry.

=Always happy to see more info about baby Transformers.

=Oh! It’s Nine-of-Twelve. I wondered what happened to him.

=”Goodbye, Terminus. Seeing you again- if only for one more day -was a miracle.”

It’s still so weird to me that only a day has passed since DOTL.

=Still really cool that Megatron intends to keep his word. He’s really come to trust Minimus and Rodimus.

=Okay. There are two ways to interpret this scene. Either Roller lied or mucked up the information about the new transmat locations, or Terminus lied.

I’m more inclined to believe it was terminus because, through this whole arc, he’s come across as really shady. He’s also made it no secret that he wants Megatron to stay on FU!Cybertron.

=I’m really dissapointed by FU!Rung’s death ]=

He died trying to save Cybertron, and he did so whilst suffering immense pain on top of two millions years worth of torture. He knew it would kill him, but he still did it. Apparently his sacrifice garners two panels and a “Let’s go!”

:[ Yeah, I’m gonna write fix-it fic where Megatron and Clicker come back for his body and give him the burial and respect he damn well deserves.

And now it’s times to talk about poor Rodimus. What Getaway, and the rest of the LL crew, did has deeply effected him. His outbursts are obvious signs of his frustrations and anger. His shock and confusion after punching FU!Rung is so sad. Without a healthy outlet for all his emotions, he’s lashing out at those around him, namely Megatron. In Getaway’s absence, Megatron is the perfect target for all of Rodimus’ frustrations since Megatron is the major reason for the mutiny in the first place. Everything that happened- all the deaths -wouldn’t have happened if Megatron hadn’t been on the ship.

The mutiny still would’ve happened, Rodimus is not blameless here, but it wouldn’t have escalated the way it did(DJD, Galactic Council, OVERLORD) if nor for Megatron’s presence.

Putting his trust in Megatron and having it, seemingly, broken was the tipping point. If Minimus hadn’t said what he did, I honestly think Rodimus would’ve waited a moment longer.

But, once again, Rodimus let his wrought emotions take over. He’s reminded of Getaway, and all that rage and bitterness comes rushing forward. In that moment he makes a decision he can’t undo. There are going to be consequences.

=He’s got so many emotions!

=I’ve seen other posters suggest Minimus purposely said “Get away” to goad Rodimus into leaving Megatron behind. Not sure how I feel about that. However, it’s clear he and Megatron were close. If LL'7 covers are to be believes, it might explore their relationship in the next issue.

=Conveniently coloured coded transport rooms!

Firstly. Shut up, Terminus.

Secondly. Oh, Megatron :(

Oh no. Oh no. OHNOOHNOOHNO!

Not gonna lie. This is the my favourite panel in the whole bloody arc. Yeah, it’s even better than MEGA RUNG PUNCHING THE MOON. Ratchet is so happy and relieved to see Rung alive and whole. He cares about him so much! Ratchet unabashedly showing affection! Look at his face!

Also, someone finally hugged Rung! It took five years but someone finally hugged that sweet boy!

Look how befuddled Rung looks! “Oh goodness! Physical affection! What do I do?!”

Oh! YAY! There’s a chance Lug will come back… But will it really be her? Her brain, and all her memories, are in her old body. She’ll basically be a blank slate.

=”You were phenomenal.”

Damn right. Bless you , Brainstorm.

=I will never tire of Megatron’s speeches. Roberts does a wonderful job with them..

=Oh. Hi, Glitch. You’re an outlier so I’m amazed you alive.

=Peace through empathy.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

=Kay. Enough screaming time. Time for some serious talk. I’ve seen so many differing opinions on Megatron’s departure from the series. Some are happy. Some are upset. Others are saying, after everything he’s done, he doesn’t deserve a second chance.

As for me… It’s not my place to say wether a fictional character deserves redemtpion , especially in a fiction as complex as IDW. All I’ll say is if Starscream can rule Cybertron then anything is posible.

I’m actually pleased Megatron was written out in a way that allows him to return. As much as I’ve enjoyed MTMTE/LL Megatron(bumpy plots and all) I’m happy he’s being put aside. He DOMINATED season two in a way not other character did. Now that he’s gone, it allows focus to shift back to the original LL crew and, maybe, even the quest.

=NEXT ISSUE PLEASE

[americanahighways]

Billy Strings Streaming Tour 2020 — photos by Jesse Faatz Photography; screen edits by David Nowels Photography

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I’ve never been a huge fan of the “couch tour” concept, and in fact, even watching a one-off livestream has been somewhat alien to me. When I’m home, I tend to have what seems like a million things to do, and focusing on a live show on a computer monitor or even the TV screen is something I find hard to do. I prefer to be right there in the thick of things and taking it all in live and in person. For me, even as somewhat of an introvert, I really miss the live concert experience. The sights, the smells, the energy. I even miss the drunks, show talkers and outrageous beverage prices. Okay, the last sentence might be a stretch, but the rest does rings true. I really miss it.

So what’s a live music lover jonesing for a fix supposed to do except step up, get with the technology, and dive head first into an online tour. Enter Billy Strings, who announced a nine date streaming tour last month. I’ve been a fan of the music for about a year now, having been fortunate to review the band’s album, “Home” last year. (See that review here: https://americanahighways.org/2019/12/26/review-billy-strings-home-this-is-music-of-destination-rather-than-just-a-method-of-travel ) I’ve always been a fan of bluegrass, though I’ve fallen off the bus here and there, having never really gotten excessively into the String Cheese Incident and other modern bluegrass bands. That all changed as I dug deeper into Billy Strings, their music and community. I’m an old Deadhead, and there’s more than a few similarities with the Grateful Dead and Billy Strings that I find immensely intriguing. The community, the musicianship, the mind numbing “X-factor” connection between the band members on stage, and especially the uniqueness of setlists each night. A lot of Deadheads were fanatical about setlists. First-time played, last time played, song segues, teases etc. I fall into that category, and decided that this tour was a good way to see what the hype was all about, all while chronicling the tour in print. So, what will be follow will be a brief glance at the first four dates of the tour beginning in Nashville, with two nights at the Brooklyn Bowl and then two nights at the legendary and iconic Station Inn.

Leading into the opening night of the tour, Apostle revealed there would be special guests throughout the run. Additionally, there would be a featured special, limited poster via Half Hazard Press commemorating each night. Sure, there’s been a handful of glitches and ghosts in the machine here and there. But, the Billy Strings camp, the poster crew and each venue have done an outstanding job putting all of this together. The first two nights were aired via the FANS streaming site and the next two nights through The Station Inn. The streams ran a very affordable $9.99, and I assure you, you’ll get your monies worth. The day prior to the tour opener, the band dropped a free surprise viewing of their soundcheck live from the Brooklyn Bowl. It was certainly a welcome taste of things to come and showed a band not missing a step due to the forced time off.

7/15/20 Brooklyn Bowl Soundcheck This Heart of Mine Tipper Train That Carried My Girl From Town > Black Mountain Rag Slow Train Train 45

Night one at the Brooklyn Bowl was really solid overall but there did seem to be a bit of timidness as they worked to get their “stage-legs” and chemistry back to form. There were definite highs, but really no lows to speak of. The band kicked off the tour with a very timely “Watch it Fall” opener to the first set. The FANS live stream included the ability to share live video throughout of fans enjoying the show from their home set-ups. The monitors over the Brooklyn Bowl’s bowling lanes displayed these, giving the band some semblance of normality in regards to an audience. Still, it was really, really odd to see an empty venue while a band played. On the social medias, the fan clips were met with mixed opinion, but I found them mostly tolerable, and actually enjoyed some of the band banter they initiated. Early on, several fans danced with their pets, prompting Billy to state,“We love good boys and good little girls…” quickly adding the intended “dogs and cats.” for clarification as mandolin picker extraordinaire Jarrod Walker stated: “You kinda need to clarify that statement”. You just can’t be too careful these days. During the pandemic, Billy’s really gotten into fishing, which is a sport that’s been socially distancing successfully for eons. So, there’s been a fishing theme throughout that started mid-way in the first set Thursday night with the debut of Doc Watson’s “I’m Going Fishing”. Speaking of the Grateful Dead, the melancholy “China Doll” followed, seguing into a smoking “So Many Miles”, one of two lead vocals so far for Billy Failing during the first four nights. Failing made the most of it, leading the band through the first real exploratory jams of the night. As the song rolled through another segue into “Dealing Despair”, it became obvious that this was the conduit the band was looking for, the moment were everything fell into place. The timidness fell away, and from here on out the band seemed to really, “click”. My favorite tracks from “Home” closed out the first set with a one-two punch of “Enough to Leave” and a blistering “Away From the Mire.”

The second set was just plain fire. Opening with “Dust in a Baggie” and followed by an absolutely epic “Pyramid Country”> “Ride Me High” the band delivered a trifecta of jams that snaked here and there and back and forth. One of my favorite moments so far. The first guest of the run was none other than Marcus King, who joined in following “Must Be Seven” for a bluesy“Summertime” and added vocals to a robust first time played “Big Boss Man”. After King left the stage, the boys wrapped things up with a smoking “Ernest T. Grass”> “Little Maggie”. I found it somewhat surprising that the band forgoes the encore here, instead unceremoniously concluding the show. Undoubtedly, leaving the stage, only to walk back on to an empty room seems, well, a bit ridiculous. But, it also didn’t seem like a return to normal without an encore. Often the band will encore with a specially chosen song, a cover or what have you, a capella. Many times, we’ve seen the band have to do their best to shush the audience in order to pull this off. So here, with the empty room it seemed like a squandered opportunity. But, even without the encore, the first night proved to be quite enjoyable, and even memorable. Other than Youtube videos, to this point I haven’t had a chance to catch Billy Strings live. I had hoped to catch a handful of shows sometime this year, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. This would have to do, and I was already looking forward to the next night.

7/16/2020 Billy Strings Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, TN

Set 1: Watch It Fall Slow Train While I’m Waiting Here Doin’ My Time I’m Going Fishing (ftp) China Doll> So Many Miles> Dealing Despair Enough to Leave Away from the Mire

Set 2: Dust in a Baggie Pyramid Country> Ride Me High Must Be Seven Summertim# Big Boss Man #^(FTP) Ernest T Grass > Little Maggie

(FTP) First-time played debut # w/ Marcus King ^ Marcus Vocals

The second night at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl was in my opinion even better. Despite some log-in and buffering issues causing me to miss the openers “Taking Water”> “Thirst Mutilator,” word on the fan socials was that they were hot. Well, dang. I joined in as “Thirst Mutilator” ended, but caught enough of the closing jams to realize that night one’s exploratory nature was present again. Highlights of the first set for me started with “Home of the Red Fox” and its jazzy themed jam into “How Mountain Girls Can Love.” While I thought things tamed a bit during “New Camptown Races,” the set ending “Turmoil & Tinfoil” more than made up for it building on the energy and abstractedness of the song.

Set two launched with an outstanding rendition of John Hartford’s “All Fall Down”, followed by “Long Forgotten Dream” and a memorable take on “A Robin Made a Nest on Daddy’s Grave” which is best known from performances by the Stanley Brothers. Sierra Hull, the night’s special guest joined in for vocals and “mandolin sandwich” on “Walk On Boy”, “She Makes My Love Come Rolling Down” and “Train, Train.” The jams fired up again with an incredible debut cover of Post Malone’s “Circles.” Didn’t see that coming, but hot damn, it was fun! Hull finished up her guest spot with “Daybreak In Dixie” before Billy and the boys melted minds with “Meet Me at the Creek. Again, there wasn’t an encore, but somehow after the frenzy of “Creek,” one wasn’t really needed this time.

7/17/2020 Billy Strings Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN

Set 1: Taking Water > Thirst Mutilator This Heart of Mine — Hollow Heart Home of the Red Fox > How Mountain Girls Can Love Pretty Daughter I Only Exist New Camptown Races Turmoil & Tinfoil Set 2:

All Fall Down (1) Long Forgotten Dream A Robin Built A Nest On Daddy’s Grave Walk On Boy (2) She Makes My Love Come Rolling Down (3) Train Train (3) Circles (3)(4) Daybreak In Dixie (3) Meet Me at the Creek (1) Jerusalem Ridge Tease (2) Sierra Hull vocals and mandolin (3) Sierra Hull (4) FTP Post Malone

Night three saw the boys moving over to the historic Station Inn. After two nights of “couch tour” my wife was becoming a bit curious, and I’m always trying to turn her onto the music and bands I love. So, I talked her into watching night three with me. She’s a late bloomer of a Dead/jam band fan, and while her tendencies lean more to just enjoying the music, dancing and the vibe, she knows enough to understand the intricacies involved and why I love the exploratory nature of the jams. But, as a whole she’s not really a big fan of traditional bluegrass. In hindsight, this really wasn’t the night to try to introduce her to Billy Strings, as traditional bluegrass was the theme of this night. She liked it okay, but didn’t really get where all my excitement for the band came from.

The first set began with “Train 45” and then another debut, this time Jimmy Martin’s “Tennessee”. If you aren’t familiar with Martin, but you really dig colorful characters, Martin is that and more. He was also one hell of a picker and deserves to be heard. Really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that a night at the Station Inn would be packed full of traditional songs and covers from Doc Watson (Black Mountain Rag” , Bill Monroe (“The First Whipoorwill”, Letter From My Darlin’” “Salt Creek”> “Bill Cheatham”), the Stanley Brothers and more. As Billy stated, “If you don’t like bluegrass gospel music then you got something cockeyed somewhere.” That’s true. Perhaps a result of less familiarity with the songs, there was a more laid back approach to both sets. While really well played, there really wasn’t a lot of heat maintained consistently. There were definite highlights, and I thought this was bassist Royal Massat’s best night in the mix so far. The set two opener, “Freedom” was another odd symptom of the pandemic. Often done as an encore with a single shared microphone, this one seemed a bit out of place opening the set, and even more-so with four mics. It was an abnormality that the band even felt compelled to mention at the song’s conclusion. Night three’s special guest was the lovely and gifted picker Molly Tuttle, who very nearly stole the show with a standout version of “Cold Rain and Snow.” It’s a song with special meaning for me, as it was the first song played at my very first Grateful Dead show way back in 1988. Without question, this was one of the best versions of the song I’ve ever heard and easily my favorite moment of the night. Tuttle also contributed on “Black Mountain Rag,” “Rank Stranger,” “Goodbye Old Pal” and “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”. The band rolled on through a standout “Shenandoah Valley Breakdown,” another pair of Monroe covers, “With Body And Soul” and “Kentucky Mandolin” before shutting it down with the appropriate, “Long Gone.” The night was a fun and respectful nod to traditions and left a lot of curiosities for what the second show at the Station Inn would hold.

7/18/2020 Billy Strings Station Inn – Nashville, TN Set 1:

Train 45 Tennessee (1) Likes of Me Dusty Miller First Whippoorwill Good Woman’s Love Down the Road Love Like Me Salt Creek > Bill Cheatham Letter from my Darlin’ (2) Sophronie Lonesome Moonlight Waltz The Springtime of Life (3) Nobody’s Love is Like Mine Sunnyside of the Mountain

Set 2: Freedom (4) Southern Flavor I’ll Remember You Love In My Prayers Black Mountain Rag (5) Cold Rain and Snow (5) Rank Stranger (5) Goodbye Old Pal (5) Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down (5) Shenandoah Valley Breakdown With Body and Soul Kentucky Mandolin Long Gone (1) FTP Jimmy Martin (2) FTP Bill Monroe (3) FTP Ola Belle Reed (4) 4 mic style (5) With Molly Tuttle

This was the show I should have watched with my wife, as I think this was the best night of the run so far. The band was particularly dialed in. In fact, it seemed like everything really fell into place. The lights, the camera work and in particular, the music was done with absolute precision. Tonight, instead of any timidness there was assured confidence and as a result, the whole dang show is spectacular. “Dark Hollow” got things going and really set the bar high. Flatt and Scruggs songs “Farewell Blues” and “My Cora is Gone” led to David Grisman’s “Fanny Hill.” My favorite song of the first set though was an insane “Ol’ Slewfoot,” an old Johnny Horton song that’s always a highlight when delivered. Flatt and Scruggs returned with “Salty Dog,” then “Big Sandy River” led to Jim and Jesse’s “Bringing in the Georgia Mail.” Next, the Stanley Brothers’ “White Dove,” Monroe’s “True Life Blues,” Dr. Ralph Stanley’s “Clinch Mountain Backstep,” and then back to the Stanley Brothers with “Sharecropper’s Son” and another first time played debut of “Let Me Love You One More Time.” “Paul & Silas” continued a streak of Stanley Brothers’ tunes before wrapping up the first set with Jayne/Webb written classic, “Old Home Place.”

Second set picked up right where its predecessor left off with a Dr. Ralph Stanley tune, “Riding That Midnight Train,” Tony Rice’s “Tipper” and “Nellie Kane,” a song I know best from the Dillards. Queue in the evening’s guest at this point, which is the incomparable Bryan Sutton on guitar. There seemed to be a friendly rivalry present, as the two extraordinary guitarists strove to push each other. Beginning with Bill Monroe’s “I’m Coming Back, But I Don’t Know When” and “Goldrush,” the two pickers plain tore it up. Larry Sparks’ “John Deere Tractor” and Flatt & Scruggs’ “I’ll Go Stepping Too” continued the momentum with a Norman Blake & Tony Rice cut, “Texas Gales.” Sutton played on to the set’s conclusion, lending contributions to the Stanley Brothers’ “Think of What You’ve Done” and an absolutely brilliant and fiery rendition of The Osborne Brothers’ “Ruby.” Things finished up with another Monroe song, “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome” and finally traditional flat-picking gem, “June Apple.”

7/19/20 Billy Strings Station Inn – Nashville, TN

Set 1: Dark Hollow Farewell Blues Cora is Gone Fanny Hill Ol’ Slewfoot Salty Dog Big Sandy River Bringing in the GA Mail (1) White Dove True Life Blues Clinch Mountain Backstep Sharecropper’s Son Let Me Love You One More Time (2) Paul & Silas Old Home Place

Set 2: Riding On That Midnight Train Tipper Nellie Kane I’m Coming Back, But I Don’t Know When (3) Gold Rush (3) John Deere Tractor (3) I’ll Go Steppin’ Too (3) Texas Gales (3) Think of What You’ve Done (3) Ruby (3) I’m Blue I’m Lonesome (3) June Apple (3) (10 Jerusalem Ridge Tease (2) FTP (3) With Bryan Sutton

So, here we are four shows into a nine show tour, with a total of 92 songs played, no repeats. Yeah, you read that right. No repeats. Night one was 18 songs, night two had 19, night three had the most with 28, and night four brought serious intensity with 27. There was essentially a night of music to suit just about everyone. Dig the traditional tunes? Either night at The Station Inn should do the trick. Like a good mix with a little more music exploration prominent? Go with the second night at the Brooklyn Bowl or the second set from the first night. With all that in mind, I would rank the first four shows of the tour as such:

1. 7/19/20 Station Inn 2. 7/17/20 Brooklyn Bowl 3. 7/16/20 Brooklyn Bowl 4. 7/18/20 Station Inn

Monday saw the streaming tour take a break before moving on to Nashville’s City Winery for two nights on July 22nd & 23rd, the Exit/Inn the 24th and 25th and finally, wrapping up the tour at 3rd & Lindley on Sunday the 26th. But, that doesn’t mean the music stopped as Billy was joining Marcus King’s band’s live stream and was also to have a previous performance highlighted on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night as well. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the remainder of the streaming tour in a pair of follow-up pieces including a full tour recap. But I recommend you drop into Billy Strings’ webpage for all the details on grabbing tickets for the remainder of the tour. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Visit here: https://billystrings.com

I’d like to call out the Billy Strings Setlist page on Facebook. For someone still learning all the songs in the repertoire as well as the history behind them, it’s been a valuable resource and a friendly spot to drop in and research.. Thanks for doing what you do. Additionally, the Billy Strings Fanpage (Official) on Facebook is equally vital, and a fun growing community.

Photos used in this article include official photos by Jesse Faatz Photography and stream captures edited by David Nowels Photography.

Show Review: Billy Strings Multi-Night Streaming Tour 2020, nights 1 - 4 of 9 @billystrings @mollytuttle @bryand28sutton #americanamusic #livestreamtour Billy Strings Streaming Tour 2020 -- photos by Jesse Faatz Photography; screen edits by David Nowels Photography…

[sunkissis]

Coucou,

Yesterday Antz and I picked up our cartes des titres (annual immigration renewal) for our second year in France. Voila!

It just happened to be the hottest day in France’s history and our celebration was short lived for two reasons, the first was Antz carte de titre is expiring five months earlier than mine because he has an issue with his health insurance. The weird thing is we both submitted identical paperwork (we have the same insurance) so this is French bureaucracy at its finest. We will have to reapply in October to fix this mistake. Then on the way home from the Prefecture, he realized he accidentally left his phone on the desk of the lady who helped us. We hurried back and got his phone, so despite these hiccups, we are still here (at least until January 2020!) which is a revelation.

I wanted to update our expat life in Paris since it’s been quite awhile. Antz has been working freelance (with US clients) and Liv is finally on summer break. I have been busy this summer hosting many friends visiting from the US. If you follow me on Instagram (you follow me, right?) then you can check out my Stories named Summer 2019. This is our first summer in Paris that we haven’t left town. I would love to share some of our daily experiences and observations that are different from our life in Los Angeles. Full disclosure, I don’t want to make this into a Paris vs LA comparison post or sound like I am complaining too much, I just want to give you a real perspective of some of the obstacles expats may confront. This doesn’t mean we don’t love living here and we are grateful everyday. I just want everyone to know, nowhere is perfect, even though photos may perceive it to be.

School summer break – Liv’s school summer break began after the first week of July. This is four weeks later than her school break in LA. It was difficult counting down those four weeks for us mostly because France was experiencing a canicule (insane heatwave) this year and it was so hot that school was cancelled due to the extreme temperatures. The good news is she had swimming class every Thursday which is wonderful. I used to race across town on Fridays for Liv’s 15 minute swimming lessons in Pasadena and most of that time she spent just waiting for her turn to swim. She wasn’t really making progress and I didn’t feel like it was worth the money and stress. So, we love that extracurricular activities are included in the school day here. It also helped her cool down during the heat.

  During the last week of school, Liv’s class put on two performances for the parents. The first was a music and choir recital which was adorable beyond words. Then they did a play in French and Olivia portrayed a funny duck. Antz made her costume using stuff around the house, bien sûr. He even painted her old Adidas yellow.

Liv & her teacher

Most French families have second homes in the countryside so most of Olivia’s school friends are away on vacation. It’s been helpful that we’ve had so many visitors from LA so she’s seen many of her old friends. She also spent the first two weeks of summer break in camp! It’s a daily camp at the local recreation center (centre des loisirs). Everyday they ventured out into the city for field trips, swimming and nature hikes. She loved it!

It was a little hard for us to navigate the camp schedule because the website is in French and I couldn’t access my online account due to a glitch, so Liv had to translate for us the best she could. Our friend who works at her school helped us register her. It’s little things like this that sometimes can be frustrating. I need help setting up an online account so I can access the camp website yet there’s really no one to help me. So each day we didn’t find out what her schedule was until she came home and told us. Que sera, sera.

This is a typical day for me.

During the heatwave, Liv and I took the bus outside of Paris to go swimming. We arrived at noon but the attendant told us due to a “technical” issue the pool was temporarily closed. Such a bummer because it was burning hot and it took us over an hour to get there. Instead of going back home, we decided to go Pokemon Go hunting nearby and grabbed some sushi for lunch.

I love the Montreuil Mairie (town hall) and I caught a new 3-D Invader.

By the time we finished lunch, I called the pool and they told me it was open again. So, there is an inconsistent summer schedule in most of Paris. Did you know that a swim cap is required at public pools here? Liv’s cap never stays on because of her thick hair.

Most businesses have signs on their doors saying they are closed for weeks for summer holiday. August is the official month that Paris shuts down but most of my favorite places hopefully will be open. It’s been tricky when my friends visit because they want me to take them to all my favorite places but they have been closed all month.

We are fortunate to live close to Monoprix (French Target) which is open everyday except Sunday evenings (they close at noon). I practically live there, I go almost everyday.

For the past year we have been carrying heavy groceries home so last week I made our first delivery order with Monoprix. I was shocked that the minimum order was €50 and the earliest delivery time is the next day. It was almost a challenge to meet the €50 minimum to place the order. Luckily, I was able to stock up on bottled water, bags of ice and every heavy item I could think of. I used this app to place the order. If you happen to live in France and are thinking of placing an online order, please use my friend code for a discount for the both of us. The groceries arrive in crates which are easy to bring in our elevator.

I don’t know how often I’ll order delivery but it is a helpful service to utilize.

Since many restaurants are closed for summer vacation, we’ve had to resort to getting fast food because they are the only places open all-day. It’s not even close to how often we would eat fast food in Los Angeles but after a fourteen year boycott, I had to break my No-McDonalds policy out of starvation necessity. Here’s the difference, McDonalds in France have grass-fed beef, growth hormones are illegal, there is no such thing as super size and the largest drink size seems smaller than a kids size! The restaurants only have kiosks to order and there are no refills on drinks. You can order fresh croissants and even a McBaguette. There is no fast service in Paris, you wait much longer for your food but they rarely get your order wrong and if you order food to go you will always get napkins, and they package your drinks so they won’t spill. I do find it absurd that they charge for ketchup but offer curry sauce free. Honestly, McDonalds reminds me most of back home. PS the pizza here is dreadful.

I’ve been eating healthier because the food here isn’t full of pesticides and hormones. I do still crave food from America. Antz made this silly photo of me along with my favorite foods.

The pepperoni pizza, hot fried chicken and butter crunch candy are only available in the US and I miss them the most!

Navigating daily life in Paris can be a 50/50 split. The French have a way of making everything beautiful but also miserable. French people believe that air conditioning will make you sick so they have practically outlawed it except for tiny portable units that are noisy and only work if you stand directly in front of them. They are very progressive in their culture but some things they refuse to move forward on. If you order ice in a restaurant they look at you like you asked to murder a baby. Their language is elegant poetry that I could listen to all day, yet a nightmare to learn with a varying degree of rules. Paris is a living piece of art. My favorite part of living here is discovering new street art and gorgeous architecture. It’s so refreshing not to be overwhelmed with advertising billboards, loud airplanes and tacky strip malls. I love finding new street art in our neighborhood. Sadly, someone has been going around the city painting over Invaders, the wall that awesome mural Liv is standing in front of was just demolished and someone tore down this Madame Chat. It’s so annoying that there are haters out there that must destroy to feel better about themselves. I am lucky I have so many photos of this precious art that is always disappearing.

Beauty is truly everywhere here however…don’t spend too long looking up at the stunning buildings because there is dog poop everywhere! It’s terribly smelly this summer due to the hot poop on the sidewalks. It’s weird how there are absolutely no stray animals in Paris yet so much poop. There’s also a urine epidemic that disgusts me. Yucky men piss in broad daylight on the streets with no regard. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen men standing against a wall or tree peeing in public. Listen, I can tolerate the smoke, I am used to the traffic noise but the pissing in public and nobody bats an eye, I do not like it at all. Women aren’t squatting on the streets openly peeing so why do men get to spray walls like feral animals? The city even puts out these open urinals (I suppose to suppress the peeing on buildings) but I don’t understand why this is even necessary? There are enclosed toilets everywhere so why do I have to walk around in piss puddles because baby boys can hold their pee pee until they get home like us ladies have to. Ugh! Do not fight me on this, it’s gross and needs to stop. Put your weiner away guys!

This adorable kitty on a leash at the post office, I absolutely support.

Désolé, on a sunnier note, Liv and I spend a lot of time at parks near our apartment. I love the small parks full of shady trees and benches. I haven’t seen many swings in parks here. There rarely is grass lawns that you are allowed to walk on. They usually have dirt or sand which bums me out because it’s dirty but there is a park with shock absorbent pavement similar to York Park in Highland Park. Most parks have ping pong tables so we bought our own set to play.

For every complaint I may have, the trade off is we still live in freaking Paris! The most romanticized city in the world. Like any place it has it’s typical up and downs. I can’t tell you have many times I’ve been told one thing and then the next day the exact opposite. We have been battling with our landlord for over a year to fix our slow wifi speed and replace our phone so we can buzz visitors into our building. I spend hours sending emails and making calls to customer service and I rarely get results no matter how wrong they may be. It is practically criminal to admit a mistake no matter how glaring it may be. It’s become funny to us how many contradictions we encounter. The rules always change but no one tells you what the rules are, it’s up to you to figure it out. I’m proud that I’ve rented an apartment, gotten Liv into a great school, made many friends (although several of our expat friends have moved on) without speaking the language or having any family here to help us. Everyday we still pinch ourselves we are here.

I love this flawed yet magnificent place and I feel French in my heart even with my ‘orreeble Fwench ahzent! Merci, for reading my blog and I hope you stick around whilst I catch up on our travel posts from this past year. I am working hard to upload, edit and post over 100,000 photos.

Bisous,

The Hall Conleys

Expat Life in Paris: What’s it really like? Coucou, Yesterday Antz and I picked up our cartes des titres (annual immigration renewal) for our second year in France.

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MMO Week in Review: Elder Scrolls Online’s Elsweyr chapter heralds five months of cat memes

I wouldn’t go calling Elder Scrolls Online’s Khajiit catgirls and catboys to their faces, however we’re positive to be tempted this summer time when as introduced this week the Elsweyr chapter/enlargement launches and we get our first probability to dig into the complete depths of the province. Convey your hype!

In the meantime, gamers rioted over Blizzard’s WoW esports plans, Astellia introduced it’s coming westward, Breach hit early entry, and Fallout 76’s bug parade continued. Learn on to meet up with the easiest of this week’s MMO information and opinions immediately as each Sunday in Massively Overpowered’s Week in Evaluate!

THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Elder Scrolls On-line will launch Elsweyr and Necromancer in June, Wrathstone DLC in February – ZeniMax has simply revealed that Elsweyr, homeland of the Khajiit, is certainly Elder Scrolls On-line’s subsequent chapter. The devs kicked off their stream with a teaser and the cinematic (the… Tamriel Infinium: Analyzing the options (and hype!) of Elder Scrolls Online’s Season of the Dragon – I’ve combined emotions about dragons coming to Elder Scrolls On-line. Initially, we knew that we might not see them as a result of they have been hibernating or had fled Tamriel in this… EverQuesting: Can Dawn make it by way of 2019? – Those that’ve been long-time followers of Massively OP’s long-running EverQuesting column may need observed a definite lack of new yr hopes and predictions articles for the EverQuest franchise together with… WoW Issue: No, Activision just isn’t the rationale you’re sad with World of Warcraft – There is a narrative that is been making the rounds for a short while now among the many World of Warcraft group, buoyed so much by the truth that we have seen tons of proof… Interview: Astellia’s western staff on pay-to-win, themeparks, and dodging early entry and battle royale – Yesterday we coated the information that South Korean born MMORPG Astellia is heading westward in 2019, with its holy trinity courses, strong PvE and PvP, and arduous lean away from… Digital Arts cancels its untitled open-world Star Wars recreation – Keep in mind that open-world Star Wars recreation that Digital Arts’ Vancouver studio was engaged on after the corporate closed down the earlier studio that had been engaged on an open-world Star… Blizzard lays out World of Warcraft’s esports 2019 plans, will crowdfund half of prize swimming pools – Though Blizzard might have reduce on esports help for Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft’s esports scene is again and larger than ever in 2019, and the studio… Torchlight Frontiers previews gear development, redesigned alpha UI, and pets – It has been a few month since Torchlight Frontiers concluded its second alpha check, and the devs have been onerous at work making modifications based mostly on gamers’ suggestions. Undertaking Lead Tyler… The Recreation Archaeologist: Fury – Again in 1997, Australian recreation developer Auran arrived onto the scene with the real-time technique title Darkish Reign. Whereas it wasn’t precisely Command & Conquer or Warcraft, the sport bought over… The multiplayer Skyrim Collectively mod is about to hit closed beta – For those who’ve been across the Elder Scrolls modding group lengthy sufficient, you recognize that fan efforts to convey multiplayer parts to the franchise’s single-player video games are a endless factor, maybe… Fortnite is seemingly fertile floor for doing crimes, like cash laundering – Hey, you understand what’s enjoyable? Cash laundering! Wait, did we are saying “fun”? We meant “highly illegal and full of dire consequences.” It is in all probability not one thing most of us have… Nexon founder’s controlling shares in the corporate at the moment are formally up on the market – Keep in mind how Nexon’s founder and 98.64% share holder Kim Jung-ju made it clear early this month that he was wanting into promoting his controlling stakes in the corporate? It seems… Elder Scrolls On-line is just not launching a swag-stuffed bodily collector’s version of Elsweyr – One of the bulletins oddly lacking from the Elder Scrolls On-line’s Elsweyr hoopla earlier this week was one about bodily swag for the collector’s version. Seems that wasn’t an… Bethsoft is banning extra Fallout 76 exploiters and teasing its free-for-all PvP mode – Even earlier than Fallout 76 launched final yr, the sport was turning into well-known for bugs of the exploitable type. The newest to make headlines was the glitch that allowed… Breach hits early entry with a mix of motion fight and MMO dungeon crawling – Snowbound or bored this weekend and in search of one thing new to do? Breach arrived on Steam early entry yesterday, bringing with it an fascinating mix of MMO design, co-op dungeon… Bungie reiterates its dedication to Future 2 long-term because it previews short-term objectives – Since final week’s revelation that Activision and Bungie have been parting methods and sending Future residence to stay with its actual dad – oh yeah, and buyers started investigating potential securities… Massively Overthinking: What would you need out of a World of Warcraft 2? – Let’s fake for a second that the rationale Blizzard seems to be dropping the ball with World of Warcraft proper now’s that it is engaged on World of Warcraft 2… Take a look at one other 10 minutes of gameplay footage from Anthem – The whole lot has hidden depths. Anthem undoubtedly does. Actually, it is obtained a mission named Hidden Depths, and in the present day’s newest burst of gameplay footage from IGN covers 10 minutes of operating by way of Hidden… Atlas simply rolled again the North American servers five hours after an admin account was ‘compromised’ – In case you wanted your day by day reminder to not purchase early entry video games which are nonetheless neck-deep in testing and drawback youngsters, this is your dose for the day: Studio Wildcard’s… Obscure Patch Notes: Illustration in video games issues whenever you don’t see why it issues – This can be a story a few boy named Michael. Comply with together with me for a bit of bit, when you’d be so variety. Michael was born in 1983, and he did not… Gamigo is increasing ArcheAge’s workforce, decreasing lockboxes, and evaluating the Gazillion belongings – MMOBomb has an interview up with Gamigo’s prime brass in the present day that has some fascinating nuggets for MMO gamers questioning concerning the present state of the corporate and all of the MMORPGs… Artifact continues to lose gamers at an aggressive price – We’re nearly two months into the life cycle of Valve’s aggressively non-free-to-play card recreation Artifact, and the sport continues to lose gamers with a spotlight and depth often reserved for gaining… ArcheAge rolls out replace 5.1 as gamers name ‘bait-and-switch’ over normalized mounts – As promised, Gamigo pushed out replace 5.1 for ArcheAge yesterday, full with its hero system revmap, tweaks for pirates, the Abyssal Library do-over, and the separated Golden Plains Battle area.… Elder Scrolls Online’s racial talents are getting revamped in replace 21 – One of the issues that the parents at Zenimax are specializing in in The Elder Scrolls On-line’s upcoming replace 21 is balancing the passive talents of the sport’s myriad races,… Legends of Aria’s Steam early entry launch is now slated for spring – The testing by means of early entry continues for Legends of Aria, and that features determining the schedule for the sport’s patches and supreme launch. The newest information from the group is… Good Ten: The MMOs with probably the most unsure futures in 2019 – Working in this area has given me one thing of a way of how so much of the business goes to play out. Take the continued early entry saga of Atlas,… Black Desert’s battle royale mode, Shadow Area, hits early entry for present gamers at the moment – Black Desert is formally hopping on the battle royale bandwagon this week with the “early access” launch of Shadow Area right now. How does a totally launched MMORPG run an “early… Steam is rolling out higher retailer discoverability, cellular chat, and library enhancements in 2019 – Valve is unquestionably feeling a bit frazzled over Epic and Discord’s energy performs in the previous few months, however you would not comprehend it from its annual Steam recap this week.… The Survivalist: Seven survival recreation options I need to see in 2019 – A brand new yr is all about new hopes, new objectives, and — hopefully — new options and content material. I’m speaking about video games, of course! (Though I’d go for… Select My Journey: The lonesome job of star charting in Elite Harmful – Right now’s version of Select My Journey options outcomes that have been each a landslide and very shut. On the one hand, most individuals steered that I commerce in my present ship… Darkish and Mild is closing down 70% of its early entry servers – Snail Video games’ early entry MMO Darkish and Mild has suffered a couple of rising pains throughout its improvement. The corporate initially introduced it was resurrecting the 2004 MMO again in 2016;… Knowledge of Nym: Last Fantasy XIV’s patch four.5 in evaluation – Ah, that is the great things. I am not going to lie, I used to be truthfully a bit involved about this patch for Ultimate Fantasy XIV. Not simply because of my frankly absurd degree of… Fallout 76 gamers are discovering methods to glitch right into a secret developer room with unreleased gadgets – We want to preface in the present day’s story of Fallout 76 having all of the integrity of tissue paper in a hurricane by saying that you must in all probability not attempt to entry this…

THIS WEEK’S CASTS & STREAMS

AND FROM OUR FRIENDS AT BLIZZARD WATCH

• We’re not ready for Burning Campaign to have fun its 12th birthday • These courses shall be must-haves for WoW’s Battle for Dazar’alor • Enhancements to WoW’s transmog would make cosmetic-swapping simpler

Each week, get caught up on the MMO style’s newest information and Massively OP’s greatest content material in our MMO Week in Assessment! Need extra roundups of content material? Attempt Friday’s Betawatch for MMO testing highlights, Saturday’s Make My MMO for MMO crowdfunding updates, and Sunday’s The MOP Up, which mops up all of the bits of information we didn’t cowl anyplace else.

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