#this is the gary and andy version

[horseshoemybeloved]

Horseshoe: gorgeous gorgeous glass pipe

Sandman: Delta 8 sour watermellon fart blast atomic mango vape

Donnie: dry herb vaporizer with a locally grown sativa

Benzedrine: a 2.5mg indica gummy

[itskaitsart]

worlds end portrait studies (always on my brain)

[glafifo]

20 years and you havent changed

[randomvarious]

Now listening:

Pacific by 808 State (1989)

Alright, if you've ever wondered where the whole concept of stacking up 12-inch singles and maxi-CDs with lots and lots of remixes of the same song originally came from, you can thank a UK label called ZTT for that, which was co-founded by Trevor Horn from the Art of Noise, the guy who is often referred to as 'the man who invented the 80s,' because his approach to creating music is inextricably linked to what you generally think of when you hear the term '80s music.'

And so it only makes sense then that the first release on ZTT from the then-recently expanded Mancunian dance quartet of 808 State would be a single that came with a bunch of remixes of the most iconic track that they would ever themselves release, "Pacific State," on it, which, prior to its appearance here, made its official debut on their mini-album, Quadrastate, in July of '89.

But this big Balearic ambient house club classic of theirs has a little bit of controversy surrounding it, namely, who was actually responsible for making it in the first place. Prior to this Pacific single, 808 State's lineup was significantly different. The original members were Graham Massey, Martin Price, and Gerald Simpson aka A Guy Called Gerald, and sometime after the release of the group's spellbindingly gnarly and acid-drenched 1988 debut LP, Newbuild, Gerald split, with one of the last things he ever worked on for the group being "Pacific State." And after his departure, a young DJ/keyboardist duo of Andy Barker and Darren Partington was added to the ranks.

But while Graham Massey has publicly claimed that the original version of "Pacific State" was the result of a collaborative effort between he, Price, and Simpson, Simpson has alleged that he actually wrote the entire thing himself. And what's more is that Simpson received writing and co-production credit for the song on Quadrastate, but in subsequent releases like this one, he wasn't credited at all. And I do think that it is kinda crazy that this group's signature hit—the one that would help to cement them as electronic and dance music legends, and one that they've always had to perform because of it—is a song that was originally made before that seismic lineup change actually took place. Thankfully, though, however big this rift between Simpson and his former group actually was, it appears to more or less be water under the bridge at this point, because Massey and Simpson have gone on to collaborate since 🙏.

OK, but how did this song get, like, really big in the first place? Well, "Pacific State" had been a constant closer at the famed Haçienda nightclub in Manchester for six months before breaking containment and then landing in the ears of BBC Radio DJ Gary Davies while he was in Ibiza. And once he'd heard it, he then brought it to his own daytime radio program, and then the group landed on ZTT, with this single lasting on the UK singles chart for 11 weeks and peaking at #10.

But as mentioned before, this single came with a whole bunch of variations on the original, and the version of the single that's available on Spotify—which appears to compile a bunch of the songs that were included on all the different 1989 issues of the single itself, between its 7-inch, 12-inch, CD, and cassette versions—has 7 of them on it. And apparently, over the years, this song has actually amassed a whopping total of at least 42 different versions of itself! 😲

Here's 808 State performing the "707" version of it live on Top of the Pops in 1989, by the way. Absolutely electric stuff 🤩:

Now, one other thing that I think deserves mentioning here is what inspired 808 State to make this song in the first place, and the specific tune that they apparently chalk it all up to is Chicago house legend Marshall Jefferson's own "Open Your Eyes," a song that itself comes with a liberal amount of new age-indigenous 'fourth world' kind of flute on it.

It seems that plenty of synthesizers that were en vogue at that time had some sort of flute preset on them that vaguely evoked a mythical, mystical vibe from an idyllic Southeast Asian / Polynesian / Oceanian part of the world, and as such, a bunch of dance music decided to then incorporate it too. But in addition to that, the Spanish isle of Ibiza was naturally big into the whole sound as well, which had been exemplified by a very popular spot like Club Ku, which among other things, once threw a birthday bash for Freddie Mercury that was so legendary that Ibiza celebrates the anniversary of that very party itself—apparently one of its features was bowls of cocaine 😲. And with a name like "Pacific State" and a single called Pacific, whose only other non-"Pacific State"-related track on here is called "Cobra Bora," which is a reference to the tropical snake and most likely the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora too, you can see how all of this exotic stuff meshes together, especially with Ibiza leaving its mark on Manchester and the Haçienda itself.

So, anyway, time for me to figure out which of these slightly different versions of "Pacific State" here is my favorite. I'm pretty deeply familiar with this song in general already, with its lush sax that serves as a dancefloor equivalent of a call to prayer (and a great phone alarm too, now that I think about it), as well as its famed use of soothing loon birdsong too, but I definitely don't know how all the different versions go and how they actually differ from one another in the first place.

And I was forced to put together my own Spotify playlist for it too, because I think I saw that one of the Pacific releases had a full version of "Cobra Bora" on it, and the single supplied by Spotify doesn't, so here you go:

Plus, here's a very neat tutorial from musician Ski Oakenfull in which he deconstructs "Pacific 707" and builds it back from scratch with Ableton:

After this, we're on to the group's next release, 808:90, which, despite its title, was actually released in December of '89.

More in-depth 808 State posts for those just joining this lengthy excursion too:

Newbuild Let Yourself Go / Deepville Quadrastate

[ultraericthered]

Favorite Takes - DC

Where I cite my personal favorite non-source material (so film, TV, and video games only) adaptations of some comic book characters.

Clark Kent/Superman

Superman The Movie & Sequels (Christopher Reeve)

All Star Superman (James Denton)

DC Animated Universe (Tim Daly, George Newbern)

My Adventures With Superman (Jack Quaid)

CW DC Universe (Tyler Hoechlin, Brandon Routh)

NOTE: I was never the biggest fan of Dean Cain from Lois & Clark so he couldn't get on here, Tom Welling from Smallville might've been a contender had his character and story not got so bastardized, and the less said of poor Henry Cavill from the DCEU, the better.

Lois Lane

DC Animated Universe (Dana Delany)

All Star Superman (Christina Hendricks)

Superman The Movie & Sequels (Margot Kidder)

TV Versions (Terri Hatcher, Erica Durance, and Elizabeth Tulloch)

My Adventures With Superman (Alice Lee)

Lex Luthor

DC Animated Universe (Clancy Brown)

All Star Superman (Anthony LePaglia)

Smallville (Michael Rosenbaum)

CW DC Universe (Jon Cryer, Michael Cudlitz)

DC DTV Universe(s) (James Marsters, Jason Isaacs)

JLA (James Woods) & Young Justice (Mark Rolston)

NOTE: The last two get a split spot since one of them's got the voice of an evil political fascist while the other got his character mangled in later seasons to be a bad parallel to an evil political fascist. I also like the Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, Stan Jones, Travis Willingham, Fred Tatasciore, Steve Blum, Ranin Wilson, Giancarlo Esposito, Zachary Quinto, Darin De Paul, Lance Reddick, Marc Maron, and Max Mittelman versions of Lex, and await to see Nicholas Hoult's.

Jimmy Olsen

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Alexander Polinsky)

DC Animated Universe (David Kaufman)

My Adventures With Superman (Ishmael Sahid)

Superman Returns (Sam Huntington)

All Star Superman (Matthew Gray Gubler)

Supergirl

DC Animated Universe (Nicolle Tom)

DC Superhero Girls (Anais Fairweather)

My Adventures With Superman (Kiana Madeira)

CW DC Universe (Melissa Benoist)

Supergirl '84 Film (Helen Slater)

Brainiac

DC Animated Universe (Corey Burton)

My Adventures With Superman (Michael Emerson)

Injustice Series (Jeffrey Combs)

Superman Unbound (John Noble)

TV Versions (James Marsters and Blake Ritson)

Bruce Wayne/Batman

DC Animated Universe (Kevin Conroy)

Under The Red Hood & Young Justice (Bruce Greenwood)

The Batman Trilogy (Robert Pattinson)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Christian Bale)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Diedrich Bader)

Batman '66 (Adam West)

NOTE: I really wanted David Mazouz from Gotham on here, but he had to compete with these other Bruces who were actually full time Batmen, so consider him an honorable mention. I also like Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and Ben Affleck as Batman, but there were some problems with their particular iterations. Other runner ups include the other Kevin Conroy Batmen (particularly Arkham and Injustice), Rino Romano, Jeremy Sisto, Daran Norris, Anthony Ruivivar, Ben McKenzie, Jason O'Mara, Troy Baker, Peter Weller, Jensen Anckles, Keanu Reeves, Ethan Hawke, and of course the LEGO Batman(s).

Alfred Pennyworth

Burton-Shumacher Films (Michael Gough)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Michael Caine)

DC Animated Universe (Clive Revill, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)

The Batman (Alastair Duncan)

Arkham Series (Martin Jarvis)

Gotham (Sean Pertwee) and The Batman Trilogy (Andy Serkis)

NOTE: Other great Alfreds include James Garrett, Brian George, JB Blanc, David McCallum, Enn Reitel, Anthony Head, Ralph Fiennes, Nolan North, Tom Hollander, Jason Watkins, and Jeremy Irons.

James Gordon

DC Animated Universe (Bob Hastings)

Batman Year One (Bryan Cranston)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Gary Oldman)

The Batman Trilogy (Jeffrey Wright)

Beware The Batman (Kurtwood Smith)

Batman '66 (Neil Hamilton, Jim Ward)

Barbara Gordon

DC Animated Universe (Melissa Gilbert, Mary Kay Bergman, Tara Strong)

Arkham Series & Injustice Series (Kimberly Brooks)

The Batman (Danielle Judovits)

Young Justice (Alyson Stoner)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Mae Whitman)

Batman: Caped Crusader (Krystal Joy Brown)

Dick Grayson/Robin

Teen Titans (Scott Menville)

Young Justice (Jesse McCartney)

Batman '66 (Burt Ward)

The Batman (Evan Sabara)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Crawford Wilson, Jeremy Shada)

Arkham Series (Josh Keaton)

Dick Grayson/Nightwing

Teen Titans (Scott Menville)

Young Justice (Jesse McCartney)

DC Animated Universe (Loren Lester)

Under The Red Hood (Neil Patrick Harris)

Arkham Series and Injustice Series (Troy Baker)

DC DTV Universe (Sean Maher)

The Joker

DC Animated Universe (Mark Hamill)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Heath Ledger)

Burton-Shumacher Films (Jack Nicholson)

Joker 2019 (Joaquin Phoenix)

Under The Red Hood (John DiMaggio)

Gotham (Cameron Monaghan)

NOTE: Other great Jokers include Mark Hamill and Troy Baker as Arkham series Joker, Mark Hamill in JLA, Troy Baker in Batman Unlimited and some of the newer DTVs, Caesar Romero in Batman '66, Michael Emerson in The Dark Knight Returns, Kevin Michael Richardson in The Batman, Jeff Bennett in Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Richard Epcar in Mortal Kombat and Injustice, John Kassir in Superfriends 2010, Alan Tudyk in Harley Quinn, Tony Hale in Batman Ninja, Barry Keogan in The Batman Trilogy, and the LEGO Joker(s).

The Penguin

Batman '66 (Burgess Meredith, William Salyers)

Gotham (Robin Lord Taylor)

The Batman Trilogy (Colin Farrell)

Arkham Series (Nolan North, Ian Redford)

DC Animated Universe (Paul Williams, David Odgen Stiers)

The Batman (Tom Kenny)

NOTE: I like the Stephen Root, David Jennison, Dana Snyder, and Wayne Knight Penguins as well, but they're not quite good enough to crack this. Mad respect to Danny DeVito too, but his Penguin sucks.

The Riddler

Batman '66 (Frank Gorshin*, Wally Wingert)

Gotham (Cory Michael Smith)

The Batman Trilogy (Paul Dano)

The Batman (Robert Englund)

DC Animated Universe (John Glover)

Arkham Series (Wally Wingert, Matthew Gray Gubler)

NOTE: Sorry Jim Carrey, you couldn't quite make the cut! Also in the running: Shannon McCormick, John Michael Higgins, Rob Paulsen, Weird Al Yankovic, Jim Rash, Brent Spiner, and Geoffrey Arrend.

*I refuse to credit John Astin's one appearance. That didn't happen!

Selina Kyle/Catwoman

Arkham Series (Grey Griffin, Chantelle Barry)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Anne Hathaway)

Burton-Shumacher Films (Michele Pteifer)

Gotham (Camren Bicondova)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Nika Futterman)

The Batman (Gina Gershon)

NOTE: Wish DCAU Selina could've made it since Adrienne Barbeau has easily the best voice for the character, but the writing and artwork let her down too often. Other good Catwomen include Julie Newmar, Ertha Kitt, Patty Matson, Jaynse Jaud, Eliza Dushku, Stephanie Sheh, Laura Bailey, Cree Summer, Jennifer Morrison, Naya Rivera, Liz Gilles, Gina Rodriguez, Christina Ricci, and Zoe Kravitz.

Two-Face

DC Animated Universe (Richard Moll)

Arkham Series (Troy Baker)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Aaron Eckhard)

Batman '66 (William Shatner)

Batman: Caped Crusader (Diedrich Bader)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (James Remar)

NOTE: Apologies to Billy Dee Williams, who would've done great, and Tommy Lee Jones, who could've done great (but definitely didn't). Also in the running but their coins landed on tails: Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer, Robert Picardo, Petter Jessop, Dave Boat, Keith Ferguson, Gary Cole, Andrew Daly, and Josh Duhamel.

Mr. Freeze

DC Animated Universe (Michael Ansara)

Arkham Series (Maurice LeMarche)

Young Justice (Keith Szarabajka)

Batman '66 (George Sanders, Otto Preminger, Eli Wallach)

Gotham (Nathan Darrow)

Burton-Shumacher Films (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

NOTE: Other noteworthy Freezes who got frozen out of making it include Clancy Brown, Eric Bauza, Robert Kraft, Oded Fehr, Peter Stromare, Jim Pirri, and Matthew Mercer.

Poison Ivy

Arkham Series (Taisa Valenza, Amy J. Carle, Darcy Rose Byrnes)

DC Animated Universe (Dianne Pershing)

The Batman (Pierra Coppola)

Harley Quinn (Lake Bell)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Vanessa Marshall)

Gotham (Peyton List, Clare Foley, Maggie Geha)

NOTE: Uma Thurman, Laure Bailey, Fryda Wolff, Natasha Leggero, Paget Brewster, Peyton List II, Cristina Milizia, and Katee Sackhoff are all fun Poison Ivys as well.

Harley Quinn

DC Animated Universe (Arleen Sorkin)

Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco)

The Batman (Hynden Walch)

DCEU (Margot Robbie) and Suicide Squad ISEKAI (Karlii Hoch)

Arkham Series (Arleen Sorkin, Tara Strong)

Batman: Caped Crusader (Jamie Chung)

NOTE: Meghan Strange in Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Jenny Slate in The LEGO Batman Movie, Laura Post in the Telltale games, and Melissa Rauch in Batman and Harley Quinn are also great, and I've no doubt Lady Gaga could've really rocked it too but....yeah.

Ra's Al Ghul

DC Animated Universe (David Warner)

Gotham (Alexander Sidigg)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Liam Neeson)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Peter Woodward)

Young Justice (Oded Fehr)

Arkham Series (Dee Bradley Baker)

NOTE: Also among the great Ra's Al Ghuls are Jason Isaacs, Lance Reddick, Giancarlo Esposito & TC Carson, JB Blanc, and Cas Anvar.

Bane

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Tom Hardy)

Arkham Series (JB Blanc, Fred Tatasciore)

Young Justice (Danny Trejo, Eric Lopez)

DC Animated Universe (Henry Silva, Hector Elizondo)

The Batman (Joaquim de Almelda, Ron Perlman)

Harley Quinn (James Adomian)

Scarecrow

Arkham Series (Dino Andrade, John Noble)

DC Animated Universe (Henry Polic II, Jeffrey Combs)

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Cillian Murphy)

Injustice Series (Robert Englund)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Dee Bradley Baker)

Batman Unlimited (Brian T. Delaney)

Killer Croc

Arkham Series (Steve Blum, Khary Payton)

The Batman (Ron Perlman)

Beware The Batman (Wade Williams)

DC Animated Universe (Aaron Kincaid, Brooks Gardner)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Stephin Root)

Batman Unlimited (John DiMaggio)

Clayface

The Batman (Steve Harris, Wallace Langham)

Arkham Series (Rick D. Wasserman)

Batman: Caped Crusader (Dan Donohue)

DC Animated Universe (Ron Perlman)

Harley Quinn (Alan Tudyck)

Batman Unlimited (Dave B. Mitchell)

Professor Hugo Strange

Arkham Series (Corey Burton)

Gotham (BD Wong)

The Batman (Frank Gorshin, Richard Green)

Strange Days Short (Brian George)

Batman '66 (Jim Ward)

DC Animated Universe (Ray Buktenica)

NOTE: William Salyers in Gotham By Gaslight is fine as well but his part is too secondary. Young Justice Strange is the only one I dislike.

Diana Prince/Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman DTV (Keri Russell)

Wonder Woman '76 (Lynda Carter)

DCEU (Gal Gadot)

Young Justice (Maggie Q)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Vicki Lewis)

DTV Universe (Grey Griffin, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson)

JLA (Rachel Kimsey)

NOTE: Really wish a Susan Eisenberg Wonder Woman could've landed here, but both of her most major iterations had some issues.

Slade Wilson/Deathstroke

Teen Titans (Ron Perlman)

CW DC Universe (Manu Bennett, Michael Chiklis, Esai Morales)

DTV Universe (Thomas Gibson, Miguel Ferrer)

Injustice Series (JG Hertzler)

Arkham Series (Mark Rolston)

Tara "Terra" Markov

Teen Titans (Ashley Johnson)

Teen Titans GO! (Ashley Johnson)

DTV Universe (Cristina Ricci)

LEGO DC (Laura Bailey)

Young Justice (Tara Strong)

Darkseid

DC Animated Universe (Michael Ironside, Kevin Michael Richardson)

Justice League Heroes (David Sobolov)

Batman: The Brave & The Bold (Michael Leon Wooley)

Injustice Series (Michael Leon Wooley)

DTV Universe(s) (Andre Baugher, Bruce Thomas, Tony Todd)

JLA (Johnathan Adams)

NOTE: I discount Steve Blum from the DTV Universe(s) 'cause what the fuck was that, and Ray Porter in the DCEU was tragically ill-fated.

[ourshadowstallerthanoursoul]

An audience with... John Paul Jones

(from Uncut, April 2010 - link)

You’re stuck on a deserted island, you have one instrument you can bring. It is: a) piano, b) bass or c) mandolin? (Gary Attersley, Ontario, Canada)

Oh… that’s horrible! I’ll probably get Hugh Manson – the guy who builds all my bass guitars – to build me some monstrous instrument that encapsulated all three! Hugh and his brother Andy Manson once actually designed me a triple-necked guitar with 12-string guitar, six-string guitar and mandolin on it! Andy also designed a triple-necked mandolin. But I guess if it really came down to it on a desert island, it would have to be the piano, because you can do so much on it. You’re a whole band. The bass is not much fun on your own.

John, it’s so good to see you so engaged with today. Any advice for old farts who can’t move on? (Andrew Loog Oldham)

Who are you calling an old fart? I dunno, Andy, you tell me! Ha ha. He’s done a good job of staying up to date. Andrew, of course, gave me the name John Paul Jones. I was John Baldwin, until Andrew saw a poster for the French film version of John Paul Jones. I thought it ’d look great in CinemaScope, as I wanted to do music for films. I imagined it saying “Music By John Paul Jones”, over the whole screen. I never realised then that he was the Horatio Nelson of America!

I know that you’ve been getting heavily into bluegrass lately – who are some of your favourite bluegrass artists of all time? (Ryan Godek, Wilmington, Delaware)

Apart from Bill Monroe, you mean? Oh, there’s loads. I’m friends with the Del McCoury band, I love that style of classic bluegrass. I love Sam Bush’s Newgrass stuff. And of course there’s Nickel Creek, Chris Feely, Mike Marshall. I love it all, really. One thing I like about bluegrass is that you don’t require amplifiers, drums and trucks. You can pull an instrument out of a box and get on with some instant music making. I carry a mandolin around wherever I go. I also like the fact bluegrass musicians play more than one instrument. There’s a tradition of them swapping instruments. In bluegrass bands I swap between double bass, fiddle and banjo.

One Butthole Surfers anecdote, please? (Dave Grohl)

Ha! I was brought in to produce the Butthole Surfers’ 1993 album, Independent Worm Saloon. I guess it was to give it a heavy rock vibe, but it didn’t work like that. They were actually incredibly hard-working in the studio, but I do recall running up a phenomenal bar-bill at the San Rafael studio. And then there was Gibby [Haynes, Butthole Surfers’ frontman] and his… eccentric studio behaviour. Gibby did one vocal take shouting into his guitar. He held it out in front of his face and screamed at it. Ha! He was trying to find out if it picked up through the pick-ups, which it kind of did. And that was pretty good.

How’s the violin coming along? (Sean, Berkshire)

I started about three years ago. With the guitar, or the piano, you can sound OK quite quickly. With the violin, it takes much longer. Once you get past the first six months of scraping, of muttering to yourself, “What is this fucking horrible noise on my shoulder?” you get the odd musical bit, and you think, ‘Oh, this is starting to get good.’ And you continue with it for a while. I’m getting into country fiddle playing, Celtic folk songs, a bit of swing. Basic stuff, but very satisfying.

Why not record a second ‘Automatic For The People’ with REM? (Franz Greul, Austria)

They haven’t asked me! But doing the string arrangements for that album was a great experience, actually. They sent me the demos of their songs, and we went into a studio in Atlanta, with members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. They were great songs, something you can really get your teeth into as an arranger. And I’ve been good friends with them ever since.

How did you first meet Josh Homme? And is he still a notorious party monster? (Rob Hirst, Kippax, Leeds)

Well, I think we’ve all calmed down rather a lot. Dave introduced me to Josh at his 40th birthday party. It was a ridiculous themed place where they have jousting with knights. As Dave said, it was like somewhere you’d have your 14th birthday party. Or maybe even your 4th. Anyway, Dave sat Josh and I together for a blind date. Which was reasonably embarrassing for both of us, surrounded by people going “prithee this” and challenging each other to duels. But we survived the trauma and went into the studio the next day, and just started jamming. And I knew immediately it was going to be something special.

If Them Crooked Vultures had Spice Girls-like nicknames what would they be? (Paul Jones, Liverpool)

Dave would be Smiley Vulture. He can’t stop grinning. Josh would be Slinky Vulture. He’s a slinky kinda guy. And I’d be Speedy, I guess. Or Jumpy. So there you go. Smiley, Slinky and Speedy. Or does that sound more like the dwarfs?

I remember you being a pretty funky bass genius back in the day! What memories do you have of those sessions? (Donovan)

The sessions with Don and Mickie Most were great, because we were given a free hand. I usually got leeway, because I was the sort of Motown/Stax specialist, so producers in the mid ’60s would get me in for cover versions of American records, and none of them could write bass parts convincingly enough, so I was London’s answer to James Jamerson, I guess! And I was certainly encouraged to get kinda… funky when I worked with Donovan.

How did it feel to see Jimmy Page and Robert Plant venture off in their own project in the ‘90s without mentioning a word of it to you? (Danny Luscombe, Hull)

Oh yeah, I was pissed off about it. The surprise was in not being told. It’s ancient history now, but it was a bit annoying to find out about it while reading the papers. It came just after Robert and I had been discussing the idea of doing an Unplugged project. Then I’m on tour in Germany with Diamanda Galás, I turn on the TV and see Robert and Jimmy doing it, with someone else playing all my parts! I was pissed off at the time. You would be, woudn’t you? But… it’s all in the past, isn’t it?

Did you listen to much work by Josh Homme or Dave Grohl before you were contacted in relation to joining Them Crooked Vultures, and if so, how did you honestly rate it? (Ralph Ryan, Lisronagh, County Tipperary)

I did like the Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age, before I’d met either of them. There’s a tendency for people – especially musicians from my generation – to say that there has been this terrible decline in musicianship, that today’s bands haven’t got the chops, blah blah blah. But that’s not true at all. There’s always some people for whom technique on an instrument isn’t necessary. They can get their ideas across without being able to have the chops. But Josh really does have the chops, he just doesn’t feel the need to flash them about all the time. In fact, there were a few riffs he gave me that I had to simplify, because they were bloody difficult to play. I really had to work at it, where he could just flick it off. He is an astonishing musician.

Were you serious when you told Peter Grant that you wanted to jack it in to become choirmaster at Winchester Cathedral? (Brian Fisher, Manchester)

Ha! That was a tongue-in-cheek joke, although I was serious about leaving Led Zeppelin in 1973 unless things changed. But Peter did sort things out pretty quickly. What kind of choirmaster would I have made? A bloody good one! Listen, any way that they’ll pay you for making music is just the best situation in the world. I’d do it for nothing. I don’t care what music it is. I just love it all. The rubbing of notes together. I love it all. I would be very passionate about whatever I decided to do.

What was the worst session you ever did as a jobbing session player? (Adam Burns, Castleford, West Yorkshire)

I generally have fun memories of that time. I’d criss-cross London playing two or three sessions a day, going between Trident and Olympic and Abbey Road and Philips in Marble Arch, you know. You’d be backing Shirley Bassey, Cat Stevens, Lulu, whoever was paying you. The worst experience was a Muzak session. With Muzak sessions, the music was deliberately boring. I distinctly remember one session where I embellished the bass part a little bit, just so that it wasn’t so boring for me to play. They said, “No, you can’t do that. Any interest in the music will distract people’s attention from when they’re meant to be eating.” Or standing in a fucking lift. For fuck’s sake! So I was like, “OK, thanks, bye!”

[blueopinions49]

Healthy/ Unhealthy Type 3

Healthy Social 3

Johnny Cage MK1 (3w4 so/sx)- While obnoxious at first Johnny is a great example of a 3 who's integrated to his 9 perfectly. He doesn't shy away from others and stops indulging in his sense of vanity. Usually tryin to keep the group together

Cordelia Chase (3w2 so/sp)- Outgrew her mean girl status and became a force to be wrecked with. Her development in angel is probably my favorite thing about her. Great example of a E3 moving to E6.

Elektra Abundance (3w4 so/sp)-Yes she's mean, BUT she has always retain a strong voice in helping others out in the later seasons. Her sense of competition has always been about self improvement and becoming a better version of herself.

Unhealthy Social 3

Pearl (3w2 so/sx)- Desire to be accepted and love by the masses paired with her circumstances makes her ideal self a frustration for her eventually lashing out at everyone that reminds her of her failure. In X we see a fully disintegrated 9 Pearl.

Sally Reed (3w4 so/sp)- Oddly similar to Pearl in the sense to have a desire to enter a career in acting HOWEVER Sally sadly gets met with the reality of Hollywood; eventually seeking emotional refuge in Barry. However in the end of the show we see a fully realized Sally.

Draco Malfoy (3w2 so/sp)- Brought up in a life of privilege and bigoted opinions made him on of the most obnoxious charcaters In the series. While we see some remorse In the later books in the majority of the series we see a Draco who would use cruelty in look for validation from his superiors.

Healthy Self Preservation 3

Gary Prince (3w4 sp/so)- I was a bit confused with this typing at first however ive settled for this . Gary's desire to be at a master at his own craft and have his own personal bakery? come into question when he is met with the reality of business. Eventually choosing to stick to his own values.

Nancy Wheeler (3w2 sp/so)- Idk why I ever typed her as an SP1. very clear example of an SP3 who grows in each season wanting to use her profession as a reporter to do good. Rewatching the show I can see how she might look like a SP1 however her core desire was never perfection.

Dick Grayson (3w2 sp/sx)- Ive finally settled...His core desire to separate from being on Batman's shadow gives us one of the most honest arcs about the E3s shame+image conflict. Eventually settling for a new identity as Nightwing. Idk why people type him as an SO2, SO7 or SO6.

Unhealthy Self preservation 3

Molly Carter (3w2 sp/sx)- Love her but sometimes her own personal desires seemed mixed with her view of others specially with Issa. Sometimes being unnecessarily cruel to her because she doesn't have her life together as if she herself has hers together.

Miranda Priestly (3w4 sp/so)-The believe that no one can do her job better than her makes her a menace to whoever crosses her. Yes, Andy wasn't the best at her job however Miranda wasn't a good person either and allot of people seem to ignore that. Even cutting her friends off when it comes between her and her profession.

Mima Kirigoe (3w2 sp/so)- Her struggle to fit into what is expected of her as an idol makes her struggle with her personal image and who she is at her core. In the end of the movie we see a Mima who proclaims she is the real Mima. Asserting her own identity without the outside perspective.

Healthy Sexual 3

Emma Frost (3w4 sx/so)-She does all for her student and finds success through knowing she did something to help them in life. She sometimes dances between villain and hero however when written by someone who understands her character we can see why she is the way she is. Cold but caring.

Hercules (3w2 sx/so)- His desire to find success in relation to others makes him struggle a bit at first however we see him grow out of it as the movie goes on.

Sansa Stark (3w2 sx/so)-When young her desire to find the perfect prince and move away from her culture. I hate what they did to her the series and how she got to her end BUT I do think seeing Sansa as queen and embracing her culture made sense for the most part.

Unhealthy Sexual 3

Lady Dimitrescu (3w2 sx/so)- Her desire to be Mother Miranda's selected favorite makes her own personal goals be ignored. Her view of success is through mother miranda's eyes and no one else's.

Dennis Reynolds (3w2 sx/so)- Identifying through what others deem successful and attractive makes him have an identity crisis every episode.

Azula (3w4 sx/so)- Her desire to fulfill all of her father's wishes and see all of his ambitions met drives her to her own self destruction. Even in the comics we see an Azula who is trying to push Zuko into Becoming a worst version of her father.

Honorable Mentions-

Kung Lao 3w2 so/sx (you aren't anyones #1 but still)

Shiv Roy 3w4 sp/so (Girlfauilres pray to her everyday)

Lestat Di Lioncourt 3w4 sx/so (You are hot but toxic)

[alitgblog]

litg characters I'd cast in romcoms

When Harry Met Sally: Seb as Harry!! Then Genevieve as his ex, Tom as MC's (Sally's) ex, Nicky as Seb's best friend, Elladine as MC's best friend

I actually have this all sorted how this would work out but my post got deleted 😭

Notting Hill: Jin as Hugh Grant's character (forgot his name lol) because in my head he's history nerd so like just imagine him in cozy sweaters okay. He's got that wacky roommate whose name I have also forgotten and naturally if we had to pick from S8, Liam, but I also think Jamal would be a fun pick (make the roommate less wacky and more just fun and wild though). The other version of this is Jake as as the main character with his roommate Tim.

Legally Blonde (and I'm going based off the musical): Literally only here because I know I can cast the lawyers, like clearly Suresh as Warner (and oh lean heavily on the implication that he cheated on MC while they were dating) and Blake or Marisol as Vivienne (I like her being cut throat but still looking for love). I'd really like Hari as Emmett because they have a backstory of working hard for their dream and would have a fun banter with the main character without being overly cheery and also is very competitive when needs to be although may be an underdog, but lowkey could also be anyone that has the very grounded boy next door vibe so like Tyler, Rohan, Jake, James, and Lewie are also good picks imo. The other sorority girls needs to include Chelsea, Thabi, basically any of MC's besties (...minus Amelia). It's hard to think of anyone as Paulette because she's an older character and everyone in the game is pretty young but we can further my Angie x Cora agenda and have it be Angie talking about her lost love and then in comes the hot deliverywoman, Cora. She also has like sage advice vibes when she's in the villa sometimes so I think that works.

She's All That: Gary as the main guy. Eddie as his shitty best friend. I don't know why but this came so quickly to me I'm not sure I'd even have to explain but like Gary gives off cool guy / player vibes but I'd also see him absolutely get into or at least support whatever weird artsy stuff his girlfriend is into and have a character arc and all that.

While You Were Sleeping: the OG "I fell in love with your brother while you were away" story, so clearly Ozzy as Peter, Marshall as the brother, Grace as the girl Ozzy's actually dating

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days: Because I've already said Gary for a different romcom, I'm inclined to have the suave ladies man esque character be Will or Youcef. I also think an evolved Suresh or Finn or Mason or Levi could work. Often I forget about her but I think Lulu would be a fun whatever Kathryn Hahn's character's name is.

A Cinderella Story (the Hilary Duff version): I think the fandom's go to "I don't wanna do what my dad says" character may be Lucas but I want to give Oliver a chance as the sweet lead even though I remember nothing about his backstory in game. MC's best friend can be someone a little dorky and the only person coming to mind right now is Felix.

Ten Things I Hate About You: Again, a reformed Finn could've been so good. Instead, we're going for mysterious and brooding so I think Joyo is a good choice for Patrick. Then to continue the streak of me remembering S7 characters, I think Raf could be a good Cameron because he's got that innocence and silliness that works. Then we need the friend that gives Raf an explanation of how things work and I could see that going to Andy because he's a little silly and dorky but mostly pretty confident (slightly different vibe from the character but that's fine). Other option, Bruno. In the movie, I believe he also ends up with Kat's best friend, who I just remember being very confident and alternative vibes so I think Najuma, Cora, Bella, or Lottie for her. We also need Kat's sister Bianca, and that could be easy and I say it's Amelia, or we could pick a tolerable option like Bea. There's also the guy Bianca initially has a crush on, and dare I say we pick Toby?? Just a character that's full of nothing. Or it could just be someone pretty like Levi or someone rich and an asshole like Miles or Jasper. All I remember about Bianca's bestie is that she backstabs her at the end and since fusebox hates women that could be a number of characters but my pick is Sophie or Erikah.

I could go on forever so I must I choose to stop now before I get carried away 🤣

[byneddiedingo]

Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021

Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Skyler Gisondo, Maary Elizabeth Ellis, John Michael Higgins, Christine Ebersole, Harriet Sansom Harris, Ryan Heffington, Nate Mann, Joseph Cross. Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson. Cinematography: Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Bauman. Production design: Florencia Martin. Film editing: Andy Jurgensen. Music: Jonny Greenwood.

Ever seen a movie that you liked but a couple of years later couldn't remember a thing about it? That's what Licorice Pizza was for me. Which is odd, because one of the things about Paul Thomas Anderson's movies is that they're so memorable, if only for certain moments, like the rain of frogs in Magnolia (1999) or Daniel Day-Lewis threatening to drink Paul Dano's milkshake in There Will Blood (2007). But there's something comparatively low-key about Licorice Pizza, at least for the first half of the film. It's basically a boy-meets-girl story, or rather a boy-meets-woman story: A more-than-usually assertive 15-year-old boy meets a slacker twenty-something woman. Teenager Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is an actor and an entrepreneur; Alana Kane (Alana Haim), who is either 25 or 28, depending on which you believe of the ages she gives at one point in the movie, lives at home with her parents and her sisters (played by Haim's real-life family). Gary and Alana meet when he's standing in line to have his high school yearbook photo taken; she's an assistant to the photographer, a job she dislikes. They begin a relationship that turns co-dependent and evolves into an off-beat (and possibly illegal) romance. And for a time that's all there is, until after the excursions of the two into the waterbed and pinball machine business put them in contact with some big name Hollywood types: Sean Penn plays a very thinly disguised version of William Holden, and Bradley Cooper a very broadly caricatured Jon Peters. These extended cameos throw the film out of whack for a while until the main story gets its balance back, though it ends with a sequence that's a cliché out of the romcom genre. I think one of the reasons Licorice Pizza is so unmemorable is that Anderson hasn't quite figured out how to turn the autobiographical elements of his story, drawn from growing up as an actor's son in the San Fernando Valley, into a narrative that connects with the audience. It had the same effect on me as Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans (2022), another film that doesn't rise out of autobiography into common experience. Both movies were fun to watch but they didn't quite stick with me.  

[historyhermann]

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Spoiler-Filled Review

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is a mature animated series developed by Adam Muto. It is a spinoff of the well-known Adventure Time series. Unlike the original, it is aimed at a young adult audience. Muto, Fred Seibert, and Sam Register are executive producers. Debora Arroyo is another producer. Frederator Studios and Cartoon Network Studios produced the series. This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without labor of the actors currently on strike, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, being reviewed here, wouldn't exist.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fifty-second article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on October 9, 2023.

Unlike the original series or the Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials, this series focuses on alternate versions of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog: Fionna Campbell (voiced by Madeleine Martin) and Cake (voiced by Roz Ryan). Character designer Natasha Allegri created them years ago. These characters debuted in the season 3 Adventure Time episode "Fionna and Cake." They made additional appearances in Seasons 5, 6, 8, and 9 of that series. In that series, they are part of Ice King's Finn and Jake fan fiction. Also, the characters appeared in comic books which Allegri co-created with other comic book artists.

This series brings Fionna and Cake beyond their depictions in Adventure Time. In this series, Fionna works as bus tour guide, but struggles to find her place. The fact that her apartment is a mess, with uncleanliness and dirty dishes, is symbolic. It shows that her life is disorderly. In many ways, her character is relatable. She stands up for herself and is on the edge between having work (and not). The latter is not unique. Protagonists of Magical Girl Friendship Squad, The Great Jahy, and The Devil is a Part-Timer! are impoverished and live in similar circumstances. The difference is that Fionna actively does not want to go to work. Instead, she likes to hang out with street musicians like Marshall Lee (voiced by Donald Glover).

Everything goes off the rails when Cake runs away, through a portal, and ends up in the land of Ooo. This terrifies Fionna, who desperately looks for Cake. In her search, she meets Hunter (voiced by Vico Ortiz), a woman who is planting weeds rather than picking them up, Ellis P (voiced by Pendleton Ward), who is her world's version of Lumpy Space Princess, and owner of a bakery where her friend Gary (voiced by Andrew Rannells) works: BB. The latter is her world's version of Princess Bubblegum. Gary is called Prince Gumball in Adventure Time.

As you can tell, there is a barrier to entry when watching this series. This series is made for Adventure Time fans. Those who aren't fans of that series can watch this series. However, they may miss something. Savvy fans may see comparisons to series such as The Legend of Korra, Bee and Puppycat, and Steven Universe Future. Others may recognize the anime references, either to Sailor Moon or My Neighbor Totoro, in the first episode.

This series may excite those who enjoy multiverses and alternate realities. In the first episode, Fionna believes she is chasing a rat bus which somewhat resembles the cat bus from My Neighbor Totoro, while wearing a Sailor Scout costume. At the last second, the mysterious Ice Prince saves her. Her alarm clock wakes her before she can learn more. This dream's importance is clear later in the series. Also, the fact that everything on TV is Cheers is significant not only because it was Simon Petrikov's favorite shows, but the show's tagline: "filmed in front of a live studio audience." It implies that Fionna's world is manufactured.

In Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, Donald Glover, Tom Kenny, Sean Rohani, Roz Ryan, Madeleine Martin, James Kyson, Andy Daly, and Pendleton Ward reprise their roles as Marshall Lee, Simon Petrikov, Prismo, Cake, Fionna, Big Destiny, Wyatt, and Lumpy Space Princess (in the form of Ellis P.). Jeremy Shada, Hynden Walch, Olivia Olson, Ron Perlman, and Felicia Day voice the supporting characters Finn the Human, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline the Vampire Queen, The Litch, and Betty Grof, as they do in the original series. Kayleigh McKee, Cree Summer, Jinkx Monsoon, Andrey Bennett, and Brian David Gilbert join these voice actors.

These voice actors lend their voices as the Scarab, the Lemoncarbs, Astrid, and the Winter King. Summer and Monsoon are known for their voice and live-action roles. This series is McKee's first lead role. This is significant because McKee is a trans woman and due to the fact that her only voice roles before there were anime dubs for series such as Kageki Shojo!!, Sasaki and Miyano, and Lycoris Recoil. As for Bennett, this is one of her first voice roles, apart from work on Not Quite Narwhal, Ada Twist, Scientist, and City of Ghosts. This series is also the first major voice role for Gilbert as well.

Like Bennett and Gilbert, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is one of the first voice roles for Vico Ortiz. He voices Fern in this series. Previously, Ortiz voiced Tefé Holland in Harley Quinn. Ortiz is non-binary and genderfluid, and a Puerto Rican actor, activist, and drag king. Andrew Rannells, another voice actor for this series, is a White gay man. He voiced gay characters like King Barton in Princess Power, Matthew MacDell in Big Mouth, and William Clockwell in Invincible.

The wonderful thing about this series is how easily it meshes with the existing Adventure Time universe. There is little retroactive continuity. Extraordinarily little of previously established narratives are changed. Unpopular elements don't return nor are dead characters revived or reality disregarded. The series plotlines easily fit with plots in the original show. It is set after Adventure Time and Adventure Time: Distant Lands.

The second episode of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake makes this clearer. There is an interesting contrast between Simon's messy problems, which he hides away, and his attempt to keep his 20th-century antiquarian house clean, as an exhibit. It is revealed that Cake and Fionna were his creations. He dismisses them as "old stuff." This comes to a head when he talks to Finn in a bar, saying he can't relate to this alternate world, the Land of Ooo anymore, and admits he missed Ice King.

He goes on a quest led by Finn to an ancient part of Ooo. Simon reminisces about his "good memories" with Betty. However, so much is going through his head that he's unsure what to do. A song by non-binary screenwriter Rebecca Sugar, best known as the creator of Steven Universe, clearly and eloquently explains to the viewer what he is going through. Sugar has an upcoming personal album Spiral Bound released in November.

This comes with a fun moment between two queer characters known by Adventure Time and Adventure Time: Distant Lands fans: Princess Bubblegum (PB) and Marceline. Simon tries to talk about his struggles, after he admits that he made a little girl cry. Unfortunately, Marceline can't hear him since she, and her girlfriend, PB, are trying to get matching tattoos, but the artist is having trouble. On the one hand, this scene shows how Simon is holding back his true feelings by claiming "everything's fine" and there are no issues. On the other, it is a representation of queer representation in the series. Those who like the Bubbline pairing of Marceline and PB may be overjoyed by this short funny scene.

That scene is one example of representation in Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. The series intercuts the growing relationship between Marshall Lee and Gary to that of Marceline and PB. This includes a world where PB and Star (a version of Marceline) are locked in combat. This could be an indication that PB and Marceline, in whatever form they take, have intertwined romantic destinies. Such storylines gave this queer couple "multiversal staying power."

The queerness of Gary and Marshall is shown unabashedly and openly, without anyone bating an eye. This contrasts the heterosexual themes in Adventure Time and previous fights by the crew of that series to have queer inclusion. Series creator Adam Muto said that LGBTQ+ representation in this series came from show writers and artists, who wanted their identities portrayed and expressed. Hopefully, other shows follow suit, even as animation industry is in crisis. As Raye Rodriguez, showrunner of High Guardian Spice, recently put it, "there are some companies that...have decided that they are like protectors of the gays...but that’s only as long as those companies decide to be that kind of brand." This was the case for The Owl House. Disney cancelled the series, and gave it a shortened third season, after executives declared that the show didn't fit the company's brand.

The second episode hints at what is to come: inter-dimensional travel of Cake and Fionna to the Land of Ooo. Simon uses an evil Choose Goose (voiced by Jeff Bennett), that taunts him, to open such a passage. Cake comes through, surprising Simon. To make matters worse, Prismo ignores a blinking light on his universal remote-control, indicating a new portal. In the third episode, Fionna follows a sparkly blue light and appears in Ooo. Simon determines that she isn't "real" and blames the goose. Thanks to help from a big Fionna and Cake fan, Astrid (voiced by Andrey Bennett), she saves Cake after she is kidnapped following an encounter with a talking squirrel. Soon enough, Prismo realizes this is a major issue which could get him in trouble. It would reveal his unauthorized world, where Fionna and Cake live. So, he teleports Cake, Fionna, and Simon to his headquarters-of-sorts.

The stakes of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake are raised when Scarab (voiced by Kayleigh McKee) enters the scene. They are an auditor tasked with tracking down violators. They set their sights on Prismo for letting an item on his remote-control blink for too long. It is possible that Scarab may have had a previous bone to pick with Prismo and is using this as an excuse to get back at him. The entire universe of Fionna and Cake's universe (called "Fionna World" for short) is at stake. Prismo made it in an unauthorized fashion and stored it within Simon's head. The world changed after Simon was no longer Ice King. Prismo warns that the fact that the universe exists at all could result in unintended consequences for other realities.

Before Scarab catches them, Simon, Fionna, and Cake escape the Time Room and appear in another world. Thus begins their trip through the multiverse to find a crown. The plan is for Simon to become Ice King again and bring back magic to Fionna World. They first arrive in Farmworld. Simon hopes they can get clues about the crown's location in the library, but this is soon dashed. Library books are stolen so they can be burned and used for a funeral. In the process, they meet Jay Mertens (voiced by Tiffany Wu). He has a crush on Little Destiny (voiced by Mickey Zacchilli) of the Destiny Gang. Fionna is scammed by the world's version of the Choose Goose, who gives them a fake crown. In response, Cake beats them up.

This world involves Finn leading a family with several children and a traitorous Choose Goose. Scarab follows them, thinking he can chase them down. Unfortunately, they can't find a magic crown, as it was annihilated. Furthermore, a version of PB tattles about where Jay, Simon, Fionna, and Cake went. Scarab, after capturing Prismo, catches up with them, following them to the next world: the Winter Kingdom. In that world, Fionna develops a crush on the Winter King.

The Winter King acts suave, which pulls in Fionna. He claims that he created his own winter wonderland by sheer "force of will." He also declares that he is making Simon a duplicate crown. In some ways, he resembles the Diamonds in Steven Universe. He has servants called ice scouts, which somewhat resembles pearls, and he sings a song to explain his story. Fionna even slays citizens of the Candy Kingdom to rescue Simon and Winter King from Candy Queen. She is a version of PB, a cross between Spinel and Harley Quinn. As it turns out, the world falls apart when Fionna kisses the Winter King. PB reforms into her usual form. She kisses Fionna on the cheek as a thank you. Fionna lifted the "curse": negative energy from the crown changed the Candy Kingdom's citizens into monsters.

In Fionna World, the romance between Gary and Marshall, as mentioned earlier, develops. Gary is worried about Fionna's whereabouts. He plans to start his own business. He even goes to a local fair with Marshall. Later, in an attempt to help Gary's recipes gain traction, Marshall brings in the Lemon Carbs. In their typical fashion, the Lemon Carbs, which have a sour personality by their very nature, hate the snacks. Even so, Marshall and Gary get closer. They go to a gothic-style church where Marshall's parents live, where Gary pitches his pastry idea. He ends up calling out Marshall's mom. Although hesitant at first, Marshall ends up leaving with him. Both kiss in an elevator as they leave the building, infuriating everyone, especially Marshall's mom.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake has a serialized storyline. This is clear from the fact that Fionna reflects on her actions, like hurting innocent candy people in the sixth episode to make her "dream" true. Although Simon claims that the next world will have a Simon cursed in the "right way," she isn't sure. Her suspicion is correct. In the next world, a non-magical Simon was killed. Then, the Vampire King adopted Marceline (called Star in this world). As a result, she became a vampire princess.

This world is one of the more interesting. Bonnie heads up a tank, with Martin Mertens and Huntress, to settle a score with Star. However, Star messes with/flirts with Bonnie, saying she will "have her heart." Although Simon says that in his world Marcy and Bonnie fell in love, the Bonnie of this world pushes this idea away. The attack on the "hive" of vampires seems to be successful. Star ensures that the battle is far from over. She and Bonnie fight, with queer tension between them, as much is present in the fights between Catra and Adora throughout all five seasons of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

Fionna cares about Cake, and Cake cares for Fionna. This dynamic is fraught with tension. For one, Cake is angry that she was pulled to a terrible wasteland world since their dimensional remote control is malfunctioning. She was prevented from grabbing the Vampire King's magic crown. Fionna and Cake seem at odds with one another. After watching disturbing videotapes from Ice King, thanks to BMO, both realize that the crown caused Simon to lose his mind, and this tension ends.

All of this happens while Simon is struggling to realize what his identity is in the world, and what Betty means to him. He often reminisces about his "fond memories" of Betty, including how they met and went on adventures together. Fionna and Cake return to their world. He is forced to confront this when he meets Golb. The Lich, which destroyed everything in an entire world, is a being which now feels empty and worthless. Golb easily turns the Lich into a block without much effort.

This results in a journey in the last two episodes. Simon attempts to look, in the form of Shermy, for a book about a magic crown. He wants to return magic to Fionna World. He follows the story of Nova and Casper, which parallels his relationship with Betty. As a result, he comes to realization that he caused Betty to subordinate her desires to his. At the same time, Fionna and Cake come back to their world and fight off the Scarabs with help from Gary and Marshall. This is unsuccessful. Scarab reforms, due to Ellis P.'s cluelessness.

The final episode of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake ends with a bang. Simon realizes that he doesn't need to be Ice King. He only wanted that so his life would matter. As a result, he gives Fionna control of her world. She brings it back into existence while Scarab is trying to destroy everything. Scarab remains determined to destroy it piece by piece, even after it becomes a canonized universe. Prismo deems Scarab "not cool" for their destructive actions. Fionna ends up winning the battle against Scarab, who is now weaker. In a huge form, she crushes him, thanks to Cake becoming a hammer. This allows him to be captured.

The series finale implies that it will be self-contained and not have a season 2. The world continues to be rebuilt. Gary's business is booming. Marshall protests his mom. Gary and Marshall remain a couple. In addition, Simon enjoys himself, even talking to Finn's mom about the experience of Fionna and Cake on his life. Prismo collaborates with Scarab, who can't harm anyone anymore. They create a medieval mystery drama world together.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake could be an effective way to wrap up the Adventure Time franchise, which began in 2007 with a pilot for Nicktoons. Later, that pilot was adapted into an animated series. It premiered in April 2010 on Cartoon Network. As noted before, this series includes more queerness than before. Fionna might be queer. She is attracted to Winter King, and likes being around Hunter, as shown in a final scene.

Additionally, this series has racial diversity. It is the first time that Marshall Lee is a visibly Black character. Muto said that “it would have felt harder to rationalize not showing [Marshall Lee] that way.” Some fans have questioned whether Marshall's more well-known female version, Marceline, was Black, even though she was an established character of color with a Black or Brown mother. It ignores the fact that Olson, who voices Marceline, is of Afro-Jamaican descent. Muto added that they tried to make sure that the show's cast had "representation that better reflects the world we live in." Show writer Kate Tsang helped them in this task.

Whether Marshall or Marceline, there are Black vampires across media. This includes characters in a mature action and dark fantasy series, Castlevania: Nocturne, like Drolta Tzuentes. This representation comes at a time that the number of Black animated series are increasing. This year, alone, there have been series such as My Dad the Bounty Hunter, Supa Team 4, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. A recent addition, Young Love, joined this list, based on Matthew Cherry's 2019 short animated film, Hair Love. It is also airing on Max. However, it aired four episodes a week rather than two episodes a week for some reason.

There are other praiseworthy elements in Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. Melissa Villaseñor, Cristina Valenzuela (also known as Cristina Vee), Phil LaMarr, Chelsea Peretti, Robbie Daymond, and Ellie Newlands guest voice characters. These people are known for their voice work on Amphibia, Primos (upcoming), RWBY, Helluva Boss, Futurama, Samurai Jack, Static Shock, My Dad the Bounty Hunter, The Legend of Vox Machina, and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.

There are six people who wrote on, or storyboarded five or more episodes of this series: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, and Jim Campbell. Most of them had previously worked on Adventure Time: Distant Lands, and four of them worked on Adventure Time. Also, Winkler storyboarded for Infinity Train. Craig wrote and did prop design on the same series. Falk, Nyström, and Campbell storyboarded on Summer Camp Island. Adding to this, Craig was a character designer for Craig of the Creek. Campbell storyboarded and wrote episodes of Over the Garden Wall.

Other storyboarders and writers worked on two or more episodes. They include Lucyola Langi, Sonja von Marensdorff, Nicole Rodriguez, Haewon Lee, and Jackie Files. Two worked on the aforementioned Distant Lands. Others worked on Summer Camp Island, Infinity Train, or OK K.O.: Let's Be Heroes!. Langi and Rodriguez worked on series within the Steven Universe franchise. Langi designed characters for Steven Universe. Rodriguez storyboarded on Steven Universe Future and Steven Universe: The Movie.

Langi storyboarded for We Bare Bears. Rodriguez storyboarded on The Owl House, Central Park, The Great North, Hazbin Hotel, and Helluva Boss. She also animated Obituary: A Grave Beginning, later turned into a webcomic. von Marensdorff previously storyboarded episodes of The Jellies. She also animated the animated short, entitled Crow. The supervising directors for this series, Ryann Shannon and Steve Wolfhard, are well-known for their work in the animation industry. This includes OK K.O.!, for Shannon, and Bravest Warriors, Amphibia, and Big City Greens, among others, for Wolfhard.

Overall, this series avoids inconsistencies and focus on all-ages in Adventure Time. It is more of a united story than Adventure Time: Distant Lands, a limited series with four loosely connected vignettes. Furthermore, there is no wasted space in this series. No part feels like "filler." Instead, everything fits well together. The characters, animation, and voice acting mix with a strong story. With the animation industry in turmoil at the moment, and Warner Bros. Discovery purging Max of animated series deemed as "low rated," a second season seems unlikely. If so, this season easily wraps up the plot, like My Dad the Bounty Hunter does in its second season. An additional season could be weaker than the first one.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake can be streamed on Max. In Australia, it can be watched on Binge and Fox8.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[thesevenwondersofawitch]

Chucky, s2e1 Halloween II

The way the one doll didn't get a knife 😂😂

I love the bickering between the Chucky dolls

The way Tiffany yells at them to get back in their boxes and threatens them not to make her come back there, and the one doll thinks she's hot, one is saying she essentially needs a real man, one is focusing on Andy who meanwhile is reminding Tiffany that the dolls don't know she killed main Chucky 😂

Damn, so Kyle is dead😭

Oh nooo Andy🥺

Jake's hair is so curly 🥺

Aw, he's moving two hours away🥺

Oh no, that kid is 💯 gonna end up with a Chucky doll, no doubt about it

"Holy secret identity" that kid is a real one😂

OH MY GOD SALEM NJ? I GREW UP 15 MIN FROM THERE and it looks nothing like that lol

Poor Jake, he got jump scared 😂

This kid is fucked up😂

Awwwwwww Jake's foster brother is so cute

DUDE DO YOU NOT REMEMBER CHUCKY'S VOICE

I love that Chucky is miffed yet patient about telling Jake he doesn't discriminate and isn't a homophobic😂

Damn Lexy, of allll the times to not answer your phone, this is a bad one

Lexy your sister isn't a dog, she doesn't need to be trained

Drugs are bad, repeat with me Lexy, drugs are bad

Awwww, poor kid is scared of Chucky 🥺

Poor girl is in therapy 🥺😭

Poor kid turns to her sister for verification

Oh no the therapist bringing out her own doll

Belle? Well shit 😂

Noooo let Caroline have a fear of dolls it's safer

Lexy's mom still sucks

You bitch, you need to be better to both your daughters they deserve better

The reporter really had the audacity to bring up the doll thing to a lil kid🥺

Awwwww, at least Lexy is being a better sis to her sister

Well, I mean giving your sister a way to defend herself if good, by a giant knife? I would've given her a knitting needle and helped her get stronger to stab things

Course, I also would've tried to get a room connected to hers just out of safety

Frankly I would've stayed in the closet to observe if the doll moved

I want them to give us the Bride of Chucky version from in universe Chucky

Oh yeah, Lexy is starting to go through withdrawa

Oh shit, I knew Jake's foster brother was gonna get brought into this

I love how Caroline's comeback is that she's still alive, she's got some guts and I love her

Gary is getting too excited about being blown up lol

Damn, Uber is getting too good😂 it's taking killer dolls to easy stuff

The way Chucky calls them out for seeing each other so little😂

Oh, Belle is totally alive and kill Chucky(I hope)

Chucky's little leg shaking as he's waiting for Lexy to come downstairs 😂

Oh noooo Gary!!! 😭😭😭😭

Damn, no one is safe in this universe (except kids under 5/6)

The dude lecturing Jake and them is so mean

Ok, the therapist advocating for Jake, Devon and Lexy is nice, but I am thinking she also had bad intentions like working with Tiffany

I feel like Jake and Devon are gonna get shit for being gay and I'm not looking forward to it

Oh shit, Lexy's mom sent Trevor to that school, uh oh

Oooooooooooo it's the home Charles lived in! This is gonna be some spooky shit

I wonder if that kid who Charles gave the hand to works there or something 👀

What a cheeful song

SHIT IT'S ANOTHER DELIVERY TRUCK! Chucky has also arrived, good timing

[ingek73]

The Windsors are all about forgiving and forgetting – when it comes to Prince Andrew

Marina Hyde

Some royal rehabilitations are faster than others. The Duke of York’s jaunt with Kate and Wills must have set a new record

Tue 29 Aug 2023 14.44 BST

Do all “fusses” die down eventually, permitting the fussee to return to life largely as they knew it, while the public scratches its head and tries to recall precisely which scandal/multimillion dollar out-of-court settlement/Pizza Express branch it remembers them from? The question arises after the return of Prince Andrew to the royal tableau, driven last weekend by Prince William to church near Balmoral, where the Windsors are currently all gathered (with just the two notable exceptions). I must say I do think that William and Andrew missed a trick not doing carpool karaoke as they rocked up to Crathie Kirk, either to Take That’s Back for Good, or the Gary Puckett and the Union Gap’s jailbait classic Young Girl.

Even so, how fitting that this staged sighting should occur on the very weekend crowds of people descended on Scotland in the hope of spying the Loch Ness monster. You can imagine being there when the cry went up. Oh my God – there it is! Look – you can see its head and neck in the front seat, right next to Prince William! Quick, get a photo, even if “friends” will later claim it’s fake because its fingers aren’t chubby enough.

Anyhow: welcome back, Uncle Andy. Typically, royal rehab efforts move at a more glacial pace. For example, the plan to make the British public fall back in love with Prince Charles after his divorce from Princess Diana and her tragic death was slated by courtiers to take years of slow and painstaking image work. But the picture of Andrew being driven last Sunday by William and Kate, the family’s biggest current stars, comes merely one year after the Duke of York finally settled a civil claim against him by Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre was treated as a sex slave by Andrew’s friend, the late international paedo trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and long alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Andrew three times when she was 17. The duke denies everything, and his reported $12m settlement did not contain an admission of guilt.

And there he was on Sunday, next to William up front, with Kate relegated to creasing her outfit on the back seat. As indicated, these royal stagings are so often wordless scenes, so we don’t know the full story behind this picture. I suppose it’s remotely possible that when the family were having breakfast that morning, Prince William clocked the presence of Prince Andrew and hissed: “You need to spend a very long time in church indeed. In fact, you know what? I’ll drive you there myself.” Possible, but vanishingly unlikely. Andrew was, after all, pictured exiting the church at the same time as the others, instead of lingering for two or three hundred years after.

So this is not some accident, some last-minute instance of Andrew calling shotgun, or of the Waleses suddenly sighing: “OK, fine, jump in the front and we’ll give you a lift.” Please remember that we are dealing with a family widely held to telegraph fantastically complex and significant messages merely by their choice of brooch or jacket colour, which the public is duly invited to parse for meaning. So sticking a disgraced dimwit in the front seat of your car is not just some random thing that happens of a Sunday morning. This is a planned and choreographed moment, with William as the designated driver.

Even so, doing Andrew’s reintegration at Balmoral does feel particularly on the nose. Attendance here connotes the most particular closeness to the royal family’s wellspring of ineffable majesty and authority – which is perhaps why Epstein himself jumped at an invitation to Balmoral back in 1999, when Andrew had him and Ghislaine Maxwell come and visit the castle. This is the version of staying somewhere at Her Majesty’s pleasure that doesn’t involve sewage in your cell or being allowed to take your own life because it would be better all round for your Famous Men WhatsApp group. (And yes, I do know that Jeffrey and Ghislaine were in New York jails so not technically Her Maj’s guests, but you get the point.)

There were probably 500 things Epstein would have objectively preferred doing than yomping round Balmoral, even if 499 of them were illegal. But the frisson of tightness with the royal family was worth journeying to the deck of the famously spartan log cabin on the estate, and posing with Maxwell on the same bench on which the late Queen Elizabeth II was frequently pictured (even if she wasn’t in residence at the castle at the time). Epstein kept the photo of him and Ghislaine at this cabin in his Manhattan mansion, which was eventually raided by police. Thereafter it was presented as evidence in Maxwell’s trial, as part of prosecutors’ attempts to show that she and Epstein were “partners in crime”.

The third wheel on that trip was Prince Andrew himself. Presumably he took the photo? That’s a typical question with those three, with the notorious picture of Andrew with his arm round the hip of the then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts – while Ghislaine smirks in the background – often believed to have been taken by Epstein himself. Quite why the Prince and Princess of Wales wish to form a new photo trio with Uncle Andy is a mystery. But it comes across as the clearest signal that Andrew’s “banishment” from the family is the type we could all live with: one where you get a free mansion, don’t have to work, and all your significant rellies appear to believe your side of the story and are happy enough to give you a helping hand. The comeback will be greater than the setback – or at least of commensurate size.

[randomvarious]

Now listening:

Quadrastate by 808 State (1989)

Here's a pretty neat quote that 808 State's Martin Price gave to journalist Simon Trask for a profile of his group in the November 1989 issue of Music Technology:

Quadrastate is our version of techno", Price says. "[Derrick] May, [Kevin] Saunderson, [Juan] Atkins, they're my heroes. Detroit is the place that I want to go to. I can still remember the first time I heard Model 500's 'No UFOs' played at a club - I knocked a table over in my hurry to get to the DJ and find out what the record was.

And here we go, folks. This is the one that really kicked things into gear for legendary electronic Manchester lads 808 State. Introducing Quadrastate, the third release in their discography, which is a mini-album/EP from 1989 that features the original version of "Pacific State," the classic Balearic deep house anthem that would enable the group to successfully crack on a commercial level, with BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies giving it plenty of spin.

Prior to the release of Quadrastate, 808 State had made two other releases: their brilliantly gnarly 1988 debut acid house LP, Newbuild, which is probably the least commercially-appealing thing that they've ever made, and a follow-up three-song 12-inch called "Let Yourself Go"/"Deepville." Neither of these managed to chart anywhere, but as critic Paul Cooper once put it in his write-up of Newbuild for Pitchfork, this album was like acid house's Velvet Underground & Nico—not many people heard it when it first came out, but for those who did, like Aphex Twin, who would later re-release it on his own Rephlex label, it definitely left a lasting impact.

And this release, contrary to the prior two, charted; not in an *official* capacity, but on UK publication Music Week's 'Dance Albums' chart. For the week of September 9, 1989, Quadrastate had made it to #10, and by the week of November 4, 1989, it had managed to climb all the way up to #1 😎.

This record also marked the end of one chapter and the start of another for the group as well. Gerald Simpson, aka A Guy Called Gerald, who had been in 808 State since its inception, had worked on "Pacific State" before departing (more about that in a future post), and in his place came a pair of much younger guys, Andy Barker and Darren Partington, whose hipper and more modern ideas would mesh well with the experimental and jazz-funk sensibilities of the older duo of Graham Massey and Martin Price.

Old meeting new.

(Source: "The State of Technology," Music Technology, November 1989)

And lastly, Quadrastate was the final 808 State release to be issued by Martin Price's own label, Creed Records. Following this, the 808 State name would grow to become much larger. ZTT, the label that had been co-founded by The Art of Noise's Trevor Horn—who himself is credited as "the man who invented the eighties"—would sign them, and not long after that, 808 State would score a Stateside deal with legendary hip hop label Tommy Boy Records as well.

So, just like their first two releases, which were also issued on Creed, this one isn't on Spotify, either, but here it is in a single YouTube video:

And it looks like most of the rest of their discography following this release *is* on Spotify 👍🙏.

Gonna tackle the "Pacific State" 12-inch after this!

And for those just joining, here's some stuff about 808 State's first two releases:

Newbuild "Let Yourself Go"/"Deepville"

[miss-andromeda]

It's Supposed To Be Fun... (Part 1)

Summary: Andi’s 18th birthday is her first one out of New York - and everyone wants to make sure it rivals her sweet 16. The problem is, her mind doesn’t want to allow that.

This is non-canon, and is implied to take place after the end of the series.

Inspired by: The Moment I Knew (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift, All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) by Taylor Swift

Also inspired by my dear friend @tinkabelle24's Birthday Shenanigans from her amazing story, To Build a Home.

Song Used: The Last Time (ft. Gary Lightbody) (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

References:

Andi's Dress: Click here

Andi's Cake: Click here

----------

“Nope, nope, nope!”

Andi rolled her eyes, but a fond smile formed on her face as Donnie clambered out of the van, desperate to reach her at the trunk. “Don, I can carry a few bags in.”

“Not on your birthday weekend you aren’t, missy. I’ll take those, thank you.” He promptly grabbed her luggage and hauled it inside the farmhouse, making her laugh and roll her eyes again.

“Aw, come on, D! That’s not fair!” Mikey yelled as he started helping Andi unpack all of the luggage from the trunk. 

“Until your name is Andromeda Grace Rhodes and this is your birthday weekend, Mikey, deal with it.” Donnie simply replied once he came back, making Mikey huff and Andi shake her head.

“Special treatment, huh, gaptooth?” Casey teased as he finally emerged from the van, April following him. And such a comment made the redhead swat him on the shoulder, making him whine and hold the spot she hit. “Ow, chill, Red. Just joking.”

“It’s her 18th birthday, Casey. She’s allowed to receive a little bit of leverage.” 

“Thank you, April.” Donnie agreed, emphasizing the ‘thank you’ as he noticed Andi staring at him, unamused. “Glare at me all you want, enchantress. It won’t change my mind. And if anything, it just makes you even prettier.”

That changed Andi’s stare into a little smile, made April let out a quiet, prolonged ‘aww,’ and made Mikey and Casey collectively snicker.

“Guys! Unless you want the weekend to be over, help me and Leo and carry your stuff in!” Raph’s familiar voice boomed from the farmhouse porch, before he looked directly at Andi. “While we’re putting everything away, can you set up the karaoke machine?”

“On it.” Andi confidently nodded, grabbing said machine from the trunk. “See you guys on the other side.” She joked to her friends, kissing Donnie on the cheek before heading inside - completely ignoring the lovestruck sigh he emitted as he watched her go in.

“You’re so whipped for her, dude.”

“Shut up.”

----------

“All right, party people!” Mikey silenced the entire table as he stood on his stool. “So, we all know what today is-”

That made Andi smile and blush, slightly embarrassed at being the center of attention. Though the tiara on her head wasn’t doing her any favors.

“-and so, we got some plans! Me and April-”

“April and I.” Donnie corrected him, making Andi giggle and rest her head on his shoulder.

“Me and April-” Mikey said again, giving his brother a dirty look. “-are gonna make dinner, then we’re gonna do the cake, and then per the birthday girl’s request, we got some singin’ to do!”

“Mainly because I wanted to laugh at you all.” Andi admitted, still on Donnie’s shoulder. 

“Good idea. Especially when you consider Mikey sings like a dying cat.” Raph commented, making Leo groan and slap a hand over his face. “Don’t remind me. The amount of times I’ve had morning meditation interrupted because someone wanted to sing in the shower is too high for me to count.”

“No insulting the announcer!” Mikey yelled, stomping his foot on the stool - and nearly falling over in the process. “Anyway-” His voice came out strained as he said ‘anyway.’ “-we got plans, and me and Ape need the kitchen! So everyone else-” He then gestured to the doorway of the kitchen as he hopped off the stool.

“-in polite words, get out.”

As everyone started to file out (bar April and Mikey,) Donnie and Andi shared a smile as they walked out of the kitchen, hand-in-hand. 

“What say you and I go down to the lake for a little bit?” Donnie suggested, making Andi grin at him. 

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Nothing R-rated, kids.” April teased them as she poked her head in the doorway, her hair up in its signature ponytail.

“‘It’s her 18th birthday, Casey. She’s allowed to have a little bit of leverage.’” Andi replied in a jokingly mocking voice, making Donnie snicker and April laugh and shove her away.

“Fine, go. But don’t be surprised if I smash the cake in your face later!” April called out as she noticed the pair leaving.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

----------

“Don, I swear on all that is good, if you throw me in that lake…!”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Donnie mischievously grinned and lifted her into the air, making her squeal and flail about in his arms.

“Put me down, you jerk!”

The turtle laughed but relented, putting her down. “All right, I concede.” When he caught her playfully glaring at him, he tittered a bit and pulled her in. “I didn’t throw you in, did I?”

“You’re still a jerk for considering it.”

“Can I do anything for you to forgive me, dear birthday girl?”

Andi threw her head back and laughed. “In fact, you can.” Without warning, she leaned in and kissed him, and feeling Donnie smile against her lips made her beam in response.

Do you really deserve him?

She subconsciously tightened her grip on him, as if replying, I do. He loves me and I love him, and that’s all that matters. And don’t you dare think about taking him.

Oh, I won’t. But how do you know he won’t leave?

Because he loves me, that’s how I know.

Just like Mama?

Andi bit down on his lip out of frustration, but Donnie didn’t catch on. Instead, he softly groaned against her lips and pulled her down to the ground, then pulled her onto his lap. “Someone’s feeling daring today…” He muttered against her lips, making Andi giggle - acting like it was intentional.

Shut up, Mama is a completely different story. 

Is she? 

Yes. Now shut up.

She told you she loved you, just like Donnie. And yet she left, in case you forgot. So what makes you think he won’t?

He. Won’t.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

Andi stopped herself from answering as she pulled away, giving Donnie a little smile. Back to the present, and that present involved enjoying her birthday with the ones that really mattered to her.

“That was unexpected.” Donnie finally admitted, making Andi laugh and kiss the top of his head.

“Yeah, but I’m not exactly complaining.” She glanced down at her now-wrinkled dress and groaned a bit, trying to smooth it out. “See what you did?”

“Excuse me for trying to show some affection to my dear lady.”

“‘Excuse me.’” Andi playfully mocked him as she continued to smooth out the dress. “If we get some type of comment from Casey or Mikey, don’t be surprised. And be glad I’m not wearing lipstick.”

“Yeah, then the jeering would be cranked up to eleven.”

“Exactly.” Andi let out a little sigh of relief as most of the wrinkles had been smoothed out. “Okay, good. At least I look a little better.” She noticed Donnie was about to speak, but she stopped him with an amused smile. “And if you tell me I look pretty no matter what, I’m leaving.”

That made him close his mouth - pulling a genuine laugh from her.

----------

“Hit the lights, Case!”

“Cover your eyes, shortcake. I can see you tryin’ to cheat.”

“Bold assumption, Raphie.”

“All right, everyone…and a 1, 2, 3!”

The only light in the kitchen came from two things; Andi’s tiara and the lit candles on her cake. 

And the cake itself…it was beautiful. With the edible pearls and glitter, it was a cake fit for a princess. What sealed the deal for her, though, was the perfect script of ‘Happy 18th, Andi’ with a little heart over the ‘i’ in her name.

As her friends sang to her, Andi couldn’t help but tear up as Donnie grabbed her hand and kissed it, and the two of them shared a smile as April placed the cake in front of her.

 “Make a wish, enchantress.”

That soft command made Andi sniffle and smile more. “If you insist…” She murmured, then closed her eyes again as she started to think of her birthday wish. What could she want at this point? She had the greatest friends she could ask for, the greatest boyfriend she could ask for, any kind of enemy (the Kraang, Shredder’s forces) had all been defeated…

Your family.

Your parents, idiot.

Andi’s jaw instinctively clenched, but she forcibly unclenched it.

My parents are gone. And I have the only family I need right here.

Open your eyes.

She was hesitant, but when she did, she felt her hand get clammy against Donnie’s.

At the back of the kitchen…was her mother.

She wasn’t saying anything, but her eyes were glittering with venom.

You honestly believe that you don’t need us anymore? That you can just disregard us and build anew?

Andi couldn’t respond, her eyes basically glued to the shadowy figure.

Pathetic.

“Andi? You good, girl?”

She snapped out of her daze and shook her head, before promptly fixing her tiara. “Yeah. I just got lost in thought.”

“Well, hurry up and make a wish, Rhodes. The wax is gonna get on the cake.”

“Thanks for that astute observation, Jones.” But Andi listened, and after a brief moment of consideration, she knew what she wanted to say:

Let me be able to enjoy myself for the weekend. I don’t want to be held down by thinking about Mama, or Daddy, or anything. I have my friends, my love…and that’s all I want.

And as she blew out the candles, she could swear she saw the figure reforming in the corner.

----------

“Whoo! Yes, April! Sing it!”

April laughed as she put the microphone back on the stand, the song playing its final chords. She then jokingly bowed as Andi and the boys applauded and cheered, before scurrying back to her spot next to the other girl.

“All right, D, you’re up, dude!”

Andi kissed his cheek for some extra encouragement, making Donnie beam at her and stand up, taking the mic. Before he started the song, though, he ran back to Andi and whispered something to her, making her blush but nod regardless. Having her consent, Donnie smiled at her and headed back to the mic. 

“So, um...this has no reflection on mine and Andi’s relationship. This is just a song I like and have listened to with her.”

“Quit stalling, Donnie, and just start it!”

Andi snickered as she playfully elbowed Raph in the side, then smiled at her boyfriend as the opening chords started.

“I find myself at your door, just like all those times before. I’m not sure how I got there, all roads, they lead me here.”

“Of course he went with this one…” Raph mumbled to Andi, but a little smile was on his face - especially as he saw how she admired him.

“I imagine you are home, in your room, all alone, and you open your eyes into mine…”

As he sang ‘you open your eyes,’ he made eye contact with Andi and smiled at her, subtly asking her to go up.

“...and everything feels better…”

So she did, taking the second mic.

“And right before your eyes, I’m breaking…no past, no reasons why…just you and me…”

As they were greeted with cheers, they smiled more at each other and continued singing.

“This is the last time I’m asking you this, put my name at the top of your list. This is the last time I’m asking you why, you break my heart in the blink of an eye, eye, eye…”

As Andi’s part came up, she started singing on her own - which immediately earned her a “go Andi!” from April and “yeah, girl!” from Mikey. 

“You find yourself at my door, and just like all those times before, you wear your best apology…”

She then looked directly at Donnie, a little smile playing on her lips. 

“But I was there to watch you leave. And all the times I let you in, just for you to go again…disappear when you come back…everything is better…”

As she walked back to him, she grabbed one of his hands, looking directly into his eyes.

“And right before your eyes, I’m aching…no past, nowhere to hide…just you...and me…”

A little smile tugged at both of their lips, and it took everything in Donnie to not pull her in and kiss her.

“This is the last time I’m asking you this, put my name at the top of your list. This is the last time I’m asking you why, you break my heart in the blink of an eye, eye, eye…”

As the guitar solo kicked in, Donnie started to twirl Andi around, making her laugh. 

“You can do better than that, gaptooth! Kiss her!” Casey jokingly yelled, making the other boys (bar Donnie) laugh and start to tease them.

Donnie’s face turned a bright scarlet, but Andi, with a sense of confidence, just smiled at them. “Well, might as well give the audience its wish…”

So she kissed him, making him nearly short-circuit and the boys cheer - all while April had started recording the rest of the performance with a teasing smile.

She pulled away just as the song was nearing its bridge, subtly winking at him. 

“This is the last time you tell me I’ve got it wrong…”

Thankfully, Donnie quickly regained his composure and didn’t leave her hanging.

“This is the last time I say it’s been you all along…”

“This is the last time I let you in my door…”

“This is the last time, I won’t hurt you anymore…oh…”

Andi smiled as she joined in on the ending note. “Oh…”

And then the ending chorus came, and the pair were as close as ever - their eyes never leaving each other’s. 

“This is the last time I’m asking you this, put my name at the top of your list. This is the last time I’m asking you why, you break my heart in the blink of an eye…”

“This is the last time I’m asking you this…”

“This is the last time I’m asking you this…”

“Put my name at the top of your list…”

“Put my name at the top of your list…”

“This is the last time I’m asking you why…”

“This is the last time I’m asking you why…”

“You break my heart in the blink of an eye…”

“You break my heart in the blink of an eye…”

What paralyzed her, though, was the image she saw of her mother when she looked into his eyes - and she felt like she was on autopilot as she sang, just focusing on the still image.

“This is the last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you this…"

"This is the last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you this…”

What brought her back to reality was when he squeezed her hand and smiled softly at her.

“This is the last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you this…”

“This is the last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you, last time I’m asking you this…”

As they were met with cheers, applause, and even a standing ovation from Mikey and April, Andi smiled as she thought of one thing:

Of course she won’t leave me. Of course.

----------

Want to be added/removed from the taglist? Just let me know 🩷

@android-cap-007 @happymoonangel @jasminarts01 @eveandtheturtles @thelaundrybitch @kikithedreamerwriter

[jaydokiiart]

Ahoy, Strangers!

Join our Novella Stranger Things roleplay server where we're crafting our own canon version of S5 - The Fall of Hawkins, the apocalypse.

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🌆 Hawkins: The Fall of Hawkins 🌆

Current:

Two days have passed since the 'final' battle with Vecna. As ash gently descends from the sky, our characters await with bated breath, wondering what fate has in store. With homes destroyed or too close to the ominous portal, some are in need of shelter. Not to worry, few of the characters offer a safe haven (More details on individual situations will be shared in the server).

Upcoming event(s): Phase 1

The day after, the ash ceases, and the sky takes on an eerie blueish hue with crimson tints, signaling colder days ahead. The town's heating systems are slowly failing, causing the temperature to drop. Although the townsfolk notice the chill, they remain unaware of the looming danger. Light sources start flickering sporadically, an issue that will only worsen with time.

📜 Explore Our Wiki For an overview of our storyline, please visit our wiki page (It's still a work in progress): Stranger Things: The Fall of Hawkins Wiki.

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🎭 Characters We're Seeking

Mike Wheeler

Will Byers

Lucas Sinclair

Argyle

Chance: (Writing wiki atm,, has a relation to one of our OC's)

Vickie: (Possible love interest for Robin) We'd love to develop her character into something more than what we've seen in the show. We already have a way to get her involved, but simply need the right person for her role.

Eden Bingham: A possible love interest for Kali, Eden's character invites creativity. She's a college student, new to Illinois, intrigued by the enigmatic events in Hawkins. Help us shape her story.

Murray Bauman: Murray plays a pivotal role in our narrative. Visit our Wiki for insights into his character and the story's progression: Murray Bauman Wiki

Other Open Characters: A variety of key roles await, including Erica Sinclair, Eden Bingham, Heather (with a unique twist), Andy, Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Karen Wheeler, Enzo Dmitri Antonov, etc.

📝 OC's

Bring your creativity to the table with original characters who seamlessly fit within the Stranger Things universe. We value depth and contributions to the storyline and even encourage adding interesting new characters. Let's discuss how to integrate them organically. In terms of relationships, OC's can connect with both canon and original characters. (NO Mary Sue's/Gary Stu's please)

!! Urgent: We are looking for a Vickie or an interesting OC character to ship with Robin.

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⚙️ Server Rules

A few guidelines:

Participants must be 18 years or older.

Advanced literate/novella writing, with detailed, multi-paragraph posts.

Be an active member and patience is appreciated.

Collaboration on headcanons (HC's) and story plotting is encouraged.

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🌟 What We Offer 🌟

Engaging Storyline: We care to keep the storyline interesting and engaging. We have monthly catch up and discussions to talk about the progression made that month and ideas we we'd like to see happen.

Character Development: We're dedicated to character growth and offer opportunities for deepening your character's relationships and narratives. We treat all characters (including OC's) equally. We care for the development and connections of a character and will do anything to help you in case you're in need of ideas.

Dynamic Wiki: Our ever-evolving Wiki keeps you informed about the ongoing narrative and offers a rich source of lore for your roleplay. Everyone gets their own Wiki page which helps get an overview of your character. (+ HC page)

Active and understanding Community: Join a lively community of like-minded roleplayers who share your passion for storytelling and exploration. We are also very patient with each other and understand that life can sometimes get in the way.

Detailed Writing

Diverse Ships: Explore a variety of relationships and dynamics, from canon to original characters.

Collaborative Roleplay: Connect with fellow roleplayers to create headcanons (HC's) and collaborate on story plotting for a truly interactive experience.

Art: We have some great artists in our midst!

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📩 Interested in Joining?

link: https://discord.gg/tfoh

[singlesablog]

The New Wave

“Messages” (1980) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Dindisc Records (Written by Paul Humphreys/Andy McCluskey) Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – None

This one is a bit of a cheat because it involves some explicit time travel.  In 1980 the duo known as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey) were both still living at their respective parent’s houses in Wirral, Merseyside, a section bordering Manchester in the North of England.  They had formed in 1978, were on the “dole” (public relief) and bought their first instruments in thrift shops, not including their first synthesizer (a Korg M-500 Micro Preset) purchased via a catalogue provided by McCluskey’s mother on a payment plan of “£7.76 a week, paid over 36 weeks”*.  I, however, was in 9th grade living in Lakeside apartments off of Abercorn Expressway in Savannah, Ga, mostly listening to much more mainstream, shinier fare, and wouldn’t know this song until the late 80s.

Through a series of events that included gigging around town and opening for Joy Division at Eric’s Club in Liverpool (a club which was members-only at a very discounted rate and featured so many punk and new wave bands it is hard to overplay it’s importance), they recorded a one-off single, “Electricity”, for the then unknown Factory records, with a slip cover designed by Peter Saville, and the rest is very fast history. OMD were a true new wave, synth pop band, with a tension between the ethereal and brainy (Humphreys) and the more rock and punk (McClusky).  One of their other extreme bolts of great luck was having a fan in Gary Numan (see previous post), who was very popular at the time, and then being invited to open for him in arenas in 1979.  It should be clarified that Eric’s Club was a tiny room in Liverpool, as indy as it gets.  I am sure the leap was tremendous, especially considering they both still lived at home.

After “Electricity” was released (to fanfare if not actual pop success), the boys signed a 7-album record deal with Dindisc, with an advance of £250,000.  With the advance they built a studio to record their first, eponymous album, reasoning that when the label dropped them, they would at least have a studio.  It was here they recorded “Messages” in a much sparer, punkier version.  Dindisc asked for something slicker to release as a single, and it was this version I first heard at some point in art school in the later 80s—one of the most woeful and deliciously ethereal of pop songs, fully danceable, but almost more in one’s head, an inner sensation not unlike the zombie wiggle I felt come over me in 1980 with Numan’s “Cars”. It is a single that never ages, never grows tired, and always releases the inner goth teenager inside of me.  When those first electronic notes appear, and then the tidal wave of faux organ sounds that rush in to McCluskey singing “it worries me this kind of thing” I can feeling my swing bang growing and I am off to another world, that teenage one, one with tons of ambition, cool sad feels, a place I can return to again and again, where in opposition of the stated lyrics, memories are not such uncertain friends.  They are crystalized time.

OMD are still recording in that very same studio, as thrifty as ever.

* Wikipedia