#this is my second biggest takeaway from the episode

[ps3tronic]

INANIMATE INSANITY INVITATIONAL EPISODE 11 SPOILERS AHEAD

i've been thinking about how the floor could possibly get punched to indefinite island for the longest time, and

it's basically impossible

he fucking dieded

[thatpodcastkid]

Magnus Archives Relisten, MAG 4 Page Turner

Analysis of MAG 4, Page Turner. Spooky book time! Spoilers ahead.

Jurgen Leitner? Stupid idiot motherfucking Jurgen-

Sorry about that got possessed for a second. Anyway, first Leitner statement! Let's get into it while I try to control my rage.

Facts: Statement of Dominic Swain, regarding a book briefly in his possession in the winter of 2012.

Statement Notes: So much in this episode! First Gerry and Mary citing, first Leitner and Mike Crew mention. Crazy how relevant this episode was and we all had no way of knowing.

Starting simple, I would just like to say that as a theatre tech, Swain is so accurate and so real. "Doing a little bit of everything?" Real. Trying to see friends work but you also work at the same time? Real. Work place romance? Real. Not being able to relax when you see a play because you know all the tech stuff that can go wrong? Really real.

What I really loved about Dominic's statement though is the highlight of the ozone smell. He walks all around London with that book, shows it to Mary and Gerard, shows it to friends, and no one else mentions the smell. Yet, when he shows it to his ex Katherine Mendes, she said it "triggered her vertigo." This happens with a lot of the cursed items in the show: they don't have one general effect, but target the specific sources of fear and anxiety in the owner. Katherine apparently gets vertigo often, so The Vast would naturally trigger than height-based stressor. But Swain has a specific fear of lightning and the ozone smell because of what happened to Mike, so torturing him with that smell is the most effective way to cause fear in him.

There's also some really classic cursed object horror going on here that I love. Swain tries to sell the book the whole episode, but calls it "his book" fleeing Mary. Additionally, he says that he thought about giving it away, but felt that "wouldn't count." Very similar to Do Not Open here and a lot of cursed object horror in that there needs to be some kind of debt or reciprocity established rid one of the object.

I also just love the line "walking felt as natural as falling." It really conjures the idea that he can't control himself, that he's stumbling to Mary's shop uncontrollable just as he would fall through the sky: completely unable to stop.

Entity Alignment: Dominic translates "Ex Altiora" as "From Higher" or "Out of the Heights." That's just such insane Vast energy, the idea that whatever the book does to you will spawn from the open empty sky and you won't be able to stop it, just as you'd never be able to stop falling.

Obviously this episode is generally Vast aligned, but that painting of the Eye really freaked me out. "Grant us the sight that we may not know. Grant us the scent that we may not catch. Grant us the sound that we may not call.” This engraving very much encapsulates the point of the Eye and the Archive, and weirdly foreshadows what Jon goes through later. It is essentially saying, "Let me witness the fear and pain of others so that I don't have to experience it myself." Why would Gerry paint this? Especially given that a giant eye gives Elias direct view into his home. What is the goal?

Character Notes: Jurgen Leitner? Stupid idiot motherfucking Jurgen Leitner god damn fool book collecting dust eating-

Sorry what happened I blacked out.

Seriously though, my biggest takeaway about Leitner in this ep is that he doesn't spell his name with an umlaut like others. Why did Jonny include that detail. What does that do for me.

I do love that the only information Swain could find on him was that he lost a bidding war over a book to "GRbookworm1818" who is so obviously Gertrude it's hilarious.

I think it's so weird that Swain couldn't find anything online about him, though. Leitners are clearly around, so wouldn't there be some kind of chat room or reddit post about one? Builds my theory that the Entities or at least the Web has some influence over internet content in this universe that it doesn't have in The Magnus Protocol universe. In TMAGP, the OIAR sorts through things found in databases and the internet, but in TMA the Archive seems to be the only source of real supernatural info, proving that Elias or someone else was controlling the stream of information in a way that the entities aren't able to (yet) in TMAGP.

Let's turn away from the most hated character on the internet to talk about the most loved: Gerard Keay.

Our first intro to Gerry is death metal music blasting from his bedroom at two am which is just, so on brand.

(Also want to point out that Dominic Swain didn't realize it was 2 am until he heard the music. Missing time is another motif that keeps coming up in this show.)

I also forgot that Gerry painted in this universe, so it's nice to see they kept that connection in Protocol.

The thing that's truly key (no pun intended) about this episode though is the ritual Mary performs, blaming Gerry for her fake murder. I believe this is the episode she binds herself to the Skin Book, but I can't figure out when/how she would attach Gerry. Also, the case against him was thrown out because a "key piece of evidence was deemed inadmissible." Was this Gertrude pulling strings, Mary using magic influence, or some other powerful eldritch bureaucrat pulling for our boy? Who's to say.

Mike Crew is really only mentioned in this episode, but it did get me thinking about the relevance of scars in the show. His Lichtenberg scar influences who he is and what he becomes as an Avatar. Very similar to Daisy naming herself after her scar and pursuing law--which would lead to her becoming an Avatar--because of the event and injury. Also, Jon's "markings" are what allow him to start the Eyepocalypse. Physical manifestations and reminders of trauma shaping who we become really is a theme in this show.

And of course, Jon. He is such a terrible liar yet him believing in the supernatural was still somehow a plot twist. Proves how good a writer Jonny is, honestly. He doesn't believe in the supernatural, but is absolutely terrified of Leitners and is working on an "institute project" to eradicate them? I would love to know how this project worked. Was it just research? Was there a team dedicated to finding and collecting Leitners? He also mentions "the incident in 1994," is that when the library was destroyed? Or is just another terrible Leitner incident.

Crazy ep, one of my favorites. Let me know what you think!

[lovelyinspiration1463]

Loki S2 E3 Spoilers Ahead!

My thoughts while watching the episode for the first time:

Is that him as a kid?

I considered for a hot second that Loki might be that horse.

There is never a moment too dire for Mobius to grab a snack, and I relate to that on a deep and personal level.

Boy, Marvel will do anything to plaster their name on screen as much as possible.

*science mumbo jumbo*

I think this variant has gotten himself electrocuted one too many times. 

I wouldn’t be standing right in front of that, my dude.

Well, yeah, now he’s giving off more ‘take over the world’ vibes. Proper Frankenstein over here.

Prototype? Yeah, no kidding. That thing let off a few bright sparks and then just died.

Mustache guy looked so scandalized, I can’t  😭😭😭

“Hornswoggler”? That is my new favorite word.

Is that an offer or a threat? Sounds more like a threat.

Where can I get myself a guy who will pass out money at the snap of my fingers???

I know it’s loud in there, but is no one else hearing the talking purse?

Nice cover, Mobius.

Oop. Old hornswoggler is back and wants a refund. I’m shocked. The machine looked so impressive just… fizzling the way that it did.

This has very quickly become a Charlie Chaplin sketch.

Okay, first of all, Mullet Hair, can you chill??? Killing the same dude over and over and over again is not gonna secure free will for people! Can we discuss? For even just a millisecond?! Are we able to think through our actions?

He ruined your life? Listen here, Sylvie; while you’ve been living it up at McDonalds, the universe has been falling apart! Think outside yourself for two seconds!

His face! 💀💀💀

Are these two seriously having a moment? Cease and desist immediately.

“A long time ago-“ in a galaxy far, far away. No, wait; wrong franchise.

That’s your biggest takeaway? Seriously?

“Rat bags”? Mustache Man is just full of zingers!

Did Loki literally just run in a circle??

Ooh, Miss Minutes is a bit snappy. She really wants everyone to know how clever she is.

Oh my gosh, they are not cramming another slapdash love story into the show 😫 I do not care about this! I came here to see Loki! Every second he’s not on screen, a little part of me dies…

Miss Minutes in the background: 😞

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

I have a feeling Renslayer is suddenly gonna be much more amenable to joining Loki and Mobius now.

All those mannequins are so creepy. 

A Rolodex? That’s his life’s work?

Okay… this just got weird on so many levels. 

OKAY THIS JUST GOT SUPER WEIRD! 🚩‼️🚨 IF SHE POSSESSES ONE OF THOSE MANNEQUINS I AM SO OUTTA HERE

🎶 People always told me, be careful of what you do, don't go around breaking young girls' hearts. And mother always told me, be careful of who you love.  And be careful of what you do, ‘cause the lie becomes the truth - hey hey!🎶

Dude, how did she even get here?

*dramatic entrance at the perfect time*

Mobius, look at her! I don’t think Ravonna is in the best headspace rn.

How many people are gonna barge in here??? Does he have any security at all? Even a single lock?

Also, are we really doing this again? This episode is bloated with will they/won’t they moments. It’s a “won’t” from me. I’ve decided.

The hair! 😍💯

So is Loki just gonna lie there and watch, or…?

So everyone gets free will but him? How do you know he won’t make better choices? He can’t be the one singular person in all of existence that is fated to be something specific!

Okay now I’m starting to feel a little bad for him.

“I can make my own choices.” That’s what I’m saying!

Who put Sylvie in charge? I’m sorry, but last time I checked, Loki doesn’t answer to you!

Seriously? You’re just abandoning her there??? Murder was a bad thing two seconds ago and now you’re both chill about it?

Aww, poor Sylvie. She really is the greatest victim in all this. How dare she be forced to decide to obsess over something 🙄

Yeah, I’m not sure sticking the two of them together is a good idea. I mean technically he’s dead, but what has that ever meant in the MCU?

Oooh, never mind - he’s dead dead. …Well, even so. Loki’s come back from worse.

Can any of these characters just pick a side?! Stop betraying each other so often; I can’t keep up! Who’s working with who???

[wiiildflowerrr]

5 takeaways from Ashton Irwin of 5SOS’ Artist Friendly interview

Alternative Press Magazine, 26 July 2023

'...Ahead of 5 Seconds of Summer’s massive world tour, drummer Ashton Irwin stopped by Joel Madden’s Artist Friendly podcast. The pair cover a ton of ground during their hour-and-a-half discussion, exploring lessons learned from touring with One Direction, the secret to ensuring a killer live show, and their respective evolution. Madden and Irwin also bond over coming from small towns, with the 5SOS member sharing that Luke Hemmings’ mother was his math teacher at one point — far before they ever met and formed the band. 

Before you start listening to the new episode, we rounded up takeaways from their conversation. Check them out below...'

'...5SOS were “mind-blown” when they toured with One Direction

A decade ago, One Direction were at the peak of their powers, and 5SOS were invited to join them on the road. For the Aussie outfit, every night became an opportunity to soak up lessons from one of the biggest bands in the world. “They had this killer band behind them,” Irwin gushes. “Even just learning how to harmonize while we were on tour with those guys. They were a dialed unit. If you ever saw the Take Me Home tour, we were mind-blown by the way they sounded through a PA. It was an unbelievable opportunity.” Because of that run, Irwin says 5SOS “became a better band.”

Spiritualism improved his outlook on life

Irwin calls himself more spiritual than religious, saying that “nothing’s good or bad.” To get there, though, he needed to grasp that suffering is a considerable part of existence. “[It] makes being in a band even more special because it does relieve a lot of suffering,” Irwin says. “It’s this energetic engine that you can cathartically push your traumas through. It’s a vehicle to express.” He became spiritual when he was triggered and angry about everything — and needed answers. “I kept messing up my relationships by not having that unconditional thing that comes through when you start to realize that kindness is worth it, and that’s how you heal things; that it’s better to be forgiving than begrudging,” he explains.

Irwin knew music would save him

Throughout the episode, Irwin and Madden share a lot of wisdom. “I’ve been on my path since I was young, and I knew music would save me,” he mentions. Early on, though, the 5SOS drummer explains that he’s always been “ready for anything” because he doesn’t count on his career lasting forever, but he can still have a long life in the industry. “The musical application and mastery and sticking to that path keep you safe from the stuff that doesn’t matter. Keep looking after your skill and sharpening your skill because it can’t just be ripped away from you like a lot of things. That’s how you create longevity,” Irwin says.

His relationship with Calum Hood is “indestructible”

The secret to improving your live show is bettering the rhythm section — it’s the motor of any band. That’s why bassist Calum Hood and Irwin are connected in a way that transcends emotions. “We’re full-blown telekinesis. [We] barely have conversations,” he tells Madden. After spending years together onstage, he knows his bandmate on a deep level (and pays him some hefty compliments, calling him “deep and sensitive [and] an epic problem-solver”). “We have our own language, which is why our relationship is slightly indestructible,” Irwin says. “It isn’t based on any external human shit. It’s a flow state that we get in together that’s wordless.” 

5SOS have evolved over time

During the episode, Irwin is a realist. Understandably, the band put each other first in their early days but split off to experience their own lives over time. That makes their willingness to be in the band all the more special and significant. “Sometimes I wish we were still a band that could just live in a house together and make music every day,” he says. “But it’s back there. Everyone wants to live their life. It’s not so connected in that way anymore, but we still all make that effort to come together.” In fact, branching out and collaborating with other artists made Irwin realize that he has a unique relationship with the band that has “flourished from [their] youth and innocence and [their] sponge brain.”...'

[mordekaykt]

I can't believe this shit again, but here we go, after seeing recent insane, vapid takes on Becca Butcher's sexual assault and some serious consideration about whether it is worth to finally post this draft sitting around for 3 days and cause a potential shitstorm, I opted for yes. So let's see why Becca having been raped isn't unrealistic/her lying and that Homelander is very much someone with proclivity to commit sexual assault.

My target here is mostly those in the fandom who, even though condemning and clearly disagreeing with the horrible things Homelander does, AND at the same time acknowledge his trauma and the role of his upbringing, somehow ignore and deny that he's a rapist. I love this character and am blown away by Starr's portraying him and feel sorry and for what he's been through since day one of his birth, and understand that he's a result of his environment and inhumane treatment by Vought, a victim of the company himself. And while finding the chance slim, I'm also hoping for some kind of redemption for Homelander at least in the way that he recognizes his crimes and errors, and whatever his punishment will be, it's not just going to end up in a big circlejerk over his deserved downfall and the show watchers' joy over him suffering even more.

The fact that the alpha sigma whatever male shitheads don't believe she was raped isn't even surprising so this post is clearly not meant for them. That would be like trying to explain poetry to a a bag of trash, and if anyone dares come up with the unsubstantiated and proven false, MRA-perpetuated "but evil wahmmen lie about rape often" I'm not even going to bother to engage, since a man is more likely to be raped by another than falsely accused by a woman. Resources on this issue at the bottom of this post.

And if any of you're thinking why I am making this into a big deal because this is just a TV show, well these beliefs and attitudes don't just exist for fiction, they persist in real life, against real rape survivors. But the biggest takeaway for many of you from this is gonna be crying about how toxic and mean this fandom is because someone called you out for your garbage takes anyways.

Particularly are some insane and absurd reasoning that I've seen around here, such as 1)Homelander isn't a rapist because that's unlike him, he exerts power over people in ways other than rape) 2)Why didn't Becca tell Butcher, who would have believed her?

Your reasons and arguments as to why Becca wasn't raped are vapid and can be debunked in a second after watching the necessary scenes. You can like a character all you want, but it's very tiresome and immature how him committing rape is downright rejected and dismissed not to hurt one's worldview. Apart from the fact that Becca explicitly says she was raped, you ignore a major contributor factor, namely that Homelander is a misogynist. It's laughable having to spell this out, but it's glaringly obvious from multiple scenes.

In season 2 episode 5 during the scene where Billy is about to rescue Becca from the Vought facility, but she doesn't bring Ryan and refuses to escape, SHE ALSO VERY CLEARLY TELLS SHE WAS RAPED, explaining to Billy why she didn't disclose her assault.

"He raped me and when I found out I got pregnant, I didn’t come to you. I didn’t come to you because I was scared, cause I knew you that you’d chase after him and you would seek revenge and that wouldn't be good for anyone." She says this word from word, and it's the same conversation where she says Billy was always one bad day away from bludgeoning someone to death in a parking lot. How could you catch onto that part but ignore what I highlighted now?

In season one, after Butcher storms out of the supe collateral damage survivor group, he tells Hughie what happened to Becca. He says that a security camera recorded Becca sitting on the same bench him and Hughie are sitting now, for three hours and she didn't move a muscle, after she left Vought Tower and Homelander (can't attach more screenshots because of the 30 per post limit).

This in itself is already suspicious, but let's say she just committed adultery and is regretful, sitting there reflecting on it, sure. In season one, there is room for some ambiguity (even though from this information alone - sitting there barely moving for hours - one should suspect this truly wasn't a consensual encounter. Obviously, when you only focus on how much you hate Butcher and view everything coming from his as lie and manipulation, you miss the details) since everything we know about what happened to Becca were from Billy and - during the season finale confrontation - Homelander's recollections and words. Season two makes it very clear what happened, at least for people with functional brain cells.

The way so many people dismiss and doubt rape survivors because they aren't perfect victims (not having physical injuries, they willingly stayed alone with the accused rapist - an attitude regarding Becca I see often, dumbfucks saying that she went to the conference room with Homelander on her own, she didn't look hurt , and the Homelander "doesn't come across as a rapist/it's just not in character for him") is vomit inducing.

Billy Butcher is very far from a good man, yes - he is also abusive, violent, manipulative and treats people around him horribly to achieve his goals - and the show going with the Becca fleeing him after a one night stand with Homelander version could have worked, totally, if they decided to go down that route. But their encounter was very clearly not consensual, regardless how hard is it to accept.

Your argument that Homelander being a rapist is OOC because mommy milk fetish and whatnot, completely ignores that Homelander is a massive misogynist, and it clearly manifests. He mocks women, denigrates women all the time. And there are a bunch of examples for this.

When, in S01E05 Stillwell (she is a groomer that's absolutely true) dares not babysit him and takes her son to the doctor he comes with the "strong single mom" which is very typical jab for putting down women.

Moms who raise their children on their own are routinely diminished and made fun of, whereas the same cannot be found for single fathers. It is a misogynistic attitude stemming from viewing the woman as someone who failed to secure herself the father of her child, putting all the blame on her and nothing on the absent father (who might even be deceased in certain circumstances, not just deadbeat). When you write in Google "hatred single mom misogyny" the bloody related searches look like this:

He tries to have Starlight put on a sexualized dance for his birthday, in season 3 to objectify and undermine her, he forces her into a fake pretend relationship, then to anger both her and Hughie he talks about her (“is she a good fuck?”) like a piece of meat he is bargaining about, as if she wasn’t even there as a human being.

In season 1 episode 7 when he confronts the Seven, showing the pictures of Hughie and the Boys and accuses Starlight of being a traitor who’s cooperating with the boys, he mocks her sexual assault by Deep; “I know that you want to make this whole Deep thing an All the single ladies’ moment – power, right?”. His posture and tone clearly indicate he means power in this context as women’s power to call out and have their rapists and abusers face consequences, power as in women’s empowerment altogether – and how ridiculous he finds the whole concept. This shows how lowly he thinks about women’s issues and agencies.

More on the Deep, Homelander brings him back in S03E02 to hurt and distress Starlight, HE DELIBERATELY REINTRODUCES THE MAN INTO THE TEAM WHO ORALLY RAPED HER. He tries to gaslight and use her faith against her very obvious fury (“Doesn’t Christ tell us to turn the other cheek?”) to minimize and dismiss Starlight’s trauma and objection to her rapist’s presence.

He wants to harvest Maeve's eggs (which might not be sexual but is reproductive exploitation - but yeah, a man who'd do this to a woman without consent is definitely not rapey right?), and the passive aggressive touching-almost-kissing her in S01E03 at A-Train's race are signs of a man who is unhealthily jealous and obsessive over his intimate partners (signs of an abuser). Maeve is visibly uncomfortable, tries to brush it off with a grin and refusal to indulge in the topic of their breakup.

Now, this is personal, but I’m sure way too many women can relate to situations when you tried to prevent being hurt at the hands of a violent, emotionally unstable man by a smile and appearing meek and harmless.

And another very important detail the implications of which I'm sure 99% of the viewers miss (unless you've been with a physically abusive partner), is how quick he is to engage in intimate partner violence: and there are two major instances of this during his relationship with Stormfront. After he burns down his trailer when she leaves him for hours as he's waiting for her in the trailer, with the bouquet of flowers, she arrives back and descends onto film set piece he's standing on and tries to explain herself. He reaches for her neck, and doesn't yet strangle her, but the hand and the implication are a clear sign of how he is absolutely ready to act physically violent towards his partner after a single confrontation, just because she was gone for a few hours and didn't tell him where she was.

In another scene, once again following Stormfront being absent, Homelander is standing in her apartment with his back facing her (you can see the scaffolding in this scene after they wrecked the apartment during sex in E05).

"Remember when you said you don't break easily?" He doesn't engage physically, but his posture and words are very much threatening. He is a man who has absolutely zero qualms in using physical intimidation against his partners. He is violent and ready to cause harm to anyone, of course, since he can do whatever the fuck he wants, and his intimate partners aren't an exception.

And an important fact here for real life: a man who puts his hands around your neck to threaten and intimidate is very much likely to kill you next - actually 750% more likely.

An abusive man being a rapist is anything but a rare occurrence. And delving further into his behavior with Becca, it's very far from him trying to pretend that he is a part of some fantasy of an all-American happy family. The fact that some of you go awww at him basically using his son and Becca's love for her child to force her to participate in some kind of nonexistent, loving family scenarios while she is clearly, visible uncomfortable through it all (the breakfast with pancakes scene has it all), is painfully ignorant and shows clear lack of empathy for a mother who has to play nice with the man who ruined her entire life without an ounce of regret. When he is with Ryan and Becca, he further abuses her through the child. He is deliberately trying to alienate him from his mother, turning his against her and undermine Becca's maternal role, which culminates in him and Stormfront taking Ryan away. But he's so cute and babygirl for roleplaying as if he's actually part of a family, right?

"But but Becca was so mean for hiding Ryan and preventing him from experiencing life by having him live in a fake, shut off facility! Homelander just told his son the truth which he deserved to know!" You shitheads missed the part wherein Vogelbaum said she had to sign and NDA and never tell about this to anyone in exchange for Vought providing her with safety during the gestation and birth? You think Vought would have allowed her to take The Homelander's son and live casually like civilians? It was in their interest to keep Ryan, the first natural born supe hidden first and foremost from his father, so they might have a chance at using him as contingency against his father if needed - this is referred to by Butcher in S02E08 during his conversation with Stand Edgar, when Billy was bargaining with him. And Becca had every fucking reason to want to stay hidden and off radar and never want to meet her rapist again.

And while Homelander invades her home where she was basically banished after what he'd done to her, Becca must stand there and hold her mouth shut because she wants to protect her child who is way too young and naive to recognize the patterns his rapist father is utilizing, let alone understand what rape is. In S02E02, after dropping Ryan off at piano practice and she races to talk to Dr. Park, she is enraged, distressed and on the verge of crying, demanding an explanation. She begs to be relocated to safety; she was promised how “I would never have to see him again”. He pleads with the man on the phone, “You have to protect us.”

And when she has to endure her rapist’s presence, she is obviously very uncomfortable with his presence, that much is clear from her body language (SE2E02 when Homelander walks past her after she calls Ryan inside to do his math homework, he brushes her arm, and she flinches away). A screenshot doesn't do this justice but re-watching merely this scene will show you what I mean, on Prime Video at 00:06:52.

You say it's likely she was walking on eggshells around Billy back when they were together (which can be), but you are blind to her actually walking on eggshells and being extremely uncomfortable in Homelander's company?

After Homelander pushes Ryan off the roof she straight out says "you don't get to say that [call himself the father] after what you did to me!" He doesn't deny nor tries to challenge her accusation, he simply responds by saying all he did was give her a son, before he grabs her to intimidate her physically.

And after watching Becca being so tormented, scared and anxious about this man, some of you have the galaxy brain take of “uhm akshuelly, he can’t be a rapist, that’s so unlike him, duh.”

There is a strong correlation between men being rapists and holding misogynistic beliefs. It's a part of rape culture. Just like victim blaming, what you are also doing if you think she couldn't have been raped because she wasn't physically injured, Homelander just "doesn't give off rapist vibes" and so on.

Because the fact is that this man has everything going on - childhood trauma, exposure to violence, stunted emotional development, entitlement, misogynistic attitudes - for him that make it believable and 100% in character for him to rape.

A South-African study involving incarcerated rapists meant to examine perspectives and reasoning behind rape found that

a combination of emotional, social and cognitive adversities have been implicated in deviant behavior (e.g., antisocial behavior and an impaired ability to be accountable for actions) and sexual offenses (Ward and Beech, 2006). Adverse outcomes are shaped by the individual’s social, cultural, physical and interpersonal environment which has an impact on their emotional state, ability to act appropriately, to control emotions, perceptions of reality and modeling memories related to socially acceptable behavior (Ward and Beech, 2006). An important social/environmental factor that shapes emotional and cognitive states in adulthood is childhood trauma exposure (Carr et al., 2013). Men exposed to severe childhood trauma, e.g., abuse, neglect, community violence exposure and adverse parenting styles, are more likely than non-exposed men to develop depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety disorders, poor cognitive functioning and impaired learning (Gunnar and Vazquez, 2001; Bilbo and Schwarz, 2012; Scoglio et al., 2021). They are also more likely to display violent, antisocial behavior and to become chronic perpetrators of rape (Fox et al., 2015; Piotrowska et al., 2015; Moffitt, 2018). Victimized children also often have more violence supportive attitudes especially when exposed to domestic violence as children along with widespread societal exposure and acceptance of violence against women (Debowska et al., 2021). Social and contextual factors encouraging male entitlement, hyper-masculinity, toxic masculinity and unequal gender norms are other key factors that drive rape perpetration (Maneta et al., 2017; Selepe et al., 2020). Hyper-masculinity and toxic masculinity are associated with insecurities, hypersensitivity, distrust toward women and satisfaction obtained from controlling and dominating women (Malamuth et al., 1996). Rape perpetrators often describe rape as a way to exert power, dominance and control over women and use it indirectly as a tool to conceal insecurities (Selepe et al., 2020). Linked to this, male entitlement, where men believe that they have total control over women and their bodies, influences them to perpetrate sexual violence (Selepe et al., 2020). One study reported that male perpetrators believe that as men, they are entitled to sex with their female partners regardless of their consent, especially if they are married (Adinkrah, 2011).

If you are pondering on "Why didn't she tell?", you are a extremely ignorant and lacking emotional intelligence. You have no idea what it feels to be sexually assaulted, that much is clear. It's not as easy as just going and talking about it, even to someone you love and trust, because of the shame and humiliation the victim feels and how much they blame themselves for what happened. Sometimes, even the victims themselves doubt whether what happened to them was actually rape.

• According to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual Violence and Assault , there are many reasons why victims may choose not to report to law enforcement or tell anyone about what happened to him/her. From the reasons listed by them, the ones that apply in the context of Becca are concern for not being believed, fear of the attackers getting back at him/her, embarrassment or shame, fear of being blamed.

• A lack of education on consent and misconceptions about sexual violence can make it difficult for someone to identify when an assault or rape is taking place. Research by the End Violence Against Women (Evaw) coalition shows that widespread confusion over rape and its consequences is prevalent. According to Evaw research, 33% of people in Britain think it is not usually rape if a woman is pressed into having sex but there is no physical violence. One in 10 people are not sure or think it is usually not rape to “have sex with a woman who is asleep or too drunk to consent”. Research by the sexual health charity the Family Planning Association has shown that only 47% of people think it is acceptable to withdraw consent if they are already naked.

• Research suggests that it can take years – sometimes decades – for some survivors to realise or accept that their experience amounts to sexual assault or rape. Psychologists refer to this as “unacknowledged rape” or “unacknowledged assault”. One study on the subject from the US estimates a staggering 60% of female university students have experienced unacknowledged rape. Other studies have determined that between 30% and 88% of all sexual assaults go unacknowledged by survivors.

On false rape accusations by Rape Crisis Scotland:

An extensive study into rape case attrition undertaken by Kelly et al in 2005 concluded that the rate of false allegations stood at 3%.

A study produced by the Crown Prosecution Service in England & Wales in March 2013 revealed that over a 17-month period between January 2011 and May 2012 – when all false allegation cases were referred to the DPP – there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape, but only

35 for making false allegations of rape.

In Scotland, rape and attempted rape have the lowest conviction rate of any crime type. However an acquittal does not mean that the allegation was false, it means that the jury did not consider that the Crown had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Weiser’s 2017 overview and analysis of the false report literature highlighted that studies applying rigorous and correct methodologies ‘consistently find that the false report rate is estimated to be between 2% and 10%’.

Channel 4’s 2018 fact check reinforced the fact that false allegations of rape are rare, concluding that ‘Men are more likely to be raped than be falsely accused of rape’.

A separate fact check conducted the same year by Full fact concluded that as a figure for the number of reported rapes based on false allegations: ‘Evidence from England and Wales suggests that 3-4% is a reasonable estimate.’

[ooops-i-arted]

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Season 3 premiere from your child development POV!

And I am excited to write them! I will try to get them out in a timely manner during the season. As always, there will be spoilers in this post.

For me, the biggest takeaway from the episode as a whole is what I already touched on in my previous post: Grogu is acting like a happy, healthy, normal child. He is happy to interact with familiar people and even with strangers, provided a trusted adult is nearby. He's peeking out of his pod, engaged in whatever's going on. He's friendly and waves greetings. Even when Din is talking to the Armorer or Greef, we see him playing like a kid or even paying attention to what's going on and adding his own "commentary" of cooes and babbling. Compare that to season 1 when he hides in his pod and is very quiet most of the time! (Not to mention acting ashamed of stealing the ball in The Sin, and now he's known in the fandom for Baby Crimes lol.)

Regarding the ball, it doesn't make an appearance yet but I hope it does. (The necklace too.) I assume Din is carrying it safely in his belt pouch or perhaps Grogu has a special compartment in his pod, but I would guess Din makes sure it's safe and sound. My own parents certainly went to great lengths to make sure my blankie was safe and accounted for when I was a kid, because they knew the upset should it be lost!

Speaking of my own experience, I also loved Grogu entertaining himself in Greef's office with the chair and candy. It just felt so authentic and natural because it's exactly what I did as a kid in my dad's office! (My dad even said the same thing when I made him watch the clip.) Children engage in their environment and learn through play. This is another way Grogu is acting like a normal child - we saw much less casual play and it was usually involving other children (Sorgan) or a familiar item (the ball). Here he is exploring the motion of the chair, the sensation of spinning and how fun it is, using his Force skills to nab himself his candy. He also minds when Din makes the chair stop spinning. He no longer has to misbehave to get Din's attention. He knows that one noise, and Dad will be right there. Din is the safe, secure caretaker he needs and he knows he will be cared for the moment he needs it. We also see this when IG-11 activates - notably, Grogu isn't particularly perturbed (and we know the puppet + sound engineers can make him be so) as he's tossed between Greef and Din. He knows he's with safe people and they will protect him. It may also be some misplaced trust in IG-11 - a childlike innocence and belief that IG won't really hurt him, this is a friend. Luckily we didn't find out.

Din is really stepping up as a parent and fully embracing the role. We see him talking to and educating Grogu, involving him in things like it's second nature. (Because it's good in general, and how else are you gonna entertain a kid on those long flights?) Din is really comfortable with the role and it shows. Grogu instantly using Din's bandolier as a seatbelt, and crawling into Din's lap when he wants for cuddles, also seems familiar and a regular habit for them. This suggests Din is teaching Grogu to be safe as well as welcoming affection from Grogu so much it's become natural and comfortable for them both. (Side note but I am SO RELIEVED Grogu's bubble and the pilot compartment are connected. What if Grogu had choked on something when they were in hyperspace and Din couldn't get to him????)

Of course we gotta address the big Cute Baby Yoda Moment of the episode: No squeezie! It was really cute that Grogu was so excited his droid friend could be fixed and I'm sure he meant well, but this here is what we call "a teachable moment" in the education field. Grogu is old enough to learn about consent. When one of my students goes in for a hug that isn't wanted, I stop them and remind them they need to ask first. Their friend may not want a hug. I always assure them it's nice they asked, but their friend can say no thank you. Sometimes people want space, and that's okay. It's good Din stopped Grogu and I hope that offscreen he took the next step of teaching Grogu to ask first - and, of course, offering Grogu a hug himself if Grogu still needed one.

(TEACH HIM SIGN LANGUAGE, DIN, SO HE CAN ASK FOR THINGS. OR AT LEAST TAKE HIM TO A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST.)

The only other child in the episode is the Mandalorian one at the beginning. (Fun fact: he's the actor who was Boba's Tusken kid friend!) In Legends Mandalorians were considered "of age" at 13 so I wonder if they're keeping this aspect. Obviously a 13-year-old is not anywhere near an adult irl. (With apologies to any 13-year-olds following me: I know you don't wanna hear it, but I promise you'll get it when you're older.) But like I've said before, it's just A Thing in Star Wars to have kids doing grown-up stuff and it's what makes it so enduring for all ages, so it doesn't really bother me in this context.

We do see the adult Mandalorians protect and look out for the kid still, and his helmet has a wider visor than anyone else's and is sized for a kid, perhaps suggesting it's a "training" version and not a full one. These seem to imply that Mandalorian youths aren't thrown to the wolves as soon as they swear the Creed but it's part of their culture's rituals and a coming-of-age thing. I guess the closest comparison I have is going through confirmation through my family's church when I was maybe 13 or 14ish. I'm not going to touch on religious/cultural headgear or apparel because I was raised Methodist Christian, am now atheist, and neither require anything like that and I don't feel knowledgeable enough to have an informative commentary on it.

We are definitely off to a good start with the child development aspect! I could go on for days about how lovely Grogu's behavior as a regular, curious child and his warm and loving relationship with Din is, and I hope I get to do so for every episode!

(FYI these posts are tagged "baby yoda meta" if you want to search them on my blog.)

[joelslegalwhre]

hey em 🫶🏼 apologies for all the asks - 3, 5, 11, 21, 26 💖 xx

hii eden <33 never apologize for too many asks, they make me so happy! 💜

(I'm so so sorry for answering so late, I've been crying over work and then spent my money on mando stickers and a Pedro shirt on Etsy to cheer me up😗 but I'm back)

3. What playlists do you have on your phone?

I have all of them downloaded so I'll count them as "on my phone" lmao. (pls I know it's full of Pedro but the covers just make me smile okay?😂)

5. Guilty pleasures?

Idk if anyone knows them outside my country but listening to my old Bibi&Tina tapes makes me so happy lmaoo

And I loove to sit in bed with some takeaway, a Dr Pepper or lemon soda and watch either Prospect, Bloodsucking Bastards or Equalizer 2 for the hundredth time 😂🫢

(and I only rewatch s1 of gilmore girls bc it's my favorite🤫)

11. What was your childhood dream job?

I had two, first one was interior designer bc I wanted to be like Joanna from Fixer Upper lol and the other one was being an archeologist (I think I saw an episode of the backyardigans where they were archeologists and I always loved museums and documentaries about Egypt etc - and I still do😮‍💨🫶)

21. A song that evokes a good memory?

It's a beautiful day by Michael Bublé!!! My mom is his biggest fan lmao so I've been listening to his songs since I can remember (fun fact, he could be my uncles twin, they look almost identical 😂) and I did little concerts for my family with this song, we always listened to it in the living room together and his concert was my very first one! It makes me SO emotional just listening to it now ngl🥹

26. Do you believe in second chances?

Yes definitely! I think everyone deserves a second chance (there are some things that you just can't forgive of course, but I hope you know what I mean)

Really Get To Know Me

[spaceorphan18]

And Here's What You Missed... (Eps 1 & 2)

I'm going to try to recap listening to Kevin and Jenna's podcast. I figured it might be a nice way to kind of get these discussions out there - and for me to process my feelings. Honestly, I was initially worried that the entire podcast would be just slamming the entire show - but I can assure you, it's really not. Kevin and Jenna (along with Ryan Murphy in these episodes) are coming in with a lot of joy for the show. And while they'll be honest about their experiences, they're at a place in their lives where they can examine it freshly and openly.

And interestingly - one of the biggest takeaways I'm getting from this is that those long conversations I had with @snarkyhag on the TDB Podcast (and with fandom throughout the years) weren't wrong. I feel like Kevin and Jenna are layering on context to things that -- for those of us deep in fandom -- already knew or were aware of.

They're also pushing back against some of the hate that they continue to see about the show? While I stay out of those lanes, I'm sure they inevitably can't - so this is a way to address a lot of it. And (like I said when I first wrote about listening to the podcast) it reminds me a lot of Pod Meets World - where the cast of Boy Meets World discusses the show as adults - and addresses the highs and lows from making the show.

A few notes from episode one...

I talked about most of it already from a few asks that I got, but a few points --

Ryan Murphy is the first guest, and they do go into the creating of the pilot, but it's a much more casual conversation that kind of takes a lot of detours. The thing is that I feel like I have a little more respect for RM now. He talks a lot about how he didn't know what he was getting into and didn't know how to handle a lot of things that he does know how to do now.

They talk a lot about how close the cast was at the beginning -- and how they're still all like a family.

RM also talks a lot about how he got started with everything -- I think I may have talked about this earlier? But a lot of it's common knowledge.

Also Will was originally, essentially, Sandy in the pilot - and also a crystal meth user. The script was super, super dark. They eventually changed it so that it was so squeaky clean that they had to add Sue as a villain to balance it out.

RM also gets into a big discussion surrounding homophobic tendencies in hollywood (ironically?) which made the show a hard sell.

Yes - there was an idea of a Warbler spin off. RM said no, though thinks now may it would have worked. Yes, he off the cuff says it would have solved some problems. What? I have no idea -- but I do think it would have created a lot of problems, too.

Kevin asks about why they had to do What The Fox Says and while RM gives an answer that they did what was popular at the time -- I think I have more context as to why most of the cast didn't like it -- especially after listening to the second episode. The cast was just kind of done with the show, they were tired and their close friend had just died, and the absurdity of the number is what broke Kevin - who was the last of the cast to finally feel fatigued by the show.

(This is what I'm kind of excited to hear from the cast -- context.)

Episode 2 Notes -

Justin Timberlake was meant for Will - but it was quickly decided that it wasn't possible to get him. JT probably didn't know

Ryan Murphy reiterates a lot through these episodes that he didn't know what he was doing - and that he was new to all of it - it becomes kind of a theme.

Because he didn't know how to ask for what he wanted (such as casting choices) he would often threaten to quit if he didn't get what he wanted (thus creating a somewhat diva persona).

They wrote Sue for Jane Lynch - and finally decided to just go get her.

RM knew Amber from another failed pilot - and wanted her back.

They all acknowledge that Kevin wouldn't be cast as Arite today.

RM knew Lea from Jonathan Groff - and basically wrote the part for her. (He also slipped her sides so she knew her role in advance.)

Nothing new mentions - but it is acknowledged that the part of Kurt was written for Chris. (not mentioned is that there was originally a character named Rajeesh that had most of Kurt's lines an early draft)

They wanted to cast kids who looked like kids - and not like they belonged on the CW

There's a big conversation around guest stars.

April was written for Kristen Chenoweth.

RM talks a lot about working with Whitney Houston to play the part that Eve ultimately gets. While they don't talk about why she turned it down RM says that she probably wasn't in a good place at the time.

After the show became a hit - many people wanted to guest star - but couldn't get all of them in; namely Jennifer Lopez and Anne Hathaway.

Carol Burnett was special to RM because he grew up watching her show as a kid - and was glad he could have a moment with her.

Guest stars they'd have if it was airing today - Zendaya, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Lizzo

RM mentions that he's been sent death threats over the Let's Have a Kiki/Turkey Lurkey Time mash up and does not care. He stands by a majority of his choices for the show.

They get into a big discussion about how the episode Michael was possibly the hardest to shoot because of all the numbers. And that's the point when a lot of people really start to feel run down by everything.

This is where Jenna says she missed an episode -- and it was due to her losing it. Basically she was asked to leave for an episode, but she was having a mental break down and didn't know how to cope. There's a long conversation about mental health and how RM would have let any of them take time off now if he was doing the show now, but they didn't have those tools back then.

It's also somewhat implied that Season 3 is really when a lot of the cast were getting fatigued by the show. Cory's death is really what broke it (more on that in a moment) but later they even talk about the fact that three seasons was probably the what they should have done -- even if RM says he loves a lot of 4-6 and wouldn't do things differently.

RM didn't want to do a superbowl episode - recognizing that football fans and glee fans aren't the same (I agree!!) and that the whole episode people were worn out and sick.

RM also says that he didn't want them to go on tour between seasons 2 and 3 -- because everyone (cast and crew) was already so tired, but didn't know how to say no to the network/people in charge. He is sorry about that.

The girls cried about exhaustion from the tour and just wanted to go home.

Kevin loved it though - saying it was the only time he was ever going to feel like a rock star.

Conversation takes a long turn into costuming.

RM was obsessed with costuming -- wanted every character to be iconic. Admits to wanting the show to have certain colors, etc.

(Remember when us older fans talked about him wanting an episode based around the color orange -- we were right!! He doesn't say that here - I'm just saying our observations have been mostly been right about a lot of this stuff...)

RM goes into his own issues with OCD, and his own obsessions with things like color and costuming. (This is actually pretty interesting, and gives context as to why a lot of the show looked the way it did. Kevin and Jenna talk a bit about the creation of their characters and their costuming choices.)

Getting back to the pilot a little -- RM really stressed that he loved creating the show, and had a lot of love for the pilot. He always felt like an outsider, and this was a way for him to express his eccentricities.

Ryan was obsessed with Don't Stop Believin' - there's a bit of discussion around the creation of it, and how much work went into it.

He wanted a show that represented the hopefulness of youth, and Will was a representation of regret for not having that youth. (eesh - is spot on.)

There is a few mentions of other magical moments on the show (the Adele Mash-Up for one) but Ryan admits that the Vitamin D stuff came about because he needed vitamin d to stay awake to right.

As we all might of guessed - there are a lot of things that were inspired from real life -- Kevin and Jenna plan to get into all of that as we go along.

One interesting point that comes up is that Kevin and Jenna admit that Ryan pushed them out of their comfort zones for better or for worse - and that they're better people and professionals because of it.

Jenna asked what RM thought the legacy of the show is -- RM talks about the love for music, and celebration of music education, as well as touching upon social issues. He's glad it still resonates today - even if some things didn't age well.

RM has an interesting quote about how people in show business go into it trying to find the love and acceptance they don't get in the real world. He wanted the show to be a place where people on the outside did get accepted.

There's a huge conversation about the Quarterback -- RM was particularly broken about Cory, and no one surrounding the show knew what to do. Now - RM says they wouldn't have come back -- or at least allowed everyone to have more time away. Kevin talked about how it felt very invasive -- how they had to share this very personal grief on a national level, and everyone was unprepared how to do it.

One reason the cast has kind of stayed away is that Glee feels more tragic now with all of the youthful loss that surrounds it.

Ryan asks Kevin and Jenna how they plan to do the podcast -- and they talk about doing a show every week - but they're going to dig deep into a lot of the BTS stuff, too.

They want to address some of the stupid stuff spreading on Tiktok.

When Kevin says touch upon the bad stuff - RM presses him to say what specifically. Kevin says all the deaths, but also the later behavior problems (implying the issues between Lea and Naya).

They also talk a little about how hard it was to do the split narrative -- but no one was sure really how to address that.

Ryan reiterates a lot that he's learned a lot - and would do a lot differently if he was doing it now. Admits that he should have had better communication with the cast.

RM does bring up a mention of a reboot sincerely - thinks it'd be an okay time to do it, but there's no real plan. (Eesh, please no)

RM has a lot a lot a lot of love for the show overall, and trusts Kevin and Jenna with the podcast because they actually have a lot of love for the show, too. He also hopes that they watch the show with fresh eyes and see the good that came out of it - even during those harder times.

I think what I want to end with is that it's kind of interesting to me how Cory and Naya's deaths kind of bookend these conversations. Cory's death kind of put an end to the show in a way. While Naya's death somewhat brought them all back together.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/04/2024 (Taylor Swift's THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, Drake's "Push Ups", Headie One/Stormzy/Tay Keith)

Let’s talk about Taylor Swift.

#4 - “Down Bad” - Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

Yeah, I’m cactus, welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS, blah, blah, blah - I don’t like bending the format of this series, which actually fares quite well for a massive artist who will inevitably debut on top as it ensures a build-up to the big smash hit, but I also like reflecting the culture I write about. Taylor is such a cultural monolith in much of the English-speaking world and outside of it that despite the episode now having to end with her biggest competitor, Drake, he still doesn’t even stain this week’s biggest story, and really, only news story in an industry less and less important, and further removed from the concept of monoculture outside of freak accident white women like Taylor or Barbie than ever. Regardless of my opinions on her output, I may have to respect and reflect her sheer capability to produce discourse, reaction and most importantly, for people to actually give a shit about analysing music.

Now if we’re talking opinions on her output… you can probably get more out of me from looking at my first impressions account of listening to the new Taylor Swift album on RateYourMusic in my 2024 listening log (the account name is exclusivelytopostown). Oh, yeah, if you somehow don’t know, Taylor Swift released an album called The Tortured Poets Anthology and then two hours later, reissued it with the subtitle The Anthology, and naturally, broke all kinds of Spotify records, got a billion streams in a week, what have you. I have less to say about these individual songs than I do about the album, so I’ll try to weave it in but the crux of my takeaway is that this album’s title naturally leads to polarising results and it’s no surprise that she has compelled and practically controlled pop music and celebrity discourse for the entire week… it’s also her worst album attached directly with my favourite piece of full-length work she’s ever released.

Whilst there are plenty of in-depth reasons to compare and contrast the two releases, from here on referred to as ‘sides’ even though I’m not actually sure how the physical releases for this one worked out, the primary reasons for my stark difference in opinion lie in two fundamental components, both of which are not night-and-day between the sides, but have such a detrimental effect on my enjoyment when the two factors are combined that it ends up just as effective.

For “Down Bad”, I’ll focus on the first, and perhaps most important, reason for my preference of The Anthology: lyrics. Do not get me wrong, the second side has its fair share of strange lines and choices, as with any Taylor album, especially in her current obsessive, wordy over-sharing era, and some of its most befuddling are present on this half, making it stand out even more because of the array of lyrical perspectives that are actually on display. The second side lives up to its name, it allows for further exploration of the narrative perspectives Taylor adopts, the subtler details of decidedly unsubtle songs. I’m not saying that Taylor isn’t writing from her own perspective on all 15 tracks - there are 31 in total, of course, thank the Heavens for arbitrary singles chart rules - because she’s absolutely making parallels to if not directly referencing known moments in her life and career. The approach is adventurous, the charm returns to her clumsiness that was my favourite part of Midnights, and there are moments that can be genuinely biting and, well, poetic.

The standard edition is, for lack of a more accurate term, cringe. Again, there are absolutely moments where that is the case for side B, and I’m not claiming there’s a void of good lines… but there kind of is, isn’t there? We will always gravitate to clunkers, but what I’m more bothered by is the deadpan delivery of these lyrics, that don’t feel very Taylor-esque at times yet don’t establish themselves as a separate perspective. This is exemplified in “Down Bad”, which could be written by anyone outside from some Swiftisms in the verses, which really sound more like derivatives of her prior work rather than a signature style at this point, and really, I don’t need to explain to you why Taylor Swift should not have wriitten a song called “Down Bad”. Musically, this album spends much of its time in dull adult contemporary lightened up by Jack Antonoff synth wank that fails to distinguish the record from what came before it, so when the lyrics don’t feel like Taylor outside of when they’re at their worst, most petulant and bratty, which she fails to consistently sell because of said musical backing, it becomes a slow exhaust of four minutes… this song should really not feel this long. Hopefully now, you’ll understand what I mean in how the two components are mediocre by themselves and fail to constitute a complete package. We’ll talk more about the sonics with…

#3 - “The Tortured Poets Department” - Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

Musically, the first side of this album feels uninspired, a retread of steps Taylor’s been tracing alongside Mr. Antonoff for years now, with its most unique textures reminiscent of 90s adult contemporary and soft rock… it could work as utter background music if that weren’t a complete misunderstanding of why Taylor Swift works as a singer, songwriter, musician and cultural presence: an imperfect mess that has achieved unbeatable status not through style or character but through ability to craft a narrative regarding herself and everyone involved, or in some cases, allow others to craft that story for her. Taylor, despite me not enjoying a large amount of her catalogue, admittedly never made it off of bad songs: those came after the good songs, and those bad songs - the “Shake it Off”s, “Bad Blood”s, “ME!”s - were risks, paying off not in acclaim or sometimes even notable chart success, but for developing and evolving the mythos. An unstoppable force - of fans, acclaim, criticism, ex-boyfriends, cultural osmosis and Kanye - has finally made her the immovable object, and it sure sounds like it on this first side of the album, especially compared to the organic, risk-taking and more ambitious, often minimal, instrumentation that Aaron Dessner brings to the second, alongside some work from Antonoff that feels more delicate and refined, unless Taylor really wants to bring the punch in because when she takes a swing, she does it with mesmerising grace. When she misses… the album just kind of sounds like twinkly soft-rock ass.

I’m sorry, this song is fundamentally fine, but it is lost both in its production, a meandering piano jog with no compositional drive, and in its lyrical conceit of megastar Taylor having an affair with some nerd from a band I’ve been a proud hater of for years - check the archives - and mirroring Drake’s inability to explain who the fuck Jason is in “Away from Home”. I know who Lucy and Jack are, do I want to? No, do I dig the farfetched historical comparisons? Kind of, it adds texture lyrically, but it’s also as tacky as saying Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist. He’s big enough. He’s fine. I don’t even think HE wants to be a bigger artist. If it’s sarcasm, then it feels mean and if it’s genuine… maybe you should start listening more closely to the art of your friends - if that’s still accurate here - and fellow musicians that you reference in your music. Maybe there’s something there you haven’t fully grasped in all your security as the biggest artist alive: the ability to truly fail. I’m not sure Lucy Dacus, or Charlie Puth, or even Matty Healy, could survive an album as polarising as this, but once again, that mythos, that fanbase, that tree branch connection to every record and radio executive in the damn Anglosphere and beyond, it’s a comfy king-size bed to sleep on. Is the poet really tortured when they can go through the Hell of showbiz and come back to that? I don’t know, but what I do know is that the song fades out instead of ending properly, you fucking cowards.

#1 - “Fortnight” - Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

Inevitably, it’s her fourth #1, his second, and it has a well-directed video to wrap it all up. Self-directed, too. There’s a relatively solid foundation of this being about her relationships with Joe Alwyn and you know who. I think there’s a fascinating dichotomy that can be made if you interpret the song in different ways: the breakdown of her relationship with Alwyn, or the closing of the distance between her and bitch-face. I think the wham line of “I love you, it’s ruining my life” develops on one of my favourite songs of Taylor’s, “You’re Losing Me”, even if it doesn’t reach the same heights - or realistically, lows - instead going for a typical Antonoff synth pastiche that frankly disappoints. I think Post Malone’s presence, whilst perhaps underused, is best fit to haunting backing vocals to establish that looming male presence, and he sounds great here. The song largely goes nowhere, planting seeds it refuses to grow, but that’s a problem with the production more than anything. Like “Anti-Hero”, it’s a strong-concept, nuanced lead single that I don’t like primarily because of reasons outside of her control, and I’m just glad to wrap it up in a simpler bow that I can compare to her previous album… because Lord knows that’s what the first side of the album really doesn’t want you to do. Seriously though, this is absolutely lethargic, I can assume this felt like the best way to represent emotional numbness but there are much more unique minimal textures and patterns on the back-half, this feels cheap. Perhaps a good lead single, but terrible opener in my opinion, it really set the tone in a frustrating way. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” is at #5, Hozier’s “Too Sweet” is at #2. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

So other things happened, more than I expected, actually and to be honest, the intention is to be relatively brief. You know what the notable dropouts are but I’ll say that I cover the UK Top 75 anyway and that they are songs exiting out of the region after five weeks or a peak in the top 40, so we bid adieu to “Supersonic” by Oasis, “so american” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Been Like This” by Meghan Trainor and T-Pain, “Never be Alone” by Becky Hill and Sonny Fodera, “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” by YG Marley with uncredited appearances from Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Houdini” by Dua Lipa, “Water” by Tyla, “Asking” by Sonny Fodera, MK and Clementine Douglas, “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift and of course, rest in peace, “Lil Boo Thang” by Paul Russell, and welcome back to “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Camila Cabello’s “I LUV IT” featuring Playboi Carti is our other re-entry at #65 which is just funny if anything given this week.

As for our gains, there aren’t a ton, but a surprisingly fair few considering the amount of new entries, so I’ll note down the boosts for “Cry” by Benson Boone to #55, “FE!N” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti at #53 - good week to be whatever species Carti is, I suppose - as well as “Never be Lonely” by Jax Jones and Zoe Wees at #50, “Never Lose Me” by Flo Milli at #49, “We Ain’t Here for Long” by Nathan Dawe at #47, “Back to Black” by the late Amy Winehouse at #43, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan at #21, “Tell Ur Girlfriend” by Lay Bankz at #18 and finally, one I’m very happy to see, the scrunkly Shaboozey at #16 with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”. I can see top five in this one’s future, but speaking of… oh, wait, we’ve already covered it. Seven new songs! Speed round!

New Entries

#69 - “Joga Bonito” - AJ Tracey

Produced by Remedee and Nyge

The bar for cover art is in Hell. That is a PlayStation 2 model of a flag-wearing Brazilian lady showing leg, and that is now a charting single. It’s no surprise to me that Tracey is hopping on Jersey club-influenced beats, particularly with the mellow, filtered R&B sample and incredibly mundane flexes, as whilst he’s always been fun, and occasionally latches onto excellent hooks, he’s ultimately tied very heavily to trends and guest features, and this just feels a bit… empty, without a real “hook” outside of, well, its hook. He’s chatting the girl up, he says that she would look sexy in his merch, and he has the incredible bar of “I like Japan, so do you”. It must be true love. Look, if I’m going to critique Taylor for lazy writing over empty production, I can’t really give this a free pass either, even if it has some vague energy - none of it feels palpable or driving. ‘tis a shame, I tend to like Tracey’s output more consistently than other UK rappers.

#67 - “Pedro” - Jaxomy, Agatino Romero and Raffaella Carrá

Produced by Jaxomy, Agatino Romero, Steffen Harning and Reinhard Raith

Okay, this one might need some explaining. Raffaela Carrá was, and still is, a beloved icon in Italian pop music, LGBT and women’s culture, and seemingly the entire country. I’m not familiar with her at all, but that’s purely my bad: she’s sold millions upon millions of copies internationally, and released a prolific amount of albums worldwide in multiple languages. A gay icon and self-proclaimed Communist, Carrá’s classic hit “Pedro” never made it to the UK charts from release in 1980 until now, long after her passing in 2021. Latin disco by an Italian Communist sounds like I’d adore it, and for the record, I do. The original song is infectious, silly and brimmed with bombast from its obnoxious horn section to percussion so incredibly layered, especially with the snaps and claps, that it feels almost claustrophobic. Whilst far from a bad singer, Carrá brings a childlike clumsiness to the song’s hooks that define the song’s infectious personality. As someone who’s been introduced to this song literally today, it kind of feels like it’s been here for all of my life and that I’ve heard it at like seven school discos. Sicilian DJ Agatino Romero joined forces with Berlin-based Jaxomy for a pretty faithful remix that may pick up the pace and replace its rhythm section with pounding hardcore kicks, but the horns remain, because how couldn’t they? In fact, they sound even more full of life when placed onto much less organic instrumentation, from being just one element of a cacophony to a disco ball shining in your direction whilst you’re on the worst, most pounding, migraine-inducing high in a rave. It doesn’t change the song structure or even its fundamental instrumental texture a ton, probably out of respect, but that one change to the song’s arguably most important component does a lot to flip it on its head and I can really appreciate how skillfully it’s done here. Rest in peace to Raffaella Carrá, and I really hope this ends up sticking around. It’s just too infectious.

#62 - “Starburster” - Fontaines D.C.

Produced by James Ford

This is Irish indie rock outfit Fontaines D.C. with their new single about accidentally eating the Starburst with the wrapper on. Jokes aside, this is a great song. I’m not particularly invested in Fontaines as I am for some other indie and alt-rock acts that pop up here and there on the charts, in fact, I’m not familiar with their work at all, but it doesn’t mean this can’t stand on its own as one of the leading single for their next record, which I might actually have to listen to if it’s in this vein. I was initially worried given the sprinkle of pianos over lo-fi strings and James Ford production that this would be a late-era Arctic Monkeys rip but as soon as the dejected drums came in alongside that droning lead vocal from frontman Grian Chatten, it became obvious that this would functioning in a hip hop structure through way of indie rock, with Chatten actually rapping, in full Irish accent and all, over the instrumental as if it were a collection of loops instead of a live band with some smoky if typical riffs to back him up. Lyrically, Chatten details several violent analogies that seem to coalesce into sexual desire, or at least some kind of euphoric rush, intended to be purely momentary and necessary, even if it intrudes on others, if there’s a moment of bliss to be found. It’s difficult not to see this as kinky, and I honestly get a lot of mileage out of that interpretation given how its bluntness isn’t relegated to the lyrics, before of course, the strings trickle in for an ethereal bridge about swallowing and following, and Chatten asking for someone to “hit [him] for the day”, before returning to the gnarly mantra of the hook with a sly chuckle. Come on, it’s a sex jam. A weird one, for sure, one wrapped in grotesque metaphor, but I dig this on the smoky, grimed-out level it presents itself as, and maybe I’ll have to listen to whatever comes of this upcoming project.

#58 - “Gata Only” - FloyyMenor and Cris Mj

Produced by Big Cyyu

It’s rare to see Chileans chart anywhere outside of Latin America, let alone the UK, so I do want to give this some more of a chance, especially since the synth-led production at the start is a nice, promising ambiance… that gets immediately washed out by some of the shrillest synths and cheapest reggaeton percussion I’be heard in the genre. I’m not intimately familiar with the scene but I’ve heard plenty with more character, and even reggaeton that’s relaxing and ethereal. That could have been the play for these two auto-crooners, if it wasn’t for… THAT sound they keep repeating. Translating the lyrics, though of course this can lead to miscommunication, we get little of substance to chew on either. The most mush-mouthed appearance here is from Cris Mj, who was criticised by his own fans for his overly-reverbed, robotic performance before other fans convinced him that it was cool, actually, preventing him from deleting the song or at least removing himself from it as promised. I guess it turned out well as this is both acts’ biggest worldwide hit - it’s a massive deal to get a reggaeton song of all genres to cross over to little ol’ England - but if it weren’t for its inexplicable viral success, maybe he had the right idea initially in staying humble and listening to feedback. This is rote and droll in the worst kind of way because it’s in a genre that can be so exciting and weird… yet that stuff wouldn’t dare chart over here so we have these guys. I’m sure they’re nice, talented guys, but this is not compelling in any way. I can weirdly see it growing on me through some kind of subliminal hypnosis… but I don’t see myself revisiting it enough for the brainwashing to have its effect quite yet.

#41 - “Malicious Intentions” - Pozer

Produced by RA Beats

…really? Pozer? Of all possible guys in UK rap to give a second hit, it’s Pozer? The “Kitchen Stove” guy had that much potential? Whilst I have nothing against the guy, and “Kitchen Stove” is completely fine, it’s a viral breakout hit which finds its main appeal in a novel ambient sample flip taking advantage of the Jersey club wave. He does not feel built for another #41 peak, let alone however long this ends up lasting afterwards. Ironically enough, Pozer himself was the most out of place element of that song, and he seems to have understood that. Does that mean he’s changed his flow and delivery to fit a more chill and atmospheric tone? No, not at all. He’s ditched the ambient sample, replacing it with a wave of synth strings that sound pretty triumphant and play off pretty well against incredibly bass-heavy and driven Jersey rhythms less bothered with fancy percussion additions, and more with the sheer intensity of the 808s, slowly and gradually developing into a more traditional drill beat through the eventual addition of enough additional drums, it’s a really cool idea for an instrumental, especially when it reverts to pure numbing intensity for the chorus, and serves well for what Pozer is going for: an incredibly consistent flow delivered much livelier and with a significantly bouncier, funnier grit than before, and bars that really aren’t bad. Pozer also adapts very seamlessly to the changing rhythm of the beat, and his more introspective moments stick out as perhaps surface-level but particularly potent when delivered with the same restlessness as any other bar. Unrelenting feels like a good way to describe the song, always punching and punching a bit beyond its weight and getting reversed back - and that’s the rhythm. Whilst it’s not reinventing the wheel, this is genuinely pretty infectious and difficult to not get excited to, in spite of - or because of - Pozer’s acquired delivery that takes a while to get used to but shares its realm more fairly than you’d think with such great production and a rapper I didn’t think much of until today. Well done, man, this is an unsettling piece of production that is transformed by the confidence of the rapper on it, and for that, I really dig it.

#33 - “Cry No More” - Headie One featuring Stormzy and Tay Keith

Produced by Tay Keith, Pooh Beatz and Tommy Parker

Speaking of promising UK rap, here we have Headie One with yet another single from an upcoming project titled The Last One. Whether this is a full retirement, we can never tell with rappers. But would this be a strong farewell verse? Well, yeah, it’s impeccable for Headie, it feels like a perfect example of what he does well: a cold staccato verse that runs like a train, punctuated by dejected ad-libs and delivery and paranoid, detached bars revolving around gang violence over tight drill percussion and some of the best mixes I’ve heard for a drill beat: it all sounds crisp to me, especially that warping bass. The sample may not be the most interesting melody to go for over this beat, but its sing-songy tone reassures its ability to be both eerie and anthemic, alongside the incredibly clever implementation of Asake’s “Lonely at the Top” - which peaked at #90, though weirdly I did review this one - in Stormzy’s verse. How it doesn’t feel tacky is beyond me, it feels like a genuine shout-out that matches the tone of the song perfectly and leads into the flex in a subtler way than he probably would have done without it. Notably, Stormzy goes for a similar flow to Headie but kind of shelves him in the wordplay and rhyme scheme departments, even if neither are too lyrical here, mostly showcasing a clash between the images they have to maintain and the real people behind them, though some of that may be unintentional given all the flexing that surrounds it, especially in Stormzy’s verse where they’re so well-intertwined. I was expecting to like this, but came back with even more to chew on than I thought I would, so I’m glad that, even if only for that big debut week and a few more, it can land on the chart, this is great stuff. Hyped for whatever forms out of this and “Marvin’s Sofa”, honestly two of Headie’s best singles leading up to this forthcoming record so expectations are high.

#14 - “Push Ups” - Drake

Produced by Boi-1da, Tay Keith, Preme, Fierce, Dramakid and Noel Cadastre

I’m not Kendrick Lamar so who cares what I think about a Drake diss? Genuinely, what purpose would it be for me to sit down and analyse bars that have been thoroughly annotated on Genius already, discussed and taken apart by hip hop podcasters and influencers, if not other rappers, and in some cases, went completely viral? There’s a mix of corny and clever bars here, mostly in the latter which is impressive for late-era Drake, and I hate to say he has some points regarding what seems to be a convenient, preplanned attack on Drake that just confirms his suspicion and contributes to his own narrative. The beat is hard, the mix is rough but it’s a diss track so that is the least of anyone’s concerns. I assume the abrupt beat switch, after a DJ Akademiks meme inserts itself into the song like the leech he is, is a demonstration of Drake having more bars to come, but given there’s only one real punchline in that section, it feels like a long build-up to nothing and a strange decision to include overall as an epilogue. Otherwise, it’s a fun, venomous track with some of Drake’s most well-thought-out and honestly, well-delivered bars in years. It’s crunchy, it’s to the point, and I’m excited for what Kung-Fu Kenny has to say in response.

Conclusion

He’s not getting Best of the Week though. A cool diss doesn’t always equate to a memorable or replayable song, and for me, I think Pozer of all people has the most infectious here, colour me surprised, with the evil-sounding “Malicious Intentions”, but I’ll tie him with the more joyful “Pedro” by Jaxony, Agatino Romero and the late Raffaella Carrá for a more balanced Best of the Week. Hell, there’s enough good stuff here to tie the Honourable Mention up two between Headie One, Stormzy and Tay Keith for “Cry No More” and “Starburster” by Fontaines D.C. As for the worst, it should unsurprisingly fall out quite easily: Taylor Swift has Worst of the Week for “Down Bad”, with the Dishonourable Mention going to “Gata Only” by FloyyMenor and Cris Mj. For what’s on the horizon, I mean, hopefully more good to look forward to but knowing my luck… I don’t know, Bladee? For now, thank you for reading, rest in peace to Mike Pinder, and I’ll see you next week!

[voxiiferous]

Alright gang, it's time for a trifecta HC related to the show's portrayal.

Vox and Alastor's beginning friendship.

Vox didn't meet Alastor as some newly fallen nobody. The Vaudeville fellow was dead, and television was already beginning to sweep over Hell by mid 1956. Vox had been dead for the better part of a year when he catches the Radio Demon's attention.

Whether or not he was already considered an Overlord is more a matter of degrees, but he meets Alastor on a semi-equal footing. He's not yet on his way to empire building-- there's not even colour television yet! But his rise to initial power is not due to Alastor or to Valentino and the Vees. Vox is only dead like a week before it all starts to come together. Chances are, Alastor meets him during the latter phases of implementing the power grid, so still very early on, but Vox is already starting to extend his tendrils across the city, even if he isn't yet super powerful.

Why Stayed Gone Is Like That™

Vox's usual response to Alastor is... more chill. Certainly more thought out and sensible, instead, what Hell gets is an impromptu, off the cuff broadcast borne as a result of a few different reasons. The first is finding out, from Val, that Alastor has ben back for a week. And he didn't know. Vox doesn't like not knowing things at the best of times.

This, in turn, leads him to realize that Alastor is bound to do a broadcast, really, at any time, and so he doesn't have time to find the information he wants, or to predict when that will be. It's a scramble to gain control of the narrative before Alastor can. And well, we all see that it doesn't really work, but the manic, panicked lies fall to pieces only once Alastor is back on the air. The very thing Vox was trying to avoid.

Vox struggles without some form of structure to base his performance off of, and this had none.

Plust just the emotional conflicts that come from Alastor doing back after seven years.

Related to that, nine times out of ten, if there's an Overlord meeting and only one Vee shows up, chances are, it's Vox. Even in the show, we see Velvette walking in, on the phone with him, assuring everything will be fine, that she has it handled. Not exactly, the actions of someone for whom this is a normal, everyday occurrence, so much as a last minute 'I can't'.

This is half 'oh fuck no, Alastor's going to be there and I can't deal with that', and half 'I just caused a city wide blackout, am feeling suitably rough, and have so many apologies to make without showing up at a meeting because it's so embarrassing'. He wired himself into the power grid, and most of the time, that's fine. He's gotten very good at managing his emotions, to keep it all under control.

We see even earlier that episode that he's good at rolling with the press and with the punches, that's second nature, and he's got a lot of practice dealing with the business side of things. He doesn't fall to pieces, he's not an unprepared, manic disaster, he's perfectly calm, charming, putting people at ease. This is far more in line with how he usually is. Give him a week to deal with the revelation Alastor is back, and to gain some information, and he'll be back to his typical responses. Their rivalry has existed as a form of tit for tat for decades, so Alastor wins today, they've been scoring punches off each other for longer than a week.

The Blue Light District and the Vees

The biggest, main takeaway for my portrayal of Vox, is that there is no Vee tower. They all have their own districts that while, all beside each other, and thus a larger, centralized whole, are distinct. If they all lived together the alliance would have fallen apart within the decade. He might just gave killed Valentino.

No, no, he has his tower, Val has his porn studio, Velvette has... whatever she has. The Blue Light District has been his little corner of he city for seventy years. it is, like the show shows, the brightest part of the city, and the overall tallest. It's perpetually undergoing construction, improvements, repairs. He has a lot of people on staff who's jobs are related to the BLD rather than the media or technological production side of things.

Vox does enough, and has a large enough empire he wouldn't be content, or have room with only a third of a tower. Vox's tower is the heart of his empire, and it is, whatever alliance and connections exist between the three of them, his.

Each Vee has a different approach to what they want, what they need, and how much value they place on it, so while the other two have the fingerprints of Vox's taste over it, in no place is New York quite so reconstructed as within the borders of the Blue Light District.

[pendyyr]

My Thoughts On Akira Toriyama's Passing

I have been an avid anime fan for as long as I can remember. I don't watch anime as much as I used to when I was younger, just due to time restraints and work, but I still enjoy it just as much as I did when I first discovered it. Dragon Ball was what initially got me into anime as a kid, watching it on Toonami for the first time. It was the first anime I watched, and I knew it was anime, not thinking it was just a cartoon like I did with Pokémon or Yugioh. Akira Toriyama's work has had a huge impact on my life growing up and catapulted me into the world of anime. It taught me so many valuable lessons. It wasn't just some episodic comedy that came on every week.

The biggest takeaway from Dragon Ball for me was that no matter your upbringing or what you face in life, hard work and dedication will always allow you to perceive life and accomplish anything. It also taught me that kindness and forgiveness can go a long way and are always the better options. Goku's kindness and optimism were infectious to me growing up. Characters like Vegeta showed me that no matter the choices you make in life, you can still change and be a better person, and that they're in the past. While your actions may not be forgotten, they can be forgiven with time as long as you put in the effort to be better and rectify your transgressions. Goku spared Vegeta's life and, in turn, allowed Goku and friends to save the world countless times, even if it took Vegeta awhile to come around to the good side. It gave me the perspective that while you shouldn't always give people too many chances, you should still try and give them a second chance, because don't we all deserve that at the bare minimum as long as you prove you deserve it?

I will never forget the impact Akira Toriyama has had on my life growing up and what it's done for me as a whole, and I hope he rests in peace.

[risu5waffles]

One of the things i hate about my schedule/workflow is i very rarely have the opportunity to really sit down and chew on a level i'm looking at. Like, i don't just toss things off, i try to give as much to an episode that i have the time and spoons to do, but... yeah. But @mellangard asked me to give this one another go, and i really wanted to do it right, if only to assuage my worries of bias.

After probably 20 or so plays and about 4 different versions of the takeaway section, i think i can fairly and honestly say this is a really good race level. Like, aside from the car bit, it has such a smooth flow throughout the whole thing, and that's really tricky to pull off. A lot of time i find races to have too much dead time where you're waiting on something, or otherwise can't interact, but here even when you muff something, you're still moving (your score is likely irreparably borked, but you're still moving, not waiting for some cycle to reset so you can start running again). This one really pushes you to not only use the grappling hook, but use it well; which, honestly, is a skill i consistently fail to learn, but i appreciate it trying to teach me.

i do think, from a pure "speedrun/learn the course" perspective, having the bonus stars change location between resets was maybe not the best choice, tho' from a more casual play standpoint, it does add a little replayablity. Still, that can be shorted by leaving the level from the scoreboard instead of using the in-level reset feature, so that's not so bad.

The biggest fly in the ointment is just how poorly the servers/engine treat the level when it first loads. It has a chunky, and i mean chunky load just to start, and the first run is probably going to be trash, because the lag is rough. Interestingly, i never found that to be an issue at all on second, third, or fourth plays. It seems to be a once-per-play session kind of thing.

As much as i (fairly, i think) carp on the variability in quality of team picks, this one definitely deserves the title. It's just so very good.

[dreddbread]

Autobiography

Hey, I'm Dredd! I am new to Tumblr, and I thought of posting a short autobiography for my first post: Being born on April 3, 2005, I would always get excited whenever my birthday is coming, especially because I anticipate April 1, the April Fools Day. I would prank my friends before my birthday and it was so much fun. Looking back at my childhood, I did not have many friends other than my cousins. I was that one shy and timid little child who likes to hide behind his parent’s legs.

During my early years of elementary school, I was still the same shy and timid kid. I do not even remember anything in my second year of elementary school other than being dumb and not listening to class while waiting for the bell to ring so that I could go home. In third grade, I made my first best friend. We would always do things together like eating together during lunch time, doing schoolwork together, and going home together. That kid almost always asked me to share my food with him. That buraot. Sometimes I shared my food, and sometimes I didn’t. I even cried when he stole my favorite snack, but he gave it back. What a nice kid. Then, in fourth grade, I met another friend that I am still in touch with today.

A pandemic broke out. It was 2020 when the Covid-19 virus spread globally and everyone on Earth was advised to stay at home. I was debating whether or not I should enroll for my fourth year in junior high since I did not like the idea of online classes, but my parents insisted that I should still attend school because it would be a waste of one year, so I endured. The classes were more distant and distracting. Whenever a teacher asks a question to the class, an awkward silence would fill the atmosphere of the virtual classroom before someone finally unmutes their mic to answer the question.

I was happy to be informed that we would be physically attending school in my second year of senior high. I missed the feeling of sitting in an armchair while listening to the teacher in front of the class. The first quarter went smoothly, until we got to the second quarter. We were tasked to rehearse a stage play in one month. I did not mind the idea. In fact, I was excited for it, until our class chose me as the main character of the play.

We finished the performance before the time limit. Everything went smoothly to my surprise. I was so focused on the performance that I did not realize we were already done. We went back to our classroom after the play. “It’s over,” I thought. I felt empty—in a good way. It was the feeling of watching every episode of your favorite show and feeling like everything ended after you watched the final episode.

The biggest takeaway from my experience is that I should try everything that I can try before the opportunity goes away. I do not think I would appreciate our stage performance more if I was not the main character—except for the fact that we only had one month to rehearse. I was even bad at dancing and singing, but nobody really paid attention to that, at least. I realized that what matters is I tried. I tried to do something out of my comfort zone, and that led me to my growth as a person. Back then, I would play video games in a computer cafe right after school, and I would cheat on a quiz if I could. But, now, I know that I have to do every task with sincerity. What more will I learn about my life when I graduate out of senior high school?

What a long post, isn't it?

[libratxt]

hiiii <3 big ask big answer is what i'm expecting would LOVE to know your top 5/faves across various media that are new(in release or just new to you) this year! so: shows, movies, games, books, songs/albums, new artists you've discovered etc

hi!!! you don't know how excited i got to see this pop up in my inbox, i love talking about things i love so thank you <333 i hope you don't mind that this will be super long lol 😭

shows severance - okay so i have to start off with severance because it is THE BEST show i saw this year, i've begged everyone i know to watch it. i encourage you to watch it if you haven't! it has such an exciting premise (what if you have no recollection of who you are at work, and the work version of yourself has no idea who you are outside of work, and you had to reconcile those two people?) it's such a juicy concept that explores the way jobs take advantage of workers, in an amazing sci-fi setting. also from a totally nerdy perspective, the retro-futurist aesthetic of it is amazing like the set designers really created an immaculate setting. it's a great story of found family, it has mystery, it has twists. i watched it twice all the way through! when i finished it the first time i was in despair at the thought of having to wait for its second season.

andor - euuugh i hesitate to put a star wars show here because as much as i love star wars, the shows for the most part suck so bad. but i loved andor so so much. i was genuinely surprised week to week at how every single episode was crafted beautifully and kept me engaged. i was pleased at how unapologetically it holds a mirror to the evils of fascism and white supremacy and colonization. it's definitely not without its flaws but as a star wars fans it's everything that star wars should be. it's so clear that the people involved in its creation are passionate about the story they're telling.

and in an attempt to not make you read an essay about every show i liked, some other faves were: interview with the vampire and ted lasso, and technically not new to me this year but i have to say succession my forever love <3

movies nope - i love horror, i love movies, i am so scared of aliens lol. this movie was so amazing for so many reasons. but among one of my biggest reasons for loving nope is that it feels like the kind of movie only someone who loves movies can make. it's so clear jordan peele loves movies, and so much about nope feels like a love letter to the making of movies, which i'm sure is a weird takeaway but it was one of my takeaways regardless. the story, acting, sound design were fantastic. i had so much fun watching it.

everything, everywhere, all at once - there's so much to say about this one. i love when the whole point is that yes, we are just stupid little humans trying to connect. i love reckless optimism. as someone with immigrant parents, a lot resonated with me. and the visuals were incredible. i love that it's goofy and over the top and poignant and that it balances all those things so beautifully.

meet me in the bathroom - i love documentaries!!! and music so much! this was such a fun look at the explosion of rock music in new york city during the early aughts. it's the kind of movie that makes you want to convince your friends to start a terrible punk band with you immediately after watching.

other faves: thoroughbreds, street gang: how we got to sesame street, and lake mungo (a slow-burn documentary style horror movie that genuinely freaked me out, and i don't scare easy!)

games i didn't really play many new games this year, mostly just revisited some old ones. but i have to insist that disco elysium is the best game i've played in recent memory. i played it for the first time last year. it's brilliant. the writing is incredible, the characters are incredible, the voice acting is incredible. i would try to explain what makes it so great, but it really is the kind of thing you have to experience for yourself. and i highly encourage you do!

books i feel like i read so many great books this year among them: the only good indians by stephen graham jones - a group of friends are haunted by a mistake they made in their youth. it's great psychological horror and commentary on the native american experience

crying in h-mart by michelle zauner - michelle zauner's memoir on reconnecting with her culture after her mother's death. it also gives really great insight on japanese breakfast's discography. it made me cry a ton!

the final revival of opal and nev by dawnie walton - a fictional oral history of a black punk rock musician. it's fun, it's emotional, the writing is great and the characters really suck you in. i think it's also a great read if you're someone who's into music

lost boy by christina henry - this one shocked me with how much i ended up liking it. it's an imagining of captain hook's origin story, which didn't sound initially appealing to me, but it was so beautifully written, devastating, and even horrific at times. the affection that jamie (who becomes captain hook) has for the other lost boys is just really tender and sweet. this is one of the most recent books i read this year and it quickly became one of my favorites!

music

you've been reading for so long now, i'll try to keep this concise:

songs: mujeres by y la bamba (i only heard this song for the first time a few months ago and it got to my 8th spot on my spotify wrapped!! the drums are incredible, the lyrics are fun, i just love listening to it) la combi versace by rosalia, pattern doubt by young jesus, hertz by amyl and the sniffers, good times by genesis owusu, back to oz by sufjan stevens, should've been me by mitski, and so so so many more

albums: in the aeroplane over the sea by neutral milk hotel, fever to tell by yeah yeah yeahs, laurel hell by mitski, jubilee by japanese breakfast, sable by japanese breakfast (i don't think i ever listened to this album all the way through but the first couple of songs are perfect to listen to while i'm working on writing)

[amostexcellentblog]

I finally watched the first episode of the new HSMTMTS season and my biggest takeaway from all of it is why does this show think road trips and dad jokes are a thing that go together? I'm pretty sure Jack Kerouac did not make dad jokes, so where is this association coming from? Is this referencing something I am too old to understand?

My second biggest takeaway was that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show be so obvious about resetting itself after a poorly received sophomore season. Good for them acknowledging they dropped the ball.

[uglypastels]

My friend keeps telling me to watch love island and all those reality shows but my second hand embarrassment and cringe is real 😅

Ngl it got a bit better at the end of the first episode (and then the twist made it worse) but their introductions made me want to crawl into a hole. And i mean, that makes sense because they're literally nobodies entering a giant mansion full of cameras and strangers, expect some awkwardness, but just the conversations they get into from the get-go 💀

My biggest take-away however is that no 20something y/o should be out there already looking for marriage. Especially if you've barely dated before. Like high pressure environments and public voting will not find you a soul mate, mate. Its all so fucking dystopian

My biggest problem/takeaway rho, watching the first episode of the latest series, is that they aren't on an island