#the visual and personality similarities r jarring

[blu-oo]

Weird question but does anyone know if someone’s written a fic where the chocobros come across another defector magitek trooper and kinda tahe him along with them? Like essentially the set up for every MT! Prompto fic ever except it isn’t OUR Prompto. Essentially the whole “He’s our new best buddy bff forever now” thing w all 4 chocobros + defector MT

I’m not really even sure WHAT to filter in order to find something like this in ao3 if it does exist lol

[samwisethewitch]

Magical Journaling

When we think of a witch’s tools, we usually think of cauldrons, brooms, and jars filled with herbs. But for modern witches, one of the most powerful tools available is a blank journal. The journal can be an altar, a workspace, a diary, and a grimoire all in one.

Creating a Magical Journaling Practice

One of the benefits of this type of magic is that it doesn’t require a lot of tools and materials. However, there are a few things you may choose to include:

A journal, notebook, or binder. Having a physical journal for your magical practice can help to ground your magic into the physical world. Find a journal or notebook that speaks to you — this could be a composition book from the dollar store, or an elaborate leather bound journal. I highly recommend using a physical book, but if you are unable to keep a physical journal dedicated to your witchcraft, you can absolutely keep one in a Google Doc, a Microsoft Word document, or the Notes app on your phone.

Colored pens, pencils, or markers. These are a great way to include the magic of color in your journal. (See this post for info on magical color correspondences.) Writing your spells in a color that matches your intention can add an extra layer of power.

Stickers, photos, and drawings. This adds a visual component to your written spells. Just like you add things to a physical ritual based on their magical correspondences, you can use images of those things to add energy to journal spells.

A Daily Intention-Setting Ritual

This method of magical journaling is based on an exercise from Lisa Marie Basile’s book, The Magical Writing Grimoire.

In the morning, before you start your day, write your intention for the day ahead. This should be written in the present tense, and phrased in the positive — it’s about what you are doing, not what you’re stopping or trying to quit. Your intention can be anything, mental, emotional, or physical. (For example: “I am opening myself to love in all its many forms.”)

In the evening, before you go to bed, write down what you worked on that day. This can be anything you did that you feel nourished you, and it may or may not be related to your intention from the morning. (For example: “I used mindfulness meditation to become aware of my own vastness.”)

Living with intention makes you more aware of your actions and can be a form of magic in itself. You daily intentions can become positive affirmations that you can repeat throughout your day, drawing strength from the words.

Using a Journal to Cast Spells

You can cast spells on the page of your journal, with nothing more than a pen and paper.

There are four basic parts to every spell: your will, your intention, focused energy, and a ritual action. All of these components can be brought into a journaling session. Your will is your personal magical and spiritual authority — you use your will simply by being aware of it. Your intention is a clear statement of what you want to get out of your spell — in journal magic, this is typically written on the page. By directing your attention to what you are writing, you are focusing your energy. And finally, a ritual action is any act performed in a ritualistic manner — in this case, that act is writing.

When casting a journal spell, it’s best to do your work in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. You might choose to light a candle or burn incense to help set a spiritual/magical mood, or you might not. I recommend meditating on your intention for a few moments before you begin, in order to help focus your energy.

What you actually write is up to you. It could be a simple, straightforward statement of intention, a detailed description of what you want, or even a poem. Feel free to experiment with different methods to see what feels right for you.

Journaling with Sigils and Runes

You can incorporate sigils, runes, and other sacred symbols into your journal, or use them as spells by themselves.

I’ve talked a little bit about runes in a previous post, but here’s a quick refresher: “runes” typically refer to the symbols used in Germanic alphabets before they were replaced by the Latin alphabet. The oldest Germanic rune system, and the one most widely used in magic, is the Elder Futhark. Other Germanic runic alphabets include the Younger Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon runes, which are both descended from the Elder Futhark. There are other alphabets that are used for similar purposes in magic, like the Irish Ogham. The use of these symbols in magic comes from the ancient idea that writing is inherently magical. Both the Germanic runes and the Ogham alphabet were believed to be sacred by the people who originally used them. Because of this, the runes aren’t merely letters — each symbol has a set of spiritual meanings associated with it as well.

The nice thing about runes is that, for the most part, we have a good idea of what they meant — so learning the runes can be as simple as purchasing a book and memorizing meanings. They’re also tied to ancient belief systems, which makes them a potent source of magical power.

You can use the runes in your magical journal in a couple of different ways. You can draw the appropriate runes in the borders around your spell, or write them over your spell in a different colored ink to add their power to your words. You can also use the runes alone as a form of magic. For this, speak or chant the name of the rune as you write it, and then spend a few moment focusing on it, visualizing your goal, and charging the rune with your intent.

Sigils are a little bit different. Unlike runes, sigils are created on the spot, so the meaning of a sigil is usually only known to the person who designed it. This means that, rather than learning established meanings, you’re creating a new magical symbol with a unique meaning every time you draw a new sigil. Because of this, sigils are directly linked to your will, which makes them powerful conductors of magic.

Here’s a common method for designing a sigil: Write a word or phrase that represents your goal or desire. Cross out all the vowels and/or all repeating letters. Now, use the remaining letters (the ones that haven’t been marked out) to create a design, adding artistic flourishes as you see fit. It’s okay to get creative with this, and it’s okay if the shape of the letters isn’t obvious in the final sigil. For example: if I wanted to create a sigil to manifest wealth, I might start with the phrase “I have more money than I know what to do with.” I then cross out all vowels and repeating letters, leaving me with, “v r y k w d.” Using the shape of these letters as a starting point, I create an artistic design that carries the intention of the original statement.

Sigils are usually used on their own to conduct magic. Draw the sigil in a color that matches your intention (for my wealth sigil, I would use green). As you draw, focus on your intent and feel your energy moving through the pen, charging the sigil. You can leave the finished sigil in your journal, tear the page out and place it on your altar, or display it somewhere you’ll see it often.

Sigils are especially useful for witches who need to keep their practice a secret, because they can be disguised as simple doodles.

Resources:

The Magical Writing Grimoire by Lisa Marie Basile

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith

Runes by Kylie Holmes

[lowpawly]

Can you give more details about your lapis comic? Like what time is it set in or is it an au or a rewrite? I'm sory I'm just curios 😔 it's really fun seeing your occasional posts about it

omg yes ofc thank u so much for asking 🥺🥺🥺 YEAH so its basically intended to just fill in what I would consider as a missing arc for lapis, everything in it is written so that it could believably have happened in the show offscreen similar to how other series spinoff comics have done things. Its not an au and not intended to be a rewrite, I'm doing my best to just expand on her character in a way I think was implied in the show but was never fully fleshed out (imo). I have a prologue that takes place right before Super Watermelon Island, then parts 1 thru 4 take place between seasons 3 and 5 and I have an epilogue that takes place a month after Change Your Mind. Hopefully the end result fits decently within the narrative of the show without too much suspending of disbelief necessary. Also gonna fill in missing development with her and Peridot obviously.

I'm writing it with the intention of it being a psychological horror while not being jarring different toneally from the show aha. I've actually been going out of my way to watch and read more surreal and psych horror based media to try and get more creative with it, its been a good way to get myself to finally pick things up that I've been putting off looking into! The horror elements are definitely secondary to keeping things feeling natural within the universe and I'm not introducing anything that would feel absurdly out of place (at least I hope not!) I would say the peaks are maybe equivalent in tone to Keeping It Together with maybe sometimes veering a little darker but nothing crazy.

ANYWAYS I'm hoping that I'm not overwhelming myself haha, I'm being really careful about how much I'm public about before I at the very least have everything completely scripted because I know from personal experience that jumping the gun on starting huge comic projects before you're prepared can quickly lead to a ton of stress and burnout. The comic has a title and each part has a thematic name but I'm gonna wait until everything is more solid before I actually say what it's called lol, its just another way to keep some pressure off myself until I feel like I'm ready. I am working on making a set of pages for a scene that I really wanted to see visualized so I can feel out the style and look that I'm going for and once I'm done I'm gonna post em here! I'm probably gonna release it one part at a time but I'm gonna wait until I at the very least have everything sketched before I go that far, once I'm ready I'm gonna make a little neocities website to host all the pages on ^__^

Ok sorry this is kinda going on for a long time, I wanted to be a little more specific but there's like a lot I wanted to cover LOL I really the commentary and interactions people have with my art esp anything having to do with this project 🥺 staying motivated with big projects can be really tough especially with things like comics and I don't wanna expect too much out of myself but people interacting with my art on here has really put me in good spirits about creation and I'm really excited to share everything one day <3 if anyone ever has any other questions abt it u r very encouraged to ask i love to talk about my projects

[thebadtimewolf]

@viscountessevie / @allkinds-oftrash replied to your post "you. i see ur tags. u r right..."

GO OFF!! Thanks for the tag :) and tbh you should remove the cancellation and yell it louder for the people in the back!

I mean, yeah but the ppl in the back got tenrose earplugs on the tracks and the train is coming. so yknow.

like yeah, they cringe now, say martha deserve better now, but lets not get it twisted - as soon as ten regenerated into himself in journeys end - he wasnt the same at all.

that was a whole nother man. he looked at rose the same way he asked torchwood leader in the impossible planet/satan's pit for a hug when she asked if he was still himself before being shot.

And he clearly took it to mean 'no im visually still the same, just went over that'

And then when they were playing catch up, he still wasn't look at her like he was flirtingly laughing about rose coming back - it mimicked similar to martha's 'ur joking' about finding the hand's origin in utopia AND THATS JARRING (pun intended)

nine and ten always had their hand open to grab in order to run or just hold, keep one close.

But this one didn't. He purposely moved from them at the sight of losing donna/tardis, not in a protective way (see how jack got shot in the open but also where Rose was standing before moving closer to the doctor) but rather from tiny anguish to already having several flashes of torturing the daleks for this.

Not once thinking Rose was in clear blasting range because this one didn't care anymore. He lost Donna. None of them mattered. Lock us up.

The fact that the Doctor isn't upset that martha has a plan but, rather that the plan is WAY TOO SIMILAR TO HOW HE LOST GALLIFREY (which shows that martha and donna are considered equals to himself [just like the master because we're time lords] in this new body but not rose? hm wonder why]) and i believe that hit him more than the warp star tactic.

The fact that Rose had to walk to him and force her fingers and hand into his own when he was watching the supposed death of donna and the tardis because his hand wasn't open like it used to be - because he didn't have the same feelings for her. Not anymore. That was the second time his feelings got him to lose another regeneration. No second chances to a T. - is wild.

He's holding her hand but shes gripping his. She needs touch because she missed him but he doesnt because he didnt miss her and what she brought out of him.

That costed him a companion because of it.

That isn't a look you give someone that you missed when they gleefully approve what is essentially what you had to do to fight the daleks. That is a look of shocking disappointment. im telling you he didn't love her anymore.

all that racism he learned from rose (with additional help from joan) all poured into tentoo and all the non-racism bits came from donna.

Davros had the solution he didn't have during the time war - transporting the person with the bomb and detonation away from said bomb and detonation - and used it on martha first immediately post haste. Just like the Doctor, Davros saw her as one of Doctor's equals than he ever saw Rose. Saw the two most likely to commit genocide to his species via the tardis and went, lets put them in a light cage so I CAN SEE WHERE THEY AT

But yeah. RTD's antiblackness really shows.

and the fact tenth doctor - new and improved - tells rose 'does it need saying' is real character growth. he's literally cutting out the source of where his prev. ten's antiblackness came from and told her in deleted scenes to give it 50 yrs. like damn it hurts but damn that also a fucking roast.

[quinintheclouds]

Thoughts on Putting Others First: SvS Redux as they come to me

AN HOUR LONG?!?!?! Y E S THANK YOU

I am LOVING this opening art style. The way it shows all the things Thomas could say and shuts them each down, the silliness tying in perfectly to the video game setting, the way we could SO STRONGLY empathize with Thomas despite him not saying anything. Well done!

“Eff friends, Patton!” Patton and I made the exact same gasp and noise at the same time in reaction to that dsjfhljdhg

Lookit Thomas’ lil vest awww <3

ROMAN WITH THE PUNS I LOVE IT APPRECIATE HIM

rhymes

rhymes

they’re rhyming is this gonna be

A SONG!!!

(Logan off somewhere watching all of this: “You guys are doing a RAP? Without ME? .....Unacceptable”)

Seriously poor Logan being left out BOTH TIMES despite clearly having excellent points on the matter

But I’m loving this Patton/Roman dynamic being explored in this way. They have a lotta similarities but the differences are really standing OUT so far and I like it! Also it looks like Roman isn’t gonna just shut up and do whatever Patton says out of fear that he’s a bad person/bad for Thomas this time. I’m glad they’re both getting a chance to talk cause they aren’t exactly taken seriously a lot of the time.

RETURN OF THE BLINDFOLD METAPHOR followed by Roman saying “in Patton’s defense...” so they like, KNOW what Deceit meant about the blindfold? Were they playing dumb? Or do they just suddenly get it now that it’s coming from Thomas?

Ok this Feral Cat Story of Roman’s is too specific for me to dismiss and now I’m convinced either Remus brought a shitton of cats home one day and they just flooded their house/rooms, or Patton brought home a bunch of cats out of love and didn’t realize he couldn’t take care of em...either way that’s an adorable anecdote

The car jump line that Patton took literally is just making me miss Logan even more :(

I’m glad they’re giving context to the relationship between Thomas and Mary Lee & Lee! A lot of fander questions and opinions circled back to “well it depends how close they were” so it was smart of them to fill us in.

“those baby-makin’ catholics”

6:45 Patton has clearly thought through a lot of possible outcomes to talking to Lee and Mary Lee before going to the wedding... he never brought them up, even when Roman did and then Deceit did. But he’s bringing up points no one had addressed, and I think that’s a great way to put more intensity to Patton’s apology to Thomas for lying back in SvS pt 1. He hid a lot more than he let on. Man, how much guilt is this poor man feeling right now? :(

“Talking about it could have been harmful” I’m very intrigued by the parallels between Patton wanting to keep things from Thomas’ friends to protect their feelings in this episode and SvS, and Deceit disguised as Patton in CLBG trying to get Thomas to... keep things from his friend to protect their feelings...

WOAH “But was it worth it? I don’t--” “No.” Thomas cutting Roman off with that much certainty DAMN Thomas REGRETS going to the wedding HARD and also is agreeing with Roman finally??

Patton: “sometimes you can make all the good choices, and still not get the good ending.” Thomas: “I’m not even sure there was a good ending to get.” Roman: “Mmmm, I’m pretty sure there was.” There is so much to unpack here oh my gosh.

WOAH WOAH WOAH WHAT??? DAMN THOMAS CAME FOR PATTON WHAT ON EARTH??? Patton: “I think we can all agree that you are a good fellow.” Thomas: Can we? ALL? Agree on that?” Patton: *sputtering noises*

Poor Patton... I mean they’re right but gosh I feel for him. He wants so badly for Thomas to be a good person and he realizes now how strict and unyielding he’s been, and wants to not do that but doesn’t know how to be more lenient without sacrificing integrity cause that’s his JOB and he doesn’t know how to do it better aaaa this is such a mood

MUSIC IS THERE ANOTHER SONG COMING?

Return of the bagel. Except this time it’s Roman guessing/wanting the bagel and Patton being like “what? no?”

ok not a song but video game style is back!!

“ugh you’re such a dad” I love it

Patton just made more puns and Roman omg “Like, you’re SUCH a dad that like it’s too much to handle sometimes”

I am loving this whole scene jdfhjadshg Patton ily and I relate

Thomas and Roman teaching Patton how to come up with imaginary scenarios skjfklsjdfh

Sondheim wrecking Leslie Odom Jr is such a hilarious visual

Ok all three of them are peak dumbass and I’m so here for it (like they’re smart and all but they’re peak dumbass)

Daaaamn Patton is letting out so much this episode. Like he’s been holding back but wowie. R: “Just like how you didn’t HAVE to give him a hotdog” P: *sucks air through his teeth* “I feel like you kinda do though?” YES PLEASE let’s discuss the concept of obligation in morality again!!! Where’s Logan when you need him? Or Deceit even? (I feel like D’s gonna show up later but I wanna hear Logan’s thoughts this time too)

Patton: You can disagree! But... it’d kinda be wrong?

LOGAN POPUP! Ok fine if he isn’t in the ep at least he pops up in a lil dialogue box on screen. Also he popped up to support Patton... neat!

“It’s just me, Logan. I’ve taken this form because I didn’t want to be too...invasive.” POOR LOGAN NO YOU’RE NOT INVADING ANYTHING YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE HERE! Also Roman getting scared by the popup while Patton just waves happily like he always does upon seeing Logan aww

Okay I am getting serious DOPAMINE from Logan talking. Like, he’s spittin’ FACTS. Something about the way he talks is so interesting and soothing and makes me so excited to LEARN. Roman mockingly mouthing ‘behoove��� had me snort though XD

LOGAN AND I WERE IN UNISON HELL YEAH! Patton was all like ooh you’re sharing your lil factoids! And Logan and I at the same time corrected, “Facts,” and proceeded to state the definition of factoids (we worded it differently but yeah as usual Logan is on my wavelength)

Logan’s sprite getting so disappointed at Thomas’ interruption joke jgdkjghks he looks so DONE

OML I LOVE LOGAN’S DIALOGUE BOX TALKING TOO FAST FOR THEM TO READ THIS IS SO ACCURATE

Oof Thomas finally feeling like he GETS it and Patton being like yeah but not if you’re doing it bc you want to feel  good tho... (also that’s the same argument Deceit made in SvS pt1??? I’m confused by Patton/Deceit’s functions lately and I’m very invested)

Oh ok Thomas just brought up that very point haha

“we all agreed the right thing to do was go to the wedding” um are u sure about that

“I was wrong” PATTON CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?? I know Logan has the reputation of not being able to admit when he’s wrong (which isn’t true -- he doesn’t like to but he has done so countless times...well not literally countless but you understand my meaning), but Patton rarely is in a situation where he has to, so this is jarring in a hopefully good way. Istg if this is Deceit disguised as Patton again I’ll be so disappointed... I feel like the writers wouldn’t do that though

Patton: says smth deceit said. Roman: and you...agree? Patton: Definitely! I mean uh maybe? (WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE PATTON’S HEAD RN SO MUCH TURMOIL)

Roman: “I’m not an expert in the... moral medium” Thomas:  “Go ahead Roman, we wanna hear what you have to say.”  Patton: *halfhearted gestures and noises for roman to go ahead* jashfjdh he’s trying so hard

AWWWW they’re validating Roman so much I love it

“whomstsoever” ok I take it back roman’s not valid

I adore Logan’s popup fun facts, and him giving definitions for Roman’s vocabulary reminds me how much the two of them love writing and poetry and language aaaa

Patton trying not to be harsh is somehow 10x harsher than he normally is

oh wow that got real.

I know I’ve said this but I love logan’s insertions... but I do wish he got to say them out loud like earlier :/ Pausing to read them is less fun than hearing him talk.

oh wow that got real part 2

I want. So badly. To jump into this video and debate Patton on the nature of morality and what “the right thing is.” Roman you’re not being dumb, you’re bringing up excellent points and you’re valid again.

Oh no Patton... empathy is not morality... please please address that there are people who can’t experience empathy and choose to be moral and good

THE  TROLLEY PROBLEM HERE! WE! GO!

Logan’s popups bc he doesn’t want to “be too invasive” and making them optional to read hurts my heart :( He knows Patton, Roman, and Thomas aren’t reading any of it but he doesn’t want to be too much so he stays silent. Why?? Logan it’s okay! Why is this a thing now but not in the last 2 episodes? What happened to Logan :(

OOOOOOH Patton didn’t flip the switch :o Interesting! Daaaamn he’s arguing to let 5 people die rather than flip the switch so only one dies

LOGAN’S TEXTBOX WAS SO BIG AND FAST IT KNOCKED PATTON OVER I CANNOT BREATHE hang on I gotta read it

HE’S TALKING ABOUT DEONTOLOGY YES LOGAN THANK YOU FOR TELLING PATTON WHAT I PHYSICALLY CANNOT please tell me you’ll talk about utilitarianism and moral particularism next

Okay he used consequentialism but it’s close enough to utilitarianism that the outcome is the same. (Do you get it? Do you like my joke about how the outcome is most important? When we’re talking about-- oh you got it already? Good, moving on.)

DID ROMAN JUST FJCKING KILL LOGAN

“I’m okay, figment of your imagination, so.” Okay so CAN the Sides get hurt or can’t they?? Cause Patton clearly got bonked, roman got hit in the eye with paper and said ow, but logan got hit in the head with a throwing star and had his teeth ripped out and he was totally fine?

 Thomas is being so HONEST with himself so early in the episode, wow this is refreshing and I’m hype

AW YAY Patton called textbox Logan in to help with philosophy yay :’)

Logan: “Pity seems to be at the center of your idea of ‘putting good into the world’” first, Logan doing a voice impression of Nietzsche is GOLD, and second.... I wish they’d let him finish cause I was waiting for a “but” cause Logan siding with Nietzsche on this one feels... wrong? Like I could see Dee bringing it up or Logan using it in an argument only to continue with a contradicting philosophy but Logan equating empathy to pity... idk I thought he’d grown more than to think that :/ Actually I don’t think he ever saw it that way. It feels out of character but I’m guessing he had more to say to debunk that.

HOLY SHIT PATTON SKIPPED ALL THE REST OF LOGAN’S DIALOGUE AND YEETED HIM OFF THE SCREEN bruh he may have been right and he should’ve gotten to say it >:(

ROMAN ISTG DO NOT TRY AND MAKE THIS YOUR FAULT

I SAID DON’T

GODDAMMIT

sjfkdjgjsh okay aww Thomas good job, Patton too. Thank god they’re being nice to him

Patton is having a breakdown holy heckity about time

damn Patton is freaking HARSH

“I have a difference in opinion on this one, Patton” Thomas: *relieved sigh whisper* “ohhh thank you, Logan” YES APPRECIATE THE BOY YES YES I LOVE HIM why are they looking around like he isn’t making sense?

LOGAN YES! CALL HIM OUT! LET THOMAS VALUE HIMSELF AND PUT HIMSELF FIRST SOMETIMES! “Every point you’ve made in today’s discussion has contradicted that sentiment.” I love you but also you sound a lil like deceit... very lawyer-y and feels calculated like he’s been keeping notes for this purpose... I want deceit and logan to debate already damn it. Maybe it’s just that Logan’s inflections feel reminiscent of Deceit to show...something?

Ok can I just say that Logan gets so much rep for his strictness or high standards but he’s been SO GOOD about that lately and him teaching about the importance of leisure and self-care and freedom in your life and self-esteem and valuing yourself like you do with others... not even just this  video -- he’s been like this in the last few as well and these recent episodes remind me of early Logan (esp My Negative Emotions)  and that makes my heart so so happy.

Continuation of the above, compare this to how Logan acted in Why Bed? with regards to Roman. Roman advocated for leisure time and following dreams, while Logan had a schedule that optimized productivity and health. Now he’s taking a similar stance to Roman and asserting the importance of these things... WHY is so much of Logan’s character development OFFSCREEN?? I wanna know what made him switch on this! Maybe just cause he’s listening to roman from why bed?

Why is Logan being so abrasive? He sounds like his intent is more to disprove Patton rather than state what he actually thinks... not a fan of that but he’s not wrong

WOAH WOAH TOTAL PATTON BREAKDOWN WHAT HAPPENED WHAT THE FCK HE’S A LITERAL MONSTER IN THIS VIDEO GAME?

OH, MY GOD. If Logan didn’t step in and save them here this would have been catastrophic. I can feel my relief. I mean, he screamed, but it was a relief. WAIT IT WAS DECEIT THE WHOLE TIME??? Daaaamn good job on this one Deceit and I definitely like him more now but also WHERE IS LOGAN. Was it the whole time? That makes sense in hindsight and makes me feel better about some things he’s brought up but I feel like it really was Logan at the start, it wasn’t until he started calling out patton that his voice and inflection and stuff changed

Patton trying to attack Deceit   and hitting Thomas instead was  an EXCELLENT way to  showcase the effect SvS 1 and 2 are having

Deceit’s lil “A DUH DUH DUH DOY” looked and sounded just like Logan’s lmao don’t tell me it’s another switcheroo (I doubt it greatly lol)

REAL LOGAN REAL LOGAN REAL LOGAN

So wait what was the point that Deceit switched with Logan? Cause Logan’s saying “one more fact” so he was himself earlier right?

“Not that any of you care, but  I am unharmed.” Nooooo they care </3 “I will do you all a favor and spare you my company” okay OUCH

EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM YES aw he’s talking about him and patton working together yes thank you

Damn, Deceit is LOVING everything Logan says haha same

Logan and Deceit teaming up to teach Patton that it’s okay to care about yourself

DECEIT WHAT he’s being so supportive of Roman holy heck this is so genuine OH Roman’s arguing with it  this is a lot of stuff I didn’t expect roman to say out loud wow

THOMAS JUST SAID DECEIT THE CHARACTER ISN’T INHERENTLY UNETHICAL WOW this episode really said let’s make Deceit--

WAIT WOAH SORRY HIS NAME REVEAL!!! He’s Janice?? Is that true?

WAIT WOAH PART 2 BUT DECEIT JUST SAID IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE MUSTACHE HE WOULDN’T KNOW WHO THE EVIL TWIN IS BETWEEN ROMAN AND REMUS HOLY SHIT HE ACTUALLY LOOKED VULNERABLE AND THEN HURT AND THEN RIGHT BACK TO SNAKE

ROMAN’S GONE

fuck.... patton...roman....deceit....thomas....logan....I’m gonna go cry about all of them now

LESLIE ODOM JR IS HERE??????? oh there he goes

patton oh my god I love you  this ANGST are you trying to kill me?

Patton telling thomas he’s worthy of love I actually teared up

dfjdakjhfa deceit don’t push it

Wowie that was an EPISODE

[sugarysweetsprites]

ALL THIRTY OF MY ENTRIES FOR FAKEATHON 2020 COMPILED BELOW THE CUT

ROUND 1: HOMETOWN MONUMONK - Derived from monument, monk

did you know I like maybe four miles away from a field of 109 identical 7 foot corn statues

FAKEATHON ROUND 2: THE USA ROBINOX - Derived from robin, autumnal equinox

Round one was our hometown, and I did my current city. But my childhood belongs to Connecticut, so I wanted to do a connecticuter. The american robin is the state bird of Connecticut, and as a part of New England it has a colonial history, hence the style. A type of garnet is the state gemstone, hence the species name.

Mostly though, I associate Connecticut with the vibrant autumns. The falls of New England are magic.

FAKEATHON DAY 3: CANADA CURTLE - Derived from curling, turtle

Very simple this one. Canada has a lot of curling events, right? Put the CURLING STONE. On the TURTLE. and you get the CURTLE. Dudes in this other server I’m in really love this one

FAKEATHON DAY 4: MEXICO CASOLURO - Derived from first two letters of the cards it’s based on; el CAtrin, el SOl, la LUna, la ROsa

A very fun one to work on. These are based on those Loteria cards - Specifically, the sun, moon, rose, and the dandy. The 4x4 grid on the inside of its cape is a reference to the 4x4 grid of a loteria play mat. Just threw crap at the wall here and got this funky friend.

FAKEATHON DAY 5: BRAZIL CAPYERA, CAPOBARA - Derived from capoeira, capybara

Not new designs, so much as designs I really needed to give another go. Much happier with these. And frankly, couldn’t think of a concept more wholly Brazilian short of slapping the flag on them.

FAKEATHON DAY 6: FRANCE CHÈVAÇAY - Derived from chèvre (French for goat), Chevalier (French for knight), valençay (French variety of cheese)

F🥐R🎨A🍷N🚬C🥖H

I stole the grease type from someone in that fakemon server it fit this cheesy boy too well

FAKEATHON DAY 7: SPAIN POMEGRIA - Derived from pomegranate, bandurria

Typically tried to avoid the lady-in-dress motif, but felt too justified here. Spain is home to pomegranates, with the blossom being the national flower. The body shape was inspired by the instrument the bandurria, with the base of the body being a halved pomegranate, and her “earrings” being both the tuning pegs and pomegranate seeds.

FAKEATHON DAY 8: UNITED KINGDOM MEMORI - Derived from memento mori, memory

I could’ve uh. Had this idea at a better time huh :^)

FAKEATHON DAY 9: ITALY MEDITIVE - Derived from Mediterranean, olive

Tried going more off-the-wall, but it didn’t quite work. Based on olive branches clearly - olive oil was often used as lamp oil, hence the fire typing. I meant for it to resemble a nuns habit or monastery robes, a la Italy’s heavy catholicism, with the floating olive leaf circlet as a halo. It was… good ideas that didn’t come together perfectly. Probably my least favorite of the lot

FAKEATHON DAY 10: NORDICS MINKJAVIC - Derived from mink, Reykjavik

Look when I think Iceland I always think black metal. This is the second time I’ve done a heavy metal pokemon. The first one was more badass. This one’s instead uh A lot : )

FAKEATHON DAY 11: EGYPT DJEDLY - Derived from Djed, deadly

One of the easiest to draw for… obvious reasons. Based on a canopic jar, sort of like an off-brand yamask or cofagrigus. It’s meant to open up twice; If you take off the lid, you see the fleshy eyeball dude in the lower corner. And if you pull that like a handle, you see what’s inside… and die with that knowledge : )

FAKEATHON DAY 12: ETHIOPIA CAFFIEND - Derived from caffeine, fiend

Obviously hyenas live in Ethiopa. But moreover, Ethiopia is also known as pretty much the birthplace of coffee, and coffee drinking/making is important to the culture. So I thought, why not make a hyena that’s super happy cause it’s always super hyped up on caffeine? Dunno if the electric typing makes much sense, I just thought caffeine = energy = electricity

FAKEATHON DAY 13: MADAGASCAR TENROCK - Derived from tenrec, rock

Tenrecs are endemic, yeah, but this wasn’t just based on a native animal. It was based on the land of Madagascar - specifically, the gorgeous and incredibly sharp structures of Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park. I’ll post a photo above the art, when I saw Madagascar was a theme day I knew I had to base something on that park.

FAKEATHON DAY 14: SAUDI ARABIA MASQAREEN - Derived from masquerade, Qareen

This is based on the Islamic idea of the Qareen. People don’t 100% agree on what Qareens are, but they are consistantly considered to be spiritual doubles - Every person has a Qareen associated with they’re spirit. This is based on one idea, them as dark spirits who attempt to lead their companion-spirit astray. I chose them because even though they’re evil from the start - hence the dark typing - they can become good based on their companion - in this case, trainer’s - actions and whims.

Since they’re counterparts to humans, I thought having them mimic humans would be fitting. It’s body is ALMOST humanoid, it’s many pink extremeties ALMOST resemble clothes. It would be a zoroark like situation, where it could make illusions to resemble human.

FAKEATHON DAY 15: RUSSIA MATEESHKA - Derived from mastryoshka, tea SAMOSHKA - Derived from samovar, matryoshka

Fun fact, I actually used to collect matryoshka dolls. Have a whole box of them in the basement somewhere. So I felt I had to. I have a thing for designs that look a little snobby, Samoshka certainly fits that little niche of mine : D

FAKEATHON DAY 16: INDIA BOVIQUIN - Derived from bovine, palanquin

I like ride pokemon, and I like customizable pokemon. So I made one that’s both! It’s supposed to be based on the water buffalo. The simple colors are because it’s supposed to be customizable - As in, the fabrics hung from it (and maybe the markings painted on it) could be swapped out, so I wanted something simple as a base. Sort of like Furfrou, but the customization doesn’t wear off

FAKEATHON DAY 17: CHINA LONGRUSH - Derived from Long (chinese for dragon), brush, rush

I expect here will be a lot of chinese dragons this round, I wanted to avoid the obvious. But… this is one of the best concepts I’ve ever come up with. The second I had the mental image, I knew that was it

FAKEATHON DAY 18: JAPAN SPIROUS - Derived from spirit, cirrus, pious

This is a myth from both China and Japan, but I associate it with yokai primarily. This is based on Hangonkō, incense that brings forth the spirits of the dead. Hence it’s body obscured by the clouds - It’s literally being summoned by the incense it carries. In retrospect, this could have been an interesting pokeball mimic with different colors.

FAKEATHON DAY 19: INDONESIA WHALEEN - Derived from baleen whale

The Philippines are home to the coral triangle, a stretch of ocean  that’s home to a stupidly large amount of coral life. So I initially  wanted a coral mon… but it’s known for its reefs. So why not make the  whole reef?  

FAKEATHON DAY 20: AUSTRALIA OPALINE - Derived from opal, mine

One town in Australia I’ve loved since middle school is Coober Pedy. Known as the opal capital of the world, it’s a desert town that’s so hot, almost all the residents live in houses carved into the ground. Even many businesses and hotels are underground! Coloring was fun on this dude :3

FAKEATHON DAY 21: ANTARCTICA SOUTHAIR - derived from south, hairgrass.

I wanted to do something unexpected. So rather than do that obvious penguin or similar, I went with southern hairgrass, the south most flowering plant. Did it’s closer meant to loosely resemble any wet clothes, but since there are no Inuit populations to Antarctica, only loosely. It’s species, the 1000-to-1 pokemon, Refers to both its chances of survival and the fact of the body is comprised of many many blades of grass

FAKEATHON DAY 22: SOMEWHERE HOT - DEATH VALLEY HELINDRA - Derived from helios, indra

The reason I chose the Indra butterfly is because it's native to death valley. I figure, if death valley gets HELLA sun, why not instead of it living in spite of the harsh sun, living so well because of it?

FAKEATHON DAY 23: SOMEWHERE COLD - GREENLAND STUFFIN - Derived from storm, stun, puffin

I know there are myths that say puffins can bring thunderstorms, so I thought why not turn a puffin into a storm cloud? But uh. It kind of just. Is a puffin isn't it :/

FAKEATHON DAY 24: ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS KYTHURA - Derived from Antikythera, Urania

One of my favorite remnants of ancient times is the Antikythera Mechanism. It was an ancient Greek computer. With proper gears and mechanics and everything, that was used to plot the locations of the planets and the stars in stunning detail. This first go around turned out… not that great, I’ll be honest. But I wanna do something with the Antikythera Mechanism. It shouldn’t take TOO much tweaking to make this something I love

FAKEATHON DAY 25: FUTURE WORLDS COCOWATT - Derived from coconut, watt

One of my favorite images of the future is, instead of all streets having street lights, some having bioluminescent trees! I wanted to make something to that effect. Even though we have Exeggutor I chose palm trees cause they already have a street-lamp-like shape. Finally got to bust out my super neon pencils :3

FAKEATHON DAY 26: RANDOM COUNTRY - IRELAND AMANEELIE - Derived from amanita, unseelie

I have irish blood, so I wanted to do an irish mon. I took the idea of the fairie ring in a weird direction - when it extends its arms and the little purple "hands" touch, anything in the loop of its arm - the fairie's ring - will become hideously poisoned. Visually referenced the deathcap. Just like imagining these things in a secluded dense forest, floating along like swimming jellyfish

FAKEATHON DAY 27: THE OLYMPICS SYNCRA - Derived from synchronized, tetra

This is similar to wishiwashi, in that it's a schooling mon. But instead of it having a schooling form, it's ALWAYS in a school of five fish, constantly swimming in unison. Clearly based on synchronized swimming, I wanted the tails to be super long, so they'd flow all elegantly when they maneuver around. Kinda... power rangers in execution, innit

FAKEATHON DAY 28: THE OCEAN EXPLORB - Derived from explore, orb

The idea to turn the bathysphere into a pufferfish-like dude just came together really clearly in my head. I imagine their attack would be terrible but their defence would be amazing - basically, they aren't out to fight, they just wanna explore the oceans :3

FAKEATHON DAY 29: THE MOON MOOMOON - Derived from moomoo, moon

its the cow that jumped over the moon

FAKEATHON DAY 30: LEGENDARY CORRA - Derived from core, cor (latin for heart), terra

I figured, we’ve done every part of the earth this challenge… except the interior. So for the legendary representing the world, I based mine on the core of the earth. The body itself is meant to resemble the phylotypic stage of an embryo - the stage of development where most species are virtually identical. It cannot leave its lava bubble. At the center of its body is a heart glowing with all the colors of magma.

The FIRST person to make a legend of korra joke is getting slapped

[aion-rsa]

Best Movies Coming to Netflix in October 2021

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You feel that? There’s a sudden coolness in the air, and the smell of freshly fallen leaves out your window. If you listen closely, you can even hear the delight of passerbys as they realize everything suddenly tastes like pumpkins. Yep, spooky season is almost here, and that goes for Netflix too.

Ironically, the most popular streaming service in the world has chosen to play a bit of a trick on those users wanting a lot of new horror content. While the streamer is providing new original horror films and television programming from its in-house productions, most of the films Netflix is adding for the month of October are not scary at all. Nonetheless, many of them are still a treat. So here are the best movies to expect on Netflix in October….

A Knight’s Tale (2001)

October 1

In the grand tradition of The Princess Bride and Stardust (although this came out before the latter), Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale is an anachronistic fairy tale that works better than it has any right to. It stars Heath Ledger in one of his early heartthrob roles as a squire who pretends he’s a knight to compete in jousting tournaments around England. However, in truth this is really a ‘90s sports movie with all the clichés and trappings that entails—a fact the movie wears on its green sleeves.

As a film which begins with Queen music playing in Ye Olde England as crowds clap in beat with Freddie Mercury’s vocals, the film is a balancing act that somehow looks effortless in no small part because of its winsome cast, including Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, and a scene-stealing Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer, the famed poet and surprise wingman to Ledger’s Will Thatcher. And as Will, Ledger once again only hints at the deep reservoirs of talent and charisma we never saw fully realized.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

October 1

With the West Coast constantly on fire, the East Coast in danger of slipping beneath the Atlantic Ocean, and the rest of the country subject to extreme weather events on a constant basis, it’s a damn shame to realize that this powerful documentary—in which former Vice President Al Gore travels the country, speaking out about the dangers of climate change—is as necessary and vital as ever. It’s also jarring and depressing to understand that the United States still has not taken enough meaningful steps to stop this deepening crisis and even went backwards during the last four years.

Gore is much better here than he was on most of the 2000 campaign trail, weaving personal anecdotes and sentiments into the fascinating and sobering info dump that is the rest of the picture. If you haven’t seen it yet, An Inconvenient Truth (directed by Davis Guggenheim) is both moving and profound, and the kind of film one should share with one’s kids, if only out of respect for their future.

As Good as It Gets (1997)

October 1

Jack Nicholson won his third Academy Award (and second for Best Actor) while Helen Hunt won her first for Best Actress in this 1997 romantic comedy from director James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, The Mary Tyler Moore Show). Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a wealthy novelist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose misanthropic behavior turns off everyone he meets. But Melvin finds love and a family of sorts when he gets involved in the lives of a single mom and waitress (Hunt) and a gay artist (Greg Kinnear) who help him accept changes in his carefully controlled world.

Nicholson and Hunt richly deserved their Oscars, while Kinnear showed surprising range and emotion as the tormented Simon. Together, the three are a joy to watch as they begin to know and help each other. As Good as It Gets may dip occasionally (even frequently) into sentimentality, but watching Hunt and Nicholson win their hard-fought personal victories makes up for it.

Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)

October 1

Don’t Be a Menace to South Central and its unwieldy title is not necessarily what you’d call a great movie. It’s not even a good one, per se. But this early Wayans Brothers success is a genuinely hilarious flick—especially for young men who came of age in the 1990s when every Friday night offered another cautionary tale of “inner city life” at the multiplex. Yes, Don’t Be a Menace takes the piss out of great films about a distinctly Black American experience, such as John Singleton’s raw Boyz N the Hood (1991), as well as more heavy handed also-rans based in similar themes.

But at the end of the day, this is just a clever spoof on a once ubiquitous genre with moments of genuine comical brilliance displayed by Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. From their riff on strapping young Laurence Fishburne as a father in Boyz to Shawn’s warning of the dire risk to young Black actors posed by rappers getting all the best roles in Hollywood, there’s still a lot to giggle about at this movie, particularly if you’ve never seen it.

Desperado (1995)

October 1

Robert Rodriguez’s first Hollywood movie is as much a remake of his career-making indie, El Mariachi (1992), as it is a sequel to it. With Antonio Banderas stepping into the role of the mysterious guitar-toting gunslinger, and his mission of revenge more or less repeating itself, Desperado feels like the movie Rodriguez wanted to make the first time. And if so, fair enough, because both flicks are a blast.

Indeed, Desperado is as stylish a mid-‘90s shoot ‘em up as you’re ever going to come across. With all the visual tricks and impossible angles that became Rodriguez’s trademark, and with Banderas at his most broodingly pouty, it’s a hard-R actioner that subtly plays like a comedy. The film also includes Salma Hayek’s breakout performance, which still sizzles to the touch 25 years later. Throw in terrific character work in the margins by Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin, Joaquim de Almeida, Danny Trejo, and a cameoing Quentin Tarantino, and you have some fun Friday night fodder.

The DUFF (2015)

October 1

The teen rom-com heyday may have been in the 1990s and 2000s, but try telling that to Mae Whitman, who knocks it out of the park in 2015’s The DUFF, an adaptation of the 2010 novel of the same name. Whitman stars as Bianca, a high school senior who discovers she is viewed as “the DUFF,” aka the Designated Ugly Fat Friend by some of her (crueler) classmates. In an attempt to become cooler, Bianca makes a deal with her former childhood friend Wesley (Robbie Amell): she will help him pass science if he helps her un-DUFF. It’s a classic rom-com set-up, elevated by Whitman’s performance, her chemistry with co-star Amell, and the script’s savvy self-awareness.

Gladiator (2000)

October 1

When Gladiator was released, it came with some heavy cynicism from older critics who remembered the type of 1950s and ‘60s beefcake flicks it was emulating. What they didn’t get at the time—and which box office audiences and even Oscar voters eventually did—was Gladiator wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. Rather this a gorgeous and finely crafted distillation of those genre trapping in peak condition for modern audiences.

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As the father of a murdered son, and husband to a murdered wife, Russell Crowe is magnetic as Maximus, the Gladiator who defied an emperor. And as that emperor, Joaquin Phoenix gives a curiously both sympathetic and repellent performance, which is far more fascinating than the one he did win an Oscar for nearly 20 years later. And like both performers, the whole cast and director Ridley Scott are in top form at telling this story. Their efforts flirt with the pomp and regality of opera, yet the spectacle is at times as lurid as professional wrestling. Frankly, 20 years later we wish they still made ‘em like this.

The Holiday (2006)

October may be a little early for a Christmas movie, but Nancy Meyer’s The Holiday is good enough to watch year round. The 2006 rom-com stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as two women from different countries who decide to swap their homes for the holidays. Winslet’s Iris falls in love with tinseltown, and Diaz’s Amanda falls in love with Iris’ brother. With Jack Black and Jude Law as the film’s charming love interests, and bit parts for Kathryn Hahn and John Krasinski, The Holiday is the gift that keeps on giving. Fifteen years following its relatively lackluster box office debut, it remains a part of many people’s Christmas movie must-watch list. 

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)

October 1

Most people remember Angelina Jolie‘s initial turn as Lara Croft fondly, but fewer talk about her follow-up feature appearance as the adventuring archaeologist in 2003’s Cradle of Life. The sequel didn’t do as well at the domestic box office as its predecessor, but it is arguably a more enjoyable film, pitting Jolie’s Croft against Ciaran Hinds’ Dr. Jonathan Reiss in a quest for Pandora’s Box (yes, literally) with a hunky Gerard Butler by her side. The pulpy plot is silly and fun, punctuated by some clever fight and action sequences from director Jan de Bont (Speed, Twister). From deep-sea diving to leaps from Shanghai skyscrapers, there’s never a dull moment with Lara Croft, and Jolie somehow makes it all work.

Léon: The Proessional (1994)

October 1

As the movie that made Natalie Portman a star, Léon or The Professional (depending on which continent you are on) has come under fair scrutiny in recent years for its intentionally bizarre and uncomfortable Bonnie & Clyde relationship between Jean Reno’s Léon, an immigrant who pays the bills by working as an assassin for the nice pizzeria proprietor down the street (the always fun Danny Aiello), and the little girl next door, Mathilda (Portman). Only 12-years-old, Portman’s precocious antiheroine clings to Léon for protection after a crooked cop (Gary Oldman) kills her family, and then pressures him to train her as an assassin so she can get revenge… all as she becomes infatuated with the grown man.

It’s a strange film that shouldn’t work, yet does thanks to a dreamlike atmosphere achieved by director Luc Besson at the height of his professional talent, and because of a genuinely superb cast. Despite being a killer, Reno brings such childlike innocence and obliviousness to his titular character that he may as well be a French Forrest Gump. Meanwhile Oldman hams it up to high heaven in one of his career best scenery-chews. Then there’s Portman who’s heartbreaking, tragic, and bleakly funny all before she was even a teenager. Somehow it’s an enchanting action movie fairy tale that works better than it has any right to.

Malcolm X (1992)

October 1

Denzel Washington didn’t win the Oscar for Malcom X but he should have. In fact, this absolute masterpiece deserved many more accolades and appreciation in its time. A passion project for writer-director Spike Lee, who had to campaign for the film after Norman Jewison had been hired to direct, Malcolm X is a breathtaking epic. It might run at a length of nearly three and a half hours, but Lee keeps the pace nimble and engrossing as we follow the man who’d become Malcolm X from the 1940s through his ascension in the Nation of Islam, and his eventual assassination after leaving the organization.

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By David Crow

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By David Crow

The film features perhaps the most riveting and relentless performance of Washington’s career as he channels the righteousness and anger, as well as the humility and anguish, of Malcolm. Washington and Lee’s portrait is that of a mythic figure, but also a fallible one who spends his whole life growing, learning, and affecting his world for the better. It’s one of the best American films produced in the 1990s.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

October 1

We’re aware that this Robin Hood movie has a checkered history. How could one not be when everyone recalls Kevin Costner’s “British” accent (or lack thereof)? Kevin Reynolds’ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is certainly a flawed jaunt into Sherwood Forrest… but honestly it’s still a very entertaining one that’s better than you remember.

Thanks in no small part to Alan Rickman’s tremendous turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham, the movie soars while the English thespian redefines the term scene-stealing in his every walk-on. It earned him a BAFTA for his troubles. Almost as important, and less often cited, is the dynamic, thrilling score by the late great Michael Kamen, which in addition to providing one of the best adventure themes of the 1990s also led to the creation of the biggest song of ‘91, Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do (I Do It For You).” Throw in some fast-paced action filmed on actual English locations and a seriously merry acting ensemble—including Michael McShane as Friar Tuck, Nick Brimble as the best onscreen Little John, and Sean Connery’s iconic cameo as King Richard the Lionheart—and you have what’s still the best Robin Hood movie of the last 40 or so years, at least.

Step Brothers (2008)

October 1

An admittedly acquired taste, Step Brothers might just be Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s masterpiece. The pair began their professional collaboration on Saturday Night Live before graduating to their first zeitgeist-grabbing Anchorman in 2004, with Ferrell starring, McKay directing, and both co-writing. Step Brothers is their third of four films together, but it’s also the most pure: a distillation of their disdain for a certain type of toxic and anti-intellectual entitlement which sprang to the forefront of white American life in the 21st century.

Embodying that man-child selfishness is Ferrell as Brennan and John C. Reilly as Dale, two 40-year-old men who still live at home with their single parents. That nightmarish scenario turns out to be an aphrodisiac for Dale’s Dad and Brennan’s Mom (Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen), which forces these two petulant avatars of their age into sleeping under the same roof. Demented chaos ensues in a film where McKay, Ferrell, and Reilly are at last free from being forced to redeem the assholes they’re mocking.

Titanic (1997)

October 1

Beset by production problems and massive cost overruns, James Cameron’s epic retelling of the doomed 1912 maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic is undeniable populist entertainment, blending melodramatic romance with disaster movie dread and scale. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio—in star-making performances—play a fictional couple who meet and fall in love on the voyage, escaping their class boundaries to spend just a precious few days together. And then that iceberg gets in the way.

The romance may test some viewers’ patience for the first half of this three-hour movie, but Cameron brings all his considerable skills to bear in its second half, making us see and feel each agonizing moment as the massive ocean liner goes down and takes 1,500 souls with it. Titanic is still one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, and there’s a reason for that: it’s an old-fashioned (except for the visual effects) Hollywood spectacle.

Zodiac (2007)

October 1

If you haven’t seen director David Fincher’s all-time masterpiece yet, what have you been waiting for? Fincher and his tremendous cast, including future Avengers Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., plus Jake Gyllenhaal, Brian Cox, Chloe Sevigny, and more, trace in methodical fashion the long and fruitless search for Northern California’s infamous Zodiac Killer. Ruffalo’s detective and Gyllenhaal’s newspaper cartoonist take the search personally, too, becoming more obsessed the further their target seems to slip away.

Read more

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David Fincher’s Zodiac: The Movie That Never Ended

By Don Kaye

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Zodiac Killer Code Cracked After 51 Years

By Tony Sokol

Fincher’s film is suffused with an eerie, mounting sense of dread that is compounded by the fact that it never truly pays off—aside from hearing his (unconfirmed) voice on the phone at one point, there’s never a real confrontation with the Zodiac, nor any sense of closure for anyone. The feeling that time, age, and death eventually wash away everything, even the best efforts of decent people to trap a monster, is perhaps the true horror at the heart of Zodiac, which may still be the best film of its decade.

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[hauntologicalmusique-blog]

WEEK 21 (w/c 25/05/20): FINAL EVALUATION

Overall, the project undertaken has evidently been quite intense, but ultimately paid off, as the finished product is exactly what was envisioned. The project is clearly aimed at those who can appreciate horror films and horror soundtracks and while this technically isn’t aimed at any age in particular, legally and ethically, the project is for those aged 18 and above. Should this project have been able to be screened, this would have been clearly stated for attendees. 

The original goal was to create a scary video with a musique concrete soundtrack, aiming to unnerve, or scare the viewer, and this is what the project has resulted in. One main change that happened however is that of the idea of Hauntology, a case study that was undertaken during the proposal of the project. Initially, Hauntology was going to be a main source of inspiration, however this idea got lost early on, and was replaced with the visualisation of sleeping disorders. This ended up being a better way to take the project due to personal first hand experience with sleeping disorders and being able to replicate what happens in real life, on screen.

Looking positively on the project, it is clear that the video and the audio work well together, as the footage was filmed with the audio in mind, and the audio was recorded and composed with the video in mind. This communication between the two comes through very well, with each working in turn in attempt to unnerve, or scare the viewer. This scaring is done through the overall quality and clarity in the recordings and how they work together in the frequency spectrum. The introduction of the idea to render the video for the project in very low quality also resulted in a higher quality piece, as some of the footage was lower quality and created a lack of cohesion in the visuals.

Looking negatively, or constructively on the project however, it became evident halfway through the project that the videographer was not contributing enough footage due to time constraints on his end, and so additional footage had to be sourced elsewhere. Due to this, the workload became more intense, and as a result of this, the project ended up being more of a chore and less enjoyable. Because of this lack of footage from the videographer, more time was spent on the video than initially planned, and so the refining of the audio part of the project was left quite late. As such, the project is shorter an initially planned, standing at just under 3 minutes long, but it is overall still an excellent project that brings pride.

Collaboration was very hard for this project, as it was ideal that everything was to high standard, with most of the duties undertaken by myself, as the overseer of the project. Overall, however, the collaborators for the project were well looked after, with constant check ins to make sure that everything was okay, and giving one collaborator the time he needed for university assignments before asking for footage. Alongside this, opinions were encouraged from collaborators to ensure that the project was the best it could be, with many opinions taken on, including changing the direction that the project went in terms of story, or lack thereof.

VIDEO

The main sources of inspiration for the video came from Hauntology, Blair Witch Project and Shadow People. These have provided to be an excellent guide in editing the video and have offered valuable information in delivering a high quality project.

A main consideration for reflection is that of choosing to edit both the audio and the visuals for the project. This was not an easy task with all the other assignments that were going on at the same time, however it felt necessary in order to get the video perfect. For this reason, the video is a lot shorter than originally anticipated due to the mass of workload, however it still proved to be worthwhile as the project is exactly what was originally intended.

Another consideration is that of changing video editing software halfway through the project from iMovie, to its big brother Final Cut Pro. This was done due to the lack of features that iMovie has, and how limited it felt in comparison to Final Cut Pro. This did mean having to learn the software of Final Cut Pro, but this was not much of a set back however, as the software was similar to iMovie. Using Final Cut Pro was very beneficial as there were many more visual effects and transitions that could be used in conjunction with each other, resulting in a high quality video.

SOUND

The main sources of inspiration for the music came from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Musique Concrete and A Quiet Place. While the latter was a later discovery in the editing of the audio, it has proved to be very useful in informing the silence in the audio.

The overall relationship between the visual and the sound works very well, the contrast of the rich visuals with the sparse, scary soundtrack is very reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of the key inspirations. The main inspiration from Texas Chainsaw came from the found sound aspect of the soundtrack, and how the music is described as the inside of a slaughterhouse (Hawkes, 2015). This aspect of realism was something that was included in the project later on, but added that sense of fear, with the realistic sounds acting as a more personal experience for the viewer. This was a key aspect to include, as it was written in the proposal using Heimerdinger’s (2012) idea of acoustic threat scenarios that using these sounds would be imperative for creating an immersive, fearful experience (Worthington, 2019).

Using musique concrete as the genre for the soundtrack proved to be an excellent decision, as no sound is particularly distinguishable, aside from the forest sounds. These indistinguishable sounds prove themselves to be the perfect horror sounds, crossing the line between music and sound effect, as described by Hutchings (2014). The sound manipulation applied was tailored to each sound, with care taken to ensure that the same processes were not applied to every track. 

After careful and intricate research into low frequency noise and how it has effect on sleep, it was determined to keep most of the audio below 500Hz (Baliatsas, van Kamp, van Poll & Yzermans, 2016) to replicate the effect that this frequency range has on sleep. This was picked up on towards the end of the project, when it was pointed out that there was a lack of low frequency range, and that utilising this could uplift the project further.

This utilisation of the lower frequencies proved to really enhance the project, offering a rich texture across the frequency range, with emphasis on the unnerving frequencies, then scaring the viewer with a sudden high pitched snap. 

This snap is what is known as the most basic horror trick (Muir, 2013), a jump scare, and has been included at the end of the project, with a startling white masked man and a shrilling dry ice crack playing. This sound was chosen as it has been said that a loud violin shrill or a scream is often the most jarring sound to use (Bishop, 2012). Jump scares are known to work every time due to the sudden disruption to the senses (Muir, 2013), and it is evident in the video, and through feedback that the jump scare did indeed catch a lot of people out.

Looking back on the initial question of why people get scared when watching horror films, it seems to be that it is purely psychological, with primal instinct taking over when watching a particularly scary part of a film, making one react immediately and go into protection mode, even when it is known that it is just a movie (Loria, 2017). Tapping into this primal instinct was primarily done through the jump scare, when you think it is all over, and suddenly you aren’t safe. This idea came from Friday the 13th (1980), when the final girl survives at the end, until she is dragged under the water at the very end of the film, startling many. 

Overall, the project undertaken for this module has certainly pushed boundaries and proved to be more intense than initially planned, however has turned out as expected, with the hope that it can be enjoyed as an exploration into fear. 

REFERENCE LIST

Baliatsas, C., van Kamp, I., van Poll, R., & Yzermans, J. (2016). Health effects from low-frequency noise and infrasound in the general population: Is it time to listen? A systematic review of observational studies. Science Of The Total Environment, 557-558, 163-169. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.065

Bishop, B. (2012). 'Why won't you die?!' The art of the jump scare. Retrieved 11 November 2019, from https://www.theverge.com/2012/10/31/3574592/art-of-the-jump-scare-horror-movies

Cunningham, S. (1980). Friday the 13th [Film.]. New Jersey: Paramount Pictures.

Hawkes, R. (2015). The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Gunnar Hansen: 10 true stories. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11135854/The-Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre-10-true-stories.html [Accessed 18 Oct. 2019].

Heimerdinger, J. (2012). Music and sound in the horror film & why some modern and avant-garde music lends itself to it so well. Seiltanz. Beiträge Zur Musik Der Gegenwart, 4, 14-16. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/1510776/Music_and_sound_in_the_horror_film_and_why_some_modern_and_avant-garde_music_lends_itself_to_it_so_well

Hutchings, P. (2014). The Horror Film. Hoboken: Routledge/Taylor and Francis.

Loria, K. (2017). Horror movies tap into a primal fear instinct in your brain. Retrieved 19 May 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/why-horror-films-scary-fear-neuroscience-psychology-2016-10?r=US&IR=T

Muir, J. (2013). Horror Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Slashers, Vampires, Zombies, Aliens, and More. Hal Leonard Corporation.

Worthington, S. (2019). Why do we get scared when watching horror films? [Unpublished manuscript]. Plymouth Marjon University.

[jourdepluie91]

How Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped' Album Is Influencing the Pop Scene 15 Years Later 

10/29/2017 by Jeff Benjamin

"So here it is: no hype, no glass, no pretense. Just me. Stripped," Christina Aguilera opens her sophomore album. Fifteen years after its release, pop history has proven that Aguilera wasn't alone in exploring a process of self-identification and declaration that made Stripped a landmark LP still influencing today's mainstream scene.

Released on Oct. 29, 2002, Stripped's actual release marked a somewhat odd time for Aguilera, who was displaying her edgy "Xtina" person via her infamous "Dirrty" video and its accompanying promotions. At time of release, much of the media focused on her outfits and without the ease of YouTube and streaming services, Christina was only able to show a small breadth of the material on Stripped during release week with the second single "Beautiful" going to radio the following month. Yet as the world has now woken up to Aguilera's multifaceted sides thanks to the Stripped singles -- like her vulnerably empowered one (undeniable on "Beautiful"), the rock rebel ("Fighter"), feminist ("Can't Hold Us Down") and introspective hopeful ("The Voice Within") -- it becomes clear how the likes  of Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande and more of today's biggest pop stars have followed a similar path, exploring and incorporating these strategies into their careers.

One of the most fascinatingly jarring parts about Stripped wasn't the topless cover, but the wide range of music it covered. While Christina's rivals stuck to a signature sound (Britney Spears' dance-pop helped define an era) or awkwardly tried to hop genres (Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore's flips from bubblegum to sultry pop felt more like a label push than artistic renaissance), Christina was set on showcasing her span of influences and sounds for Album No. 2 after firmly establishing herself in top 40 world. That range was consistent throughout the 20 tracks as she embraced elements of...and take a breath here...Latin-pop and flamenco ("Infatuation"), neo-soul ("Loving Me 4 Me"), jazz and funk ("Impossible,""Underappreciated"), rock ("Fighter"), gospel ("Soar," "Keep on Singing My Song") and beyond. And she sold each and every performance, bringing in the right guests like Linda Perry, Lil' Kim, Dave Navarro, Alicia Keys, Redman and more to help her vision.

Despite introducing the record with a turned-up club jam, Aguilera flipped everyone on their head by following up with a ballad as classic as they come with "Beautiful." Rihanna instantly comes to mind as another musical shapeshifter, able to seamlessly showcase all her different influences throughout albums. But Ariana Grande's latest LPs My Everything and Dangerous Woman also show a huge range of genres and influences (compare "Side to Side" to "Into You"), as did Miley Cyrus on Bangerz, which jumped from its sassy, Salt-N-Pepa-inspired title track to a gut-wrenching ballad, "Maybe You're Right."

Ultimately, Christina defining herself as "stripped" was not an ode to her sexually empowered image, but representative of her peeling back layers and getting to the music and emotions that make up the vocal powerhouse as a human -- including all her darkness, fears and insecurities.

With edgier makeup, outfits, and hair choices, Christina was visually marking her evolution, rocking jet-black hair for half her era, infamously using piercings as a way to cope with trauma, and taking more fashion risks than ever with bold dresses, cheeky pins and lots of see-through. Of recent, Rihanna may have most famously made this artistic jump during her Rated R era that saw her taking a noticeably darker turn (see the songs "Russian Roulette," "Mad House") and her look growing more provocative (with an asymmetrical pixie cut and showing lots more skin), and being more frank about who she was at the time (specifically requesting more somber music).

But the idea of Stripped also represented the topics and hyper-specific experiences that Xtina was examining in herself.

Penultimate track "I'm OK" saw her on the verge of tears singing about the domestic abuse she witnessed as a child, "Walk Away" detailed her inability to leave a toxic relationship, "Infatuation" discussed her first love in former dancer Jorge Santos, as the "Loves Embrace Interlude" gave insight into her fear to let someone love her, almost certainly about then-boyfriend Jordan Bratman. Listeners got insight into Demi Lovato's head via her revealing "Daddy Issues" off her Xtina-approved Tell Me You Love Me album, which explores how the star's estranged father affects her love and sex life. Meanwhile, Cyrus' Bangerz album is essentially the tale of her dissolving engagement with Liam Hemsworth that begins with the tender love song "Adore You" and ends with the aggressively declarative "Someone Else."

And, of course, Stripped lives on for its bold embracing of sexuality.

All four of the aforementioned pop stars have become increasingly aware of the power their sexuality brings in the public eye. Whether it's Ariana seducing the camera while declaring herself a "Dangerous Woman" in the accompanying video, Demi making sexual experimentation "Cool for the Summer," or Miley literally donning her own pair of leather chaps on tour (to which Xtina applauded, "Cheers from one dirrty girl to the next") it all feels like the next steps in the path Aguilera helped build after the likes of Donna Summer, Madonna and Cher.

But today's stars have a much more sex-positive environment and won't have Saturday Night Live making a judgey (and unfortunately quite unfunny) skit, Entertainment Weekly calling them "desperate and shrill," Time referring to them as "hookers," or continuous hatred from other celebrities (did Kelly Osbourne really have a crush on Xtina?). Songs like "Get Mine, Get Yours" talk of Xtina's affinity for casual sex, while "Can't Hold Us Down" includes lines like, "The guy gets all the glory the more he can score / While the girl can do the same yet you call her a whore." Who else was talking like that and owning it with an equally open and sexually positive image in 2002?

If people had been paying attention to the full story instead of just the leather chaps, they would have seen the grand vision Aguilera was unfolding and her influence would be much more widely recognized on today's pop scene. The Thursday before Stripped's release, Christina delivered a short set at Chicago radio station B96's Halloween Bash. She performed "Dirrty" and "Get Mine, Get Yours," but during her performance of "Beautiful" -- one of the first live renditions of the future Grammy-winning song -- the instrumental track started skipping so Xtina asked for the music to be cut and busted out an a cappella performance with her backup singers before wrapping it up with the bluesy "Impossible." Yes, getting dirrty help introduce the world to the new Xtina, but the deeper messages of individuality, positivity, hopefulness and above-all-else confidence that came with that introduction have only recently begun to be embraced and recognized in pop music. Whenever that next album comes -- it's soon right, Ms. Christina Maria?!? -- one can only hope her shape-shifting legacy fuels more empowering, exciting artistry.

[xeford2020]

Shopping at an 1880s General Store

Left side of J.R. Jones General Store featuring large grocery “department” and a cigar case on the counter up front. (THF53774)

During the 1880s, proprietor James R. Jones would have welcomed customers to this general merchandise store—now in Greenfield Village but originally located in the rural village of Waterford, Michigan.  Jones sold everything here that townspeople, local farm families, or visiting out-of-towners might want—from groceries to fabrics to farm tools to fishing poles.  The store also served as a community gathering place, for customers to exchange news, socialize, and pick up mail.

Choices between similar products even in country stores like this one were quite plentiful.  Decisions by shoppers depended upon such things as their family background, gender, financial means, and personal values.

Here’s a sampling of some of the products that 1880s customers to the J.R. Jones store might have purchased.

Sugar barrel (THF176665)

Sugar (approximate price: .08-.12/lb)

In a study of general store accounts from the era, customers purchased sugar more often than any other single product. It was, of course, used in cooking and baking, but large quantities of it were necessary for preserving fresh seasonal produce in the days before refrigeration. 

Sugar was available in many grades, from “A” (the highest) to brown to “X” (the lowest).  Sugar was available in bulk and, unless a storekeeper stocked several grades, customers had little choice in the quality of sugar they obtained at the local store.

Store canisters for tea (THF176669)

Tea (approximate price: .45-.75/lb)

The Grocer’s Companion (1884) called tea the “foremost of all beverages in reference to its invigorating and restorative qualities.” Tea came in a tremendous variety of grades and types in the late 19th century, and store canisters were often specifically designed to hold the various types. They came from only one species of evergreen shrub or small tree. The differences came in how the tea was grown and how the leaves were treated.  All the tea in the J.R. Jones General Store came from China, which was considered the center of the tea industry at the time. This included:

“Black” teas, which underwent a fermentation process before drying.These included Oolong (strong and pungent, made from young leaves) and English Breakfast (in the 19th century, a blend that came from China, but was popularized in England).

“Green” teas, which were submitted immediately upon gathering to a high temperature in iron pans.These included Gunpowder (made from young leaves, fragrant and pungent taste with a greenish hue and shaped like round small shot); and Imperial (like Gunpowder but with larger leaves).

Cans of tomatoes (THF176668) Canned tomatoes (approximate price: .15/can)

Tomatoes were one of the most popular commercially available canned food products.  By the 1880s, improved manufacturing techniques in canning had raised the production of canned goods to a major American industry, making all manner of fruits, vegetables, and meats available year-round to just about everyone but the very poor.

Canned goods, however, had many critics. Some claimed that the food tasted “tinny,” that it was unhealthy, and that products were adulterated to add weight (this was before the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906). In some cases, women also could be looked down upon for relying on canned goods rather than canning and preserving themselves.  Nevertheless, the presence of canned goods in store accounts and advertisements attests to their popularity. 

Packages of Magic Yeast and One Spoon Baking Powder (THF176670)

Magic Yeast and One Spoon Baking Powder (approximate price: .15-.25/box)

Despite the introduction of several different brands of baking powder during this time, yeast still remained the most popular bread-leavening agent. Many women made their own yeast and numerous recipes appeared in cookbooks. As for the commercially processed product, compressed yeast introduced by Gaff, Fleischman & Company in the 1860s, was considered the purest and most dependable form of yeast.

But many brands of packaged yeast cakes and powders, including this Magic Yeast, vied for competition in the market. Critics of these commercial yeast products claimed that their vitality could be easily destroyed by heat, cold or movement, and that they could make bread sour or moldy.  Still, they were much more convenient than the homemade. 

Baking powder, a leavening agent usually made from a proportion of cream of tartar and carbonate of soda, was fairly new on the scene in the 1880s. It saved careful measuring of one or both of these ingredients in baked goods, and saved hours of time over yeast in making bread. Dozens of baking powders, like this One Spoon brand, were available on the market.

But baking powder, more than just about any other cooking ingredient of the late 19th century, raised suspicion and complaints among housekeepers and advice writers alike.  High cost, poor performance, and leaving a bitter taste in foods comprised some of these complaints. But even more alarm was raised by accusations of adulteration—that is, the addition of impure ingredients like lime, earth, or alum, which could actually injure people’s health. Fortunately, most of these problems were worked out in the next decade or so, when the advent of “quick breads” really began. It was the adventurous housewife that tried baking powder in the 1880s. 

Variety of graniteware coffee boilers (THF176673)

Graniteware coffee boiler (approximate price: 1.00-1.35)

When enamel-coated ironware was introduced in 1874, it was marketed as light (compared to cast iron), handsome (the gray mottled surface was considered picturesque and elegant), wholesome (wouldn’t rust or corrode like tinware and didn’t contain poisonous arsenic, lead, or antimony like cheap imitations), and durable (actually, it chipped easily but 3 out of 4 points in its favor weren’t bad!). Manufacturers of this so-called granite ironware, or graniteware (because of its visual appearance like granite), optimistically claimed that these goods would entirely supplant the “common and unserviceable” stamped tinware. (Actually, it was aluminum that did this in the early 20th century.)  In the 1890s, enamel-coated steel replaced much of the earlier granite ironware.

Coffee, as an accompaniment to breakfast and other meals, was an extremely popular beverage at this time. The most common way of preparing it was in an open boiler on a cookstove.

Package of Rising Sun Stove Polish (THF176674)

Package of Rising Sun Stove Polish (approximate price: .08-.10/pkg)

This product would have been used in conjunction with blacking to clean and give luster to cast-iron stoves. It was mixed with a liquid agent (e.g., turpentine or soap-suds) for application to the stove. This was a crucial task for cleaning cast-iron stoves, but it was also marketed as necessary to maintaining a tasteful home. Rising Sun Stove Polish was very aggressive in its marketing. Advertisements boasted that it was “the oldest and most reliable stove polish in the world” and that it would “keep stoves looking good and operating efficiently.” 

Case of boxes of cigars (THF176666)

Cigars (approximate price: .04-.08 apiece)

During the 1880s, cigar-smoking was extremely popular, especially among men who wanted to appear prosperous and ambitious. Unlike smoking tobacco (for pipes) and plugs of chewing tobacco, where production was monopolized by a few large national manufacturers, cigars were still produced at thousands of small, local manufactories across the country as well as in Havana, Cuba. Detroit had several cigar factories. As a result of this great number of producers, cigars came in a daunting array of sizes, colors, grades, and flavors. To the uninitiated, sometimes only the eye-catching images on their boxes in the store’s showcase distinguished one brand from another.

Packages of Ayer’s Hair Vigor (THF176671)

Ayer’s Hair Vigor (approximate price: .50)

The hairstyles of the 1880s required an abundant supply of healthy hair in order to make it stand up as high and look as natural as possible. Hair dressings and restorers abounded, with Ayer’s Hair Vigor among the best known. 

This product claimed to promote hair growth, restore color and vitality to faded or gray hair, and render the hair soft, youthful, and glossy. It contained cream of tartar (removed the reddish color in hair caused by rust from iron-rich well water); glycerin (a moisturizer); lead acetate (which claimed to remove the gray hair); and a caustic soda (a.k.a. sodium hydroxide or lye), which claimed to be a hair relaxer or straightener. The colorful images of young women with long, luxurious hair on Ayer’s trade cards and packages must have encouraged older women to try this product as well. 

Medical journals attacked Ayer’s Hair Vigor as unsafe and denounced its manufacturer as deceiving the public. But the product’s allure persisted, and certainly J.R. Jones and his customers would have been unaware of any safety warnings from such journals. 

Jars of Woodworth’s Ursina Bear Grease (THF176672)

Woodworth’s Ursina Bear Grease (approximate price: .12)

Pomades, oils, and dressings for keeping hair in place and sometimes for promoting hair growth were popular men’s grooming aids in the late 19th century. In fact, that is the major reason why ornamental lace tidies and antimacassars were so common—to protect the surfaces of chairs and sofas from these often greasy concoctions. This particular product claimed to be “real bear grease procured from the Rocky Mountains and very carefully refined.” 

3 varieties of castor sets (THF176678)

Castor set (approximate price: $1.50-2.25)

In the 1880s, silver-plated castor sets frequently formed the centerpiece of the dining table for middle-class families, reflecting the families’ good taste and economic status.  Castor sets would have been a necessity in places like hotels and boardinghouses, where large groups of people dined—each with different tastes in food. They were available in a tremendous variety of styles and prices. Most contained two to six bottles, generally for holding pepper, mustard, oil, and vinegar, and sometimes other spices.

Boxes of men’s and women’s collars (THF176676)

Men’s and women’s collars (approximate price: .10-.30)

A white shirt with a white collar and cuffs marked the man as someone of means, or at least on his way up. But clean collars and cuffs were always a necessity, no matter what color and style shirt a man wore. Enter replaceable collars and cuffs.

Men’s collars of the 1880s were plain in style and were made of paper, celluloid, or linen. Collars were high and tight, either “standing” (straight up around the neck) or “turned outward” (tips or side edges turned outward or over and slightly down), complementing the coats which buttoned high during this time. Paper and celluloid collars were considered disposable, while linen collars could be washed and ironed and kept fresh for a period of time.

Women’s dresses were time-consuming to make and costly to have someone else make. Purchasing a new collar was an inexpensive way of freshening or updating the look of a dress that had been around for a while. Ladies’ collars were detachable and could be used multiple times on various garments. They ranged in price, from fairly plain linen collars to intricate lace ones.

Men’s derbies and straw hats (THF176675)

Men’s hats (approximate price: .50-1.75 for straw; $1.00-2.50 for derby)

While top, or silk, hats might have been worn by a wealthy city gentleman going to a fancy affair, Waterford men would have generally worn a bowler hat, supplemented by a low-crowned straw hat for summer occasions. The hard felt bowler (usually referred to as a derby in the United States) was a staple, durable hat that could have been worn all day long—even at work—and was generally considered a symbol of respectability. 

Also during this time, the hat industry aimed to persuade every man to purchase a new straw hat at the beginning of every summer. Straw hats tended to be water-resistant to hold up even on rainy days.

Bolts of fabric (THF176677)

Fabric (approximate price: .05 for print to 1.30 for silk)

Women’s clothing was not ready-made yet, so all dresses had to be fashioned at home or by a seamstress.  Bolts of fabric and trims lined numerous shelves of general stores like this one.  The bolts of fabric in this store include:

“Print”– a general term for a fabric onto which patterns were printed or applied by dyes after it was machine-woven.Available in a huge variety of designs, it was about the cheapest and most durable, but least elegant, dress fabric available.

Linen – One of the oldest textile fabrics known, this would have been imported.It was more elegant and fashionable than cotton, but also quite a bit more expensive and harder to maintain.

Wool – A very warm and durable fabric, produced in mills in the eastern United States.(In fact, the fleece from sheep raised on farms around Waterford was shipped to these mills.)Wool was very serviceable for winter clothing.

Silk – Noted for its resiliency and elasticity, this would have been imported.It was quite a bit more expensive than wool, and dresses made of this material would have been elegant and stylish.

Donna Braden is Senior Curator and Curator of Public Life at The Henry Ford.

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[alexanderwrites]

Thoughts Roundup - Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 11

“There’s Fire Where You’re Going”

Here is an episode that i’ve heard a lot of people describing as the point where this season “hits its stride”. What i’d say is that, while each episode has been nothing less than great (for me), there has been a certain scattershot style to the season which has displeased some. This scattershot style is not detrimental, but certainly is different to what we expect from narrative, serialised television. So far, the season has been like a closeup of a patchwork made of smaller segments, and with this episode, we’re starting to get a clearer idea of what the patchwork will look like when viewed as a whole. Will we really see the big picture by season’s end? Maybe not. But by “hits its stride”, what I believe people mean is it is satisfying to see the threads pulled tighter and the picture look a bit clearer, as it does in tonight’s episode. There is a narrative flow in Part 11, as well as what feels like quite a bit of progress. Adding to this is the episode’s crafty blending of all the elements that make Twin Peaks Twin Peaks. The show’s deadpan humour, jarring violence, abstract nightmare segments and small-town drama were all present tonight in an episode that felt cohesive, tight and covered a lot of bases that people wanted covered. 

. Miriam ISN’T DEAD!!! If last week’s episode punished by presenting women without agency, this one gave them a bit more to do. Miriam, thank the lord (or lords David and Mark) is alive, and her crawling out the bushes is a relieving but nightmarish image, and really reminded me of Ronette Pulaski. This Miriam’s a fighter and a good person, and I hope she helps to put an end to Richard’s reign of terror.

. Becky is Laura, right? I mean, not literally Laura. But she is sort of Laura? The shots of her looking skyward while riding in her boyfriend’s car a while back visually recalled Laura, and her scream tonight was Laura all over. Pained and furious. Even if her actions differ from Laura’s, I think she is supposed to remind us of her. Violence is cyclical, people don’t change, and what has been will always be. That’s what the show is about for better or worse, so echoes from the past reverberate as Laura’s ghost looms heavily on the town, and on Becky. I liked seeing Becky intent on revenge, and part of me really hoped she’d kill her sleazebag boyfriend. But then again, I’m glad she didn’t, because I wouldn’t want to see her locked away so soon. I found her super interesting tonight and can’t wait to see where her character goes, and what a lovely surprise it was that she’s Bobby’s daughter.

. Seeing Bobby and Shelley together was surreal. I kept remembering how they looked when partying around Leo’s comatose body, and thinking “shit, that’s actually them”. It’s a shame they never made it work, but it’s an even bigger shame that Shelley has found an even bigger sleazeball (sleazebag? There are too many Sleazes in this show. I’m not sure what comes after Sleazebag and Ball. Sleazecar? Sleazehouse?) in Balthazar Getty, who’s name i’ve forgotten and won’t look up because I prefer writing the name Balthazar Getty. Shelley hasn’t made a good choice in hooking up with this guy who we know is a drug importer, and it seems that Becky is following a similar path. I love Shelley, and will always sympathise with her. She brings out the protectiveness of the audience, and Becky does the same. I really, deeply hope to god that history doesn’t repeat itself, and that Shelley and Becky won’t get hurt. 

. Did anyone else think of the little kid with the gun as a lodge spirit? You could say that about anyone on the fucking show (James Hurley is a lodge spirit! The pie they serve at the Double R is a lodge spirit!), but he reminded me of little Lynch Jr as little Tremond (who turned out to be a lodge spirit in Fire, Walk With Me). Maybe it’s because of his creepily defiant stance, his silence, and that he’s dressed exactly like his dad, but it felt like a surreal moment and that something more sinister is happening there. Then something even MORE surreal happens, and it’s the hardest i’ve laughed at something that’s scared me in the show yet. Yes, i’m talking about the slime puking teenager and the screaming woman. The scream was so repetitive and strange sounding, and the longer it went on, the more funny yet disturbing it sounded. I put my hands to my cheeks Kevin Macallister style and could only offer up a big, loud “WHAT THE FUCK”. I love that Bobby simply watches like we do. Utterly bizarre - and what do we think of the Woman’s dialogue? Did it remind anyone else of “Around the dinner table, the conversation is lively”? It did for me, but it might mean nothing which is totally fine with me. I’m here for individual moments, and if by episode 18 i’m saying “Wait - what the fuck happened to the slime puking teen?”, that’ll be fine with me. 

. Elsewhere in town, Hawk and Frank are planning their field trip to the black lodge. I hadn’t thought before of electricity being the modern version of fire because i’m a dumb asshole, but when Hawk says so it makes a lot of sense. Fire and Electricity seems to be the Uber of the spirit world. They use it to travel, as well as way that they harness their power. The thing we really want to know is the thing that Hawk tells Frank he doesn’t ever want to know about: that weird symbol that was on Doppelcoop’s playing card, and is on the top of Hawk’s map. Why does nobody ever say ‘actually, I really DO please’ when told ‘you don’t want to know’? I want to know!! And we get another touching call from Margaret, who tells us her log is afraid of fire (i’m still keen on the theory that her log contains the spirit of her husband - a logger who died in a fire) and that there is a fire where they’re going (hey! that’s the name of the show!). Her warnings are to be taken very seriously, and with how bleak this season can and has been, we should start preparing ourselves now for something bad to happen out in those woods to Hawk, Bobby and to a lesser extent, Frank. I am so excited about this storyline because I just want any excuse to see more of the woods and more of the black lodge.

. Let’s raise a toast to Matthew Fucking Lillard. Matthew Fucking Lillard. The longer I think about it, the more certain I am that he’s been my favourite performer this year so far, and I was saddened to see his head...uh...smashed off(?) tonight - in a manner that recalls how the heads of those lovers were smashed off by the box monster all those weeks ago. In an ensemble of hundreds, he truly stood out and made every moment he was on screen utterly riveting. And this scene is the most memorable of the night for me, while Cole’s deadpan of “He’s Dead” is the funniest line of the night. 

There’s so much to unpack, but the image of Cole staring into a portal to another place is absolutely a standout moment. This place in South Dakota is another Glastonbury Grove (if we weren’t sure enough, it’s on Sycamore Street), and seeing Gordon begin to fade as he stands in the path of the portal really reminded me of Cooper descending into the Black Lodge at the end of Season 2. Also at the scene, we get a couple of woodsmen spirits standing on some stairs (which reminded me of the stairs in the Palmer household) inside the portal, as well as one very real woodsman who gives Bill Hastings’ head a cheeky little burst. It’s such a simple effect, but the fading in and out of the woodsmen deeply scares me. It’s so uncomfortable and dreamlike, and a neat way of hammering home that these things are not from our world. I don’t like how they sneak! And then they find Ruth Davenport’s corpse (Ruth, we hardly knew ye) with coordinates on her arm which will doubtlessly lead right back to Twin Peaks. It’s beginning to become clearer how the FBI will end up back in our favourite town, and Diane loses the trust of both us and Albert even more when she clearly mouths and memorises the co-ordinates written on Ruth’s arm. It’s hard to figure out at this stage just what is going on with her, but whatever the answer is, we’re likely to find out that she is in cahoots with some really bad eggs. This might lead her and the FBI on the path back to town, but it’s still vague as to how Coop will find himself back there. Speaking of Coop....

. I was really, really pleased with how his story developed tonight. He seemed a lot more lucid in this part, and seemed affected by his gentle knock-on-the-chin by his boss. And his final scene is monumental, but before I get to that let’s tackle...

. Those darn Mitchum brothers (a spinoff sitcom produced by Chuck Lorre?). Last week, I wrote that they weren’t my favourites and that i’d like their story to move at a pace quicker than Dougie eating pie. Tonight, perhaps because of the makeup of the episode, I enjoyed every moment with them and, yes, the story moves swiftly along. They make a really fun unit to watch bounce of each other, even if it is hard to reconcile that i’m praising the work of Jim Belushi and T-Bag from Prison Break (for the record, Robert Knepper is a great actor. Prison Break is not a great anything). Their scenes tonight developed their chemistry and personalities, and I liked seeing Brother Jim talking about his dreams (the work of someone in the black lodge?) - and the fact that he doesn’t want to kill Dougie if he “isn’t our enemy” was a nice touch. It highlights that there is an intelligence and even a tiny bit of humanity in him, and that he’s not as simple as a ruthless thug who’ll kill anyone he feels like. They may be a couple of bastards, but tonight I found them interesting and of a different breed to the typical tough-guy gangsters. Coop has brought them a cherry pie, as instructed by Mike via the Black Lodge. Brother Jim had a dream about a box with a cherry pie in it, and if its in there, ‘Dougie’ is not their enemy and they can’t kill him, he insists. And so Black Lodge spirits save Coop again! Again the question arises of why they want him alive, and why they need him to wake up. I’m still betting that it’s because they need Doppelcoop back in the black lodge, and that Coop waking up has something to do with Doppelcoop being sent back. We’re edging closer and closer, and it’s getting pretty damn exciting.

. And then the Mitchum brothers and Coop go for cherry pie! There are plentiful allusions to the past, and who Coop used to be, but he can’t get back. And in a sense, the show Twin Peaks cannot get back to what it used to be - and why should it need to? People have aged, actors have died, times have changed and the world is different now. The 1950′s aesthetics of chrome diners and cherry pies and colourful fashion were always a veneer that the show hid under. It was never about that, but instead about how a surface of gloss is wrapped over the ugliest crimes of humanity to make them more palatable. It is entirely possible to enjoy the aesthetics of the show (and honestly, everyone who loves Twin Peaks, me included, enjoys it), but it is important to remember that that’s not what the show is about. If anything it’s a pretty vicious critique of how false this aesthetic is, and about the damage done by ugliness being wrapped in a pretty package. And now, that pretty image isn’t as strong as it used to be. It’s not there because it never really was. Coop can (loudly) eat his cherry pie, he can even call it “Damn good”, but he’s been through too much now. He’s seen too much, and we have too. We can’t get back to the idealised version of Twin Peaks because Lynch and Frost have shown us that it isn’t real. Nostalgia might call us back to it, and we can fawn over images of the past and try to get that feeling back - the feeling Coop gets when he hears a pretty song, or sees a pair of red shoes - but it isn’t there for us anymore, and I think that’s what The Return has all been about. It’s not about going back and finding that everything is beautiful and exactly how you left it, but about the fruitless struggle of trying to recreate the past. Who knows - maybe by season’s end we’ll have a beautiful moment of Coop waking up, of order being restored and him enjoying a meal at the Double R. And if we get that, it will doubtlessly be stunning, and moving and haunting - because we will have the knowledge of what has happened. The pull between an idealised past and a cold, stark present is a powerful one, and the final scene of tonight’s episode conveys this masterfully. The song the pianist plays - which sounds quite a bit like Laura Palmer’s theme - is the past calling out to Coop, and he responds, as does the viewer on hearing it. Where it goes from here is impossible to predict, but this is a moment of real beauty that summarises the entire run thus far. 

“If you put these two symbols together, you get this”

“Black Fire”

“Correct”

[calistachan3217]

Ex. B

22.8.2019 The image depicts Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” (1917). The artwork itself consists of a white, commonplace porcelain urinal with the signature “R. Mutt” and the date 1917. It is photographed under a muted spotlight, creating a white-to-grey background that highlights the contours and overall silhouette of the urinal. Albeit not discernible from this sole image, the urinal has also been rotated 90 degrees from its standard orientation.

Unabashedly plain, the urinal’s simplistic design is evoked through its symmetricality as well as uniform tone and texture. Not even the holes and protrusions disrupt the main body’s regularity. It is the rigidity of these embellishments, however, that heightens the juxtaposition between the scrawled writing on the urinal and the original urinal itself. Between the two-dimensional, black, and jittery lines against the three-dimensional, white, and smooth porcelain lies a distinct tactile and visual dichotomy. Returning to the commercial nature of the urinal, a similar contrast is present between the formal and grandiose framing of the object and the cheap, seemingly replaceable object itself.

Duchamp’s “Fountain” garnered controversy as a prime example of whether Dadaist works could be considered “art”, which I might press to include the clause “in comparison to design”. To displace such a basal and obscene object from its shop window (or toilet) into the spotlight of high art questions the ethics and exclusivity of art itself. The urinal, now referred to as a “sculpture”, might have little intrinsic value against the criteria of high art, yet not only did it wield and incite fervent social commentary as art tends to do, but also is a work of art by Duchamp’s definition. "Fountain” has, and continues to critically destabilizes the semiotics of art and its art world as its multiple contradictions continued to extend into social discourse, thoroughly cementing itself as a work of art.

I personally find the humbly-photographed urinal charming and novel. The jarring impact of this crude, silent household object upon the art world’s sensitivities effectively coaxed out the truly elitist nature of art in itself, while simultaneously unpicking the formalities that enforce this snobbery. I feel that “Fountain” remains timeless and relevant even in our modern context - it has a comic edge of vulgarity that the random pair of glasses recently placed and scrutinized in MoMA lacks. The unwitting elevation of the piece via our very decry of it is an endless paradox and endlessly entertaining.

Reference List

Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917/1964 · San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved from https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/98.291

[psychopathicwriting]

the difference in dark

Each of us is different, I hope you understand. Each of us has our own... style, I suppose you could say. While our end goals may end up being similar, we each have very different ways of getting them done. For example. 

You’re every desire is met to perfection with me. I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted, darling. But I can take it away too. I can give you all the... love... and attention you so desire. 

And in return, I ask for a simple favour, in the end. 

Don’t mistake me for being a demon, I’m very much my own being, and hell is purely metaphysical. While I may look like someone you already trust, it’s only because he’s a better person to look like. But you can only get fake attention from him through a screen. 

I  c a n  t a k e  c a r e  o f  y o u .

How do you know I’m here? Usually I can appear as your version of normal. It’s only when I want you to know I’m here for you is when I come across as something ethereal. 

I give your world new colour. It will split and multiply in an array of aesthetically pleasing and somewhat jarring or confusing visuals. I make it so that all you can see is me, all you can clearly hear is me. All you have... i s  m e. 

That is after all, my way of getting things done. It’s much more satisfying to see you crumble to the point where you become entirely dependent on me. And when i have no further desire to please you, you  B  R  E  A  K  .

[itsakyo]

Could you take some time to rate/ talk about each of the songs from Taeyeon's My Voice, from a musical perspective? I don't know anything about music so I thought it would be nice to hear from someone who knows what they think about the songs ^^;

“I don’t know anything about music“ No, no, no. You know music in the way you do. Music is personal.

If you’re talking about more technical stuff…perhaps some additional knowledge is required. Otherwise, music is about liking… or not. To me, it’s a simple thing, hahaha.

Since you asked for my opinions, I’ll put them here with a score for how much I love the song, not how ‘good’ it is. Every song is awesome cos every song was put together by a ton of professionals who clearly know what they’re doing hahaha.

Fine: SO, SO, SO GOOD. How do I even begin to talk about this song? Everything is right about this song. The “it’s not fine” hook is so strong. The instrumentation is ON POINT. The song is never boring at any point and it’s not outrightly sad like a ballad yet carries the angst just under the surface, barely there, yet right there at the same time. AND TAEYEON’S VOICE IN THIS ONE. Her low, slightly airier tone in the verse. Then the nice solid higher register for the chorus. And the way she lefts her breath go at the ends of the lines in the chorus, like she’s really giving up / tired / lonely / gonna cry. HALP. And to top it off, I think the final “it’s not fine” really ties it up all so nicely with that soft, airy expression, like she’s so sad and so vulnerable deep inside even if she may not look like it. Think sad abandoned puppy. (10/10 💗 )

Cover Up: Playful, club friendly with some remixing, or even without. The rift and build up to the chorus are really similar to happy EDM club songs out there and the occasional instrumental surprises (flute-ish electronics + that triangle sound) are a nice touch. (8.5/10 💗 )

Feel So Fine: The chorus chord progression and melodic line reminds me of Katy Perry and/or Taylor Swift songs to be honest. HAHAHA. It’s has really nice guitar lines that also remind me a lot of songs from bands with a cool vibe. A very nice song for cruising, imo. (7/10💗)

I Got Love: A much more dramatic, visual song. The heavy bass and rift really enhance the sexiness, as does the pre-chorus slow down with longer chords dragging it out. But main rift reminds me of a heart beat, dugun, dugun, which I really like cos it paints that image of getting worked up on the inside. It also has a slightly more cabaret rhythmic pattern which fits the sexy, sultry vibes. Coupled with the way Taeyeon pulls her notes legato and scoops her notes up and down. OOH LA LA~ There is also a lot of echo and reverb added for her vocal line and it creates the feeling of being in a chamber or somewhere enclosed, increasing the feeling of intimacy, like you’re in a room, just you and her. HEHEHE. (10/10 💗)

I’m OK: RETRO RETRO RETRO. 80s maybe? Taeyeon’s voice is distorted to create the sound of a much older mic, like those from long ago. Like she’s singing in a pub/bar in the 80s/90s. The layer of brass in the background also gives it a more retro feel. Not to mention the choice of electric guitar, twang twang. Taeyeon tweaks her voice quite a lot in this song for the endings of her phrases so it sounds pretty cool. Picture a leather jacket, Harley Davidson, biker bar, a jukebox…yeah. (6.5/10 💗)

Time Lapse: The rift when the song picks up after one cycle is really familiar, like EDM songs out there. It isn’t quite what I was expecting from KJW, to be very honest. But it has a really nice touch of “band” vibes (chord progression, instrumentation in chorus) which piles on the feels. I think the guitar is a little too heavy at the end but that’s just me. (6.5/10 💗)

Sweet Love: Really smooth and cool melody with chord progression. Like one of those really cool R&B singers’ songs. I would imagine a singer like Bruno Mars crooning away with this hahaha. Personally, I wonder what the effect would be like if Taeyeon didn’t belt the high notes in the chorus. It feels slightly jarring to me in the grand scheme of things cos from the title to the verse and everything it feels like the song should be light but because the chorus is full of heavy belting, the song becomes much heavier. So I wonder what the song will sound like if she used her head voice and falsetto for the chorus. It will sound a lot lighter overall which might be flat and boring to some, who knows but I can’t help wondering. Perhaps it would be nice if the first couple choruses are done with falsetto then bringing in the belting only in the last chorus or something like that. (7.5/10 💗)

When I Was Young: Taeyeon’s voice is really nice for this song. It’s a ballad with a classical accompaniment (strings + piano) and the chord progression + modulation gives the song more class and it reminds me of a classic Kdrama OST style. This song would have made a really good OST, imo. HAHAHAHA. (8.5/10💗 )

Lonely Night: Super chill vibes. Nice touch of a twang twang guitar at a corner. The melody is so smooth and cool here, it all blends very well with the electronic piano line flowing under the vocal line. It reminds me a bit of a classy restaurant / lobby or a classy hotel. The chord progression in the chorus is really nice. And I like the bridge as well. Overall, I’m reminded a bit of Starlight and Dean too hahaha. (10/10💗 )

Love in Colour: I’m a sucker for this kind of song. Strong piano base, simple instrumentation. I like the use of falsetto for the higher note in the chorus. The entire song is cohesive, soft and quiet, pensive throughout with some touches of drama in the piano accompaniment. It reminds me of Adele type of songs. They sink deeper into your soul if you know what I mean. (10/10💗 )

Fire: Totally can see Demi Levato singing this. It’s format is a little like Skyscraper in some ways too. I love the verse and the chorus melody line. There’s the rock and a twinge of country…very nice. Taeyeon’s voice comes out really nice in the chorus belting. (10/10💗 )

Eraser: A song with a dangerous edge. Really, really, really love this one. So many layers and they all blend very well. The arranger did super duper good on this one. It’s so good that I have nothing much to say. HAHAHA. The shifts in the song are so well transited and the overall cohesiveness is sooo tight. Not to mention, Taeyeon played with her voice sooo well, especially in the opening lines of the song. Then in the chorus. I really like the edge she gives her voice in this song and her treatment of the endings of the lines. (10/10💗 )

[dilettantereviews]

2016 Favorites

1) Rihanna- Anti

Before Anti, I thought the best thing Rihanna would put her name on was Reb’l Fleur, a perfume I tried out at Sears once (okay, her last three moments had fleeting moments of greatness that were undoubtedly the result of no quality control and rushing to get them out quickly). This campaign didn’t get any help at all from the bad pre album singles and the messy Diary whatever. I honestly thought Rihanna was just exhausted and wanted a break, explaining moments like making fun of a fan’s Rihanna inspired prom outfit in 2014 (I know it was a long time ago and a single incident but for me, that sticks out as especially messy). When this album came out, and I heard that Tidal was giving it away for free, I was confused, rolled my eyes, and downloaded it anyway. I was in shock by how much I liked the album when I listened to it on my commute the next morning. Although very little was immediate, you could tell there was way more focus and effort on this. Even months later, awkward duds that could’ve sink Loud or Unapologetic like Sex with Me have grown and become enjoyable. I think what makes this album work the most, without a doubt, is the variety. I didn’t have to swap it out at all at any point in the year. While most of the songs are either about relationships or professional growth, the genres are everywhere. Dancehall, dub, doo wop, acoustic, psychedelic, 80’s power ballads, regular ballads, and neo soul all are found throughout the album, even on the same song.

2) Kristin Kontrol- X Communicate

This is the best of the 80’s inspired indie albums post Emotion. She’s probably between Carly Rae Jepsen and Kitten on the “dance vs indie” scale (so maybe Tegan and Sara?). Sure, Kristin is a Sub Pop musician with a background in indie rock, but this solo album has all her pop influences shining through. I can listen to the album constantly without getting bored. Also, if you have a chance to see her, you should definitely go. I’m biased because I did see her (lol) but we met her after the show and talked and she’s so nice and cool. It was my first meet and greet (can you call it that if that’s the merch stand?) but she talked with us and was enthusiastic and helped count my change lol. The title track, Skin Shed, and White Street (aka the Tom’s Diner of our generation) are my personal favorites.

3) Jessy Lanza- Oh No

Electronic whisper queen. Reinvents her sound through minimal 80’s inspire arcade noise bops. It’s hard to describe all the songs individually but this time she skipped the ballads and downtempo for something with more of a pulse. The title track, sarcastic VV Violence, and It Means I Love You are my personal stand out tracks. 

4) Tinashe- Night Ride

My fall 2016 professional album. It chronicles her struggles at RCA throughout the making of Joyride with edgy, dark, electronic R&B. Lots of people say this but this is genuinely for her fans. Someone pointed this out on PopJustice, but the first track is named Lucid Dreaming, aka the process of learning how to control your dreams. This is a callback to her 2015 post Aquarius mixtape Amethyst, which started with a song called Dreams Are Real. This album consists of Tinashe coming to terms that combining artistic integrity and success will be more difficult than she initially imagined, through songs like C’est La Vie, Sunburn, Sacrifices, and You Don’t Know Me. She managed to find a home for all of the fake lead singles over the last year, like Party Favors, Ride of Your Life, and Company, but updated them to make it more relevant and at least serve us something a little more fresh (all the instant grat single people can learn from Tinashe). I even love High Speed Chase (she needs to make a full length version as a lead single for the next Teen Dystopian movie soundtrack. Maybe even Passengers?). There are still more (somber, electronic) bops like Spacetime and Touch Pass. This won’t be the album to end Tinashe’s commercial problems or get her into RCA’s priority promotion agenda, but at least fans are reassured that even after songs like an insipid Chris Brown duet, she can still make great music that stays true to herself.

5) Solange- A Seat at the Table

My taste in Solange was informed by others. I never knew she put music out until 2014, maybe, and I just assumed it wasn’t worth listening to so I never did. Last year, I really got into True, which she somewhat doesn’t like because Blood Orange overshadowed her during the creative process and has the flack of being her “hipster album” instead of the “real” Solange (okay, but if none of your albums are that similar and you take 4 year breaks in between each cycle, it’s too hard to notice a trend). I didn’t expect another album from her for a while and I was surprised when it came out. Obviously, it’s a little similar on its first listen, but each song has a lot of weight to it. Cranes in the Sky, a song about coping mechanisms, is the stand out single, but my personal favorites include Don’t Wish Me Well, a song with fuzzy guitars (are they guitars? I never was good in music class. I’m calling them guitars) that alludes to people who are unhappy with you growing and changing in your life (aka us Blood Orange hipsters), and Borderline, a song about taking time off for your own sanity. (Also, to avoid speaking over Solange, I’ll avoid what I’ve seen every reviewer do so far and not try to interpret the album’s racial message in my own way)

6) Garbage- Strange Little Birds

Strange Little Birds was true to its advertising of dark, creepy,and cinematic music. Besides Empty, nothing is a first time listen. Really, I think it was a smart strategy to have the most generic song as the lead single so people would be shocked by how it turned out to be. I don’t think their first album could happen today because of how expensive recording is and that style of production with heavy sampling and mixing everything possible being expensive/outdating, but this was basically an album full of more downtempo stuff (I guess more generic versions of Milk and Queer). Magnetized is probably the happiest song on the album. Night Drive Loneliness feels like a Halloween soundtrack song that lives up to its title. Teaching Little Fingers to Play, another random favorite of mine, can be used for any supernatural show that has a Wizard/Witch/Slayer academy. Sometimes feels like a lost film noir intro that becomes into a heartbeat noise.

7) Kilo Kish- Reflections in Real Time

Left wave alternative R&B. Reinvents herself from “basic” alt R&B (Locket is still iconic though) to spoken word minimalism. Her lyrics reflect a lot of existential, unique, and personal insights. Titles like “The Fears of a Dilettante”, “Existential Crisis Hour”, and “Age + Self Esteem: Fun House Mirror” let you know you’re in for a ride not unlike The Bell Jar. Hello, Lakisha is the only name song I’ve heard that isn’t gimmicky or celebratory.

8) Childish Gambino- Awaken, My Love!

I didn’t even know this album was dropping until I decided to listen to it while procrastinating for finals and I loved it. It sounds like it’s right out of the 70’s with Baby Boy, Zombies, and other songs. I never listened to Childish Gambino (The Community fandom was insufferable and it took me until early 2016 to stop rage scrolling any mention of Childish Gambino. It’s weird because I almost entirely forgot about this when I started watching Atlanta in September) before but this is a pastiche album that I’ll listen to for a while

9) Britney Spears- Glory

Just like Obama, Glory had the unfortunate placement of following an extremely mishandle mess and needing to bring it up to speed with its Scandinavian counterparts. Fortunately, Britney did everything short of reinventing herself as an IDM queen (although I still stan the fan made album Bare from last year) to deliver a solid album that takes risks. Is every song on it perfect? No, but there’s like 18 tracks from this era so you can have a solid 10-12 track album regardless of your tastes. Critics might say it’s a Justin and Julia by the numbers abum. Just like Revival, it has lots of vague tropical house and club bangers, but unlike Revival, Glory is aware of Britney’s vocals and don’t subject her (or us) to such humiliation. Just stay away from unaminous flops like Private Show, Clumsy, and What You Need and you’ll be set. Thanks to Karen Kwak for having more musical taste than Will.I.Am. 

10) Beyonce- Lemonade

Here’s a disclaimer, I went from being anti Beyonce’s stans to appreciating and recognizing her talent after her self titled. I like songs by her, but let’s put it this way. Lemonade isn’t on Spotify and I waited until December to rent it from my local library. I listened to it and it’s definitely the best performance of 2016, musically and visually. That being said, I don’t care for the ballads so it knocks the album down for me. Is it still great? Yes, the uptempos (and All Night and Love Drought) are all at least 8/10’s for me, so that’s still good. My favorite parts of her self titled are the experimental (**for Beyonce) moments. After 2 albums of ballads and midtempos, songs like No Angel, 7/11 and Haunted (does Partition count?) stood out to me as courageous and bold, and I’m glad you can see that in Six Inch, Sorry, Formation, and Don’t Hurt Yourself. I realize this is more of an “it’s okay I GUESS” review and I have it more here for fear of backlash but yeah. I’m sure Sorry and Don’t Hurt Yourself will supply my next FOMO induced rage, while Six Inch will sound great while I shovel.  

[buildcoachsell]

So we’ve gotten past the arrival of your Elf on the Shelf.  Now what?  Christmas is not complete without these cute little fellas in your home. So, all December long, enjoy the fun tricks with these Santa’s Subordinates in your home.

Your friends are posting all kinds of fun and crazy things their Elf is doing but, be it exhaustion, lack of creative juices, or what have you, you’re stumped.

Fear Not!! I’ve been there, done that!  So in the interest of parents far and wide who’ve struggled like I have to get the Elf juices flowing, I’ve compiled a list of fun Elfish ideas for this Holiday.  Some are from around the net, some from friends, and a couple – I’m proud to say – have emerged from my own creativity and have become a favorite giggle fest memory with my girls.

Don’t wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, realizing that you forgot to do something cute with your Elf – AGAIN – grab this list

Without further ado – please enjoy this list of fun Elf ideas!!

🎄  This Elf is as sweet as candy!  Literally!

🎄  Want to drive home that you can’t touch the Elf?  These little guys have Christmas Pox and it’s highly contagious! 

🎄  Most kiddos love magic and so does the Elf on the Shelf!

🎄  Tie your elf up in Christmas decorations!  This can only mean one thing: it’s D-Day – time to decorate the tree!

🎄  Your elf wants to be nice and snuggly, wrap him up in toilet paper.  Potty jokes are funny right?

🎄  This naughty Elf has been raiding the marshmallows! 

🎄  Perhaps your Elf has a beef with Frosty, or a rivalry?  This Elf was teaching him a lesson!

🎄  Set your Elf up with Christmas-y books open in a circle around him. It’s a great way to entice your kids to sit and read!

🎄  What elf, or kiddo for that matter, doesn’t like kisses? Set your little Elf in a mini kissing booth surrounded by kisses!  Get the printable by Living Locurto here.

🎄  Again with the potty humor? You Betcha!  Elfie, disguised as the Grinch, and some Stink, Stank, Stunk spray!

🎄  Set your Elf up to help bake some cookies with the fam!  Do you have a favorite cookie recipe?  Check out this free printable from Mom Envy to set up this Elvish scene here.

🎄  Again with the Marshmallows?  Heck yeah!!!  They’re yummy and look like snowballs!

🎄  This Elf is going to take his pet Dino for a walk. How cute is that?

🎄  Was it super noisy in your house? Have your Elf take a personal day for some R & R!

🎄  Get your Elf in on shoveling snow the easy way, cotton balls and a spoon will do it.

🎄  Some kiddos might need a little reminder to be good and do their chores.  Give yourself a break and make your Elf tell them!

🎄  This one take a little more planning but how cute are these Elf sized cookies!!  Get the instructions from This Mama Loves here.

🎄  If your Elf has a little naughty streak, you can set her up with a glue stick and a book. This little Elf is trying to glue your book shut!

🎄  If your Elf gets hungry don’t let him eat the wrong treats!

🎄 Because well? Sometimes a visual behavior system is just what the kids need to be reminded that acting like sugared up tornadoes will not get them in Santa’s good graces.

🎄 If your Elf has been super naughty, make him or her write lines ��� no excuses!

🎄 Our Elf loves to go fishing in the Bathroom Sink, and the kids think it’s hilarious.  The fishy crackers get a little soggy after a while but they get the picture.

🎄 Here’s another fun printable from This Mama Loves  so you can set your Elf up with his very own Marshmallow Dunk Tank!  Download Here.

🎄 Teach your kiddos to pay it forward while recycling… AND alleviate some clutter int he play room before Santa brings a new delivery!

🎄 Here’s a simple but funny Elf set up.  All Elves love Googly Eyes!

🎄 Get your kids out the door to school faster by letting your Elf ride in the car to see their school.  Make sure you have an extra seat belt available. 😉

🎄 This one is quite impressive and takes a bit more effort.  If you can get this one done in early in the month, you can reuse some of the paper to do your gift wrapping.

🎄 Say Cheese!  Your Elf is now a photographer. Line up some of your kiddo’s favorite toys for a bit of Elf photography.

🎄 Another variation, getting your Elf all rolled up.  If you need a really easy option that takes almost no planning or prep. This toilet roll scenario is pretty perfect.

🎄 Elvin Taco Tuesday – Let’s Taco’bout it! This is kinda fun. We love taco night in our house, and so does our Elf!

🎄 This Elf in a balloon will amaze your little ones as they try and work out how the Elf got inside. Take care not to pop the balloon in the process though, because you don’t want your kiddos waking up with a fright late at night and coming to investigate.

🎄 Sometimes you need to give the little people a friendly Elf reminder to be nice instead of naughty.

🎄 This is a fun idea if you have more than one Elf in your house, or if you want to get your other favorite toys involved.  Send them out to a sac race!

🎄 Bath time is important, even if you are an Elf. Use cotton balls to give your Elf a good bubble bath.  Your dollhouse or Barbie bath is the perfect size.

🎄 Sometimes our Elf likes to just hike up the tree and hang out with the angel. Just hanging about and making friends with the other festive character in the house. This is a quick and easy last-minute Elf move.

🎄 This Elf balloon ride might require a few extra props that you don’t already have laying around at home.  You can go all out, or keep it simpler, the choice is yours.

🎄 We love My Little Pony’s! Dashing through the snow, with a bunch of My Little Pony friends…

🎄 Nutcrackers are a staple at Christmas time. Grab a regal outfit for your Elf while he hangs out with some of her Nutcracker peeps.

🎄 Get into the spirit of baking. A messy but fun idea is to write your Elf’s name in flour on the kitchen counter. Make sure you time it on a day you don’t need to use that area!

🎄 This is probably my kiddos favorite Elf prank so far.  We’ve done a few variations (family underwear collection pictured below), but the favorite was when Else, our Elf stole the girl’s underwear and hung them all over the tree.  They could not stop giggling every time they passed the tree.

🎄 Make use of you festive decorations with simple scenarios like this one. These reindeer have featured in many an Elf encounter over the years.

🎄 Similar to the cotton ball bubble bath from earlier, this bauble bath is a fun festive twist.

🎄 Sometimes it happens, someone touches the Elf.  Have your Elf bring some Magic Elf Dust just in case so you can keep the Elfish fun alive.

🎄 Your Elf can give the kiddos a not so subtle reminder to be good listeners this year!

🎄 Play Hide and Seak with your Elf!  If you need something quick, hide and seek is the easiest thing ever and there are so many places for the elves to hide in the house.

🎄 If your Elf is feeling under the weather, make sure you set him up with the proper items to help him get to feeling better!

🎄 If you’re itching for a fun craft project to put out with your Elf, check out this tutorial from Make Life Lovely for a cute little Elf Door.

🎄 Perhaps your Elf needs a little speed. Grab some legos and matchbox cars or hot-wheels and let him go for a car race.

🎄 Do you want to build a snowman? Your Elf does!!

🎄 Is your Elf an adrenaline junkie? Check out this cute DIY Lego Zipline from Mama Cheaps.  Tutorial here.

🎄 The Elf on the Shelf is a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, and today she’s a painter.

🎄 ‘Nuf said for this Elf! LOL

🎄 Another Poo reference!

🎄 This Batman Elf  has got things handled.

🎄 It’s the attack of the Lego People!!  

🎄 If your Elf is feeling a bit lonely send him out on a date with Barbie… no curfew. 

🎄 Elves love doing the magic egg trick!!

🎄 Another fun Elf zipline adventure.  This one is a little more simple and easy to set up.

🎄 This Elf decided to help with chores.  Way to get going on the laundry!

🎄 This set up cracks me up and is such a cute idea. I love the little Elf Illustrated magazine he’s enjoying while sunbathing.

🎄 Need another use for all those tupperware lids? Why not let the Elf take a sledding ride?

🎄 If you need to rope your kids into helping string lights, let the elf show you how it’s done.

🎄 This cute idea shows a fun way to get Elsa from Frozen involved. Watch out though, you’ll need to thaw your Elf after.  Or you could just Let it go…

🎄 Everyone loves a good game of angry birds… even Christmas Elves.

🎄 Yup it’s messy, but if you’re looking for an inexpensive activity for your Elf that will make the kiddos crack up, try making snow angels in flower on the countertop.

🎄 Does your Elf have a 5 o’clock shadow? Set this up for your kids to find in the morning.

🎄 This scene cracks me up every time. A good rescue mission might be in order here. Set the scene with some army figurines and blue painters tape.

🎄 Drawing on your family photos with dry erase markers is certainly one of the Elf’s more mischievous tricks.

🎄 Everyone loves watching Christmas movies, don’t leave out your Elf!

🎄 Here’s another fun way to dress up a family photo…  Rudolph style.

🎄 Ummmm…. Someone got their hand stuck in the cookie jar.  Or more aptly, in the M&M bag.  Naughty Elf.

🎄 TPing the Christmas tree.

🎄 Boy those reindeer make a mess!

🎄 This. Is. Adorable.  If you are a Harry Potter fan, or have kids that are, make sure your Elf has a day to be Harry this Holiday.

🎄 Do I need to put a caption? 

🎄  Get your Elves into the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  It’s the Elf Bucket Challenge.

🎄 Recycle those old Pringles containers and let your Elf wear it for a day.

🎄 Have your Elf bring the kiddos a Gingerbread House Kit!

🎄 Hide and Seek!  Your Elf fits perfectly in the silverware drawer.

🎄 Is your Elf a joker? Ours is!

🎄 This Elf idea is so fun and your kids will love it.

🎄 Tie your Elf up and let the kiddos rescue him from the train!

🎄 Just let your Elf hang around.

🎄 Don’t do this one unless you have another toilet to use!

🎄 Our Elf usually ends up in the laundry at least once a year.

🎄 If your Elf likes to live on the edge, perhaps he likes to Rock – or bow – climb.

🎄 With all that candy and marshmallow consumption, perhaps your Elf needs a good workout.

🎄 This idea is hilarious.  Use washable markers to draw funny faces on your kiddos.  Or use a red marker and give them a Rudolph nose.  

🎄 HOT DOG that’s a clever Elf.

🎄 For those of you who have stuck it out until the very end, I’ve compiled a little slideshow of completely inappropriate but hilarious Elf on the Shelf scenes.  View with caution!

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Got some ideas we didn’t cover?  Make sure to share them with us below!!!

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  All The Elf On The Shelf Ideas You Need This Holiday! So we've gotten past the arrival of your Elf on the Shelf.  Now what?  Christmas is not complete without these cute little fellas in your home.